Ra's al Ghul

Ra's al Ghul is a fictional international criminal featured in comic books published by DC Comics. He is mostly associated with the Batman family of titles. He first appeared in Batman #232 in June, 1971. The character has also appeared in alternative media including animated television programs, live-action programs and feature films. He made appearances on Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s where he was voiced by British actor David Warner. He appeared in the first installment of "The Dark Knight Trilogy" in 2005 in the film Batman Begins. He was first presented as a decoy character played by Ken Watanabe, and then revealed to be the main villain of the film, who also went by the name Henri Ducard, played by actor Liam Neeson. A younger version of Ra's al Ghul appeared in the sequel film The Dark Knight Rises, played by Josh Pence. Ra's al Ghul was the main villain from season three of the CW Network television series Arrow. He was played by actor Matt Nable and made ten appearances on the show. Ra's al Ghul appeared on four episode of the animated TV series Batman: The Brave and the Bold. He was voiced by Peter Woodward in the series.

Overview
Ra's al Ghul is an international eco-terrorist and an immortal. Having learned the secrets of the mysterious Lazarus Pit, he has maintained his longevity for thousands of years, and may continue to do so for thousands more. Ra's al Ghul is the leader of the League of Assassins and maintains a temple in Northern Africa. Ra's ultimate goal is to cleanse the world of the blight of modern society and begin anew. He is the father of Talia al Ghul and Nyssa Raatko. The greatest foil to Ra's campaigns is the American masked crimefighter, Batman. Though the two are sworn enemies, Al Ghul has always held immeasurable respect and admiration for Batman. Batman was even seduced by Ra's daughter, and gave birth to his son, Damien Wayne.

Notes & Trivia



 * The pronunciation of the character's name has alternated between the various media, with little regard for consistency. In Batman: The Animated Series, his name was pronounced as "Raish al Ghool", whereas in The Dark Knight Trilogy, it is pronounced as "Rahz al Ghool". On Arrow the name is pronounced using both methods.


 * On Arrow, the name Ra's al Ghul is also a title. At the end of season three, Malcolm Merlyn took the ring of leadership of the League of Assassins and declared himself the new Ra's al Ghul. Merlyn was dethroned by Oliver Queen, and Nyssa Raatko became the new Ra's, at which point, she disbanded the League of Assassins.