Ratcatcher (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Ratcatcher is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the DC Comics
universe
, primarily as an enemy of Batman
. First appearing in Detective Comics
#585 (April 1988), the Ratcatcher was created by Alan Grant, John Wagner
and Norm Breyfogle
.
, Otis Flannegan sank into a life of crime. He's been imprisoned numerous times in his career (he is a regular in Blackgate Penitentiary
) for assault, kidnapping, and robbery. Flannegan calls himself The Ratcatcher because of a special trait he was gifted: the ability to communicate with and train rats. The Ratcatcher has used his minions to plague Gotham on more than one occasion by unleashing hordes of the vermin. In prison, Flannegan is able to smuggle items in and out with the help of his small friends.
Flannegan isn't the most devious or most powerful of Batman
's rogues gallery, nor is he insane. His supervillain outfit is a gas mask and vermin control gear. Flannegan is often drawn with rat-like features.
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.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, primarily as an enemy of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. First appearing in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#585 (April 1988), the Ratcatcher was created by Alan Grant, John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
and Norm Breyfogle
Norm Breyfogle
Norman Keith "Norm" Breyfogle is an American comic book artist, fine artist, illustrator, and writer. He was involved with the character of Batman consistently from 1987-1995. Breyfogle has worked on many different characters for most comic book publishers at one time or another...
.
Fictional character biography
At one time an actual rat catcher in Gotham CityGotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
, Otis Flannegan sank into a life of crime. He's been imprisoned numerous times in his career (he is a regular in Blackgate Penitentiary
Blackgate Penitentiary
Blackgate Penitentiary is a fictional prison depicted in the DC Universe, traditionally located on a small island in the Gotham Bay, Gotham City...
) for assault, kidnapping, and robbery. Flannegan calls himself The Ratcatcher because of a special trait he was gifted: the ability to communicate with and train rats. The Ratcatcher has used his minions to plague Gotham on more than one occasion by unleashing hordes of the vermin. In prison, Flannegan is able to smuggle items in and out with the help of his small friends.
Flannegan isn't the most devious or most powerful of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
's rogues gallery, nor is he insane. His supervillain outfit is a gas mask and vermin control gear. Flannegan is often drawn with rat-like features.
When Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
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.
Television
- A character similar to Otis Flannegan named Patrick Poundstone appeared in the Batman BeyondBatman BeyondBatman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy...
episode "Rats" voiced by Taran Noah SmithTaran Noah SmithTaran Noah Smith is an American actor. He is most notably known for his portrayal of youngest son, Marcus "Mark" Jason Taylor, on the sitcom Home Improvement.-Personal life:...
. He is a deformed runaway teen who has the power to communicate with rats. He soon became obsessed with Dana Tan and orchestrated her abduction. He showed Dana his habitat and hobbies. Unimpressed, she tried to trick Patrick into taking her to the surface for some Chili. Patrick didn't want to risk losing her, so he went by himself. He barged into Rhino's Chili and was spotted by Batman, who then overheard him mentioning Dana. Patrick returned to his place just on time to save Dana from being attacked by a pack of rats. Dana quickly grew inpatient, and Patrick mistook her frustration for mockery and commanded his rats to attack her. He also reveals he has taken several other people in a similar fashion as Dana, and implied to have killed them when they upset or mocked him similar to Dana. At which time, Batman stepped in and fought off the rodent army. In the brawl, a burning hockey stick made contact with dumped toxic waste, blowing everything up. Patrick is likely to have perished in the explosion.
Video games
- Ratcatcher appears as a boss in Batman: Dark TomorrowBatman: Dark TomorrowBatman: Dark Tomorrow is a console video game exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox systems, based on DC Comics' Batman. It was developed by HotGen and published by Kemco in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics...
voiced by Jonathan Roumie. - The Ratcatcher is mentioned in Batman: Arkham AsylumBatman: Arkham AsylumBatman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' Batman developed for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment...
, his bio can be unlocked by finding his mask, gloves and book in the Ventilation System of the Botanical Gardens. - A poster advertising the Ratcatcher's skills as an exterminator has recently been seen in a trailer for Batman: Arkham City. Scanning this unlocks Ratcatcher's 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, and has not been seen since. Penguin may also have used the rats that followed Flannegan to the museum as a death trap used on disloyal grunts (as mentioned by several of Penguin's men), though whether Ratcatcher himself is alive is never made clear.
Film
- While not appearing himself, his "costume" appears in the Armory where Bruce Wayne meets Vicki Vale and Alexander Knox in Tim Burton's BatmanBatman (1989 film)Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
.