Rag Doll is the name of several 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 Merkel's son and a member of the Secret Six. The Peter Merkel incarnation of Rag Doll was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Lou Ferstadt, and first appeared in Flash Comics #36 (December 1942).
Peter Merkel, a native of the Midwestern United States, is born with hyper-mobile joints, and becomes a contortionist and carnival performer. After the carnival closes, Merkel becomes a criminal and enemy of the Flash.[1] Throughout his appearances, he joins the Secret Society of Super Villains and loses his soul to Neron before being killed in action.[2]
In September 2011, The New 52 reboots DC's continuity. Merkel is resurrected and appears as an inmate of Arkham Asylum.[3] [4]
Colby Zag is a mentally unstable imposter who replaces Merkel when he is presumed dead and becomes an enemy of Starman.[5]
Peter Merkel Jr. is the third Rag Doll and the son of the original, who did not inherit his abilities and gained them through cybernetic enhancement. He later joins the Secret Six.
Rag Doll possesses mobile joints that enable him to contort his body and give him a degree of enhanced durability. He is a skilled thief and augments his stealth with his ability to hide in unexpected places.
Rama Kushna is a goddess of karma and guardian of Nanda Parbat who empowered Boston Brand to become Deadman and seek vengeance for his murder. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino, she first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 (October 1967).
Armando Ramon (also known as Reverb,[11] Rupture,[12] and Hardline) is the older brother of Cisco Ramon / Vibe and Dante Ramon. Created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton, the character first appeared in Justice League of America #233 (December 1984). He was the leader of a street gang in Detroit, but gave it up after being inspired by his brother's actions as the superhero Vibe of the Justice League of America. Like Vibe, Ramon has the metahuman power to manipulate sound waves. Ramon joined the corporate-sponsored Conglomerate superhero team.
Dante Ramon is a brother of Cisco Ramon / Vibe and Armando Ramon. Created by Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns, and Pete Woods, he first appeared in Justice League of America's Vibe #1 (April 2013).
Characters based on Dante Ramon, amalgamated with Armando Ramon, appear in The Flash, portrayed by Nicholas Gonzalez.
Ranx the Sentient City is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is a sentient planetoid and member of the Sinestro Corps.
Raptor is the name of several characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The Raptor name was first used by an unnamed woman who is a member of the Brotherhood of Quetzalcoatl.[18]
Jace Lorens is a pharmaceutical technician who operated as Raptor.[19]
A man named Cunningham is the second person to become Raptor after the death of Jace Lorens.[20]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", restoring continuity to a form much as it was before "The New 52". Richard is a freelance assassin and ally of the Court of Owls.[21]
See main article: Ravan (comics).
See main article: Raven (DC Comics).
Razer is an original character created for , voiced by Jason Spisak.[22] He was a Volkregian alien who joined the Red Lantern Corps after Atrocitus conquered his homeworld and killed his wife Ilana. After learning of this, Razer defects from the Red Lanterns and joins Hal Jordan and Kilowog in stopping them.
Throughout the series, Razer falls in love with Aya, an artificial intelligence created by Scar as an empathetic alternative to the Manhunters. In the episode "Cold Fury", Razer rejects Aya, causing her to steal the Anti-Monitor's body and take control of the Manhunters. However, after injuring Razer, Aya comes to her senses and sacrifices herself to stop the Manhunters, who each possess a part of her programming. Unable to accept that Aya is truly gone, Razer leaves Earth to find her, with a Blue Lantern ring following him.
Razer later appears in the main comics continuity in Green Lantern vol. 7, written by The Animated Series writer Jeremy Adams.[23] [24]
See main article: Roy Harper (character).
See main article: Emiko Queen.
Red Devil is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Edward Bloomberg (currently known as Red Devil) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Alan Kupperberg, Dan Mishkin, and Gary Cohn, the character first appeared in Fury of Firestorm #24 (June 1984).[29] The character was originally codenamed Kid Devil and was the sidekick to fellow superhero Blue Devil, and wielded similar powers by way of a suit. Eventually, the character would later adopt his current code and act as a member of the Teen Titans shortly after acquiring demonic-like powers as a result of his metagene.
Eddie is originally a gofer in his aunt Marla's film company. During this time, he meets Blue Devil on a film set and becomes his self-proclaimed sidekick using a self-made battlesuit.[30]
Following Infinite Crisis, Eddie attempts to join the Teen Titans with little success. He is transformed into a demonic metahuman after he and Zachary Zatara meets with Neron.[31] [32] [33]
In Teen Titans (vol. 3) #51, an alternate timeline variant of Eddie appears as Red Devil and a member of Titans Tomorrow. He is later erased from existence when Robin and Wonder Girl alter the timeline.
Brother Blood later absorbs Red Devil's powers, prompting him to begin using a mechanical suit.
In 2011, The New 52 reboots the DC universe. Eddie Bloomberg is reimagined as Blue Devil's godson.[34] During the Heroes in Crisis event, he is killed by Savitar before eventually being resurrected.[35]
Originally, Eddie wore a devil suit which gave him enhanced strength and agility, near impenetrable armor, a weapons system that included a bright light burst effect, exploding bubbles, night vision, and small gills. He also had a rocket trident which could propel him through the air for distances of up to several miles and could emit fire and electricity. After the events of Infinite Crisis and 52, Neron transforms him into a demon-like metahuman with enhanced physical abilities, pyrokinesis, retractable patagia, and a prehensile tail.
Eddie Bloomberg as Kid Devil appears as a character summon in .
The Red Hood is an alias used by multiple characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.[37] The character was created by writer Bill Finger, and artists Lew Sayre Schwartz and Win Mortimer.
The Joker's earliest origin story as the original Red Hood first appeared in Detective Comics #168 (February 1951) in the story "The Man Behind the Red Hood!" as an unnamed criminal wearing a red dome-shaped hood who is disfigured by chemicals and becomes insane.[38]
See main article: Jason Todd. Jason Todd utilized the Red Hood identity in Batman vol. 1 #635 (February 2005) as a violent vigilante and operates as the Red Hood in the main DC continuity.
The Red Hood Gang first appeared in Batman vol. 2 #0 (November 2012) in The New 52, a 2011 reboot of the DC universe.
The young Bruce Wayne has recently returned to Gotham City to start a crime-fighting career with the Red Hood Gang as one of Bruce's early targets and manages to infiltrate. To Bruce's dismay, the Red Hood Gang's leader knows the group has been infiltrated and manages to weed out the disguised Bruce. Though the Red Hood Gang attempts to kill him, Bruce manages to escape into the sewers after the police show up to break up a robbery. The Red Hood Gang eventually follows him into the sewer system, but a prototype motorcycle hidden in the tunnels allows Bruce to escape. The Red Hood Gang is later seen outside of Bruce's apartment, scoping it out for their next hit.[39]
The Red Hood Gang subsequently reappeared in the first story arc of the "Zero Year" event, "Secret City", where Bruce gets involved with the Red Hood Gang to spoil their plans to sink a pickup truck full of men who refused to join their ranks. During this encounter, it is revealed that the Red Hood Gang's ranks have expanded. It turns out their leader has begun blackmailing innocent Gotham citizens into joining the group, threatening violence against them if they refuse to be his henchmen.[40] They eventually steal an airship belonging to the Penguin and several weapons from Wayne Industries. Bruce discovers that the Red Hood Gang has been doing business with Philip Kane, Bruce's uncle who has been selling them weapons after being forced to join the gang. When Bruce discovers this, he goes to tell Alfred Pennyworth, but a bomb from the Red Hood Gang to "welcome [Bruce] back to the city" blows up the apartment.[41]
The motivation of the Red Hood Gang comes to light, and it is revealed that they had been inspired by the impact that the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne had upon the city, making the residents of Gotham fearful as no one was safe from crime since the rich and powerful could be gunned down by a random criminal. Embracing nihilism, the Red Hood Gang killed, robbed, and caused suffering to make the average citizen know their lives are worthless and they can and will be murdered at any given moment.[42]
The culmination of the Red Hood Gang's campaign of terror is their plan to take over the Axis Chemical Plant and use its resources to create a flesh-eating bacteria. Batman lures the Gotham City Police Department to the plant. During the raid and the battle that ensues, Kane is mortally wounded by the leader who accuses him of betrayal. Most of the gang is arrested, while Batman goes after the leader who ultimately falls into a container of chemicals rather than be taken alive. A few days later, police discover the body of the leader of the gang, Liam Distal, stuffed into a barrel of lye. The lye has dissolved the better part of his remains, meaning there is no way to tell when he was killed. Bruce surmises that the Red Hood Gang's leader (Philip's killer) was an impostor who killed Distal and took his place, but there is no way to confirm this nor know when the impostor murdered Distal.[43]
See also: Joker in other media.
List of DC Comics characters: R should not be confused with Red Lantern Corps.
Red Lantern is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Vladimir Sokov is a Russian soldier who wields an artificial red lantern and ring that harnesses the Crimson Flame. While under cover as an American navy officer named Johnny Ladd, he had a romantic relationship with Alan Scott, the future Green Lantern, before seemingly being lost to a supernatural phenomenon known as the Crimson Flame; Alan takes the double-barrel name Alan Ladd Scott in his memory of his first love. Later, it is revealed he was on board Alan's naval ship as a Russian spy, with the intention of harnessing the power of the Crimson Flame for the Soviet Union as the supervillain Red Lantern.Though he had fought his former lover Green Lantern on occasion, they have a mutual enemy in the Nazis, who threaten both their countries. After scientists kidnap his daughter Ruby and attempt to experiment on her, Vladimir attacks their base and is presumed dead.[47]
At the end of the Flashpoint Beyond storyline, Red Lantern is among the 13 missing Golden Age superheroes who the Time Masters captured to save them from Doctor Manhattan's alterations to the timeline. When the pods holding them stop working, they are transported to their own time, with history rewriting around them.[48]
In another flashback, he is later revealed to have survived and learns to use the Flame without his ring.[49]
Ruby Sokov is Red Lantern's daughter and a member of the Justice Society of America who inherited his powers and gained red skin as a side effect.[47] [50] While looking for her father, Ruby encounters Alan Scott and was brought to the United States of America to meet Huntress.[51] Ruby later joined the Justice Society of America and assisted them in fighting an army of zombies summoned by Gentleman Ghost.[52]
See main article: Red Robin (identity).
See main article: Red Star (comics).
Wayne Wilkins, a.k.a. Red Tool, first appeared in Harley Quinn (vol. 2) #3 (April 2014). A parody of Wade Wilson / Deadpool, he is a vigilante who is obsessed with Harley Quinn, to the point of stalking and kidnapping her. However, they have since become friends and allies.
Red Tool does not feel pain after a surgery that removed a brain tumor and parts of his amygdala. He uses tools and hardware appliances for weapons and has a bionic arm.
See main article: Red Tornado and Red Tornado (character).
Reign is a Worldkiller, a genetically engineered Kryptonian supersoldier created by Zor-El, and an enemy of Supergirl. She possesses superhuman physical abilities and is an adept swordswoman and hand-to-hand combatant.[53]
Reign and four other Worldkillers survived Krypton's destruction, but her origin remained a mystery even to her. All she knew about herself is her name and her being a Worldkiller, and Krypton and Earth hold the answers to her origin. She battles Supergirl in an attempt to learn her past before being defeated and forced to retreat.
Alberto "Ernesto" Reyes is the father of Jaime Reyes (the third Blue Beetle). He is a mechanic living in El Paso, Texas who owns his own garage, a former soldier in the U.S. Army, and the husband of Bianca Reyes and the father of Milagro Reyes. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, the character first appeared in Blue Beetle (vol. 7) #1 (May 2006).[56]
Bianca Reyes is the mother of Jaime Reyes (the third Blue Beetle). She is a paramedic living in El Paso, Texas, the wife of Alberto Reyes and the mother of Milagro Reyes. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, she first appeared in Blue Beetle (vol. 7) #1 (May 2006).[56]
Milagro Reyes is the younger sister of Jaime Reyes (the third Blue Beetle). Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, she first appeared in Blue Beetle (vol. 7) #1 (May 2006).[56]
Rip Roar is a character in DC Comics. He first appeared in Young Justice (vol. 1) #2, and was created by Peter David and Todd Nauck.
Rip Roar is a four-armed New God of Apokolips in the distant past, who steals a New Genesis Super-Cycle and modifies it to follow his commands before being trapped on Earth. In the present, the members of Young Justice accidentally reactivate the Cycle, which frees Rip Roar. The Cycle later chooses to leave Rip Roar, leading him to bury himself in lava.[61]
Rock is the name of a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Micah Flint is an astronaut who is transformed into a golem-like creature after being subjected to genetic engineering. In subsequent appearances, he attempts to take revenge on Lex Luthor and joins the Superman Revenge Squad and Injustice League Unlimited.
Rose Psychic is a DC Comics heroine affiliated with the company's first superhero, Doctor Occult. She was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #19 (March 1937).
Betsy Ross is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
In "The New Golden Age", Elizabeth Rose is a school girl and the best friend of Molly Preacher. After seeing Miss America in action saving their school, they took on the costumed identities of Betsy Ross and Molly Pitcher to help her against a saboteur named Moth. The two act as her sidekicks until the end of World War II, when they are kidnapped by the Time Masters before being rescued by Stargirl.[47] [48] [63]
Rough House is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
In the 1940s, Rough House is a member of Moxie Mannheim's Intergang branch before being arrested and dying in prison. In the present day, Moxie Mannheim has Dabney Donovan clone Moxie and other gangsters into new bodies, with Rough House gaining superhuman strength.[64]
In 52, Rough House and Noose visit Black Adam in Kandaq on Intergang's behalf and give him Adrianna Tomaz as tribute. However, Black Adam kills him after he proposes expanding Intergang's smuggling operation between Africa and the Middle-East.[65]
Rough House appears in My Adventures with Superman, voiced by Vincent Tong.[66] This version is an Asian member of Intergang whose real name is Albert and whose abilities are derived from Kryptonian gauntlets.
Cullen Row is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He debuted during "The New 52" reboot.
Cullen Row is the gay brother of Harper Row. When his bullies attacked him and Harper managed to tase one of them, Cullen was saved by Batman.[67]
See main article: Harper Row.
See main article: Arisia Rrab.