The new enemy of The Flash will be played by the famous Spider-Man. Soldier and rag doll

Peter Merkel, aka Rag Doll, will appear in . It is possible that he will only become a "villain of the week" and not a recurring character, or will serve as the main antagonist of the season.

In the comics, several villains were hiding under this nickname. Most likely, we will see a combination of them on the screen. Its embodiment on the pages of the “Secret Six”, which included Peter Merkel Jr., is recognized as one of the best. Notably, this character is the son of the original Rag Doll, lacking his father's super-flexibility. In order to continue the family business, he modified his body and became almost the same supervillain.

But could the Secret Six itself appear in DC series in this case, as a union of enemies of everyone’s favorite heroes? Considering that the Six have always been associated with the Suicide Squad, and many of the Squad have been in the Suicide Squad, this is quite possible. However, predicting such an outcome is still quite risky.

Ace acrobat Troy James will play a circus performer in the series. And, of course, this is the perfect cast. And how does he do it?

James usually plays possessed creatures and other strange creatures in horror films. Not surprising, because some of his talents are truly frightening - just look at the “spider gait” borrowed from the horror film “The Exorcist”. The acrobat has roles in TV series

The easiest and most reliable way to teach children to relax is to teach them to alternate between strong muscle tension and subsequent relaxation. Therefore, this and the following game will help you do this in a playful way.

So, invite your child to imagine that he is a soldier. Remember with him how to stand on the parade ground - standing at attention and standing still. Have the player pretend to be such a military man as soon as you say the word “soldier.” After the child stands in such a tense position, say another command - “rag doll”. When performing it, the boy or girl should relax as much as possible, lean forward slightly so that their arms dangle as if they were made of fabric and cotton wool. Help them imagine that their whole body is soft and pliable. The player must then become a soldier again, etc.

Note. Such games should be completed at the relaxation stage, when you feel that the child has had enough rest.

“These cats are in a state of muscle relaxation, so their sensitivity threshold is much lower than that of other cats.”, - said Jackie Vanekem, president of the Belgian breed club ragdoll.

The well-known cat Josephine was crossed with a Burmese cat and gave birth to wonderful, absolutely normal kittens with one small drawback - decreased muscle tone, but their character was distinguished by extraordinary obedience and softness, uncharacteristic of ordinary cats. It is still unknown why exactly the cats acquired such qualities, but it has been established that the road accident has nothing to do with this.

Anna Parker, who is Josephine's owner, became interested in these changes and decided to engage in breeding to create a new breed of cats. By crossing the mildest cats with the most pronounced relaxation of muscle tone, Ann by 1965 was able to obtain several generations of kittens with strengthened characteristics she needed. She named the new breed " Ragdoll", which means "rag doll" in English. A little later, the newly bred breed moved to Europe and became popular in countries such as Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France and many others. But don’t think that the ragdoll can now be found at every turn - in Europe it is still a rare breed, not in comparison with the USA, where it is really very popular.

Cat breeds ragdoll are very different in character from all other cats - they are kinder and softer, calmer, and the unique opportunity to relax the muscles as much as possible is amazing: to feel this, you only need to take a cat of this breed ragdoll in your arms, and you will immediately feel how she surrenders herself to your power and does not strain a single muscle. “Under no circumstances should a Ragdoll be thrown onto the floor - a fall from a height can lead to very unpleasant consequences for the cat, because representatives of this breed do not know how to group themselves in the air and land on their paws,” warns the president of the Swiss Amateur Club ragdoll Vinna Tatti, who breeds cats ragdoll over the past five years.

Ragdoll cats are real phlegmatic people, and their good nature has no limits. From nature ragdoll he is quite strong, but he behaves very peacefully, and when attacked, he prefers not to defend himself, but to calmly leave. They, like children, are very trusting and naive, and in conflict situations- unperturbed. Cats ragdoll- very brave, but they don’t want to show this quality at all. “You need to constantly carefully monitor the ragdoll - he is very defenseless and in some situations helpless. Pay special attention to how he crosses the road. But, of course, there is no need to go to extremes and keep the animal locked up,” notes Vanna Tatti.

Ragdoll very sociable and loves people. "Cats ragdoll have an interesting quality: they love to communicate with people more than with anyone else. They do not like loneliness and consider themselves a full member of the family. If a cat is suddenly left alone, without an owner or her relatives, she immediately becomes depressed and even seems to lose weight before her eyes, she is so sad,” says Jackie Vanekem. “The owner is the center of the universe for her. She is always next to him, adapts to his habits and lifestyle, and sometimes even seems to quietly whisper something to him in a pleasant voice, which is completely incompatible with her rather large build. If the owner is nearby, the ragdoll will not care whether you put a collar and leash on him, whether you take him to the hotel with you, and so on - he will be comfortable and warm with you.”

Ragdoll very calm and affectionate, but not a heavyweight at all - he has plenty of agility. He plays with pleasure and runs very fast! Only with jumping is it a little difficult for him - due to muscle relaxation.

Ragdoll He is also very sociable and friendly, he will get along with any pet. He lives calmly and cheerfully side by side with other cats. He will not fight for his territory - everything is common, everything is for friends. In general, Ragdoll cats are... best friends, calm and kind, who by their very presence personify peace and love for one’s neighbor. They are also very vulnerable and sensitive - so communicate with her carefully, do not scold, otherwise she will take it too to heart. A wonderful companion and comrade, he does not demand much, he treats everything patiently and wisely, he subtly feels his owner - and more than returns all the love and affection given to him.

Males ragdoll real gentlemen can care for a female for two years without moving on to something more. One of the best cats of the Geneva cat club has been waiting for three whole years! True, among them there are those who want to slightly speed up the process.

The Burmese cat differs quite seriously from its brother in sexual terms: sometimes activity begins to manifest itself in very early age, up to a year. " Ragdoll quite selective in choosing his partner. And some males are so shy that they only admit sexual intercourse within the walls of their home. Quite often there are monogamous cats who live their whole lives with one, maximum three cats - this is true love!” - Vanna Tatti tells us.

Ragdoll kittens develop physically more slowly than other cat breeds. For example, they can see only two weeks after birth, and the suckling period ends quite late.

At birth, kittens are completely white, the spots appear slowly. To see the real color, you need to wait about two years.

Attention - fake! Since 1965, when the cat breed appeared ragdoll, their representatives were strictly prohibited from crossing with cats of other breeds, so as not to spoil the unique character of these animals. “To begin with, it was necessary to exclude from the offspring representatives of the breed that exhibit aggressive behavior and are prone to independence. Then - raise the remaining ones in a family that will surround them with warmth and care. This is the most important thing - because it is the unique gentle character that distinguishes ragdoll from other cats. Their beauty is only a secondary positive quality, but by no means the main thing,” notes Vanna Tatti.

Breeders who take their business seriously should first of all consult with specialists from the breed club before mating. The latter contains lists of the animals of all Josephine's offspring. This is necessary to ensure the “nobility” of the blood of the animals selected by breeders. The main fighters for the purity of the breed are the American and German clubs of ragdoll cat lovers. Every breeder is carefully registered there. Vigilance is important here: amateurs ragdolls who appreciate and are beautiful appearance, and the wonderful character of these cats, in Europe they often become victims of speculators who can “slip” an unclean breed.

“At the French exhibition they presented for the first time ragdoll- and he turned out to be a Burmese cat, albeit quite gentle and soft in character, but still not like a true representative of a rare breed,” Vanna Tatti tells us. “Nowadays, quite often they carry out fraud and sell fake ragdolls to gullible buyers,” she is indignant. Many of her colleagues agree with her. For example, this is what the head of the Central French Amateur Club says: ragdolls Nicole Vialatt: “In France, very often under the guise ragdolls they sell Burmese cats or half-breeds, which are obtained by crossing Burmese cats with representatives of the Ragdoll breed.”

"Remember that it's not real ragdoll will not exhibit those unique qualities characteristic only of purebred representatives,” warns Jackie Vanekem and adds: “The fact that ragdolls substitute - very illogical and absolutely pointless, since, on the one hand, many “counterfeits” are Burmese cats, and on the other, the breeders themselves reproach Ragdoll cats for their great resemblance to Burmese. From which it follows that it is more profitable for both parties to preserve the uniqueness of each breed and develop in accordance with accepted standards.”
Such hostile attitude of breeders towards ragdoll has two reasons: the growing popularity of the new breed all over the world - which is easy to explain, because first people are attracted by rumors and legends about the breed, and then they are conquered by its beauty and affection ragdoll; and also - for some reason, many breeders still believe that the Ragdoll specifically contains the “disadvantages” of the Burmese. But a bad Burmese is not at all ragdoll!

In the end, the value and uniqueness of the breed are greatly underestimated: it turns out that it contains all the vices that Burmese cat breeders are trying to eradicate. Gradually these bad rumors began to spread to everyone ragdolls, not only to the “mitted” - the “socked” ragdoll, a representative of one of the three currently existing breed varieties that give the desired result when crossed with each other,” explains Vanna Tatti. To get the perfect two-color ragdoll, you need to try very hard, just like if you need to get the perfect “socks” from a Burmese. By the way, the ragdoll standard is very strict, so the “mitted” variety must certainly have “socks.”

“Often judges have a poor understanding of the breed and reward false ragdolls. And the most unfair thing is that the owner of a cat that has participated in the exhibition three times as a ragdoll can demand the issuance of a pedigree, and the club has no right to refuse him,” complains Jackie Vanekem. “Sometimes ‘fake’ ragdolls even became European champions,” nods Nicole Vialatt.
The Ragdoll is a fairly large animal and gives off an air of strength. He is a strong man with well-developed bones, a strong chest and wide hips and shoulders. The neck is short, with well-developed muscles. His body is correctly developed and proportionally built. The weight of a male reaches 6–9 kg, females are much smaller - from 4 to 5 kg.

The Ragdoll is a gentle giant. The gentle look of dark blue eyes speaks without words about the magnificent character of its owner. And the cat’s appearance is incomparable: thick fluffy fur, an elongated body and strong long legs - an invaluable inheritance from the Angora breed!
How can she be confused with a Burmese! Round, with hair between the toes. Silky, almost plush fur, long in some places, shorter in others - especially on the paws. Soft, smooth movements. There is a collar on the neck. The tail is thick at the base, long, woolly, proportional to the length of the body...

For the past twenty years, English breeders have been creating their own variety of Ragdoll, slightly different from the American representative. In the fall of 1987, Nicole Vialatt, the head of a club of 15 people, began selection and gave preference to English representatives of the breed: “This is the most best type. The English Ragdoll has a well-defined nose and very beautiful blue eyes. An American with a straight nose looks too much like a Burmese cat.” The British wanted to achieve visual appeal and an attractive eye color, resulting in a rather beautiful cat that was slightly smaller than an American cat and had a silkier coat,” says Vanna Tatti, who believes that “a mixture of the two types will produce beautiful cats.” Jackie Vanekem also thinks: “Both of these types complement each other wonderfully.” Thus, there are three varieties of the Ragdoll breed:

• colorpoints: similar in color to Siamese cats - light hair on the body and dark hair on the face, ears, tail and paws. The nose and paw pads match the color of the pigmented areas of the body
• "mitted": with white paws, unlike the others, which have dark paws. Hence the name - white “socks”
• two-colored: representatives of this variety have a characteristic area of ​​​​white fur on the face in the form of an inverted letter V, and pigmentation begins from the eyes and cheeks. The paws are also white.

Each variety comes in four colors: blue, lilac, seal and chocolate.

Since the breed has a standard that was drawn up taking into account the rules and requirements of TICA, the Ragdoll can now gain recognition in cat fanciers' clubs in both the USA and Europe. In America, the two-color variety is officially recognized, the rest are already on the way to this. Through the efforts of the German Ragdoll Club, which cooperates well with its American colleagues, the English Governing Council of the Cat Fance in 1991 and FIFe in 1992 also officially recognized the new breed - however, so far only a two-color variety. There is still a lot of work ahead.

“Judging at ragdoll shows leaves much to be desired,” laments Jackie Vanekem, citing this example: “According to the standard, the color of the ragdoll must necessarily be dark tones, in contrast to the Siamese and Burmese representatives, which must be lighter in color to contrast with the dark limbs. But we constantly see how at shows judges underestimate ragdolls for their dark color!” But this is not the worst thing. “To test the degree of relaxation of a cat’s muscles and its susceptibility to pain, some judges torture it - and this is simply outrageous and unacceptable!” Jackie Vanekem worries with good reason.

The Ragdoll is gradually becoming more and more popular in the world, and one can hope that the judges will soon finally understand the essence of the breed and will be able to appreciate all its charm, and accordingly change their attitude towards it: naturally, it is difficult to quickly and properly evaluate in an exhibition environment the unique character of a ragdoll cat, but you can at least see its originality, and it’s simply unrealistic not to fall in love with these wonderful and kind cats!

Genetic characteristics of the ragdoll

Reduced muscle tone in Ragdoll cats has not yet been scientifically substantiated. This means that the standard does not yet recognize this property, even if it is one of important features breeds

Regarding color, we can say that the pigmentation of the paws and the dark blue color of the eyes were most likely influenced by the genes of Siamese cats. Two-colored representatives of the Ragdoll and “mitted” breeds have genes that are responsible for the appearance of these beautiful white spots on the body. It’s hard to even imagine how much patience and effort breeders need to achieve the most beautiful distribution of white color across a cat’s coat!

Care

The Ragdoll has a good appetite, but does not have a tendency to become obese. Since it grows slowly, full physical flowering occurs only in the fourth year. The cat is quite large, and therefore has quite large energy needs that need to be fully covered. The skeleton takes a long time to develop and requires required quantity mineral supplements, which your veterinarian will tell you more about.

There are no problems with childbirth, the mothers are very warm and attentive to the kittens.

The ragdoll's fur does not get tangled, but sometimes it still needs to be combed, and besides, this process brings a lot of pleasure to the cat - she will definitely purr contentedly in gratitude. During the molting period, of course, more attentive care is necessary.
When outdoors in winter, the Ragdoll's coat becomes long and fluffy - just like Persian cats.

Hero Characteristics

• Real name: Peter Merkel, Jr.
• Nicknames: Clown, The He/She Wonder, ‘Doll’
• Current nickname: Rag Doll
• Identity: Hidden
• Universe: New Earth
• Gender: Male
• Position: Neutral
• Height: 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
• Weight: 33 kg (73 lb)
• Eye Color: Blue
• Hair Color: Red
• Relatives: Peter Merkel (father), Stanley Merkel (brother), Alex Merkel (sister)
• Group affiliation: Injustice League, Secret Six
• Friends: Bane, Black Alice, Catman, Jeannette, Scandal Savage, Knockout, Deadshot, Parademon
• Enemies: Mad Hatter, Harley Quinn, Rag Doll, Crime Doctor, Ibac, Alex Merkel, Dr. Psycho, Batman

Biography

Peter Merkel Jr., son of the Golden Age supervillain Rag Doll, was born without the family trait of bending his body at will. His father was disappointed in him, and he was a cruel man.

Over the course of twelve years, Rag Doll, who took his father's nickname, underwent hundreds of operations that should have killed him. All joints have been replaced with rotating joints. He could now bend his body in the most unimaginable shapes. But he needed to lubricate his skin with a special composition in order to preserve it.

Rag Doll used his talents to become a thief and mercenary. He was spotted by Mockingbird and blackmailed into joining the Secret Six, a team that fought Lex Luthor's Secret Society. Rag Doll developed a strange relationship with one of the members of the Six, Parademon. The Parademon called him “Clown” and protected him from everything. When Parademon died saving him and the rest of the Six, Rag Doll made a stuffed animal from his lover's body and communicated with him.

Mockingbird turned out to be Lex Luthor and he let them go. Attempts began to be made on the Six. While Rag Doll was having lunch at a restaurant, he was attacked by Ibac. After the fight with him, Rag Doll was hospitalized (his injuries did not stop him from having fun with the nurse). At the hospital, Dr. Psycho visited him and took control of his mind. On the Six's next mission, Rag Doll attacked his colleagues and fell out of the plane. On top of everything else, his arm was torn off. They then saved the hand and came, to which Catman noticed that suffering gives the Doll pleasure.

After the Secret Six successfully dealt with Vandal Savage, Cheshire and Dr. Psycho and put an end to the assassination attempts, the Doll again began an eccentric relationship with group member Mad Hatter. Warm feelings did not stop him from pushing the Hatter off the wall.

I loved you, Jervis. But there's only room for one freak on the team.

Rag Doll traveled with the Secret Six to Azerbaijan to protect some military secrets. While working, the Six encountered the Birds of Prey, and it turned out that the military secret was the still living body of Ice. During the fight, he fought with the Manhunter, enjoying the beatings and asking her if she could kill him. When the job was finished, Rag Doll noticed Harley Quinn's eccentric behavior and asked if she wanted to take a walk near the high wall. In the end, he forced her into a fight, which ruined the team.

Rag Doll returned to mercenary work and participated in the attack on the wedding of Oliver Queen & Black Canary. Like all the other villains, he ended up on a distant planet, from where he escaped along with all the members of the Joker's group.

The Six reunited to find the "Escape Card from Hell" from the demon Neron. Unlike the rest of the team, Rag Doll didn't really care whether they found the map or not. In their search, they were greatly hindered by Junior, a crazy crime boss who turned out to be the Doll's sister, Alex (Alex Merkel), who went crazy after being raped by her own father. Rag Doll watched helplessly as her sister was burned by a fireball.

The true culprit turned out to be the Mad Hatter, who hoped that the Six would be killed. Rag Doll found his hat during the battle and asked if Jervis still loved him? But he still loves Jervis, so he threw his hat off the bridge. The Hatter had no choice but to jump after him.

Soon a new member appeared in the team - Black Alice. She showed attention to the Doll in every possible way, and he was not against their relationship. Black Alice helped the team greatly when Catman's son, Thomas Blake, Jr., was kidnapped.

During the Battle of the Cape, Rag Doll played the role of Robin.

Rag Doll soon found himself in Hell using the "Hell Free Exit Card" while searching for the Parademon. There he became the Prince of Hell. The Six arrived for him (Alice had left the team), but an army of demons was waiting for them. The doll, however, abandoned the rule of Hell in favor of his friends.

Rag Doll stayed on the team until the Six lost to the superhero team led by Batman.

Flashpoint

In the Flashpoint universe, Rag Doll is a participant in the "freak show" of Haley's Circus.

Personality

Rag Doll was created so that the team would have someone who would provide humor to the gloomy other members. However, the Rag Doll is a very strange person. He has strong tendencies towards sadomachism and killing a person is a piece of cake for him.

The Rag Doll has no genitals. He removed them as a child because he believed they were unnecessary to him. This does not prevent him from leading a busy personal life.