Ra's al Ghul
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Ra's al Ghul, sometimes written Rā's al Ghūl (Arabic: رأس الغول), is a DC Comics supervillain, and an enemy of Batman. His name is Arabic for "The ghoul's head" (the Demon's Head, see Algol). Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's "Daughter of the Demon" (June 1971). He has been described as a "James Bond"-style villain, created as a response to the popularity of James Bond during the previous decade and to give Batman a more epic scope and enemy. Given the grand scale of his plans, he has also come into conflict with Superman and other DC Comics superheroes.
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[edit] Abilities and agenda
Ra's al Ghul was several centuries old before he ever encountered Batman. Replenishing his aged, injured, or dead body with a bath in a Lazarus Pit, Ra's has survived through the centuries, all the while accumulating wealth, knowledge, and power. Ra's is a criminal and scientific genius, particularly in the field of alchemy. He also rivals Batman in hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting and was one of the League of Assassins' leaders. He is always accompanied by a servant known as Ubu, who is also an especially dangerous fighter. Rather than being a single individual, Ubu is actually a title held by a line of replaceable servants.
One of the side effects of the Lazarus Pit is that the person emerges temporarily insane. It has been implied that repeated use of the Lazarus Pit could have lasting effects. No one has used as many Lazarus Pits as Ra's.
Ra's goal is a world in perfect environmental balance, a goal he will achieve at any cost. He believes that the best way to do so is to eliminate most of humanity. That he has the means to achieve his goal makes him extremely dangerous and brings him into frequent conflict with Batman. Ra's usually tries to assault the world's human populace with a biological weapon, such as a genetically-engineered virus.
Ra's is among Batman's most formidable foes. Not only can he physically and mentally challenge "the Detective" (the name by which Ra's always refers to Batman), but he has also deduced Batman's secret identity (in his first appearance, he realized that Batman would need to possess certain equipment, and research revealed that Bruce Wayne alone bought what Batman would need).
According to Batman Villains Secret Files & Origins 1998 #1 (October 1998), Ra's stands 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) in height and weighs 215 lbs (98 kg).
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Ra's al Ghul's early life is told in the graphic novel Batman: Birth of the Demon (1992) by Denny O'Neil and Norm Breyfogle.
Ra's al Ghul was born between six to seven hundred years ago to a tribe of nomads in a desert somewhere in Arabia, near a city whose inhabitants' ancestors had journeyed to the Arabian Peninsula from China. Ra's was interested in science from an early age. Unable to learn any science living as a nomad, he abandoned his tribe to live in the city, where he could conduct his scientific research. He became a physician and married a woman named Sora, the love of his life.
Ra's discovered the secret of the Lazarus Pit, and he saved a dying prince by lowering him into it. The prince, who was sadistic to begin with, was driven completely insane by the Lazarus Pit. He proceeded to strangle Sora, on whom he had already had his eye for some time. The ruler of the city, unwilling to admit to himself his son's culpability, declared Ra's guilty of the crime and sentenced him to a slow and torturous death in a cage with Sora's corpse.
Ra's was set free by the son of an elderly blind woman, despite having failed to save her. The son felt he owed Ra's a debt for having eased his mother's suffering during her last few hours. Ra's and the son headed into the desert to seek the tribe that Ra's had been born into. Ra's convinced the head of his tribe, his uncle, to follow Ra's in his quest for revenge by promising the downfall of the king of the city. By understanding the germ theory of disease hundreds of years before anyone else did, Ra's was able to infect the prince with a deadly virus by sending him contaminated fabrics. When the ruler of the city came to ask Ra's to cure the prince again, Ra's killed both him and his son. Ra's then led his tribe to raze the city to the ground and kill all of its inhabitants.
Subsequently, Ra's declared himself the "Demon's Head."
[edit] Building an empire
Ra's spent the next several centuries journeying the world. During this time, Ra's, his uncle, and the boy had all been using the Lazarus Pits to prolong their lives until an incident in London. Ra's caught the boy writing his own memoirs in their original language, of which Ra's had forbidden all records. During a battle, Ra's killed the boy and fled to a Lazarus Pit, which he used. When he returned to their home in London, his uncle had vanished with the remnants of their historical records.
Over time, he would become a master of many forms of combat, notably fencing. He also built up vast wealth and created The Demon, a vast international organization. According to Justice League of America (1st series) #94, "It has been whispered in the darkest places for 500 years that a cartel of criminals has slowly sucked its way into the rich veins of the Earth. Many are its names spit from the mouths of men, but most often it is cursed only as ...The Demon. It has a leader ... a Head." The League of Assassins, one of the many smaller organizations making up The Demon, is thus sometimes called "The Demon's Fang" or "Demonfang".
[edit] Daughters
[edit] Nyssa
In Batman: Death and the Maidens (2004) by Greg Rucka, it is revealed that while traveling in Russia in the 18th century, Ra's had a child named Nyssa Raatko. Enamored of the romantic stories told to her as a child by her mother about Ra's, Nyssa set out to find her father and eventually located him at his headquarters in North Africa. Impressed by her beauty, her warrior skills, and the fact that "she was able to locate him," he promoted her to a high position within his organization. Ra's was so impressed with her abilities that he even allowed Nyssa to use his Lazarus Pits; Nyssa found a means of making the Lazarus Pits reusable (previously, they could only be used one time).
Nyssa eventually became disillusioned with Ra's ideals and methods, and disassociated herself from her father sometime in the 18th century. Ra's reluctantly approved this with the idea that she would return to him and that she and/or her children would become his future heirs. To his disappointment, Nyssa refused to give herself or her family to Ra's; he retaliated by disowning her. During World War II, Nyssa and her family were sent to a concentration camp, where she was rendered infertile by gruesome Mengele-esque experiments, as the rest of her family was exterminated. Ra's, who was temporarily allied to the Nazis, abandoned her and her family. Nyssa began plotting her revenge, which would come to fruition years later.
In Robin: One Year Later, it was revealed that Cassandra Cain, the former Batgirl, had assassinated Nyssa and then taken over the League of Assassins.
[edit] Talia
As explained in Batman: Birth of the Demon (1992), Ra's met a woman of mixed Chinese and Arab ancestry at Woodstock. From that union, Ra's second daughter, Talia al Ghul, was born, and she would accompany him for many years. With the recent loss of her sister, she has apparently taken control of The Demon.
[edit] Batman
After Talia encountered and fell in love with Batman in Detective Comics #411 (May 1971), Ra's began to consider Batman as a possible heir in light of his great abilities and skill. Ra's first deduced Batman's secret identity when he realized that the Dark Knight had to be rich, and learned that only Bruce Wayne had bought the equipment that a crimefighter would have; he was then ready to put Batman to a final test.
Ra's surprised Batman in the Batcave, seemingly to enlist Batman's aid in rescuing both Talia and Dick Grayson, the first Robin, both of whom had apparently been kidnapped. Batman soon discovered that the whole affair was a charade orchestrated by Ra's to test Batman, which he passed. Ra's asked that Batman become his heir, to which Batman refused, appalled by his genocidal plan to "cleanse" the world.
From that point forward, Ra's al Ghul and Batman were mortal enemies, even though they respected each other as adversaries.
In the story "Resurrection Night" in Batman #400, Ra's helped all of Batman's foes to escape from Arkham Asylum and the Gotham State Penitentiary, setting them on a plan to abduct certain individuals across Gotham City who were linked in one form or another to Batman. However, Ra's' true intent was to show Batman the folly of his efforts to protect a corrupt society that, to his mind, allowed criminals to exist and flourish. Ra's eventually used the Pit while still healthy, both increasing his strength and putting his life at risk, in an attempt to outmatch the Dark Knight. The plan backfired, as Ra's was left writhing in the pit, seemingly destroyed.
[edit] Contagion and Legacy
Ra's returned to prominence and came dangerously close to realizing his dream of worldwide genocide in the "Contagion" story arc of the Batman titles. His organization unleashed a deadly virus known as Ebola Gulf A (a.k.a "The Clench") in Gotham City, putting Batman in conflict with a force he seemingly could not defeat. A cure was eventually located by Batman and his allies though the mastermind behind the outbreak would not be discovered until a followup story known as "Legacy."
Learning that the Demon's Head still lived, Batman and his team circled the globe, preventing further outbreaks of the virus. Additionally, it was discovered that Ra's had allied himself with Bane, the man who had once crippled and nearly killed Batman. Ra's considered Bane a potential heir to his empire, despite Talia's distaste for the brutish criminal. Eventually, a way to eliminate the Clench virus was deduced from an ancient "Wheel of Plagues" artifact whose knowledge had aided Ra's in the creation of the disease. But the immortal madman again eluded his foes.
[edit] JLA: Tower of Babel
In the "Tower of Babel" storyline, as told in JLA #43-46, Ra's discovers Batman's notes on the weaknesses of the other members of the Justice League of America (developed in the event of a villain gaining control of the JLA's bodies and using them against humanity) and uses them to try to destroy the group. Though defeated, Ra's does cause the (temporary) exit of Batman from the JLA. Batman's exit occurs because of the mistrust of his teammates due to his contingency plans. Though some of the leaguers resent the plans, they agree that the plans were created for the right reasons.
The contingency plans for the current leaguers are as follows:
- Green Lantern Kyle Rayner is given a hypnotic suggestion that he was blind, subconciously tricking Kyle's mind into using the ring to make it real for Kyle.
- Martian Manhunter is infected by nanites that had magnesium in them, thus causing him to burst into flames in open air.
- Wonder Woman is shot by a Virtual Reality bullet, causing her body to believe she is fighting an even, never-ending battle, from which her heart would eventually give out.
- The Flash is shot in the spine by a vibrating projectile, which causes super-speed epileptic seizures.
- Aquaman recieves exposure to a fear toxin, giving him aquaphobia, rendering him weak as he was terrified of the water that he needed to live.
- Plastic Man is frozen and shattered, temporarily disabling him until the Flash can piece him back together and allow him to 'wake up'.
- Superman is exposed to a synthetic form of Kryptonite which had lasting effects on him, making his skin transparent, super-charging him and causing him pain in the process since the sunlight is blazing right into his body without being filtered by his skin, upgrading his powers to a degree that nearly made him explode with power.
Batman does not realize Ra's was using his traps until it was too late, as he is busy searching for the corpses of his parents, which Ra's removed to distract (and presumably torment) him.
Talia, disillusioned with her father and his plans, left him to run LexCorp for former U.S. President Lex Luthor, before selling the company to Bruce Wayne for his Wayne Foundation to aid Batman and Superman's victory over Luthor. Ra's blames Batman for his failed relationship with Talia, and staged a plot where he tried to separate Batman from his heir, Dick Grayson (Nightwing) shortly before Wayne officially adopted his now fully grown ward as his son. The plan failed, and Batman and Grayson went ahead with the adoption.
[edit] Death and the Maidens
In Batman: Death and the Maidens (2004), Nyssa, furious at her father for abandoning her in a concentration camp, began plotting to destroy him. Nyssa befriended Talia and then kidnapped and brainwashed her. Nyssa plotted to destroy all hope and optimism in the world by assassinating Superman with Kryptonite bullets she stole from the Batcave. While Batman stopped Nyssa from killing Superman, he was unable to stop her from mortally injuring her father. A dying Ra's revealed that this was all part of his greater plan to ensure that his daughters, both initially dissatisfied with his plans, would realize that he was correct in his perceptions about the world and what needed to be done to it, and that they would come to accept their destinies as his heirs. Ra's plan worked: both Nyssa and Talia became the heads of The Demon and the League of Assassins. Talia disavowed her love for Bruce Wayne, and both sisters declared Batman their enemy. However, it was too late for Ra's, as Nyssa stabbed her father through the heart, seemingly killing him for good.
[edit] Titans Tomorrow
In the Teen Titans storyline "Titans Tomorrow", the Titans are transported into the future, where a future Bette Kane mentioned a deal with Ra's to use the Lazarus Pits.
[edit] Other continuities
In the graphic novel Son of the Demon, Ra's successfully enlisted Batman's aid in defeating a rogue assassin and warlord, Qayin (a variation on the spelling of Cain), who had murdered Ra's' then-wife Melisande (Talia's mother). During this storyline, Batman married Talia and she became pregnant. Batman was nearly killed protecting Talia from the assassin's agents. In the end, Talia ended her relationship with Batman, unwilling to put him in danger. She claimed to have miscarried and the marriage was dissolved.
The child was eventually born and left with an orphanage, and was eventually adopted with the name Ibn al Xu'ffasch. The only identification provided was Talia's jewel-encrusted necklace, which had once belonged to Talia's mother. This story was extensively stated to be not in continuity, although two Elseworlds, Kingdom Come and Brotherhood of the Bat, featured two alternate versions of Ibn as an adult, coming to terms with his dual heritage. A recent appearance by Xu'ffasch in an issue of Batman implies that this policy may have changed.
Ra's (or at least a clone) had previously been revealed as alive in the 30th century setting of Legion. The rebooting of Legion of Super-Heroes continuity means that this is no longer the "official" future, however.
In the first Superman & Batman: Generations series, created by John Byrne, Batman tracked Ra's al Ghul after passing the mantle on to his son. Ra's offered Batman a chance at immortality, having discovered a means of gaining true immortality (without the madness) from one Lazarus Pit; two souls enter, and the Pit destroys one while imbuing the other with youth and immortality. Batman survived, and used Ra's' criminal empire to set up an anti-crime information network. He also became an immortal, although he would age one year for every century.
In the second Spider-Man/Batman crossover book (considered an Elseworlds story), Ra's began plans for worldwide devastation. He manipulated Wilson Fisk — the Kingpin — to his side by infecting Fisk's wife Vanessa with cancer, and promising Fisk the cure in return for his allegiance. Ra's then ordered Fisk to press the button on his machines which would send New York City under the ocean. Ultimately, Spider-Man and Batman interfered, and Fisk revealed that he knew Ra's' plans and allowed the two heroes to board his plane so they could assist him. Defeated, Ra's bowed out of the plan gracefully, but claimed that there was no cure for the cancer. Vanessa convinced Fisk that she wished no further violence and they left, but Talia soon gave the cure to Batman, who then gave it to Spider-Man, who then passes it on to Wilson.
Ra's would also be featured in Birds of Prey #31-35, where he has a romantic fling with the Black Canary. Black Canary would be injured and healed in the Lazarus Pit, which would also restore the meta-genetical Canary Cry which was lost years earlier.
[edit] Other media
[edit] Animated roles
In Batman: The Animated Series, Ra's al Ghul was voiced by David Warner. The cartoon Ra's was consistent with the character in the comic books, as was Batman and Talia's relationship. Ra's was shown at first as a frail, elderly man who could barely keep up with Batman. After immersing himself in the pit, however, he became a physical match for him. He constantly refers to Batman as "Detective".
He first appeared, albeit briefly, at the episode "Off Balance," which focused on the first meeting between Batman and Talia. Talia concealed her identity from Batman, pretending to help him recover a stolen weapon, only to ultimately betray him. Ra's was seen at the end of the episode, communicating with Talia via video link as she returned to him.
He later made his first major appearance in the two-part episode, "The Demon's Quest," scripted by Dennis O'Neil and modeled after "Daughter of the Demon". Here, his ecoterrorism mirrored that of his incarnation in the comics; he attempted to destroy the world by setting off bombs in all the world's Lazarus Pits, drowning the world in the liquid. He even calculated a precise estimation of the casualties his plot would create, to ensure that the world was not completely annihilated, as per his plans. Batman, however, stopped the bombs and Ra's himself falls into a Lazarus Pit after a duel with Batman.
Later appearances show Ra's focusing on prolonging his life even longer to complete his goals. His second appearance was in "Avatar," in which Batman and Talia followed him to Egypt. There he was rescued by Batman after he was attacked by an ancient goddess after a failed attempt at immortality. This episode ended with Talia betraying Batman in favor of letting her father escape. One departure from the comics, however, was the revelation that Ra's also had a son, Arkady (voiced by Malcolm McDowell), whom he considered too unstable and cruel to inherit his empire, especially when he was defeated by Jonah Hex in the 19th century. He also made a guest appearance in Superman: The Animated Series, in which he targeted Superman in an attempt to steal his powers and save his life.
Ra's was also featured in Batman Beyond, although there was a twist to his reappearance; he had taken possession of his daughter's body after his own death, replacing her mind with his own and using it to trick the elderly Bruce Wayne into accepting a series of dips into the Lazarus Pit to rejuvinate him enough to do the same to him. Ra's fought Terry McGinnis, Wayne's successor as Batman, and died in an explosion while trying to save his mind machine.
Ra's somehow plays a role in the Near Apocalypse of '09 mentioned in Justice League Unlimited.
[edit] Batman Begins
In the 2005 film Batman Begins, Japanese actor Ken Watanabe played a decoy of Ra's al Ghul, who trained Bruce Wayne to be a warrior in his League of Shadows (a renamed League of Assassins, although closer to Ra's' "Demon" organization in its importance). When Ra's revealed to Wayne his plan to destroy Gotham City and demanded that he execute a peasant who had murdered his neighbor as his initiation, Wayne rebelled and set fire to the League's fortress, apparently killing Ra's in the process. Months later, Wayne, now embarked on his career as Batman, discovered that Ra's was alive and conspiring with the Scarecrow to poison Gotham's reservoir with a fear toxin that would destroy the city. Toward the end of the movie, Wayne discovered that the man he saw die was a decoy, and that his second-in-command and Bruce's mentor Henri Ducard (played by Liam Neeson) was the real Ra's al Ghul. Although Ra's is a character of Arab ethnicity in the comic books, he was presented here as either of East Asian (in the case of the decoy) or European, or likely Eurasian ethnicity.
In the film, the agenda of Ra's al Ghul's organization differed slightly from that of the comic book version. Ra's explained that the League of Shadows was an ancient group dedicated to preserving its vision of justice, by means as violent as necessary. They believed in "purging" or destroying cities that have become corrupt and decadent. He claimed that the group was responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire, the Bubonic plague, and the Great Fire of London. He also claimed that the League of Shadows created the poverty that ravaged Gotham when Wayne was a child in order to motivate the poor to rise up and destroy the city.
At the end of the movie, Batman and Ra's al Ghul battled aboard a runaway train. As they headed toward a fallen pillar, Batman destroyed the train's controls. After defeating his former mentor, Batman jumped from the rail, leaving Ra's to die as the train plummeted off the rails and exploded.
[edit] Video game appearance
Ra's appeared as the final boss in the Batman: Dark Tomorrow game.
[edit] References
- Batman: Birth of the Demon (1992) by Denny O'Neil and Norm Breyfogle, giving the origin of Ra's al Ghul
- Batman: Death and the Maidens (2004) by Greg Rucka and Klaus Janson, giving the ultimate death of Ra's al Ghul (ISBN 1-4012-0234-9)
- Batman: Tales of the Demon (1991), collecting the original 1970s Ra's al Ghul stories by Dennis O'Neil
- JLA Vol. 7: Tower of Babel (2001), by Mark Waid, in which Ra's goes up against the Justice League of America (ISBN 1-56389-727-X)
- Year One: Batman - Ra's al Ghul (2005) by Devin Grayson and Paul Gulacy, which takes place a year after Ra's death in Death and the Maidens
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Information about Ra's al Ghul
- Information about Ra's al Ghul
- Official DC Comics page about Ra's al Ghul
- Ra's al Ghul in Batman: The Animated Series
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