Otis Flannagan (Ratcatcher)

In an effort to atone for his "past sins" against rats, **Otis Flannegan** is attempting to guide them toward a successful future as the dominant species on Earth, with him serving as their king.

## History

### Imprisonment

Otis Flannegan was a successful businessman before he became the villain Ratcatcher. He used to work for the Gotham City sanitation department before starting his pest control company, ‘**Otis Flannegan pest control’**. It was a success, and it quickly became one of Gotham City's favorite pest control services, but it all came to an end when Otis killed a man in a street brawl. Otis pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense. He claimed that the man started the fight because he kept insulting him. One of the insults he used to prove his innocence was bringing up the fact that the man said Otis “stank like an Ohio outhouse.”

Otis ultimately lost the legal battle and received a 10-year prison term at Gotham State Penitentiary as a result of the decision. Otis was enraged by this because he thought he was an innocent man who shouldn't be imprisoned. He was consumed with thoughts of retaliation as he served his sentence. He desired retribution against all those responsible for his 10-year incarceration. Otis made sure to include Stanley, the warden who had mistreated him while he was in Gotham State Penitentiary, on his list of people to exact revenge on. Fortunately, Otis avoided spending ten years in prison due to good behavior, which was surprising given Stanley's ongoing abuse. Otis served eight years in prison before being released.

### The Vengeful Wrath of Ratcatcher

Otis started plotting his retaliation against the people who had been primarily responsible for his imprisonment as soon as he was free. Otis shut down his business as he made his plans because no one would hire him after he killed a man. Otis soon came up with the ideal strategy, but rats—a crucial component required for success—were still missing. Everyone dismissed Otis's repeated claims that he could communicate with and control them as a joke or an insane claim. In case he needed to kill any of his victims, Otis started training the rats to attack.

Months of preparation culminated in his decisive moment, which gave rise to the villain known as Ratcatcher. Otis was successful in capturing Cornelius the witness, Judge Wyatt, Police Sergeant Sam, and Warden Stanley. Whom Otis held responsible for his incarceration. Otis imprisoned them in the Gotham sewers, far from where anyone could hear their cries for help. For five years, Otis kept them in the sewers and fed them nothing but dead rats. However, Judge Wyatt managed to escape from the sewers one night before being killed by rats who quickly surrounded him. However, his passing wasn't in vain because Gordon, who was investigating a weapons deal, saw it happen. He pursued Ratcatcher through the sewers until Otis flooded the tunnel, allowing him to escape. Once Gordon had recovered, he and a few sewer workers radioed for assistance so they wouldn't get lost in the sewers. One GCPD team faced Ratcatcher's wrath after being overrun by rats and eaten alive. Gordon was able to burn a large percentage of Ratcatchers' rats by using a torch he made out of supplies he found. As his other rats reported that multiple cop teams were searching the sewers, Otis knew he wouldn't be able to escape with his prisoners, so he began to execute them with his revolver. Ratcatcher only succeeded in executing Budd before being apprehended by Gordon and sent to Blackgate.

### Otis spirals into insanity

It wouldn't be long before Otis escaped from Blackgate, but the way he escaped made him a threat to the people of Gotham. He no longer valued human life, believing that rats should be in charge of the planet. As a result, he desired the annihilation of the human race. People believed that Otis' mental condition deteriorated as a result of his isolation, which led to his behavior. It wasn't Gordon who stopped him this time. Ratcatcher had a run-in with **The Batman**. When he saw him, Otis couldn't believe it. He'd heard about Batman but dismissed it as nonsense. When Ratcatcher looked into Batman's eyes, he was terrified. Batman used his fear to his advantage, stopping Otis from flooding the subway tunnels with just two punches. Otis was sent to Arkham Asylum this time because he was deemed mentally insane. While in Arkham, Otis started a communication system in the prison by using the ventilation system to send messages from one location to another. Otis can also use the ventilation system to smuggle supplies, but the supplies are limited to what his rats can carry as well as the item's size.

While he was in Arkham, therapists came to the conclusion that he had anger management problems and disregarded his ability to communicate with rats. Another therapist thought Otis had a messiah complex because he wanted to atone for being a pest control worker and killing numerous rats.

### The King of Rats Falls Once More

Arkham was also futile in holding Ratcatcher forever because he escaped and decided to lay low for a while, confident that they wouldn't look for him for that long because he's treated as a joke rather than a threat. While walking through the allies to get to a sewer hole, he came across a young boy who was starving on the ground. Ratcatcher took in the boy and began raising him in an abandoned warehouse. Soon after, Otis began adopting more and more children, all of whom had been abandoned on Gotham's streets. The children helped Otis regain his sanity, as he no longer desired to exterminate humanity. Nonetheless, he still held a grudge against humanity.

Although his happiness was short-lived due to the GCPD raiding the warehouse where he and his children lived. The GCPD took the children to an adoption center while Otis was returned to Arkham Asylum. Ratcatcher was overcome with remorse as the GCPD led him to Arkham. He even cried in silence at times as his mind replayed the raid and how all of his children were taken away. When they were taking him to his therapy session, he saw his golden opportunity. As a swarm of rats emerged from the vents and began killing the guards, Ratcatcher fled. Otis knew the front gate was dangerous, so he went to the harbor, where there was a manhole. As soon as he removed the lid, he was discovered. While running through the sewers, the foul odor of the sewers filled his nose, making him sick, but he persisted. Ratcatcher made it to his sewer base while quickly putting on his gas mask to keep the stench from filling his nose. Otis started stealing medicine from Gotham pharmacies with his rats. Even though he put on his gas mask, he spent so much time without it while escaping through the sewers that he became ill. But not even illness can keep Otis Flannegan down for long.

## Powers and Abilities

### Abilities

* **Animal Training**
* **Chemistry**

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

Otis uses a Gas Mask as well as well as a suit for his alter ego ‘Ratcatcher’. Its purpose is to keep Otis clean in the sewers in order to avoid worsening his illness.

## Notes

* According to Otis' therapist, Otis' memory is very impressive due to his knowledge of the city sewer system (The sewers have been stated to be around 300 miles and he knows how to navigate it by heart.)
* He's created giant rats as a result of his consistent, specifically designed breeding system. The tallest are 6ft because they appear to be close to Batman's height, which is typically 6ft something. They are also strong enough to pierce concrete.
* Gotham rats are not only smarter, stronger, and faster, but they also have an unknown toxin in their saliva. This is due to the deplorable conditions in the sewers. Typical symptoms include nausea and numbness throughout the body. It lasts approximately 6-9 hours.
* He knows how to play the accordion and piano.
* Ratcatcher suffers from schizophrenia which is what leads to his Messiah complex.
* It's hard to have a therapy session with Ratcatcher due to the rats that usually sneak in his cell or swarm around his cell. Arkham has battled this problem by using more rat poison.
* Ratcatcher meta human power is total control over the rodent species, though he must train to master it. He can currently only control rats and mice.
* He inherited his father's blonde hair and his mother's blue eyes. He has a terrible appearance because he was born when his mother was 7 months pregnant. This resulted in some birth defects that gave him his rat appearance. This led to Otis being bullied at school because of his appearance, so he didn't have many friends when he was younger. As a result of his limited social contact, he had an isolated childhood.
* Otis has murdered several of his children's parents or guardians after learning of the horrific things they have done to the children.
* Otis originally planned to call himself The Rat God but decided to settle on Ratcatcher
* Otis was allowed to assist the janitors in Blackgate due to his good behavior, but a few days later Otis used cleaning chemicals to create Chlorine gas, which resulted in about ten casualties, including guards, staff, and prisoners. He was placed in isolation and ordered that no other prisoners assist the janitorial staff for fear of another prisoner doing the same thing.