10 Popular Comic Book Characters Who Have Completely Vanished
6. Rag Doll II
Peter Merkel Jr. was created by Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham, and is the son of the Golden Age Flash villain and cult leader also called the Rag Doll. Unlike his father, he did not inherit his natural contortion abilities and achieved them through a multitude of many painful surgeries.
Rag Doll II was one of six people who defied the Secret Society organized by the other-dimensional Alexander Luthor. This “Secret Six” was made up of Rag Doll II, Catman, Scandal Savage, Knockout, Deadshot, and a Parademon. The Apokoliptian creature took up a watchdog relationship with Merkel, threatening to harm or kill anyone that ever bothered Rag Doll. The Parademon gave his life to save the team from the Society, and Peter kept his torso in his room. The team acquired a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. It led to one of the rare divisions in the team, as Rag Doll wanted to use it to resurrect the Parademon but Scandal wanted it for Knockout.
Rag Doll has made a few brief appearances, but after the Secret Six ended, so did his starring role. This is one of those rare cases where a writer and character were so deeply connected that it is very difficult for another writer to do them justice. Certainly, another writer could pen Merkel as a bendy killer, but could they capture his unusual nature and avant-garde personality as well as Gail Simone?