Otis Flannegan formally employed as an exterminator for the Department of Sanitation in Gotham, soon started using his natural gift - an affinity with and ability to control rats - to stage a variety of crimes. Eventually his control over the vermin grew until he threatened Gotham City with a veritable army of rodents. Incarcerated many times at Blackgate, he's able to do as much damage within prison as outside, using his loyal pets to relay messages and transport materials inside the maze of ventilation ducts that wind throughout the giant prison.
Incident Reports[]
Before Arkham Origins Incident[]
Otis Flannegan was born on April 20th, 1988. He grew up to become an exterminator for the Gotham City Department of Sanitation, until he began seeing rats as intelligent beings. By this time, he had already started wearing a suit and manipulating Gotham's toxic rats in order to help Roman Sionis take over Gotham.
Arkham Origins Incident[]
Ratcatcher's gear could be found at My Alibi in Coventry. During this time Otis Flannegan's criminal career went unnoticed to the point he hadn't even made a reputation for himself and had made a name for himself yet.
Cold Cold Heart Incident[]
Ratcatcher's gear could be found at GothCorp.
Arkham Shadow Incident[]
Following a botched assassination attempt on his former employers, due to being tormented by his acts of “mass murder” (his extermination of rats), he was sent to Blackgate Prison. He emerged as a self-styled prophet and devoted follower of the Rat King, who uses his trained rats to deliver messages and religous paraphernalia to his fellow Rats.
During his stint in Blackgate, Flannegan encountered crime boss Carmine Falcone at the Chapel while searching for his fellow Rats. He witnessed Falcone get attacked and bagged by prison warden Lyle Bolton. After Bolton left, Flannegan unmasked Falcone. As Falcone was unable to see his true attacker, he assumed Flannegan assaulted him.
During an interrogation with Batman, Falcone recalled the incident with Flannegan. When Batman investigated the crime scene at the Chapel, he determined the attacker was not Flannegan, before discovering him hiding inside a vent. When Batman questioned Flannegan, he confessed to Batman that the true assailant of Falcone was Bolton.
Flannegan was later captured by Blackgate's guards and placed in solitary confinement. Batman, disguised as "Matches" Malone, was able to access solitary with Falcone's help. When Malone questioned Flannegan about the Rat King, the Ratcatcher eagerly gave him a recorded tape of the Rat King.
Malone later encountered the Ratcatcher while escaping Blackgate during the Day of Wrath. Flannegan, who was heavily injured, believed Malone to be the Rat King, and apologized that he could not do more, before passing out.
Between Arkham Shadow and Road to Arkham Incident[]
At one point, he was transferred to Arkham Asylum for psychological treatment.
Road to Arkham Incident[]
While at Arkham, he was presumably under treatment of Dr. Young, as she possessed notes on his behavior. His gear was taken away from him, but he appeared to have retrieved it and had hidden it in a ventilation shaft for him to use when he was able to get to the Botanical Gardens.
Arkham Asylum Incident[]
The Ratcatcher fled Arkham Island in the confusion of the takeover, leaving in such a hurry, he was unable to retrieve his gear from the Botanical Gardens. Ratcatcher was one of the few villains to escape Arkham during that event along with Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Great White Shark, Maxie Zeus, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Catwoman, Killer Moth, Calendar Man, Ventriloquist, Firefly, Humpty Dumpty and Black Mask. Ratcatcher's gear can be found in a vent in the Gardens.
Between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City Incident[]
Somewhere between Joker's takeover and the Arkham City Incident, Ratcatcher was apprehended and incarcerated into Arkham City.
Arkham City Incident[]
The Ratcatcher did not appear in-game, although he was mentioned as being locked up in Arkham City and hiding, in fear for his life. He figured that he could sell items that his rats found in the sewers of Gotham, and created a small market. That attracted the Penguin's attention, and some time later, Flannegan was dragged into the Museum, screaming for his life. Penguin's Gang mentioned that he was supposed to have ironically been eaten by his rats, but after they ignored him for several days, Penguin tossed Ratcatcher to his shark, Tiny, who presumably ate him. While it was believed by some that he was dead, a conversation in the game could be heard between two Thugs discussing another thug being eaten alive by rats, alluding to the possibility that Flannegan was still alive. He was also mentioned in a riddle that could be found in the Industrial District. Some of Penguin's Henchmen were known to have been fed to Flannegan's rats.
Later, Ratcatcher participated in a kangaroo trial against Joker held at the Solomon Wayne Courthouse. When put on the stand by Two-Face, Ratcatcher revealed that he had been psychologically tortured by Joker when the Clown Prince of Crime poured toxin upon his rats right in front of him. When Batman interrupted the proceedings to stop Joker from being executed, Ratcatcher was one of many who attempted to kill the Joker. In the ensuing melee he sent his rats to attack Joker's henchmen.
Before Arkham Knight Incident[]
Ratcatcher attempts to kill Hush.
It was revealed that Ratcatcher suffered significant injury from his fateful encounter with Penguin, losing his left eye and arm in the process. After Hush, disguised as Bruce Wayne, entered his domain with two police officers, Ratcatcher sent his rats to attack them, managed to kill the officers, and incapacitated Hush. Before the rats could kill Hush, the Arkham Knight came down with a knee to Otis' face, and put him to the ground. The Knight then used an intense taser to fry Ratcatcher and his rat minions alive. Batman later arrived at the scene of the crime and discovered Otis' charred corpse.
Psychological Profile[]
Ratcatcher[]
Real Name: Otis Flannegan
GCPD Profile[]
Otis Flannegan
Batman's Database Profile[]
Flannegan
Dr. Penelope Young[]
TELL MAINTENANCE TO INCREASE RAT POISON AROUND CELL.
Psychological Profile: Suffering from acute anthropomorphic delusions, Flannegan is so convinced that he can control rats, that he has persuaded many of Arkham's inmates, orderlies, guards, and even other doctors that he commands this fantastical ability. Personally, I don’t consider "evidence" provided by the Batman to be convincing of anything, and find it much more likely that Flannegan has manifested a unique variation of a Messiah complex.
Additional Notes
I'm hesitant to administer aggressive treatment before first doing a full write-up on his condition; it could be an easy way to get published and procure naming rights to a newly documented disorder.
If only there weren't so many odious vermin constantly swarming in his cell.
Attributes[]
- Thorough knowledge of Gotham's sewer system and Blackgate Prison's layout
- Eerie ability to wordlessly communicate with and command all rats
- Overvalues rodent life, especially in comparison to human life
- Believes rats to be sentient creatures superior to human beings
- Uses chemical, sonic, and electronic means to control and weaponize rats
- Highly delusional and dangerous
- Expert knowledge of poison
- Potentially radicalized
Quotes[]
Batman: Arkham Knight - Genesis[]
- "You aren't Bruce Wayne at all" (Hush)
- "Gotta admit--you fooled me in the dark." (Hush
- "I really thought I had a shot by taking him out." (Hush)
- "And these two donut-eaters who tried so hard to help you--they were probably as surprised as I was to be getting such a pale imitation of someone much cooler!" (Hush)
- "Don't feel bad though, my pets aren't discriminating." '(Hush)
- "They like to devour big fat liars who disrupt my evening." (Hush)
- "TEAR HIM UP!" (Rats)
- "Crap--it's Bat--" (Rats)
- "NARRGH!" (Arkham Knight jumps on Ratcatcher)
- "UNFF!" (Arkham Knight throws Ratcatcher)
- "--Think this'll stop me?!" (Arkham Knight)
- "I love the feeling of their little teeth nibbling away!" (Arkham Knight)
- "Been presumed dead in this town before--ask Penguin!" (Arkham Knight)
- "I'll come looking for--" (Arkham Knight)
- "YARRHHH!" (Arkham Knight fries Ratcatcher)
Game Over Lines[]
Batman: Arkham Shadow[]
- "I warned you, Batman. But you have not ears to hear. And now you paid the price."
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ratcatcher's gear could be found inside a ventilation shaft at the Botanical Gardens. Scanning that unlocked his biography.
- Assuming that Ratcatcher’s death in Arkham Knight - Genesis is to be believed, Ratcatcher would be 36 years old when he died.
- Ratcatcher was one of the many villains to have a biography in Batman: Arkham Asylum and many references in other Arkham games, without physically appearing in them (such as Killer Moth and Great White Shark). This would change with the release of Batman: Arkham Shadow, 15 years since the release of Asylum.
- As Ratcatcher appears white in the comics, he may have contracted vitiligo at some point in the decade that passed since the events of Arkham Shadow.
- Ratcatcher seems to respect Bruce Wayne, as during his attack on Hush, he mocked him for impersonating someone he considered “cool”, compared to other villains.
- It was initially believed that Ratcatcher was the Rat King when Batman: Arkham Shadow was announced. Prior to the game's release it was confirmed the two are separate characters.
External Links[]
Ratcatcher on the DC Comics Wiki
