Ra's al Ghul

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Other media

Animated roles

In ', Ra's al Ghul was voiced by David Warner. The cartoon Ra's was remarkably similar to the character in the comic books, as was Batman and Talia's relationship. One departure from the comics, however, was the revelation that Ra's also had a son, Arkady (voiced by Malcolm McDowell), whom he considered too unstable and cruel to inherit his empire. He also made a guest appearence in ' where he targets Superman in an attempt to steal his powers in order to save his life.

Related Topics:
David Warner - Malcolm McDowell

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Ra's was also featured in Batman Beyond, although there was a twist to his reappearance; he had taken possession of his daughter's body after his own death, replacing her mind with his own. Wayne, disgusted, said, "You don't cheat death; you whimper in fear of it."

Related Topics:
Batman Beyond - Replacing her mind

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Batman Begins

In the 2005 film Batman Begins, Japanese actor Ken Watanabe plays who the audience initially thinks is Ra's al Ghul, who trains Bruce Wayne to be a warrior in his League of Shadows (a renamed League of Assassins.) When Ra's reveals to Wayne his plan to destroy Gotham City and demands that he execute a peasant who had murdered his neighbor as his initiation, Wayne rebels and sets fire to the League's temple, apparently killing Ra's in the process. Months later, Wayne, now embarked on his career as Batman, discovers that Ra's is alive and conspiring with the Scarecrow to poison Gotham's reservoir with a fear toxin that would destroy the city. Towards the end of the movie we learn that Watanabe's character was a decoy, and that his second-in-command Henri Ducard (played by Liam Neeson) is the real Ra's al Ghul. Although Ra's is originally a character of Arab ethnicity in the comic books, he is presented here as either of East Asian (in the case of the decoy) or European ethnicity.

Related Topics:
2005 - Film - Batman Begins - Japanese - Ken Watanabe - Gotham City - Scarecrow - Reservoir - Henri Ducard - Liam Neeson - Arab - East Asia - Europe

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In the film, the agenda of Ra's al Ghul's organization differs slightly from that of the comic book version. In the film, Ra's explains that the League of Shadows is an ancient group dedicated to preserving what it perceives as justice, by violent means as necessary (up to the killing of an entire city).

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Ra's appears to have been killed at the end of the movie, but the certainty of his demise, or his access to a Lazarus Pit, is yet to be determined.

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