THE FLASH Casts Troy James as Rag Doll

Yeah, getting a contortionist to play a contortionist supervillain sounds like a good idea.

TV Insider has revealed that The CW series The Flash has cast Troy James as Peter Merkel, better known to DC Comics fans as the creepy supervillain Rag Doll.  James will appear in the fifth episode of the show's upcoming fifth season.

Rag Doll was previously described for the series as "an incredibly emotional damaged criminal who has the power to bend out of shape and fit his whole body into small spaces. As he is enjoying his criminal activities, Team Flash will be challenged by the Rag Doll in shocking ways as his sick plan is revealed."

James is a contortionist and best known as a contestant on NBC's talent competition series America's Got Talent.  In addition, he's appeared in episodes of The Strain, Channel Zero, and Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments.

Created in 1942 by Gardner Fox and Lou Ferstadt, Rag Doll first appeared in Flash Comics #36 as Peter Merkel, a native of the Midwestern United States, who was born with a unique condition called "Triple-jointedness".  Like the more common "double-jointedness", Merkel's condition was characterized by extremely extensible ligaments and tendons, though to a significantly extended degree.  The son of a side-show barker, Merkel found work in a small local carnival as a contortionist and eccentric dancer.  In the early 1940s, the carnival fell on hard times and Merkel found himself out of work.  Wandering the streets, Merkel despaired of having money.  Seeing large boxes of toys being loaded into a department store, Merkel hit on the idea of hiding himself in one of the large rag dolls and then robbing the store after closing. Going unnoticed among the toys, Merkel carried his idea one step further and decided he would rob while still hidden in the Rag Doll suit.  In these earliest days of costumed villains, the idea seemed novel and Merkel decided that no one would believe that a Rag Doll could commit crime.

In 1943, the Rag Doll moved his operation to Keystone City and had his thugs deliver him as a gift to a young heiress named Geralda Cummins.  The young girl was holding a much-touted party for her circle of socialites and the Rag Doll aimed to take advantage of the situation.  To coordinate the event, Cummins had selected Joan Williams, who had recently begun a party and festival business.  It was decided that each of the wealthy guests would donate $10,000 in defense bonds to serve as a prize in a treasure hunt.  Whoever solved the hunt first, won the prize.  As the guests departed, the Rag Doll signaled his thugs to follow them to the museum while he stayed to interrogate Joan Williams.  His ploy was delayed however, by the untimely arrival of Williams' beau Jay Garrick, the superhero known as The Flash.  While the Rag Doll remained in hiding, Williams and the Flash departed for the museum to provide the next clue.  On their arrival, they were attacked by the Rag Doll's thugs.  While the Flash made short work of the henchmen, the Rag Doll himself drugged Joan with chloroform and stole the remaining clue, allowing him find the treasure himself.  With the henchmen wrapped up, The Flash returned to find Joan amnesiac from the chloroform and with no recollection as to the location of the bonds.  Taking the first clue, the Flash then began to solve the puzzle at super-speed and intercepted the Rag Doll on the fourth clue, at a local aquarium.  The Rag Doll got the jump on Garrick with a swift blow to the skull and dumped the hero into an aquarium containing a giant octopus.  He then raced quickly back to the Cummins estate to solve the treasure hunt with the fifth clue.  The Flash came to and after a tussle with the octopus, hotly pursued Rag Doll.  He arrived just in time to see the Rag Doll pull the defense bonds out of their hiding place in the Cummins' grand piano.  Quickly, and literally, tying the villain in knots, the Flash returned the gift and carted the outlandish criminal off to the Keystone City Jail.

By the late 1980s, the Rag Doll was well into his sixties and hyper-elastic ligaments had begun to collapse and over-extend, causing the villain great pain.  He was no longer able to even affect the lifestyle of the minor criminal and soon became senile and raving.  As he did, the lost, the homeless and the disenfranchised gravitated toward him, soaking up his words and in time, became a cult of followers blind to his every indulgence and desire.  And, after a life of defeat and despair, what the Rag Doll desired was revenge.  He rallied around him a cult that took over the streets of Opal City, which ran red with blood.  The original Starman, Ted Knight, was unable to stop the madman, so Justice Society of America members Green Lantern, Flash, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite joined the hunt.  Eventually, the heroes thwarted Rag Doll's plans and captured the villain.  Restrained, Rag Doll taunted the heroes, telling him that he would command his horde from prison.  He threatened the lives of the JSA's families.  While the JSA listened to the Rag Doll's discourse, the villain strained his limbs to slip free of his bonds and made a quick break for the door.  The aftermath was never officially recorded, but in an explosion of cosmic energy, the Rag Doll was found blasted to a painful death.  It has since been largely concluded that Starman, fearing for the safety of his sons, had slain the villain, a fact disputed by witnesses Flash and Green Lantern.  The next afternoon, Rag Doll's body disappeared from the morgue.

Exactly how the Rag Doll survived is unknown, but his body was retrieved by his followers. Some years later, Rag Doll was approached by Neron and in exchange for Rag Doll's soul, Neron restored the villain's youth.  He also instructed Rag Doll to remain hidden until approached by a man named Simon Culp.  Years later, Culp came looking for Rag Doll's help. Ted confronted Doctor Phosphorus in the streets of Opal and defeated his radioactive foe, but was soon ambushed by the Rag Doll.  Ted turned to face Rag Doll, challenging the villain to kill him, sparing him a suffering death from Phosphorus' radiation poisoning.  Rag Doll then turned and left.  He later rejoined a reformed version of the Secret Society.  During an assault against the Secret Six, he battled his son Peter Merkel, Jr., who had taken over the Rag Doll name and identity. Their battle was cut short by other attacking villains.

Soon afterward, Merkel died while in mission with the reformed Injustice Society. The team was attempting to retrieve the Cosmic Key, which would return Johnny Sorrow, but they were betrayed by The Society.  In the midst of the battle, it appeared as if that Rag Doll and the Gentleman Ghost betrayed their comrades and ran away with the Key.  However, Tigress witnessed the return of Johnny Sorrow, whose sudden emergence killed Rag Doll. Sorrow and the rest of the Injustice Society escaped to safety in the Crooked House, the former abode of Prometheus.  It was then revealed that Gentleman Ghost, Wizard and Icicle were expecting Rag Doll to turn on them, so they set him up to die.

This will be the first time Rag Doll will appear in live-action, although the character has appeared in the animated series The Batman, voiced by Jeff Bennett.

The Flash returns to The CW for Season 5 on October 9, 2018.