Ra's al Ghul (Arkhamverse)

"Welcome, detective. I am the great Ra's al Ghul."

- Ra's al Ghul "Nyssa... Daughter... Traitor..."

- Ra's moments before killing Nyssa

Ra's al Ghul is one of the main antagonists of Batman: Arkham City. Although having a somewhat small role at first, he is eventually revealed to be the benefactor and master of Arkham City mastermind, Hugo Strange. He is also Talia al Ghul's father and leader of the League of Assassins.

His death leads to a civil war inside the League, with his daughter Nyssa defying the idea of reviving her father while the loyalists to Ra's use every mean necessary to bring their master back and keep him alive.

History
Ra's is over 600 years old, having stayed alive using the Lazarus pits. Unfortunately, using the pits began to damage his sanity. During this time, he dedicated himself to preserving the earth, by wiping out criminal behavior, and massively culling the human race, so that the earth's resources could be preserved.

Present Day
Around a hundred years before the events of the games, Ra's arrived in Gotham City, as there was a Lazarus pit there. Going to the city officials he bought the area, and constructed Wonder City with slaves he bought from his home land, incredibly advanced for the time, possessing technology beyond what should have been available, powered entirely by the Lazarus pits, Ra's saw Wonder City as a chance for saving the world from the future destruction mankind would bring. Completing Wonder Tower as the cities pinnacle. However secretly, Ra's used the City as a base to begin his plans for mass extermination.

He also had a traveler Cyrus Gold who had recently died brought to him, so he could test his theory that the Lazarus Pit might actually bring back the dead, rather than simply revitalizing the living. It was a success, but fearing the long term affects, Ra's had Gold murdered repeatedly and brought back to life, until it left him with his mind broken, carrying on the effects turned Gold into the monster Solomon Grundy. Realizing this, Ra's began his search for a successor, before his use of the Pits did the same to him.

However Wonder City was a failure, the Lazarus Pits energy drove the population insane, when Ra's refused to do anything, the City council did, bursting in they shut the place, forcing Ra's to disappear. Hidden in his lab, they found Grundy, still waiting to be killed and resurrected again.

Sometime in the past, Hugo Strange brought forward the identity of Batman, which Ra's already knew he was impressed by Strange and decided to give him a chance to prove if he was worthy to become his successor, as his present favorite was in fact Batman himself. Ra's agreed to back Strange, providing him with near limitless resources for his plans.

Arkham Asylum
Ra's al Ghul appears very briefly in the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. When Batman goes to the Arkham morgue to solve one of The Riddler's riddles, Ra's' dead body is seen. But if you return later, his body has disappeared, having been presumably reclaimed by his followers.

Arkham City and Death
After retrieving his body, Rā's followers took it to the underground Wonder City and used the Lazarus Pit to bring him back to life, though he was still severely bruised and barely clinging to life, Ra's had his followers start digging underneath Arkham City, to find all his old base, leading to seismic activity above. While Mr. Freeze, was saved by Batman from Penguin in the Iceberg Lounge, told Batman that an enzyme is required for completing the cure, a female assassin got free and escaped. Batman understood that she was from Talia al Ghul's personal guards, and tracked her using her splitting blood, and, later, by placing a beacon on her. After Talia found Batman, he, being on the verge of death, agreed to join the League of Assassins, and to undergo Demon Trials. Although doubting, because only one man succeed, Talia allowed him to do that.

While passing Demon Trials, Batman faced Ra's. The latter proposed that Batman will kill him, and be his successor. Batman disagreed and they fought, and after a lengthy battle Ra's was defeated. Though Ra's tried to convince Batman by taking his own daughter as a hostage, Batman defeat him and freed Talia, also gaining his blood for cure, confronting him he demanded answers, Ra's confessed he had used the pits to much, and feared there effects if he continued. Batman told Ra's the pits had damaged his mind and he and he had become the very evil he had fought. It is later revealed that Ra's was the person Strange was working for and is the one that gave him the resources to create Arkham City and take control of Mayor Quincy Sharp. He agreed with and was impressed with Strange's plot to gather the worst of Gotham in one area and have them all killed. However following Strange's failure at the hands of Batman he betrayed and fatally wounded Strange, telling him all he had accomplished was proving that Batman was better than him.

With his last breath, Strange activated the self destruct and blows up Wonder Tower. Batman and Ra's jump out the window before the explosion and as Batman attempts to catch Ra's in mid air, Ra's however impaled himself with his own sword to try in a last ditch effort to force Batman to become his successor, this fails and he ends up being impaled again when he lands on the main gate into Arkham City.

However when Batman returns later to the same spot, Ra's body is gone, implying that his followers have taken him away to revive him again.

Arkham Knight
In Arkham Knight, Civil War has begun to sprout in the league between the loyalists who are loyal to Ra's and those loyal to his daughter Nyssa, who claims that Ra's must never be revived. The loyalists have brought Ra's to Elliot Memorial Hospital because of a long forgotten Lazarus Pit. When Batman arrives there, having followed a blood trail of an injured loyalist, Batman finds Ra's, barely living. The loyalists then approach Batman and ask him to find another Lazarus Pit under Gotham City, because it's pure energy would restore Ra's back to pure health, however, after taking a sample of the Pit the Pit is destroyed by Nyssa, who tells Bruce that Ra's has become nothing more than a mindless zombie that can't remember even the day of the week and that his other daughter has died. She tells Batman to destroy's Ra's' Lazarus Pit to end his life. Upon returning to Ra's, Batman can either choose to administer the cure to Ra's or to destroy the Lazarus Pit.

If the pit is destroyed, Nyssa arrives to see her weakened father on the ground. Bruce asks Nyssa how long Ra's would have to live, now that his pit is destroyed. Nyssa tells Bruce that Ra's life could only last days. She then tries to kill her father but Batman stops her, instead taking the frail man to the GCPD, where he is imprisoned in a cell. Before Bruce leaves him, Ra's tells him that he is proud of him. Nyssa now becomes leader of the League of Assassins.

If Batman decides to administer the cure, Ra's returns back to full power. Nyssa appears, prompting Ra's to rise and draw his sword, calling his daughter a traitor. Nyssa attacks her father but he swiftly disposed himself of the traitor, slicing open her stomach. He then attacks Batman, who blocks his attacks and breaks his sword. Smiling knowingly, Ra's throws a smoke bomb and disappears into the mist, escaping from Batman as the now completely revived Head of the Demon, former and present leader of the League.

Whatever outcome chosen, the civil war in Gotham ends, with either the rebels or the loyalists leaving the city after their defeat.

Powers & Skills
Skills: Aside from his tactical leadership skills, he is a master of martial arts, marksmanship, weaponry expertise, swordsmanship, manipulation, intimidation & resource allocation.

Reanimation: Exposure to the pure Lazarus formula granted him enhanced strength, mobility & resilience, immortality, self-resurrection & a healing factor.

Trivia

 * The way Batman carries Ra's to the GCPD in Arkham Knight is reminiscent to Batman carrying the deceased Joker in Arkham City.

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