DC Database
Register
Advertisement

A mystical Jewish artifact created to protect the Jewish communities ever since the time of Abraham. It is suggested that the suit has been in rotation since 1812 BCE. Over the centuries, it has possessed several forms, such as a cloak, a dagger, and a spear, because every time it was destroyed it h

The Suit of Souls was a mystical Jewish attire made of rags that gave the Ragman powers.

History

Origin

A mystical Jewish artifact created to protect the Jewish communities ever since the time of Abraham. It is suggested that the suit has been in rotation since 1812 BCE. Over the centuries, it has possessed several forms, such as a cloak, a dagger, and a spear, because every time it was destroyed it had to be recreated in new form.[1]

Capabilities

The Suit of Souls give the user the ability to summon the forces of all souls who reside there, increasing his strength, agility, durability, and several other abilities.

There is an implied redemption of evil souls contained within the rag suit, but no mechanism for this has yet been shown. Rory's comments seem to indicate that this redemption is linked to the soul willingly assisting the wearer in his mission and thus slowly working off its moral debt. This process has been stated to take a century or more. While the souls power the suit, no single soul seems to make a noticeable difference in the Ragman's power levels. Accordingly, the acquisition or loss of souls as time goes by is usually not a serious concern to the current trustee of the costume.

Because the Ragman was created as a symbol of hope to protect communities, he can over time form a limited psychic bond with the people of a given neighborhood. When this process is complete, the people of the community will find themselves acting as one with the Ragman to confront local threats. Once this occurs, the Ragman's work is finished and he will move on, teleporting to a new place that needs his help. How the suit determines where the Ragman is needed next is unknown. The suit has an additional failsafe that compels the wearer to teleport away if the battle for a neighborhood is hopeless. The Ragman was meant to inspire hope, so staying to fight a lost cause would be futile; the suit's creators felt it was better to have the Ragman live to fight another day rather than be destroyed.

Notes

  • Only men of the lineage of the Regan family can use the suit.[1]
  • The Suit of Souls is said to be vulnerable to fire.[2]

Trivia

  • The suit was created after the Rabbi's first failed creation the Golem. Many villains and certain "heroes" have taken the guise of the Golem from Judaic past but none have been the original.
  • Rory's father, Gerry, used the suit in New York City and then in Gotham City, previous users have been seen during every war that affected Jews in the past.


See Also

Footnotes

Advertisement