Ratcatcher

*"Why rats, Papa?""Rats are the lowliest and most despised of all creatures, my love. If they have a purpose, so do we all."*
―Cleo Cazo and Ratcatcher[src]
**Ratcatcher** was a former exterminator turned villain in Portugal and was also the father of Cleo Cazo. After he died, his legacy was carried on by his daughter.

## Biography

### Criminal life

*"We couldn't afford Ratcatcher 1?""He's dead. This is his daughter."*
―Peacemaker and Amanda Waller[src]
Ratcatcher turned into crime in the city of Porto in Portugal becoming a recognized villain, using his rat control technique to steal jewelry and other valuables. Ratcatcher struggled with a drug problem, as well as also being homeless. Eventually, Ratcatcher fathered a girl and trained her to become the next Ratcatcher.

Ratchatcher taught his daughter to tame, train and control rats over the years, taking her to the top of Clerigos Church one night as a child, where he would explain the value and purpose of rats to Cleo. Afterwards, he eventually died of an overdose while Cleo was scared and crying the deceased body of her father on the ground, leaving her an orphan.

### Legacy

Cleo would continue for several years in the city living with the rats until her adulthood. She would ultimately decide to go live on the United States under the alias of "Ratcatcher 2" after her father, where she would later be imprisoned in Belle Reve for attempted robbery. She would then join Task Force X to have her sentence reduced, when Ratcatcher 2 faced Starro, she would emotionally remember her father using rats.

## Personality

Based on his very brief appearances, Ratcatcher was a loving father who tried to give his daughter a good life despite their living situation as homeless people. He appreciated the small things in life, namely rats which he described as despised by society yet he believed them to still have value in the world. Ratcatcher compared himself to the rats he lived with, someone who was rejected by society but still had a purpose.

## Powers and abilities

* **Rat manipulation**: Ratcatcher can tame and train rats with the rat communicator to do tasks for him.
	+ **Mind control**: Ratcatcher can control the minds of rats and force them to do his bidding.

## Equipment

* **Ratcatcher suit**: He wears a suit as his alter ego, Ratcatcher.
* **Ratcatcher mask**: The smell of the sewers, where rats usually live, can be overpowering to the human nose, so he cleverly wears a mask with a filtration system, ensuring he doesn't need to breathe in the smell and fumes of the sewer system while controlling his rats.

### Weapons

* **Rat communicator**: Ratcatcher used the communicator manipulate rats and communicate with them, using the rats to commit robberies. When he died, the communicator would be inherited to his daughter until her adulthood.

## Relationships

### Family

* Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2 - daughter and protégé

## Behind the scenes

* In the DC Comics, Ratcatcher's real name is Otis Flannegan and he is an exterminator-turned-supervillain in Gotham City, primarily an enemy of the Batman.

## References

1. ↑ "'Suicide Squad 2' Exclusive: Meet the New Characters James Gunn Will Introduce in Sequel" - Collider
2. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: A Bit More Info On SUICIDE SQUAD 2" - Splash Report
3. ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 3.2 Gunn, James (writer and director) (August 6, 2021). *The Suicide Squad*.

## External links

* Ratcatcher on DC Database
* Ratcatcher on Wikipedia