Rag Doll (Peter Merkel, Jr.)
Encyclopedia
Rag Doll is a fictional character
, a supervillain
and anti-hero
in the DC Comics
Universe
. He first appeared in Villains United
#1 (July 2005), and was created by Gail Simone
and Dale Eaglesham
. He is a member of the Secret Six
and the son of the original Rag Doll
, Peter Merkel.
miniseries, as a member of a small group calling themselves the "Secret Six
" who hoped to rival the new Secret Society of Super Villains
. In Issue #3 it was revealed he is the son of the original Rag Doll and was born a normal baby. To please his father he underwent surgery to implant lubricated cybernetic joints that let him emulate his father's physique. The surgery left him badly disfigured and requiring regular doses of an emollient to lubricate his skin - otherwise his bones will literally cut through his brittle flesh. He also had surgically removed his genitals, which he considered a "bother."
The new Rag Doll also had a strange relationship with a Parademon
, who referred to Rag Doll as "Clown". How the Parademon
had been separated from Apokolips remains unclear. It considered itself the Rag Doll's guard-dog, threatening to hurt or kill anyone who even inconvenienced the Rag Doll, despite his protests. The Parademon died, however, detonating ten Mother Box
es to cover the Secret Six's escape during a battle with the Society.
He briefly battled his father, the original Rag Doll (who was representing The Society
). This was just prior to the original Rag Doll abandoning The Society and rejoining the Injustice Society (which led to his eventual death). Their battle was cut short by the intervention of the Parademon
.
Ragdoll next pushes Parademon replacement Mad Hatter
off the roof of Vandal Savage's stronghold, claiming there is only room for one freak on the team.
Ragdoll next appears on with new sixth member Harley Quinn
, retrieving a box that is later revealed to contain the deceased Justice League
member Ice
. The Birds of Prey retrieve Ice's body and the Six escape unpaid.
Dr. Psycho later uses his powers to cause Ragdoll to attack his teammates.
The Six, with new members Jeannette
and Bane, are hired to retrieve a card that supposedly gets its owner out of Hell "free". They are attacked by many supervillains who want the card, most acting under orders from Junior, a mysterious mob boss who controls the West Coast. In a confrontation, it is revealed that Junior is actually Doll's sister Alex, who (after implied sexual abuse from their father) mutilated herself horrifically to "bring the ugly out where I can look at it".
Catman, Bane, and Ragdoll (who is disguised as Robin) go to Gotham City after the death of Batman and kill members a crime ring after rich peoples' children, but Nightwing shows up at the last house and sends them all away.
After Bane declares himself the new leader of the Six and fires Scandal, the sixth member becomes Black Alice, a goth teen with the power to copy the abilities of magic users across the Universe. After Alice infiltrates a cult and is uncovered, Ragdoll saves her life and she begins a flirtation with him, much to Bane's chagrin. Catman's son is targeted for murder, all of the pre-existing team members leave the Six to help Catman after he steals their plane, leaving Bane and Jeanette to create a temporary Six until the others return. On their journey to South Africa
to try and find Catman, he is very shocked to discover that Alice does indeed consider Ragdoll to be her boyfriend, and attacks Scandal in the mistaken belief that she wants him, despite Scandal's lesbianism. Alice summons Etrigan's powers to fight Scandal, but promptly gives up, turning back to normal in tears. She explains that she knows Ragdoll doesn't like her like that (especially with the knowledge that she is unaware of his lack of reproductive organs), but acted out simply from the strain and guilt of having given her father cancer by mistake. Ragdoll attempts to offer her comfort, and when Deadshot takes it as an attempt to flirt with her, Ragdoll actually stands up straight (literally and figuratively) for the first time defending Alice.
Ragdoll later accompanies the rest of the Secret Six when they go to Oolong Island in order to defeat the Doom Patrol
and take over the island. He nearly kills Negative Man
, but is defeated after being attacked by a seagull. While leaving the island, it is revealed that Ragdoll had captured Bumblebee
and kept her bound and gagged in his pocket. Before Ragdoll could leave the island with his taped up "souvenir", Bumblebee was taken from him by Elasti-Girl
.
It was later revealed that the "Get Out Of Hell Free" card that the Six had obtained (which Scandal claimed to have lost, when in reality she was keeping it to resurrect Knockout), had been stolen from Scandal's safe, and Scandal correctly deduced the only one capable of stealing it was Ragdoll. Confronting and almost killing him, Ragdoll reveals to her he stole the card hoping to use it to revive Parademon, saying that Scandal's choice to use it for Knockout (Scandal's "one heart") was misled and selfish. He then uses the card to transport himself to hell and set an ambush as his teammates were sure to follow. He explains that due to his emerging protectiveness of Black Alice, he had fled partly because of his fear of finally gaining a measure of sanity. He discovered after arriving that due to being born without a soul he was prophesied to rule in Hell, commanding a legion of demons and being given a fiancee (revealed to be Knockout) by Blaze herself.
. After Parademon was killed, Rag Doll had his upper torso stuffed and keeps it in his room at the House of Secrets. (Secret Six #1)
He also says he has a sister he once French-kissed but talking to Parademon's stuffed
body is less socially awkward. Despite lacking genitals, he also apparently planned on having sex with a nurse who gave him her phone number, and it was suggested that he derived physical pleasure from being beaten by Manhunter
.
Rag Doll spends his share of the Six's loot on constructing a monkey house and purchases 'cute little monkey outfits' that resemble the costumes of the Secret Six for the small pack of monkeys that live in his room.
Rag Doll has also mentioned that his father was "not a kind man", and was disappointed in the fact that only his brother inherited the family gift. His surgeries to transform himself were done to please his disapproving father. However, during their brief confrontation, the elder Rag Doll chastised his son, saying that his son's surgeries were inferior to his own natural talents.
In Secret Six second series #2, it is revealed that his first name is Peter.
In #5, it was revealed that villainous Junior, a villain who has control of the entire West Coast Mob, and has the entire supervillain community at their beck and call (out of fear) is actually Peter's sister. In #6, we discover that Junior's real name is Alex (so named because Ragdoll Sr. "wanted another boy", which would seem to clash with Ragdoll Jr.'s previous mention of his brother). Though it is not stated outright, Alex heavily implies that Ragdoll Sr. sexually abused her as a child, and that is why she mutilated herself, to "bring the ugly out where she could look at it".
event, Rag Doll works as a contortion
ist freak show in the Haley's Circus. During the attack of the Amazons, Rag Doll is rescued by Resistance member Vertigo
. When looking for reinforcements, Rag Doll is killed by an Amazon, by breaking Rag Doll's back over his knee.
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...
and anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
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...
. He first appeared in Villains United
Villains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...
#1 (July 2005), and was created by Gail Simone
Gail Simone
Gail Simone is an American writer of comic books. Best known for penning DC's Birds of Prey, her other notable works include Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, The All-New Atom, and Deadpool. In 2007, she took over Wonder Woman...
and Dale Eaglesham
Dale Eaglesham
Dale Eaglesham is a comic book illustrator who has been working in the industry since 1986. He is best known for his work on titles like Conan, Punisher, Green Lantern, Villains United, Justice Society of America and Fantastic Four...
. He is a member of the Secret Six
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
and the son of the original Rag Doll
Rag Doll (comics)
The Rag Doll is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. He was first introduced as an adversary for the Golden age Flash in a story published in Flash Comics #36...
, Peter Merkel.
Fictional character biography
A new Rag Doll was featured in the Villains UnitedVillains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...
miniseries, as a member of a small group calling themselves the "Secret Six
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
" who hoped to rival the new Secret Society of Super Villains
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
. In Issue #3 it was revealed he is the son of the original Rag Doll and was born a normal baby. To please his father he underwent surgery to implant lubricated cybernetic joints that let him emulate his father's physique. The surgery left him badly disfigured and requiring regular doses of an emollient to lubricate his skin - otherwise his bones will literally cut through his brittle flesh. He also had surgically removed his genitals, which he considered a "bother."
The new Rag Doll also had a strange relationship with a Parademon
Parademon
Parademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
, who referred to Rag Doll as "Clown". How the Parademon
Parademon
Parademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
had been separated from Apokolips remains unclear. It considered itself the Rag Doll's guard-dog, threatening to hurt or kill anyone who even inconvenienced the Rag Doll, despite his protests. The Parademon died, however, detonating ten Mother Box
Mother Box
Mother Boxes are fictional devices in Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting in the DC Universe.-History:Created by Apokoliptian scientist Himon using the mysterious Element X, they are generally thought to be sentient, miniaturized, portable supercomputers, although their true nature and origins are...
es to cover the Secret Six's escape during a battle with the Society.
He briefly battled his father, the original Rag Doll (who was representing The Society
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
). This was just prior to the original Rag Doll abandoning The Society and rejoining the Injustice Society (which led to his eventual death). Their battle was cut short by the intervention of the Parademon
Parademon
Parademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
.
Ragdoll next pushes Parademon replacement Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter (comics)
The Mad Hatter is a fictional supervillain and enemy of Batman in the DC Universe. He is modeled after the Hatter from Lewis Carroll's novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a character often called the "Mad Hatter" in adaptations of Carroll. He made his first appearance in Batman #49 in October...
off the roof of Vandal Savage's stronghold, claiming there is only room for one freak on the team.
Ragdoll next appears on with new sixth member Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
, retrieving a box that is later revealed to contain the deceased Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
member Ice
Ice (comics)
Ice is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in publications from DC Comics. Created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire, she first appeared in Justice League International #12 ....
. The Birds of Prey retrieve Ice's body and the Six escape unpaid.
Dr. Psycho later uses his powers to cause Ragdoll to attack his teammates.
The Six, with new members Jeannette
Jeannette (comics)
Jeannette is a fictional character in the . She first appeared in Secret Six #3 , and was created by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott.-Publication history:...
and Bane, are hired to retrieve a card that supposedly gets its owner out of Hell "free". They are attacked by many supervillains who want the card, most acting under orders from Junior, a mysterious mob boss who controls the West Coast. In a confrontation, it is revealed that Junior is actually Doll's sister Alex, who (after implied sexual abuse from their father) mutilated herself horrifically to "bring the ugly out where I can look at it".
Catman, Bane, and Ragdoll (who is disguised as Robin) go to Gotham City after the death of Batman and kill members a crime ring after rich peoples' children, but Nightwing shows up at the last house and sends them all away.
After Bane declares himself the new leader of the Six and fires Scandal, the sixth member becomes Black Alice, a goth teen with the power to copy the abilities of magic users across the Universe. After Alice infiltrates a cult and is uncovered, Ragdoll saves her life and she begins a flirtation with him, much to Bane's chagrin. Catman's son is targeted for murder, all of the pre-existing team members leave the Six to help Catman after he steals their plane, leaving Bane and Jeanette to create a temporary Six until the others return. On their journey to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to try and find Catman, he is very shocked to discover that Alice does indeed consider Ragdoll to be her boyfriend, and attacks Scandal in the mistaken belief that she wants him, despite Scandal's lesbianism. Alice summons Etrigan's powers to fight Scandal, but promptly gives up, turning back to normal in tears. She explains that she knows Ragdoll doesn't like her like that (especially with the knowledge that she is unaware of his lack of reproductive organs), but acted out simply from the strain and guilt of having given her father cancer by mistake. Ragdoll attempts to offer her comfort, and when Deadshot takes it as an attempt to flirt with her, Ragdoll actually stands up straight (literally and figuratively) for the first time defending Alice.
Ragdoll later accompanies the rest of the Secret Six when they go to Oolong Island in order to defeat the Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
and take over the island. He nearly kills Negative Man
Negative Man
Negative Man is a fictional superhero from DC Comics. He first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80.-Larry Trainor:The original Negative Man, Larry Trainor, is a founding member of the Doom Patrol, along with Elasti-Girl, Robotman, and The Chief...
, but is defeated after being attacked by a seagull. While leaving the island, it is revealed that Ragdoll had captured Bumblebee
Bumblebee (comics)
Bumblebee is a fictional character, existing in DC Comics' main shared universe. She is a former member of the Teen Titans and a current member of the Doom Patrol...
and kept her bound and gagged in his pocket. Before Ragdoll could leave the island with his taped up "souvenir", Bumblebee was taken from him by Elasti-Girl
Elasti-Girl
Elasti-Girl is a fictional character, a superhero of the DC Comics universe and a member of the Doom Patrol.-Fictional character biography:...
.
It was later revealed that the "Get Out Of Hell Free" card that the Six had obtained (which Scandal claimed to have lost, when in reality she was keeping it to resurrect Knockout), had been stolen from Scandal's safe, and Scandal correctly deduced the only one capable of stealing it was Ragdoll. Confronting and almost killing him, Ragdoll reveals to her he stole the card hoping to use it to revive Parademon, saying that Scandal's choice to use it for Knockout (Scandal's "one heart") was misled and selfish. He then uses the card to transport himself to hell and set an ambush as his teammates were sure to follow. He explains that due to his emerging protectiveness of Black Alice, he had fled partly because of his fear of finally gaining a measure of sanity. He discovered after arriving that due to being born without a soul he was prophesied to rule in Hell, commanding a legion of demons and being given a fiancee (revealed to be Knockout) by Blaze herself.
Relationships
As a member of the Secret Six, he had formed a bond with ParademonParademon
Parademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
. After Parademon was killed, Rag Doll had his upper torso stuffed and keeps it in his room at the House of Secrets. (Secret Six #1)
He also says he has a sister he once French-kissed but talking to Parademon's stuffed
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
body is less socially awkward. Despite lacking genitals, he also apparently planned on having sex with a nurse who gave him her phone number, and it was suggested that he derived physical pleasure from being beaten by Manhunter
Manhunter (Kate Spencer)
Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in publications from DC Comics. Kate Spencer is the eighth DC Comics character depicted using the name Manhunter, and the first female to do so. The character first appears in Manhunter Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in...
.
Rag Doll spends his share of the Six's loot on constructing a monkey house and purchases 'cute little monkey outfits' that resemble the costumes of the Secret Six for the small pack of monkeys that live in his room.
Rag Doll has also mentioned that his father was "not a kind man", and was disappointed in the fact that only his brother inherited the family gift. His surgeries to transform himself were done to please his disapproving father. However, during their brief confrontation, the elder Rag Doll chastised his son, saying that his son's surgeries were inferior to his own natural talents.
In Secret Six second series #2, it is revealed that his first name is Peter.
In #5, it was revealed that villainous Junior, a villain who has control of the entire West Coast Mob, and has the entire supervillain community at their beck and call (out of fear) is actually Peter's sister. In #6, we discover that Junior's real name is Alex (so named because Ragdoll Sr. "wanted another boy", which would seem to clash with Ragdoll Jr.'s previous mention of his brother). Though it is not stated outright, Alex heavily implies that Ragdoll Sr. sexually abused her as a child, and that is why she mutilated herself, to "bring the ugly out where she could look at it".
Powers and abilities
Through a series of surgeries, Ragdoll had his biological joints replaced with artificial ones. These joints allow him to bend, compress, and contort in ways even master contortionists cannot. Ragdoll requires a special emollient to keep his artificial joints from tearing through his skin. He often wields a knife and is an adequate hand-to-hand fighter.Flashpoint
In the alternate timeline of the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
event, Rag Doll works as a contortion
Contortion
thumb|upright|Contortionist performingContortion is an unusual form of physical display which involves the dramatic bending and flexing of the human body. Contortion is often part of acrobatics and circus acts...
ist freak show in the Haley's Circus. During the attack of the Amazons, Rag Doll is rescued by Resistance member Vertigo
Count Vertigo
Count Werner Vertigo is a DC Comics supervillain. First appearing in World's Finest Comics #251 , Count Vertigo is the last descendant of the royal family that ruled the small eastern European country of Vlatava that was taken over by the Soviets and later became devastated by the Spectre.-Starting...
. When looking for reinforcements, Rag Doll is killed by an Amazon, by breaking Rag Doll's back over his knee.