Ragman's History
A community of Jews in 16th century Eastern Europe created the Ragman to replace the Golem, their previous defender. Gerry Regan was the last European Ragman, as he, still named Jerzy Reganiewicz, fled to the United States after failing to protect the Jewish population from Nazi persecution. After settling down in Gotham City, Regan passed the mantle of Ragman to his son Rory.
Rory Regan is a ragman, doing good in his community by buying used items from people who need money. The suit of rags that he wears was originally just a costume made from materials found around the rag shop he shared with his father, Rags'n'Tatters. Currently each of the patches in the suit is made from the soul of an evildoer that the Ragman had punished and absorbed.
The absorption of these souls caused a problem for Rory at one point, when the evil souls hungered for murder and finally freed themselves of Ragman. It was only with the support of Batman and Regan's old friend, Rabbi Luria, that he regained control, though at the cost of Luria's life. Ragman's powers have increased since then. Currently, he can absorb souls into his costume. With each new soul added, a rag is added. He can call upon the souls in his costume to lend him their attributes or power. He is also a very proficient magic user.
Judgment and Vengeance
Ragman was active in destroying many of the demons invading Earth. This would earn him the wrath of the Diablos, a group of demons who style themselves after the Mafia. Wanting to gain revenge for demons lost during the Day of Judgment, they attack Ragman, injuring him and tearing off parts of his costume. They believe him to be dead but this is not true.
Ragman is one of the members of the Shadowpact, a team that formed to confront the Spectre.
During 'Infinite Crisis', Ragman and Nightshade are seen standing side by side as part of the line of superheros defending Metropolis from attack from dozens of villains.
Ragman is one of the few volunteers willing to take on the rampaging Spectre, who has decided that all magic is evil. During a planning sessions, he is taken aside by the Enchantress and given a mystical gun. She entrusts him with it, as it can kill her if she goes too far with her magic, a scenario she believes is all too possible. He tells her if she truly turns evil, his costume will take her. He then tries to kiss her, but his feelings are not returned and Enchantress even mocks him for it in front of the other heroes.
Shadowpact
Ragman, along with his teammates, was trapped inside a shield of solid blood that grew over the town of Riverrock, Wyoming. Ragman and the rest of the team spend a very short period of time inside the shield, but to due to magical after-effects, a full year passes outside. Various mystical heroes, such as Phantom Stranger and Rex the Wonder Dog keep watch outside the town's borders.
While inside Riverrock, Rory met an evil counterpart of himself belonging to the supervillain group that had formed the shield, the Pentacle. His counterpart is named Bagman. He/it dresses in similar green garb, and can turn his body to goo and while in this form he absorbs people. While inside Bagman they either suffocate or they are digested. Bagman even mentioned how oddly similar the Shadowpact and the Pentacle are. Rory only survives this encounter because Bagman's boss does not want the heroes to be killed. After the Riverock encounter, Rory must deal with the severe disruption to his life, as everyone had thought he was dead. He, like most of the team, ends up having to find a new source of income, a place to stay and the oddity of encountering a memorial statue to the entire team.
Rory was temporarily trapped in the limbo dimension of his own cloak. He met the soul of an ancient Centurion working off his crimes. This man, Marcus Liberius, first saved him from the beating several other of the murderous souls were giving Rory. Marcus reveals that the cloak was actually the "Great Collector Artifact", which has been in existence in many forms since the time of Abraham. Ragmen in Rory's line have been in action since 1812 BCE. Marcus also helped Rory, who had become disenchanted with the job of collecting corrupted souls, to see that he is not a punisher but a redeemer �?? allowing a better afterlife for those who work for it. This work usually takes the form of suffering on Rory's behalf. For example, Rory had been recently blinded by magic. Marcus willingly takes this blindness on, adding to previous injuries he had suffered. This last sacrifice allows Marcus, in the full view of the rest of the Shadowpact, to ascend to a higher realm.
After Batman's death, Ragman was summoned to Gotham City to join The Network. Following Oracle's instructions, Ragman helped capture Doctor Phosphorus along with Wildcat. Later, Ragman joined Manhunter and rescued a hostage from Hugo Strange. He also tried to capture Strange with Misfit's help, but the villain escaped.
Blackest Night
Main article: Blackest Night
During the Blackest Night, several black rings took control of his cloak and came back to life as Black Lanterns, leaving him behind, still alive but without his cloak.
When the threat of the Black Lanterns ended, Ragman's suit returned to him. Shortly after he was summoned to fight alongside the heroes of Gotham against the Seven Men of Death and stopped them from reaching their target, Vicki Vale.
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Rory_Regan_(New_Earth)
