Ratcatcher (comics)
Ratcatcher is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Batman, belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery. Once an actual rat-catcher in Gotham City, Otis Flannegan sank into a life of crime. Calling himself the Ratcatcher because of his special ability to communicate with and train rats, Flannegan has used his minions to plague Gotham on more than one occasion by unleashing hordes of the vermin.
A female version of the character will make her cinematic debut in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad sequel in 2021 portrayed by Daniela Melchior set in the DC Extended Universe.
Publication history
Ratcatcher first appeared in Detective Comics #585 and was created by Alan Grant, John Wagner, and Norm Breyfogle.Fictional character biography
Criminal career
Otis Flannegan used to work as a rat-catcher in the Gotham City Sanitation Department and always claimed he could train rats to attack. Flannegan was eventually arrested and spent ten years in prison after stabbing a man to death in a street fight. After his release from the Gotham State Penitentiary, Flannegan kidnapped the four officials responsible for his arrest and subsequent sentence. He took his prisoners to a hideout located in the city's sewers, where he kept them for five years. During this period, Flannegan developed his current criminal alter-ego as Ratcatcher. Wearing protective equipment and using his animal training skills, Ratcatcher gathered a large mischief of rats which he used to torture and restrain his prisoners.After five years of captivity, one of Ratcatcher's prisoners managed to escape, although the Ratcatcher sent his army of rats to kill him. The man was killed upon reaching the surface and his body was found by Batman, who followed the mice back to the Mouse Hunter's hideout. Forced to face the Dark Knight, Flannegan was outmatched once Batman got rid of all the rats and Ratcatcher was subsequently delivered to the authorities once again. After spending time in prison, Flannegan escaped his parole hearing by using a flute that he carved to control rats at high pitched frequency. His plans for Gotham were ruined by Batman in the end and he was captured again.
''Infinite Crisis''
When Infinite Crisis began, the Ratcatcher was being protected by, in addition to his rat friends, the homeless community. When he was discovered and being taken away, one of the homeless attempted to aid Flannegan, but was easily knocked aside by the arresting officers. The man turned out to be an OMAC in hiding, and the injury apparently initiated its release. The OMAC identified the Ratcatcher as a gamma level threat and vaporized him.The New 52
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Ratcatcher first appears in the series Batman Eternal as part of a plan to subtly destabilize Gotham via public services catastrophes.Powers and abilities
The Ratcatcher has the ability to communicate and control an army of rats. He has an in-depth knowledge of Gotham's sewer system and the layout of the Blackgate Penitentiary, which comes in handy as Flannegan is able to smuggle items in and out of prison with the help of his little servants. The Ratcatcher also wields a gas gun and can manipulate various things with cyanide gas.Other versions
''Master Comics''
In Master Comics, the version of Ratcatcher presented is a man named Ransom Trappe, who is a enemy of Bulletman and Bulletgirl.''Batman: Arkham Unhinged''
The Ratcatcher appears in , in which he is seen participating in Two-Face's trial against Joker as a juror, where Ratcatcher voted guilty due to Joker having poisoned his rats.''Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis''
In Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis, a prequel to the 2015 video game ', it is revealed that Ratcatcher did survive his encounter with the Penguin in ', albeit losing his left eye and arm in the process. After Hush, disguised as Bruce Wayne, enters his domain with two police officers, Ratcatcher sends his rats to attack them, managing to kill the officers and incapacitate Hush. Before the rats could kill Hush, Arkham Knight comes down with a knee to Otis' face, putting him to the ground. The Knight then uses an intense taser to fry Ratcatcher and his rat minions alive. Batman later arrives at the scene of the crime and discovers Otis' charred corpse.''Mother Panic''
In the Mother Panic ongoing series, Otis Flannagan, now reformed and homeless, moves into the basement of the hotel the vigilante Violet Page uses as her headquarters. He ultimately orders his rats to dismember the supervillain Pretty's face.In other media
Television
- A similar character named Ratboy appears in the Batman Beyond episode "Rats" voiced by Taran Noah Smith.
- The Ratcatcher is alluded to in the fifth and final season of the Fox series Gotham. Among the street gangs operating during the No Man's Land event are the Soothsayers, who are lead by Sykes. All members wear gas masks identical to the ones worn by the Ratcatcher, as well as outfits similar to the costume variants Otis Flannegan wore in the comics, such as the modern New 52 dungarees design. Sykes himself uses various belts to attach a gas cylinder to his back, visually alluding to the original Ratcatcher design. Similar to Ratcatcher's headquarters in Gotham's sewer system, the Soothsayers also inhabit a dark tunnel system under Gotham. The gang later joins forces with Jeremiah Valeska and his followers in the episode "Ruin" to complete the tunnel system in order to get to the other side of the Gotham River.
- Ratcatcher appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by James Adomian. In this series, the character is depicted as an underling of Two-Face. In the episode "There's Nowhere to Go But Down," while transporting weapons to him using the sewers and his rats, Ratcatcher is nearly caught by Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon before the sound of the latter's alcohol flask alerts him and allows Ratcatcher to escape.
Film
- The Ratcatcher is set appear in the upcoming film The Suicide Squad, portrayed by Daniela Melchior. This version of the character will be gender-swapped, being female and one of the eponymous team's newest members.
Video games
- The Ratcatcher appears as a boss in ', voiced by Jonathan Roumie. While attempting to infiltrate Arkham Asylum through the sewers, Batman is confronted by the Ratcatcher and a pair of giant rats, with Batman defeating the rats before knocking out the Ratcatcher.
- Though never physically seen, Ratcatcher is alluded to in most games of the ' series.
- * The Ratcatcher's equipment can be found in '. His character bio can be unlocked by finding his mask, gloves and book in the ventilation system of the Botanical Gardens.
- * In ', a poster advertising the Ratcatcher's skills as an exterminator can be seen in the Industrial District; scanning this unlocks Ratcatcher's character bio, which states he had become a player in the black market, selling smaller items like buttons and gum to avoid upsetting other major players, such as the Penguin. This eventually failed him, and he was last seen being dragged into Penguin's museum by the Penguin's men, followed by his army of rats. Penguin may also have used the rats that followed Flannegan to the museum as a death trap used on disloyal grunts. Ratcatcher's survival and escape from Penguin's clutches is later confirmed in the comic Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis.
- * In , a prequel set five years before the events of Arkham Asylum, Ratcatcher's gear can be found at the bar My Alibi in the Coventry district. In the "Cold, Cold, Heart" DLC, Ratcatcher's gear can be found inside of Gothcorp.