Rag Doll (character)

Rag Doll
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Flash Comics #36 (December 1942)
Created by	Gardner Fox (writer) Lou Ferstadt (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Peter Merkel
Species	Human
Team affiliations	Injustice Society Secret Society of Super Villains Legion of Zoom Suicide Squad
Abilities	Master contortionist Expert thief and marksman Skilled hypnotist

Rag Doll is the name of three different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first, Peter Merkel, is a villain of the original Flash, while the second is an enemy of Starman and the third is the son of the original and a member of the Secret Six.

Rag Doll also appears in the fifth and sixth seasons of The Flash, portrayed by Troy James and voiced by Phil LaMarr.

Rag Doll was first introduced as an adversary for the Golden Age Flash in a story published in Flash Comics #36 (December 1942), created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Lou Ferstadt.

In the Starman series, James Robinson revived the character, giving him a darker reimagining under the name Colby Zag.

His son, Peter Merkel Jr., is also known as Ragdoll and is a member of the Secret Six.

Peter Merkel, a native of the Midwestern United States, was born with hyper-mobile joints, and became a contortionist and performer in a small carnival. After the carnival closes, Merkel becomes a criminal and enemy of the Flash.^[1]

In the Silver Age, Rag Doll becomes a founding member of the Secret Society of Super Villains and an enemy of the Silver Age Flash before being trapped in Limbo.^[2][3][4]

In the 1980s, Rag Doll loses his elasticity due to old age before making a deal with Neron to regain his youth and powers in exchange for his soul.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} He later joins a new version of the Secret Society of Super Villains before being killed on a mission.^[16][17][18]

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. Peter Merkel / Rag Doll appears as an inmate of Arkham Asylum.^[19][20]

Colby Zag is a mentally unstable imposter who replaced Merkel when he was presumed dead and became an enemy of Starman.^[21]

Peter Merkel has a son named Peter Merkel Jr. who also operated as Rag Doll.

Besides his son, Peter Merkel stated to Icicle that he had many other children. This seems backed up by Peter Merkel Junior's mention of having a triple-jointed brother^[22] and the appearances of his daughter Alex, a.k.a. Junior, who he is implied to have sexually abused.^[23] Along with his children, Rag Doll also had his cult followers, who all apparently committed suicide while blowing up their house.

Rag Doll is a master contortionist and, in later years, successful hypnotist through oratories he delivers. His body is absorbent enough to withstand concussive forces capable of rendering most human individuals unconscious. He is an adequate marksman and typically relies on the element of surprise. He is a skilled thief, and augments his stealth with his ability to hide in unexpected places where a human normally could not place themselves.

• An unidentified Rag Doll appears in The Batman, voiced by Jeff Bennett.^[24]
• The Peter Merkel incarnation of Rag Doll appears in The Flash, portrayed by contortionist Troy James and voiced by Phil LaMarr.^[25][24] This version is a member of the Young Rogues who comes from a wealthy yet neglectful family and gained his abilities after being crushed and mangled by shrapnel from the Thinker's Enlightenment satellite.

• The Comic Archives: The Rag Doll
• The Rag Doll Profile at Legions of Gotham.org
• Rag Doll Rap Sheet
• The Rag Doll's Animated Profile (The Batman)
• Rag Doll Animated Bio
• Alan Kistler's Profile On: THE FLASH - A detailed analysis of the history of the Flash by comic book historian Alan Kistler. Covers information all the way from Jay Garrick to Barry Allen to today, as well as discussions on the various villains and Rogues who fought the Flash. Various art scans.