Ra’s Is A Character I’ve Been Pondering For A Hot Minute Now. His Origin, And The Way He Got To Where

y'all you know what i realized? bruce and all of his lovers are literally the definition of a situationship.

bruce and Selina: selina was only in love with batman

bruce and harvey: weird friends-with-benefits thing where one wanted the relationship more than the other

bruce and talia: she quite literally slept with him to make the perfect solider

bruce and clark: if they don't know each others identities, then it's bad because they're going behind each others backs. If they know each others identities then it's weird because they'd be dating as co-workers.

Also bruce has many other love interests(fun fact: that includes Lois Lane) and half of them are rouges. Sooo y'know, bit of a weird relationship if your boyfriend has dedicated his whole life to stopping you and your friends shenanigans.

Side note, why are so many of bruces lovers rouges? like I get everyone has a type buttttt.

AUGGH I need to read this holy fuck this sounds good. It seems they really did his character justice in such an interesting way

One Bad Day: Ra's al Ghul is Great

I've been reading each of these One Bad Day instalments as they come out and trying to think about what I do and don't like about them. Riddler's was pretty bleh, Two-Face and Mr. Freeze's was decent, Catwoman had a pretty good one from what I can recall and Bane, Clayface and Penguin's stories were fantastic stand-outs. One Bad Day: Penguin may be one of my favorite Gotham stories period now.

But One Bad Day: Ra's al Ghul is fantastic. Once again, Tom Taylor knows what he's doing and it shows.

Spoilers ahead, by the by! I assume there'll be a cutoff at some point but I'm still new to Tumblr so-

A running theme in all of these One Bad Day stories is that it takes one of Batman's main rogues and explores a new facet of their personal history that hasn't gotten as much focus in order to make a narrative that is uniquely theirs. Ra's has far too much history for even a large book like the OBD series to properly get into, but the angle Taylor took - the extinction of an animal kingdom connected to Ra's personal history - was a strong angle to take.

Speaking of strong, Ra's himself is an absolute powerhouse in this story. His global influence, his machinations that have laid undetected for years, his cold efficiency, his brutality. It's all shown off in an excellent manner. OBD stories likewise attempt to show off the best of what their chosen villain can do, and this absolutely fits for Ra's. And because of how the story is presented, you... get it. You empathize with Ra's, and because he's specifically targeting the corporate parasites that us normal people get so furious about and can do nothing about, we're almost... behind him? So like with the Penguin story, we find ourselves as an audience rooting against Batman for the right reasons.

Speaking of, I love how this story really digs into the status quo of the planet and why DC's corporate horribleness matches the corporate horribleness of our real world. Batman is protecting the worst people on Earth because of his values of protecting all life (which, to be clear, I agree with Batman's philosophy that all life is precious) and as Damian so succinctly points out, the fact they have to do this in the first place makes their place in this whole war of Ra's vs the Planet-Killers... questionable.

Ra's might be a murderer. But he's right. These old men and reckless new blood kids aren't going to change in a heartbeat to protect the world. They do need to be taken out of the way if real change is going to happen. Murder is an extreme method, but it does get results... especially if it's not seen as murder.

That doesn't mean Batman is wrong for wanting to protect people, though.

Especially from Ra's.

Ra's set out to kill thirty men. Thirty men responsible for the death and decay of the world. But because he needed to take out eleven people in one room, he killed three thousand at once in what would surely be one of the greatest 'accidents' of modern history. This is an extremely brief part of the story, but it has so many implications. How many were invited to the summit who would use the position as a voice for clean energy? How many would have helped Ra's indirectly by using their position to change the world for the better? You can claim that Ra's wouldn't have let anyone be in that hall who could really benefit the world, but I have to doubt that because of his actions and his very subjective judgement on the matter. And then this begs more questions - how many others, how many innocents died so that Ra's al Ghul could kill thirty men? How many bodybags provides the cost of secrecy?

And how much does that undermine his mission?

Let's talk about Ra's al Ghul, Batman and Robin.

There's an interesting juxtaposition between how Ra's and Batman are presented in the story. Both are depicted as emerging from the shadows when meeting the other faction on the field, both are depicted as temperamental and angry in spite of their calm facade and calculated nature. Ra's understands Batman, Batman understands Ra's, but their clashing philosophies means they will never truly stand on the same playing field.

And that comes to a boiling point in the best way possible.

This was a move that shocked me when I first read, but it makes perfect sense. It not only shows the brutality of Ra's, but when you realize the ultimate intention was to bring him back with the Lazarus Pit, it also shows the plan and how much Ra's respects Batman. He killed him, but only temporary - the moment he was 'done', Batman was allowed to come back. And when Bruce thought he was going to genuinely die, his last act was to hand his cowl to his son and make Damian promise not to give in and murder Ra's then and there. So Damian doesn't kill his grandfather, even if every boiling vein in his body makes him want to, and then Batman comes back.

During the final battle between the two, it goes beyond a simple moral clash. It goes beyond Ra's and Batman. It becomes about Damian and showing him what the true path in life is, showing him who's justice is what the world truly needs.

I've been thinking about what Robin's role in this story was (he didn't get as much spotlight as I was hoping, massive Damian fan that I am) but I'm content with what I got because of what he represents. He's the balance. He's the median point between both Ra's and Batman, who recognizes what's wrong with the world and seeks to make it better (see: Robin (2021)) but refuses to stoop to the level of a base murderer in order to do so.

I question if this really is all for Damian, as Bruce and Ra's claim in their desperation. It feels more like this conflict is about them, and Damian is the proof in the conflict between the two, the one who can decide who is 'right'. Damian agrees with Ra's - "Are you so sure we should be safeguarding the worst people on Earth?" - but he also agrees with Bruce - "He believes in preserving life, Grandfather. That's hardly a bad thing." - and gave both perspectives within the same minute. He's a counterbalance to both Bruce and Ra's perspectives because he stands between them and is capable of seeing the positives and negatives of both in a way that neither of the grown men can. It's why he sat to the side while Ra's committed his atrocities and waited for his father to return, but so violently opposed Ra's prior to his father's death.

This is, ultimately, a story of righteous anger clashing with unquestioning morality. This is about wrath against the rich and powerful poisoning the planet versus the desire to save others from death and not fall to the level of a base murderer. This is about two clashing ideals of justice.

Ra's 'wins' in achieving his goal and Bruce can never expose the truth or risk undoing all the legitimate good he's done, but Batman will never stop hunting Ra's until he is punished for what he's done. But the true resolution - the true answer on who was 'right' - is never answered, because Damian never truly sides with one or the other. He spends the latter half of the story sitting to the side observing, contemplating, and working through his own complicated emotions on everything that happened. Damian never says who is right and who is wrong, and Ra's never gives him a chance to, as he decides to sate Batman's desire for justice by simultaneously punishing himself and escaping further punishment by flinging himself to the bottom of the canyon.

Ra's gets to be at peace, and whether that's deserved or not is unclear. But he got his big win, as it were, and in the final pages it seems one of his first acts after that was restoring the extinct species of wolves that meant so much to him. It's an ending that leaves the reader content and, while not a complete thematic resolution, is purposeful and feels right for the long and complicated story of Ra's al Ghul.

Also he canonically killed Elon Musk and Alex Jones in this continuity and labeled them among the 'top thirty greatest threats to the planet' so that's neat

This is a very very cool post. I personally refer to Talia as the heart of the demon as well, but I had never put much thought into the others, aside from Nyssa. I’ve dabbled with her a bit, but not even remotely close to as much as Talia!

since al ghul isn't really a surname — it's a title, meaning "of the demon," i started thinking about the different monikers (i.e., organs) that could be attributed to the other members of the family.

ra's is the head, the mind that plots, the will that commands. rúh, the soul, is the unseen force—the essence of the dynasty.

talia al ghul – the heart (qalb) talia is the emotional core of the al ghul family, often torn between loyalty to her father and her love for bruce wayne. her decisions, though calculated, are deeply driven by matters of the heart—love, betrayal, and faith. she embodies passion and connection, making her the family’s qalb.

dusan al ghul – the shadow (dhil) dusan, the "white ghost," operates in the margins of the al ghul legacy. his role is one of quiet devotion, cast aside, yet, always present. his loyalty and sacrifice, earn him the title of the dhil, the shadow that follows without faltering.

nyssa raatko – the spine (amud al-faqr) nyssa is the backbone of resistance and rebellion within the al ghul family. her strength and defiance against her father’s rule position her as the amud al-faqr, the spine, unyielding and essential for standing tall against opposition.

melisande – the blood (dam) melisande represents the lifeline that connects the family to its mortal roots. her role in the al ghul saga may be fleeting, but her influence flows through talia and the family’s lineage, much like blood sustains life. she is the dam, a vital yet often overlooked element.

sora – the lungs (riyah) sora, ra’s al ghul’s lost love, is the breath of life that once inspired him. her memory fuels his ambition, and her loss suffocates him. she is the riyah, the lungs, symbolising both the life-giving force and the void left behind when it is gone.

damian wayne – the hands (aydi) damian, born of both the waynes and the al ghuls, is the agent of the family’s will. whether building or destroying, his actions carry the burden of legacy. as the aydi, the hands, he represents both creation and conflict, the tangible force that shapes the future.

athanasia al ghul - the pulse (nafas) athanasia is the constant heartbeat that keeps their future alive. she sustains life, binding the waynes and the al ghuls, a reminder that their stength lies not just in their past, but in their ability to endure and evolve. this vitality makes her the nabadh, the pulse, the promise of renewal.

mara al ghul – the eyes (ayn) mara is the family’s watcher, a presence that perceives more than what it reveals. she is a visionary, seeing not just what is before her, but what lies beneath and beyond. she is the ayn, the eyes, ever watchful, attuned to every rhythm and dissonance.

[ we know very little about dusan's wife, but i think that she would be the sawt, the voice, a balance between silence and sound. ]

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

Billionaire yacht club! From Gotham with love ❤️⚓️   By Jessica Stevenson

She’s living my dream right in front of my eyes.

Forgot the hashtags again

Aight so I’ve been thinking long and hard about Talias fighting style thanks to a prompt from the homie @hadariwizard and I think I have enough figured out to finally write something on it

It’s a bit difficult for me to figure out power scaling. I don’t want to say that she should be stronger or better than another character because I could be totally wrong about it. But I think she should be on par with Batman when it comes to her capabilities as a fighter. I think she could be easily compared to characters like Black Widow or Gamora from Marvel comics.

Like for one just look at them real quick

Then compare the fact that they’re both trained from young ages RELENTLESSLY to be basically living weapons. They’re both experts at various forms of combat, mastery over various weapons from melee to firearms, expert tacticians with a mind made for battle, like I can literally keep going.

And now Gamora and Talia

Gamora is raised by the mad Titan Thanos. Talia is raised by The demon Ra’s Al Ghul. These men manipulate their daughters into aiding in their evil plans, and for the most part these two women desperately want to make their fathers proud. Raised and trained to be weapons for their fathers, occasionally shown affection and love to keep them on their side. Not to mention them both having a sister who’s tried to kill them.

As for her comparisons to Batman, that just seems clear. Talia has more training than him, and has trained for a longer time. They both receive training from the same/similar people. From what I’ve seen, she’s not really seen as a person who fights frequently, so people tend to underestimate her capabilities. In reality, it just makes her seem stronger in my eyes.

Talia knows when a fight is needed and when she can get her way with WORDS. She’s clever, and a master manipulator. Like I’m talking Azula level liar. She can use her wit to get her way without ever having to lift a finger, but when she DOES fight she is a DEMON. Come on now!! I think as annoying as it is to be underestimated, it also has a very clear advantage, and Talia uses that effectively. Never let your enemy know the full extent of your power.

One fighting scene I keep imagining in my head is her in this long flowing dress with a slit down the side. She’s got one hand behind her back and the other holds a chalice of red wine. Three thugs move to attack her and she uses her legs to swiftly take them down, never spilling a drop, looking down at them and taking a sip from her drink.

Another is one where she’s fighting alongside Batman and has promised to not kill anyone so she’s taking down these armed guards and dismantling their weapons at the same time, then using the pieces as a blunt object. That sort of stuff has been done before I just think it’s fun. Like she can definitely take a gun apart blindfolded and put it back together in 30 seconds.

I did not expected all of that good feedback on my WIPs, so thank you all for the nice comments and enjoy the final product  🖤 I had a lot of fun while I was editing, couldn’t decide which is my fav piece-

-

Please don’t use or repost my art without my permission!

Roev ©

Just saw someone saying that Damian's love for animals comes from Dick??? Bro have you ever read Damian's origin??? Do you know who his family is????

His family is fricking Al Ghuls. The famous eco-terrorist family. The family who has sanctuaries for endengared animals and plants. The family who wants to save the Earth from humans. Damian's love for animals comes from the Al Ghuls.

Dick stans love to attribute Damian's everything to Dick even if it is related or not.

Lobalore 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

Really excited for next week’s quest

This timeline is killing me chat