Origin

Ratchet comes from a race of aliens who refrain from any sorts of physical contact. Their society has achieved longer life, eradicated disease a reduced crime to a philosophical level because of this. However, Ratchet wishes to meet real friends. He leaves his pod only to be stopped by Isolation Police. Ratchet is fired upon and sentenced to 80 years of imprisonment. After two years his tendrils are amputated. He goes on a hunger strike but is force fed by robotic arms after 14 years. Finally after 40 years, Ratchet begins to hallucinate until it drives him mad with rage. A Red Ring crashes through his prison wall as a new tendril grows to take it.

Creation

Ratchet was created by Geoff Johns and artist Shane Davis.

Character Evolution

Not much has been revealed about Ratchet's character until the recent Red Lanterns series aside from his original appearance fighting alongside Atrocitus during Blackest Night.

Major Story Arcs

As a member of the Red Lantern Corps, Ratchet participated in the attack on the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps. Ratchet participated in the abduction of Sinestro as well as his torture on Ysmault.

Red Lanterns:

Ratchet has appeared in the New 52's Red Lanterns by Peter Milligan. Atrocitus asks him to jump into the Blood Ocean to relive his greatest pain and regain his sentience. Before being thrown into the the Blood Ocean, Ratchet had gathered with Bleez and Zilius Zox to discuss possibly killing Atrocitus. Atrocitus sends Bleez back into the Blood Ocean to retrieve her fellow lanterns. As she pulls out Ratchet and Zilius Zox, Ratchet asks Bleez how they can possibly serve as both judge, jury and executioner to the universe's vengeance. Upon meeting Red Lantern Skallox, Ratchet is disappointed to see that rage is felt by both the innocent and the wicked and that their mission is not a moral crusade.

Rise of the Third Army

for more information: Rise of the Third Army

After Atrocitus' crusade against Krona and Abysmus he returns to Ysmault with a corpse from the Third Army. Realizing the Guardians are behind the army, he sends his Lanterns to retrieve blood and strengthen their power battery. Believing Ratchet to be the most intelligent and trustworthy of his Red Lanterns, Atrocitus tasks him with guarding the power battery while they are away.

Powers & Abilities:

During the attack on the Green Lantern and Sinestro Corps Ratchet displays the same powers used by his fellow Red Lanterns to lead a brutal attack in space. The extent of his powers have remain to be seen. According to Atrocitus, Ratchet is highly intelligent.

Ratchet is a bearer of the Red Lantern Ring and has all the powers that come with it. The abilities the ring grants him are:

• Animating: A Red Lantern can will things to move how he wants.
• Caustic Effect: Red Lantern power can damage and drain away the power of other lanterns almost like a poison. For example green lanterns who survive a Red Lantern attack will begin to lose power from the almost napalm like attacks of Red Lanterns.
• Communicator: The ring can act as a personal communicator between Lanterns.
• Costumes: The wearer of the ring may create any costume they choose, based on their personal preferences, whenever they choose. The ring projects the costume over any clothes already worn at the time. While Red Lanterns have no costume code they all are red and black with the Red Lantern symbol displayed.
• Energy Projection: The rings can also project beams, form protective bubbles and force fields, and fire destructive blasts. The attacks often come from the mouth from a Red Lantern.
• Energy Constructs: The rings can construct anything the wearer can imagine from hard-light energy, as long as they are willing to make it. The more determined the wearer is, the more complex and intricate these things can be. The constructs can even be so complex as to form working machines, computers, and even people. Red Lanterns have difficulty creating constructs due to their anger. Ratchet has yet to display constructs.
• Flight: The ring allows the wearer to fly in atmosphere or in space, and can achieve incredible speeds, moving from planet to planet in a matter of hours.
• Heart Replacement: Red Lantern Rings replace the heart of the lantern who wields them so removing a Red Lantern ring is often fatal without medical attention or the presence of a Blue Lantern. Atrocitus had his heart ripped from his body and was able to return to the fight within seconds since his ring serves as his heart.
• Mirages: The Ring can create mirages/illusions.
• Recharging: The rings need to be recharged by means of a Power Battery. Other large sources of power may be used to recharge a power ring, however effectiveness may vary. The internal power source of a Manhunter Android is, in effect, the same as a power battery, and can be used to recharge a power ring. During the JLA / Avengers crossover, a Cosmic Cube was used to recharge a depleted ring, although this is not an ideal solution and is available if there are no other options.
• Ring Duplication: Each ring can duplicate itself, creating a second ring which may be given to another as a backup, for protection, or to help the lantern in times of great need. This duplicate ring is exactly like a normal ring.
• Temperature Control: The Ring can increase or decrease the temperature of anything, even something as large as stars, or even create bubbles of intense heat or cold, even down to Absolute Zero.
• Electro-magnetic scanning: The ring can allow(through the use of x rays) the user to see through walls, without the people on the other side knowing. it can also scan along the Electromagnetic spectrum.
• Wormhole/Warps: The ring can open wormholes to cut down on distance.

Lantern Status

Red Lantern

Status: Active

Space Sector: Unknown

Sector Partner: ?

Homeworld: Unknown

Predecessor: Inapplicable

Successor: Inapplicable