Ra's al Ghul (DC Comics) Character Review
Ra's al Ghul (Arabic: رأس الغول Raʾs al-Ġūl; "Demon's Head") is a fictional Character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is considered to be one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head". Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's "Daughter of the Demon" (June 1971). Given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Superman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Ra's al Ghul has been featured in various media adaptions, most notably the Christopher Nolan films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises where he was portrayed by actor Liam Neeson. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Ra's as #7. More about Ra's al Ghul (DC Comics) Character Review - keep on reading !!
Fictional Character Biography
Ra's al Ghul's real name, early life, and exact age have been described differently by various writers. His Post-Crisis origin story is told in the graphic novel Batman: Birth of the Demon (1992) by Dennis O'Neil and Norm Breyfogle.
As told in Birth of the Demon, Ra's al Ghul was born over 600 years before his first appearance in Batman comics, to a tribe of nomads in a desert somewhere in Arabia, near a city whose inhabitants' ancestors have journeyed to the Arabian Peninsula from China. Ra's is interested in science from an early age, and abandons his tribe to live in the city, where he can conduct his scientific research. He becomes a physician and marries a woman named Sora, the love of his life.
Ra's discovers the secret of the Lazarus Pit, and he saves a dying prince by lowering him into it. The prince, who is sadistic to begin with, is driven completely insane by the Lazarus Pit. He proceeds to strangle Sora, on whom he has already had his eye for some time. The sultan, unwilling to admit to himself his son's culpability, declares Ra's guilty of the crime and sentences him to a slow, tortured death in a cage with Sora's corpse.
Ra's is set free by the son of a dying elderly woman, whom Ra's had earlier examined. The son feels that he owes Ra's a debt for easing his mother's suffering during her last few hours. Ra's and the son head into the desert to seek the tribe of Ra's' birth. Ra's convinces the head of his tribe, his uncle, to follow Ra's in his quest for revenge by promising the downfall of the sultan. By understanding the germ theory of disease hundreds of years before anyone else, Ra's is able to infect the prince with a deadly virus by sending him contaminated fabrics. When the sultan comes to ask Ra's to cure the prince again, Ra's kills both him and his son. Ra's then leads his tribe to raze the city to the ground and kill all of its inhabitants. Subsequently, Ra's declares himself "Ra's al Ghul", the "Demon's Head."
Using the Lazarus Pits to extend his life, Ra's spends the next several centuries journeying the world. He fights in the Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution and becomes a formidable warrior. As the world entered the modern age and industrialization began to cover much of the Earth, Ra's grew to despise the Humans who he believed were destroying the world's natural beauty, thus setting him on a path of eco-terrorism. Also during this time, Ra's, his uncle, and the boy are all using the Lazarus Pits to prolong their lives until an incident in London. Ra's catches the boy writing his own memoirs in their original language, of which Ra's has forbidden all records. During a battle, Ra's kills the boy and flees to a Lazarus Pit, which he uses. When he returns to their home in London, his uncle has vanished with the remnants of their historical records.
Over time, he becomes a master of many forms of combat, notably fencing. He also builds up vast wealth and creates The Demon, a huge 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."
Powers, abilities and weapons
Due to his expanded life span, Ra’s has accumulated a vast knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, chemistry, detective artistry, physics, and martial arts (all of which rival that of Batman). He has also gained many international contacts and a vast fortune, gained over centuries. When in combat, he favors more ancient weaponry (as he has had more time to utilize them than more modern weaponry). These weapons include scimitars, katanas, bolas, throwing stars, smoke pellets, and miniaturized explosives. Ra's is also assisted by his devoted, musclebound servant Ubu.
Ra’s' greatest weapons are his Lazarus Pits, which will heal him of any injury (even if he is recently dead) while restoring him back to his prime of life. His constant exposure to the pits has also granted him slightly enhanced endurance, strength, and healing but also comes with the price of a gradual onset of insanity if overused.
In Other Media (Animated Film)
Ra's al Ghul appears in the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood voiced by Jason Isaacs. In the film, he is responsible for the resurrection of Jason Todd (the second Robin) after he was killed by the Joker. Halfway through the film, Batman travels to the stronghold of Ra's to question him to which Ra's reveals that he had been planning to ruin Europe's economy and had hired the Joker to provide Batman and Robin with a distraction but he underestimated the Clown Prince of Crime in going rogue and murdering Robin. Plagued with guilt, Ra's subjects Todd to the Lazarus Pit to resurrect him, but it drives Todd insane and he returns to Gotham City as the murderous vigilante Red Hood, intent on taking revenge on the Joker. Ra's is last seen watching the news bulletin of the Red Hood's disappearance and the Joker's return to Arkham Asylum.
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