University of Panels

7: Ra's Al Gul

 

Known by many as the Head of the Demon, Ra's Al Gul is not only one of the most dangerous foes in Batman's rogues gallery, but also one of the oldest. Having been alive for over 600 years, Ra's Al Gul has been able to cheat death through the use of the Lazarus Pit, a pool of chemicals that are powerful enough to heal a dying man, as well as ressurect the dead itself. But the continuous use of this pit has come at a price however, as Ra's will always emerge temporarily insane after using the pit, and after six centuries it has begun to deteriorate his mind. This has led him to set his sights on Batman, who he believes to be a worthy successor to lead his organization of the League of Assassins, as well as fulfill his ultimate end goal. Like the dark knight, Ra's is aware of the corruption that dominates humanity, and wants to unite the world into a perfect utopia where crime and suffering are non-existant. However, Ra's is willing to wipe out half the world's population in order to carry out his end-goal, which conflicts with Batman's sole rule to never kill. Despite having fought the dark knight on numerous occassions, Ra's is still determined to have Batman be the one to inherit his legacy, and has even made way to pair up the detective with his daughter Talia.

 

Ra's Al Gul is another villain who is not inherently evil, but is heavily misguided in the direction that he takes to carry out his plans. This has caused him to fall from the path of grace, robbing his cause of any nobility that it may have once had. Effectively, Ra's has become the very thing that he is determined to destroy. He also serves as an excellent foil for Batman, as both are determined to stop crime, but one is willing to kill while the other refuses to compromise his moral code. These characteristics were perfectly portrayed by BADA** LIAM NEESON'S portrayal of the character in Christopher Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS, where he was the one who trained Batman in fighting against criminals, but betrayed when he revealed that the League of Shadows intended to destroy all of Gotham, including its civilians.