365 DC Comics Heroes & Villains Paper Cut-Outs
Two dangerous villains have operated under the moniker of the Rag Doll. The original was a former carnival performer named Peter Merkel. Possessing triple-jointed limbs, Merkel was a greatly accomplished contortionist, able to twist and manipulate his body in an uncanny, sometimes grotesque fashion.
Greedy and unscrupulous, Merkel decided to use his skills to commit crime. He created a costume similar to a stuffed rag doll and, with his lithe frame and contortionist abilities, many assumed him to be merely a child’s toy. This allowed him to go unnoticed and sneaked into secure locations. To this end, Merkel engaged in a rash of heists and burglaries. His crime scree was finally put a stop to by the heroic Flash (Jay Garrick).
The Rag Doll broke out of prison and resumed his criminal ways, running afoul of heroes including Black Canary, Batman, The Justice Society and Justice League. He has been a member of the Injustice League, The Secret Society of Super Villains and the Injustice Society.
Years of twisting his body in different directions took its toll on Merkel and, in his later years, he was plagued by terrible arthritis. This contributed to his angry, nihilistic attitudes and he became involved in a satanic doomsday cult situated in Opal City. This led to multiple confrontations with the then new Starman, Jack Knight.
The villain appeared to perish in battle with Starman, but he would later reemerge having been regenerated and his youth restored by way of a Faustian bargain with the demonic Neron.
After being once more defeated by Starman, the Rag Doll next showed up as a member of Johnny Sorrow’s iteration of the Injustice Society. Fearing his duplicitous nature, The Wizard and The Gentleman Ghost framed Rag Doll, making it appear as though he was going to double cross Johnny Sorrow. Angered by the apparent betrayal, Sorrow murdered Rag Doll. To date this has proven to be a permanent death.
Merkel fathered three children in hi younger years. His eldest son, Peter Merkel Junior was desperate to emulate his father and win his approval. In his efforts to do so, Peter Jr. endured dozens of drastic experimental surgeries. He had bones removed, cybernetic joints implanted, skin grafts and even had his genitalia removed… all in order to replicate his father's multi-jointed physique and uncanny contortionistic abilities. It all left Peter Jr. terribly disfigured and in chronic pain; he additionally required regular doses of an emollient lubricate to prevent his bones from pricing through his skin.
As terrible as it all was, Peter Jr. actions allowed him to twist and contort his body in extreme ways, becoming an even more extreme contortionist than his father. Furthermore, he cultivated a special fighting strategy that utilized his inhuman physical abilities. Indeed Peter Jr. made himself a far more formidable threat than his father had ever been. And yet the elder Merkel rejected his son as a poor imitation and an unworthy heir to the Rag Doll mantle.
Still desperate to prove himself, Peter Jr. donned a garish costume and became the new Rag Doll. Following activities as a hired assassin, Peter Jr. was recruited into The Secret Six and would end up a member of the team across multiple iterations. Following the Secret Six’s ultimate dissolution, Ragdoll was brief incarcerated at Arkham Asylum. He later broke free out and battled Batgirl. He was defeated by Batgirl and his current status and whereabout remain as yet unrevealed.
A version of the second Ragdoll has featured in the Flash television series portrayed by contortionist Troy James and voiced by actor Phil LaMarr. The villain additionally appeared in the 2004 animated series, The Batman, voiced by actor Jeff Bennett. The original Rag Doll first appeared in Flash Comics #36 (1942); whereas the second Rag Doll debuted in the pages of Villains United #1 (2005).
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