Broken Frontier

Part 1

With his tragic origins at last told, Ra’s al Ghul was no longer a figure of mystery but was no less dangerous. Revealed as the mastermind of the Legacy crossover (beginning in Batman #533, 1996), Ra’s sought to unleash a plague upon the world. His deadly "Clench" virus killed countless citizens of Gotham City and nearly spread across the globe until the Bat-Family’s intervention. This story teamed him with another dangerous villain, Bane. The miniseries Bane of the Demon (1998) would reveal the circumstances of their first meeting and Bane’s unrequited affections for Talia.

The 1990s also brought about Ra’s’ first foray into other media when he became a recurring nemesis on Batman: The Animated Series. Played by David Warner, Ra’s al Ghul appeared in cameo in the episode "Off Balance" before troubling the Dark Knight in "The Demon’s Quest" I and II, an adaptation of his original appearance, "Avatar," in which he sought the power of an ancient Egyptian queen, and the flashback episode "Showdown," which pitted him against the Old West bounty hunter Jonah Hex.

Ra’s also made an appearance on Superman: The Animated Series and in the Batman Beyond episode, "Out of the Past," in which he memorably possessed his own daughter’s body. These animated series at last provided us with a definitive pronunciation for the character’s name ("Raysh ahl Gool"), though the film Batman Begins would opt for an alternate sound.

Ra’s’ next scheme in the comics was one of his most ambitious. The Demon’s Head took on not just Batman but the entire Justice League in Mark Waid’s "Tower of Babel," running in JLA #43-46 (2000). Using contingency plans stolen from Batman’s own files, Ra’s nearly destroyed the League. Meanwhile, a deadly frequency stripped the planet of comprehensible language itself. Though the Demon was defeated, he achieved a measure of victory when the League’s resulting breach of trust caused Batman to be ousted from the team.

Ra’s also surfaced in Greg Rucka’s "Evolution" as his minions Whisper A’Daire and Kyle Abbott peddled a mutagenic drug on Gotham’s streets (Detective Comics #743, 2000). Rucka’s involvement with the character would prove most significant when he charted the supposed "last Ra’s al Ghul story," Batman: Death and the Maidens (2003-2004).

In Maidens, we are introduced to Ra’s’ other daughter, Nyssa Raatko. Blaming her father for doing nothing when the Nazis slaughtered her family, Nyssa enacts an elaborate revenge scheme upon him and brutally tortures and brainwashes Talia. In the end, Ra’s allows Nyssa to stab him in the chest, believing she has proven herself worthy of succeeding him. Batman personally cremates the Demon’s body to ensure he can never return again.

Or can he? Even in death, Ra’s al Ghul’s influence continued to exert itself upon the Bat-Family. He was the primary antagonist of the 2005 film, Batman Begins, portrayed by Liam Neeson (and by Ken Watanabe as a Ra’s decoy. Ubu perhaps?). Though not explicitly immortal in the film, Ra’s and his League of Shadows were integral in Bruce Wayne’s training and nearly plunged all of Gotham into a fear gas-induced chaos.

In the comics, Ra’s and his League figured prominently in the secret origin of Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, who had been trained by them as the "One Who is All," the ultimate assassin (Batgirl #65-73, 2005). Meanwhile, Talia continued her father’s work, as did Nyssa until her apparent death, apparently at the order of a brainwashed Cassandra (Robin #148, 2006). The world was also introduced to Ra’s’ grandchild, Damian (from Son of the Demon), in Grant Morrison’s "Batman & Son" (Batman #655, 2006). Called alternately Ibn al Xu’ffasch ("Son of the Bat") and Damian Wayne, the boy had appeared in Elseworlds tales such as Kingdom Come, The Kingdom, and Brotherhood of the Bat but finally made his in-continuity debut in Morrison’s story. Though the Demon’s influence was felt far and wide, all this was merely prelude.

As of Batman #670 (2007), "The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul" has begun. Returned as a living corpse in a henchman’s host body, Ra’s once more has come into conflict with the Batman and his allies. Death cannot conquer the Demon’s Head. It remains to be seen if anything can.