WARNING: The following contains spoilers from The Next Batman: Second Son #6 by John Ridley, Rex Lokus, Travel Foreman, and Deron Bennett, available now.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is getting ready to release this summer, bringing a whole new gallery of bizarre villains into the DC Extended Universe. While John Cena's Peacemaker and Idris Elba's Bloodsport steal the show in the trailers, there is one unfamiliar character that draws attention to herself. Ratcatcher II will be played by Daniela Melchior, and she may have just made her comics debut in The Next Batman: Second Son #6.
Lucius Fox has inherited Bruce Wayne's fortune and has gathered his entire family back in Gotham. His son Tim, now going by Jace, has been away for some time in Vietnam. Jace's return causes some pandemonium in the Fox household, but things go truly awry when Jace's sister Tamara passes out, having been previously poisoned by the Ratcatcher.
Things are not looking good for Tamara as the doctors inform the Fox family that they are unsure of what was used to poison her. Luke Fox decides to take things into his own hands and suits up as Batwing before heading to the Ratcatcher's base of operations in the Underneath. When Batwing finds Ratcatcher, he is surprised to learn that the villain has a new army under his control.
Ratcatcher has evolved from training rats to training children. The villain claims that he did not have to brainwash the children to work for him. He tells Batwing that the neglected and abused children are the forgotten souls of Gotham, and he provided them with a purpose. While most of the children are armed with melee weapons, there is one girl located at the top of the warehouse acting as a sniper. She lines Batwing up in her sites before unleashing a shot that cuts through Fox's shoulder.
Batwing continues to fight but not to his full potential as he does not want to harm any of the children. Before he can make his move on Ratcatcher, the police arrive. The sniper accidentally fires a shot in the cops' direction, prompting the police to return fire. Batwing is able to separate the children from the police, while the cops shoot and kill Ratcatcher. While most of the children escape, the sniper still remains in the building and descends to the floor once the cops leave. She scoops up Ratcatcher's mask and gives it a long stare.
While it's not clear if this girl will assume the role of Ratcatcher II, there is enough evidence to show that she could have been his apprentice, especially considering that she is the only child armed with a gun in the Underneath. Ratcatcher also shows quite a bit of encouragement towards the girl when she lands her shot on Batwing. While little is known about The Suicide Squad's Ratcatcher II at this point, what has been shared lines up fairly similarly to the girl seen in The Next Batman: Second Son.
The Suicide Squad's version of Ratcatcher II has been revealed to be a protégé of Otis Flannegan, the original Ratcatcher. He taught her to tame, control, and train rats over the years. Ratcatcher was eventually taken down by Batman, and his protégé took up the mantle. At some point, she was captured by the police and sent to Belle Reve, where she was then recruited to join Task Force X with the rest of the Suicide Squad.
Ratcatcher II has the potential to be a big-time threat both in the DC Extended Universe and DC comics. Time will tell if the girl who picked up Ratcatcher's mask in The Next Batman: Second Son will carry on the legacy or not. If she does, she could potentially be the key to saving Tamara Fox's life.