Pied Piper (DC)
Pied Piper is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Hartley Robert Rathaway was a male human born as the eldest son of Osgood Rathaway and Rachel Rathaway with him having a younger sister named Jerrie Rathaway.
He was said to had been born over thirty years ago to his rich family. Unknown to anyone at the time, he was actually born deaf though his parents who were more concerned about attending parties simply believed him to be slow. It was only two years later that they came to learn the truth but they never fully accepted it as they could not believe they could have an imperfect child. They then spent millions to rectify this issue with the young Hartley going through many doctors until they met a man named Magnus. He replaced Rathways cochlea and tympanic membranes with artificial micro-robotics that greatly improved his hearing. After hearing Mozart for the first time, he came to fall in love with music and became an avid listener to all composers in his teenage years though he himself had no talent for music. As he grew, he became more distanced from his parents as he could not relate to their social circles as they came from rich old money. Hartley often found himself kicked out of every college that his parents sent him to with this being one of a number of issues with his parents. It was then that he revealed to them that he was gay with this creating a huge rift with them. He then stole money from his parents and left the family home with all his musical instruments. (The Flash v2 #190)
Over time, he came to grow bored of how things came to him easily and looked for something to excite him. He ultimately decided to embark on crimes as the thrill would be a constant challenge for him. Thus, he used special sonic equipment and fashioned a masked identity as Piped Piper. Meanwhile, his parents looked to his true identity and using their considerable money to bribe Captain Paulson and the FBI where they falsified his records creating a fake identity named Henry Darrow. (The Flash v1 #307) As the Pied Piper, he looked to establish organise crime in Central City and made himself into a chief for a gang of criminals. He looked to head the most amazing crime wave to had hit the city but decided that he needed to get rid of the Flash who was the only threat to his operations. (The Flash v1 #106)
After Barry Allen's death, Hartley experienced what he termed a 'wake-up call' to change his ways. He decided to mend ties with his parents where he apologised first with them reciprocating as old age had made them wiser. The reconciliation saw Rathway change his ways as he abandoned his former life of crime and instead looked to help people. He moved to Keystone City and came to work alongside Wally West with the two becoming close friends. (The Flash v2 #190)
During this time, Evan McCulloch came to impersonate Rathway where under this guise he killed Hartley's parents. He then implanted false memories in Piper's mind making him believe he was the one to murder his own parents. This was part of an elaborate plot by the Blacksmith's criminal Network to leave the Piper alone and with no place to go but to the Rogues. (The Flash v2 #189)
After fighting Mirror Master's brainwashing, he came to escape from his prison cell at Iron Heights and made his way to the FBI headquarters in Chicago. He broke into the office of FBI agent James Jesse in order to request the former Rogue's aid. (The Flash v2 #189) Agent James, however, attempted to apprehend Rathaway who used his instruments to summon rats to keep him at bay. When further agents arrived, Hartley used his flute to hypnotise them as well but did not harm them and instead had them knock each other out. Pied Piper told Jesse that he was innocent of his crimes but decided to go on the run as he refused to return to Iron Heights with him determined to prove that he did not kill his parents. Looking for shelter, Hartley went to Quad Cities Illinois to ask Heat-Wave for a place to stay as he evaded the authorities. Mick then advised Rathaway to ask Wally West for help as he was a good man but then the place was broken into by the FBI led by James Jesse who had placed a tracker on Pied Piper before he fled their headquarters. (The Flash v2 #190)
With Apokolips in ruin, Desaad spoke to Rathaway where he looked to convince the Pied Piper to use his music that tied to the Anti-Life Equation to take over the planet and become a god. The area they were situated in was then attacked by Brother Eye when the living satellite began the process of assimilating Apokolips and looked to end any threat to its existence. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #10) It was then that Hartley learnt that Desaad had been the source of the woes he and Trickster had experienced as the New God was attempting to nurture the Anti-Life Equation in Pied Piper as well as usher it back to Apokolips so that he could get control of it. This involved breaking Rathaway mentally in order to take control of him with Desaad forcing him to play the music. However, Pied Piper used the Anti-Life Equation to kill Desaad and then turned its power against Brother Eye where he caused a huge explosion that destroyed the artificial intelligence, the planet Apokolips and himself. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #9)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
His full name was Hartley Robert Rathaway. (The Flash v2 #190) However, as a criminal and supervillain he operated under the guise of the Pied Piper with him claiming to be the Master of Sound. (The Flash v1 #106) His parents through bribes came to create a false identity for their son named Henry Darrow. (The Flash v1 #307)
He gained a love of music after hearing Mozart for the first time with him believing the composer and himself shared a lot in common. This saw him listening to any form of music ranging from Miles Davis to the Sex Pistols where he came to worship them all. Hartley attempted to even play music but came to realise he never had the talent to create music. Thus, he determined that he was really only a good listener and lived in his own world of sound in his teenage years. (The Flash v2 #190)
On his 16th birthday, he was gifted a silver-plated flute by his parents where he spent months tinkering with it. (The Flash v1 #307)
Hartley always felt that people never listened to him which was why he preferred to communicate via music. (The Flash v2 #190)
He used his mastery of sound in order to make his life even easier. The ease of what he could accomplish led to him seeking to alleviate his boredom. This saw him looking to alleviate his boredom by engaging in crimes where the constant challenge would keep him entertained. (The Flash v1 #307)
Hartley Rathaway was the son of Osgood Rathaway and Rachel Rathaway who were people of considerable wealth. (The Flash v1 #307)
Even though he never got along with his parents he stated that he would never have hurt them. Despite their differences, he stated that he genuinely loved them. He admitted that they were stuck-up snobs who were sterile but that they were not monsters. He never felt like he could relate to his parents as they came from old money. They and along with the extended family as well as friends were known to had looked down at Hartley as they felt he did not belong in their social circles. Fights with his parents only erupted when he revealed to them that he was gay. (The Flash v2 #190)
Powers and abilities
Born completely deaf, a procedure by a doctor led to his cochlea and tympanic membrane being replaced with artificial micro-robotics. This not only allowed him to hear but gave him a heightened sense of hearing giving him the ability to hear a whisper from over a block away. (The Flash v2 #190)
Since he was 9 years old, he studied sonics and determined that he design as well as sell his own brand of instruments if he could not play music. (The Flash v2 #190) For years, he had studied sound in all its phases and claimed to had attained a mastery in its use. (The Flash v1 #106) It was said that he tinkered with any device that produced sound. (The Flash v1 #307)
Using his super-sonic flute, he could control the minds of other people and have them form a makeshift gang that obeyed his commands. It was said that people could not resist the call of the Pied Piper. Alternatively, he could project messages into the air and send them to particular individuals. Offensively, he could hurl a galaxy of notes that surrounded a target in a vibratory aura and freeze a person in their position thus paralysing them where they felt as if they were weighed down by a hundred tons. With his incredible sounds, he could create vibrations that was capable of triggering an earthquake. (The Flash v1 #106) The device itself was referred to as a telescopic entrancer which was part of the Piper's sonic arsenal and fired an invisible beam that hypnotised his targets as well as leave telepathic instructions. (The Flash v1 #307)
He also had a weapon called the sonic boomatron capable of storing 'noise' that was unleashed in one moment. This allowed him to hit a target with the concentrated energy equivalent of 50,000 decibels. Another device within his sonic arsenal was the sonicator capable of absorbing massive portion of violent vibes sent through the air. Hartley was also able to generate a personal sound-barrier around himself to protect him from weapon fire. (The Flash v1 #307)
Unknown to him, Hartley was one of the rare human vessels for anti-life and could become a god-like being with it. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #9) One account claimed that he could channel the Anti-Life Equation through his music in a way that was beyond other mortals and even New Gods. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #10) With its power, he could kill a person by causing their heads to explode after listening to the music or even expand it to the point that it could destroy an entire world. (Countdown to Final Crisis v1 #9)
His parents headed the Rathaway Publishing Empire where they had a fortune and lived in the Rathaway Estate. (The Flash v1 #307)
Notes
- Pied Piper was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino where he made his first appearance in The Flash v1 #106 (May, 1959).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Justice League Unlimited, the Pied Piper made a cameo appearance in the animated television series set in the DC Animated Universe during the episode "Flash and Substance".
- In The Flash, Hartley Rathaway appeared in the setting of the live-action television series set in the Arrowverse where he was portrayed by actor Andy Mientus.
Films
- In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the Pied Piper made an appearance in the animated film where he had a non-speaking role.
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, Pied Piper appeared in the setting of the MMORPG where he was voiced by actor Jim Canning.
Appearances
- The Flash v1: (1959)
- The Flash v2:
- Countdown to Final Crisis v1:
- The Flash v4:
- The Flash v5:
External Links
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