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Hartley Rathaway (New Earth)

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Character TemplateCharacter Template
Pied Piper

Hartley Rathaway (New Earth)
Real Name
Aliases
Prisoner #F106-OU812

Alignment

Affiliation
formerly Rogues

Relatives
Osgood and Rachel Rathaway (parents), Jerrie Rathaway (sister)

Universe

Base Of Operations

Characteristics
Gender

Height


Eyes

Hair

Status
Citizenship

Marital Status

Occupation
Social Activist and Research Scientist

Origin
Origin
Deaf man given the chance to finally hear and became a sonic tech expert


First appearance


Contents

History

Rogue

Hartley Rathaway was born deaf to incredibly rich parents. After his hearing was medically restored, he was amazed by music and sound. He developed a vast knowledge of sonics, and using this knowledge, fought the Flash as the Pied Piper.

Piper once suffered a nervous breakdown after the Flash apprehended him, so he was sent to Breedmore Mental Hospital to be treated. He apparently improved to the point where they let him use his technical knowledge to fix the hostpital's public address system. However, he used this to release hypersonic waves into the hospital, allowing him to escape. However, he was apprehended by someone resembling Reverse-Flash in a matter of minutes.

Reform

Piper reformed, however, and, living in New York, put his efforts into helping the homeless. He would go around to stores and restaurants to get food to give homeless citizens every night. One of his many efforts to help the homeless was with Freespace, a squatter's rights group who took over abandoned buildings.[1]

When Wally West decided to move to Keystone City, Piper helped him out. His parents lived in Keystone, and had always tolerated his adventures as an outlaw until one of his more recent doings. However, he had recently received a letter from his mother inviting him back. He took her up on the offer, only to find that his family was being held hostage by some men who had been hired by the Turtle to recover an account book his father had hoped to use to settle some money problems. However, Piper defeated the Turtle's men and redeemed himself in the eyes of his parents.[2] He decided to stay in Keystone to help them recover.[3]

Piper, who has since publicly announced his homosexuality, became a great friend of Wally West's, and often contributed to the Flash's escapades with his technical expertise or acting as an informant.

Piper played a key role in helping to stop Kobra's Project Morpheus. He aided Linda Park in tracking his power sources and providing sonic weapons.

Piper was framed for the murder of his own parents, who were actually killed by the Mirror Master. This clearly put a great strain on the two Rogues' relationship.

Countdown

Countdown 41
Countdown 41

With the loss of his family and the disappearance of Wally and Linda, Piper fell back in with the Rogues.[4] When Inertia gathered them together in a plot to rob the new Flash of his speed, Piper was among their ranks.[5] However, the others were hesitant about including him, considering his past collaboration with the Flash. As a show of faith, he hypnotized a wealthy businessman into wiring his fortune to the Mirror Master and jumping into the ocean. However, he had not entirely abandoned his former ways - the businessman was well-known for taking advantage of the elderly, and after Mirror Master had confirmed the amount in his account, he had it transferred to a charity for homeless children. The Trickster, figuring out Piper's true motives, blackmailed Rathaway into transferring the money to him instead.[6]

Piper attempted to turn the Rogues against Inertia once he realized that he had used them for his own purpose. However, he was unable to distract them from killing the Flash.[7] Knowing that he would be considered just as guilty as the rest of the Rogues, he and the Trickster decided to work together to stay out of sight.[8] Wanting to pay his respects to the fallen speedster, Piper brought a reluctant Trickster to the Flash's funeral. However, after a speech by Wonder Girl stressing the importance of capturing the Rogues, the two fled and decided and go their separate ways. Outside, they were shot by Multiplex and Deadshot.[9]

They are pursued them relentlessly until he succeeds in murdering Trickster. With Trickster's death, the cuffs activate a 24-hour self-destruct, which Piper is able to delay with his flute. When the train they are on is submitted to a border check, Piper flees into the desert. Delirious from the heat, he begins to imagine Trickster's corpse is talking to him. After severing the hand from the rest of the corpse, Piper is brought to Apokolips by Desaad. Desaad unlocks the shackles, and claims that Piper can channel the Anti-Life Equation and control the planet. Before the Piper can do so, Brother Eye finishes assimilating Apokolips.

Desaad finally gets into Brother Eye's control and convinces Piper to play his flute in order to activate the Anti-Life Equation. Piper agrees to play, but upon hearing that Desaad was the mastermind behind his recent misfortune, in an almost successful attempt to break his spirit and taking control over him, he kills Desaad with a tune. He plays one final time for Brother Eye, a swan song, The Show Must Go On by Queen, that blows up the merged entity Brother Eye/Apokolips, with him still trapped inside, apparently left to die. However, he is later seen alive in the streets of Gotham City, saying that if he was allowed to live for some reason, this time he will play on the side of angels.

Final Crisis

He invades the police precinct, and picks up Trickster's will, which is actually a fake that contains information on the other Rogues, written in invisible ink. He then surprises the Rouges, Zoom, and Kid Zoom. Immobilizing them before he is stabbed from behind In the shoulder by Libra.


Powers and Abilities

Powers

Enhanced Hearing: being born deaf he was treated and medically given his hearing, later on with he genius level knowledge of sonics he further augmented his hearing artificially.

Anti-Life Equation Manipulation via Sound: its has been revealed that his powers to manipulate others through sound are due to his ability to manipulate the Anti-Life Equation. Though seen as a rudimentary control by the likes of Libra, the power is remarkably effective as he finds new and innovative ways to manipulate people and things using sound.

Abilities

Genius-Level Intellect (Sonic Tech): A genius of sonic theories and sound-based sonic technology.

  • Master Musician: through the study of sound Hartley has become a master of flute based composition, showing a unmatched skill in the instrument as well as creating songs with seamless effort


Paraphernalia

Equipment:

  • Pied Piper Flute: Rathaway has crafted his own sophisticated flute capable of hypnotizing anyone within range of its sound. He can make anyone do what ever he wants of them, and can even make himself 'invisible' to other's perception. Initially this technique only worked on humans, but during his incarceration in Iron Heights, he has perfected it to work on rats as well, adding another similarity to his legendary namesake. Later, he learned to manipulate technology.
  • Sonic Devices: Rathaway also employs a number of devices that can generate or amplify sound for destructive purposes.
  • Sonic Tuning Fork: capable of sending out a sound the causes paralysis in those who hear it.

Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.


Notes

  • Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.

Trivia

  • The Pied Piper is one of the few openly gay villains
  • Hartley's prison number #F106-OU812 is a reference to the 1988 rock and roll album "OU812" by Van Halen. Phonetically, it translates to "Oh, you ate one too". The prefix "F106" is a reference to Piper's first appearance in Flash #106. [10]


See Also


Recommended Reading

  • None.


Links and References


Footnotes


DC

Flash Villain(s)
This character, team, or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of any or all of the various incarnations of The Flash. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Flash Villains."

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