Batman Villains: Ra's al Ghul

Bio: His early story is somewhat complex, where it is generally understood that he was raised by a tribe of nomads somewhere in the Arabian desert. He became interested in science and later moves to a city where he falls in love with a woman named Sora. He discovers the secret of partial immortality within the Lazarus Pit. His wife is later strangled to death by the mad prince of the city. Ra's then begins his quest for vengeance, where he kills both the king and the prince, burns the entire city to the ground, and declares himself the "Demons Head"... He then spends the next several centuries journeying the world, fighting in Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution. He becomes a master of combat and martial arts, and eventually establishes The Demon, which becomes an international organization of assassins.

Powers and Abilities: Since he has lived for so long, Ra's has acquired countless skills in combat, martial arts, science, and pure wisdom... He has many international contacts as well as a vast wealth gained over the centuries. He favors ancient weaponry such as the sword, bola, smoke pellets, and explosives. His combat style is very similar to the tactics and weapons Batman uses. His greatest weapon is his ability to re-heal himself and live as an immortal through the Lazarus Pit.

Media Portrayals: In the comics he unleashes a deadly virus on Gotham City, of which Batman must team up with allies to travel the world to find the source of the virus.

His daughter Talia al Ghul plays an important role in the series, always torn between her love for Batman and loyalty to her evil father. She later has a child with Bruce Wayne, the grandson of Ra's Al Ghul. She is portrayed as a smoking hot vixen, half Chinese-half Arabic...

In the animated series, Ra's Al Ghul adopts Batman as his heir, with hopes that he can cleanse the world of humanity and find true immortality.

In the film, Batman Begins, he was portrayed brilliantly by Liam Neeson and Ken Watanbee... In the beginning he acted as the character Henri Ducard, who trained Batman in ancient martial arts and to fight for justice. Yet it is later revealed that Ducard is secretly Ra'sal Ghul with the intention to completely eliminate Gotham City, of which he considers the source of all evil in the world.


The Appeal: I must confess that I really didn't understand Ra's importance until I saw the movie Batman Begins. He is Batman's ultimate arch-nemesis, perhaps right behind the Joker. He is a mastermind, who believes in eye-for-an-eye justice, and is out for the complete destruction of Gotham city... Although his motives are understandable his means for achieving those motives are completely unmerciful. He is a man who has lived for over 700 years, traveled the world, fought in many wars, and is out to put an end to humanity all together.