 Created by: Travis Moschak Other Pictures:  First appearance: Guardians of Creation #2 | Real Name: Dr. Jakob Ratzinger Hair: Grey Eyes: Blue Height: 5 foot 11 inches Age: 35 Nationality: USA Ethical alliance: Evil History Dr. Rat's story begins with his life as Dr. Jakob Ratzinger, a scientist studying cancer at the prestigious Onko Institute. In ground-breaking work, Ratzinger developed a novel virus based on rat DNA that could delete and replace cancer-prone DNA. But while testing this virus in rats, Ratzinger was bitten, and a small amount of the virus entered his bloodstream through the wound. In his case, however, the virus did far more than simply replace cancer-prone genes. It replaced large tracts of his DNA with that of the rat and slowly, his DNA was rewritten with that of the rat. It took a few days for the transformation to begin exhibiting symptoms, but when it did, Ratzinger began experiencing bizarre sensations and eventually fell into a coma. It lasted 10 days and when he woke up from his coma, Ratzinger had transformed into a chimeric creature half-rat, half-man. This unexpected outcome resulted in the military stepping in and taking over the project. Ratzinger was confined into quarantine and his research was classified as secret, thus robbing the scientific community and the world of a potential cure for cancer. The military's plan for the research was less altruistic than Ratzinger had hoped for. Their plan was to use the virus to create an army of superhuman warriors, but Ratzinger had expected such potential eventuality and had kept the key components and formulas of his research locked away in a safe place, his brain. After refusing to divulge his secrets, the military had him tortured repeatedly and threatened to torture his wife and two children. At that point, Ratzinger agreed to share the secret and was given access to his lab. But as he feigned at working on his project, Ratzinger planned and executed his escape. His main goal was to inform the press of the military's nefarious plot, however, each person he encountered recoiled in fear from his twisted form. Eventually, the police gave him chase and Ratzinger hid in an abandoned house. Realizing that people could not be trusted, he began setting about creating his own army of chimeras to take on the military and free his family. Ratzinger was branded a menace by the media because even if he has no desire to kill people, he has done so when they get in his way. As a result, he has a particular fear and hatred of the military and the police so, when months later he was approached by an unknown man and was invited to join his group, Ratzinger agreed. Now that he is part of a community and under the pseudonym Rat Bastard, he can continue his research unimpeded as a member of The Underlords. Powers Super strength: Rat Bastard has enhanced strength, enabling him to lift as much as a car. Animal attributes/abilities: His legs and torso are for the most part that of human, but he has a rat tail and a rat head. His arms are also mostly human, although he has rat-like claws on his hands. His body is also coated in rat fur. The most prevalent ability he has gained from his transformation is an increase in physical strength and a heightened agility of movement. Enhanced intelligence: Rat Bastard possesses a genius intellect. |
