Ra's al Ghul (Arrowverse)

NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Ra's al Ghul from the Arrowverse. The mainstream version can be found here: Ra's al Ghul.

Evil-doer
Full Name	Unknown
Alias	Ra's al Ghul Ra's The Demon's Head Father (by Nyssa and Talia)
Origin	Arrow
Occupation	Leader of the League of Assassins (formerly)
Powers / Skills	Martial arts Charisma Cunning Tactics Longevity (via the Lazarus Pit)
Hobby	Sparing with his assassins.
Goals	Continue his mission to purge the world of criminal elements (overall succeeded). Choose his rightful heir to lead the League of Assassins in his place (failed). Make Oliver Queen his heir to his dark legacy (formerly). Destroy Starling City (formerly). Kill his nemesis Damien Darhk (all failed; although Darhk did eventually die afterwards).
Crimes	Mass murder Terrorism Incrimination Attempted genocide Torture Kidnapping False imprisonment Abuse Countless assassinations Blackmail Adultery Conspiracy
Type of Villain	Immortal Cult Leader

“	I was 11 years old when I killed my first man. I remember the look in his face when the light went out behind his eyes. Such a sudden change, almost imperceptible, between life and death. And I felt ashamed. I had stolen from that man the most precious gift of all - life. But I also felt something else - pride, because I had taken up arms against someone who sought to do ill against my family. And I realized what I had done was necessary. You see, I have replaced evil with death. And that is what the League exists to do. And I have killed several thousand more men since then. And the world is better for it.	„
	~ Ra's reminiscing to Oliver Queen the first time he killed before their first duel.

Ra's al Ghul is the overarching antagonist of the TV series Arrow, being the unseen overarching antagonist of Seasons 1 and 2, the main antagonist of Season 3 and a posthumous antagonist in the subsequent seasons. He is also a minor antagonist in Season 1 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. He is also responsible for most of the events of the entire series.

He was the immortal leader of the League of Assassins and also the father of Talia and Nyssa al Ghul. He intended on training Oliver Queen into becoming his successor so he could continue his legacy and mission to purge the world of crime.

He was portrayed by Matt Nable.

Biography

Early life

At the age of 11, this unnamed person, who would later known as Ra's al Ghul, killed a man for the first time because the man intended to harm his family. He felt ashamed that he had taken the life of a person, but also proud because he stood up to someone who threatened his family. He justified what he had done as necessary by claiming he had "replaced evil with death", a sentiment that later became the goal of the League of Assassins. Ra's went on to kill "several thousand more men", and believed the world was better off for it. At some point, Ra's was requested by his predecessor who held the same title to become the next Ra's al Ghul, a request he initially declined.

Ra's went on to live a blissful life, having two children with his wife. One day, his predecessor came to his home and told Ra's to leave his family without a goodbye, or watch them tortured and killed. Ra's chose the latter, a decision he greatly regretted.

In 1854, Ra's happened upon an illusionist in Vienna, becoming mystified with his tricks. Nearly half a century later, he came across the man again, but the man was withered and old.

Around 1947, someone challenged Ra's to a trial by combat, presumably to he death, with Ra's coming out victorious.

Visitors in 1960

After Sara, Kendra and Ray Palmer and have been stranded in the '50s (Legends of Tomorrow), Sara eventually leaves the two and returns to Nandar Parbat. Years later (only for the stranded ones), the time beacon Ray built draws back the Waverider and with almost the complete team reunited, they decide to go for Sara.

During her time in Nanda Parbat, Ras deviced a mix of herbs which stop Sara's bloodlust. After watching her train, Ra's congratulates Sara on her progress. At night, Rip and his team infiltrate Nanda Parbat to save Sara but are captured and about to be executed for trespassing. Appealing to the ancient traditions of the League, Rip demands a trial by combat. Ra's agrees to the trial and sends Sara in as his champion. Rip nominates Kendra as his champion and the two women start their duel.

Chronos later enters the fortress during the trial by combat between Sara and Kendra. The Legue's assassins prove to be no match for his advanced technology and he kills many of them on his way in. With no choice left, Ra's frees his prisoners to make sure the League can continue to exist. Claiming that as they brought Chronos here, they should be the ones to defeat him, Ra's leaves Rip's team to fight and defeat Chronos. After they have defeated Chronos, Ra's releases Sara from the league. Before leaving, Sara tells Ra's to make sure that in October 2008, his daughter is near the coast of Lian Yu. Ra's asks why he would send Talia on such a journey but Sara answers that she means the daughter that has yet to be born and that she's sure that he would name her Nyssa.

Malcom Merlyn joined the group, but eventually released from his bonds to the League by Ra's, a decision he later regretted.

Retrieval of Sara Lance

Ra's sent a messenger to Sara Lance, ordering her return, though she refused and killed the messenger when he declined to report to Ra's that he had not found her, as she wanted. Around a week later, he sent Al-Owal and a team of assassins to bring Sara back by force, only to lose his team to both Sara and Oliver Queen.

Ra's was later contacted by Moira Queen after Malcolm mentioned that he went to Nanda Parbat. After learning Malcolm was alive, it was revealed that Ra's wanted to kill him for breaking the League's code of honor with The Undertaking.

Ra's sent Nyssa and another League member to once again try to bring Sara Lance back to Nanda Parbat, though Nyssa ultimately released Sara from the League.

Meeting Mesi Natifah

Sometime later, however, Sara Lance returned to the League, to keep her family out of danger.

After he'd heard of Khem-Adam and his extremist sect Onslaught, Ra's wished to speak with Khem-Adam. He sent Nyssa and Sara Lance to retrieve him from his base in the Amon-Shu Caves of Kahndaq. They arrived back, with Khem-Adam and a girl named Mesi Natifah. Wishing to give Mesi vengeance, he gave her his sword to use on Khem-Adam.

The hunt for an heir

When Nyssa arrived back at Nanda Parbat from a visit to Starling City, she confirmed Malcolm Merlyn was still alive. Ra's informed his daughter that Malcolm would face consequences for crimes against the League's code. Ra's asked about Oliver Queen, to which he learned of Oliver's oath to protect Malcolm at any cost. Due to this, Ra's took it to mean Oliver was courting war with the League.

Following Sara's death, Ra's sent a squad of assassins, led by Nyssa and Sarab, to capture Oliver. They informed Oliver that he would be given 48 hours to find Sara's killer or the League would begin killing innocent civilians until the killer was caught. After the time was up, Ra's and various League members traveled to Starling City in preparation. However, Oliver met with them, falsely claiming to have killed Sara upon her request. By League law, he was entitled to a trial by combat, and so Ra's accepted the duel, allowing Sarab to tell him of the neutral meeting place.

The two met atop a mountain sometime later. They both removed their shirts, going with tradition, and Oliver picked up two swords against Ra's who was bare-handed. The latter discussed his first kill at age 11, feeling proud that he had replaced evil with death, which was what the League striven to do. They began fighting, Ra's dodging each attack with his hands behind his back, and soon disarming Oliver and fighting with the blades. Ra's easily parried Oliver's strikes and promptly cut him. He led him back to the edge of the mountain. Impressed that he had lasted longer than most, Oliver was given a chance to steal back the blade, however, Ra's quickly caught the blade as Oliver stabbed at him, disarming him once again. He promptly stabbed Oliver in the chest, saying a quick prayer before pushing the dying Oliver over the edge, and tossing the sword into the ground as a grave for Oliver.

Ra's was confronted by his daughter, Nyssa who had just discovered Oliver survived and demanded Oliver be killed. After the League captured, Malcolm, Ra's watched as Malcolm beg for mercy, before sending Malcolm off to be tortured. When Oliver made an attempt to rescue Malcolm, Ra's locked Oliver in, along with Diggle. Later, Ra's asked if Oliver was willing to be his successor as Ra's al Ghul.

As Ra's continued to explain why Oliver should take his place, Oliver denied the request, and Ra's allowed Oliver to leave with Diggle and Malcolm. Sometime after their departure, Nyssa returned to the palace only to berate on why Malcolm was still alive. Ra's explained that Nyssa had only wanted Malcolm dead in revenge of Sara's death and that he had let them go as a sign of good faith to Oliver who will become his heir. Nyssa got enraged by his decision to make Oliver his heir and tried to kill him after which he easily disarmed her. Ra's puts Nyssa off, saying that Oliver surviving a fair duel with him merits the vigilante the right to take her father's place; and he never did approve and will never approve of the feelings of his daughter.

Sometime after Murmur's arrest, Ra's arrives in Starling City dressed as the Arrow, and quickly killed Murmur's remaining men leaving only one alive to spread the word. To force Oliver to take his offer he made Maseo and other assassins dress up as The Arrow and kill criminals.

After Maseo killed Celia Castle and failed to kill Felicity Smoak, he met with Oliver and told him to accept the title of heir to the demon or he would spend the rest of his life in a cage, claiming he wasn't going to capture Oliver when he challenged it but a police helicopter soon arrived. He later sent Maseo to intercept and capture Quentin Lance and brought him to Ra's where he revealed The Arrow's identity as Oliver Queen.

Oliver Queen got arrested but got free when Roy turned himself in as The Arrow to set Oliver free. After Roy faked his death, Ra's targeted Thea. He appeared in her apartment and asked her if she knew who he was. After she said Oliver would kill him, he said Oliver would beg him to become the next Demon's Head. He caught the knife Thea threw at him and the two got into a fight. Ra's effortlessly dodged her strikes after which he slammed her through a table. Drawing his sword, he then impaled her, and said a quick prayer, after which he left the apartment.

Birth of Al Sah-him

Ra's greeted Oliver with his entire league as a desperate Oliver arrived at Nanda Parbat holding a deceased Thea. After Thea's resurrection, Ra's expected Oliver to hold his end of the deal. Later, an upset Felicity approached Ra's and told him she doesn't care about the prophecy. Felicity told Ra's he didn't know what love was, though Ra's told Felicity about his past life. Ra's told Felicity he is offering a chance for Oliver to have a proper goodbye, one that he never had a chance to do. After a failed escape attempt by Felicity, Malcolm, and Diggle, Ra's asked Oliver who assisted them, though Sarab quickly came clean and revealed he killed three of the league members. Ra's told Sarab he won't punish him for Maseo's actions and spared him for his loyalty. Ra's went on to mark Oliver with a mark and started to cleanse Oliver of his personality so all that remained was Al Sah-him.

The next weeks Ra's personally trained Oliver and helped him improve his swordsmanship and combat skills. He used isolation and brainwashing techniques to make Oliver forget about his past and he began to accept his new identity and name. Exposing him to a herb Oliver started to hallucinate and believed a captured intruder was in fact his friend John Diggle. Ra's ordered him to kill him and Oliver quickly overpowered the intruder in a swordfight and killed him after which he realized the intruder was not John.

Impressed with the loyalty of Oliver Ra's showed him a few ruins as he told him he and Damien Darhk were like brothers and both candidates to become the new head, of the demon. After Ra's was chosen he was ordered to kill Damien, however he hesitated and Damien escaped and started his own organisation H.I.V.E.. Ra's explained to Oliver how Damien had attempted to buy the earthquake device and was responsible for multiple crimes. This was a direct result of Ra's having doubted in killing him. Ra's then told Oliver he does not want this for Oliver so he ordered Oliver to take out his rival for the title Heir of the Demon.

After Oliver captured Nyssa and brought him to her he complimented Oliver. He recalled how Nyssa used to steal food when she was young, but that she had never been able to hide things from her. He searched Nyssa her weapons and found the Omega virus. Ra's told her he would remember her as the warrior she once was, Nyssa replied that she was not afraid of him. Ra's ordered Oliver to kill her but stopped him at the last second. He mentioned Nyssa had been defeated by Oliver and was no longer a threat. He told both of them they would marry and Nyssa would become the bride of the demon.

Ra's explained to Oliver that the ruined village he had shown him was his former home. He mentioned that to become the new head of the demon one had to wipe out his former home. Just like he had did and the former Ra's before him had wiped out Alexandria. Ra's explained that he would unleash the Omega Virus on Starling City. Ra's recalled how Maseo had come to him and offered him the Omega Virus when he wanted to join him. Maseo reported a plane had been readied to spread the virus.

Ra's visited Nyssa and explained to her how he had met his concubine Amina Raatko. He gave Nyssa a necklace he had given to her, and she then gave it to him to give it to Nyssa for her wedding day. Nyssa refused and Ra's told her she would marry Oliver or she would suffer like thousand deaths.

When John Diggle, Malcolm Merlyn, Laurel, Felicity and Ray Palmer blew up his plane a huge fight started in which Maseo and many assassins got killed. Ra's confronted them and made his men capture them. He explained to them the plane was just a distraction to see if there were any traitors reporting to them. Team Arrow made it appear like Maseo had been the traitor.

Omega Virus and Death

Ra's talked to Malcolm who told him Oliver had been the one betraying him. Ra's called Oliver who told him that was not the case and he was devoted to the League. Ra's went to Team Arrow and threw in the Omega Virus as they screamed for Oliver to help. He and Oliver walked away as they left them to die.

Ra's, Oliver, Nyssa and a squad of assassins departed on a plane. Oliver woke up and Ra's told him there are dreams of desire, temptation and truth. Oliver explained that he dreamed of rebirth as Head of the Demon. Ra's told him they would destroy Starling and then he would get the ring that would allow him to command the League. The plane started to shake and the pilot told them the plane had been sabotaged. Enraged Ra's blamed Nyssa. Oliver told him it was his doing. Oliver handed Nyssa a sword and she started to fight the assassins. Ra's mentioned to Oliver he had given him his holy mission. Oliver told him he had one already. The two fought and Ra's managed to knock down Oliver. Nyssa killed his assassins but Ra's subdued her and Oliver and promised them he would destroy the city and then hunt them forever. He then escaped from the crashing plane by parachute.

Ra's tracked down his rival Damien Darkh to a hotel in Starling. However, he had already escaped and Ra's noticed Oliver and his team closing in on his assistant. Ra's called the assistant and then shot him. He taunted Oliver and told him he would spread the virus and destroy the city.

Ra's then send a messenger to Oliver to tell him he would meet him so they could have a duel to finish this, knowing that as long as he lived, the city would still be threatened. Ra's met Oliver and mentioned how he would win either way. If Oliver would kill him he would become the Head of the Demon and if he would win his city would die. Ra's saw that Oliver used the sword he had been impaled with. Ra's and Oliver engaged each other in a swordfight. Ra's kept the upperhand the entire fight and ended up knocking Oliver down and destroying his sword in one strike. Ra's mentioned that thousands of men would mourn his death if he would die. He then attempted to strike down Oliver. Oliver disarmed him with the same move Ra's had used to defeat him and ended up impaling his chest. Oliver told him the men would bow to the new Ra's al Ghul. Oliver then says the same prayer Ra's did. Seemingly proud, Ra's hands him the ring and then collapses to the ground, finishing his empire of terror. His death led to Malcolm becoming the leader of the League of Assassins.

Personality

Ra's has a calmly cold, dark and stoic demeanor and is fully capable of being ruthless, as he will not hesitate to kill his enemies. He was also known to be relentless, unflappable, impatient refusing to impose his will after he speaks once, and undeterred, allowing nothing (the lives of multiple innocents, anyone) to stand in the way of his goals of ensuring the purpose of the League of Assassins lives on. This is according to Nyssa due to the Lazarus Pit affecting Ra's. He was also prone to fits of rage and fury if someone were to betray him or display defiance towards him. He lost his temper with Nyssa, although still controlled, as she said that he only selected Oliver as his heir because he wanted to punish her for her love for Sara, which wasn't entirely correct as Ra's did this because Oliver survived his sword and had the mental strength, intelligence and power needed to become the next Ra's, and proceeded to coldly disinherit and exile Nyssa over her outburst towards his selecting Oliver in being his heir instead of her and upon her attempt to slay him in petty vengeance. He fully lost his temper when Oliver revealed his duplicity in pretending to be his heir in an to attempt to dismantle the League from within, swearing to destroy Starling City and kill him and everyone he ever cared for. Ra's openly acknowledges he feels pride of the many people he had killed as he genuinely believes the world is better off with those men dead.

Despite his ruthlessness, Ra's strictly abides to his sense of honor and even appears to have a soft side and as twisted as it is, humanity. He was shown to be capable of respecting his opponents and even holding them in honor, as shown in his commending Oliver Queen's fighting skills and praying for him after stabbing him. As noted by Malcolm Merlyn, Ra's' custom after killing an opponent in a death duel was to leave his weapon in the arena of combat, as a marker to honor the opponent. He also let Oliver pretend to be the one who killed Sara despite knowing full well he did not and that Oliver was simply trying to keep the people in his city from dying. He displayed respect and humility towards Felicity, commending her courage and love for Oliver when she spoke up and out against him when he made the "offer" towards Oliver to become his heir, encouraging her to confess her feelings to him and say goodbye to him. Ra's seems to have some regret over how he had ultimately killed his family from the interaction. Likewise, he granted Oliver a trial by combat and let Oliver pretend to be the one who killed Sara despite knowing full well he did not kill her and that Oliver was simply trying to keep the people in his city from dying. This made Ra's take a liking to Oliver. Ra's had also released Malcolm under the condition he oblige to the League's code and despite Moira claiming Ra's wanted to kill Malcolm himself, Ra's seemed to have no actual personal resentment towards Merlyn, as he stated that he would not take any pleasure in delivering the painful death Malcolm must suffer for his crimes. He also released Sara from the League due to her conflict over her loyalty and humanity and followed through her instructions of having Nyssa rescue her despite knowing she would never be a fully committed assassin. Unlike any other foes, the reason of Ra's not fearing death is not out of arrogance or despair, as he simply believes that one should accept death with honor and dignity as it is inevitable. He softly told Oliver that he shouldn't be afraid to die as death claims everyone sooner or later and lectured Malcolm to face his death with honor or at least dignity. Indeed, Ra's showed absolutely no fear as he was mortally wounded by Oliver and as he believed he had passed on his mantle, died somber with honor and dignity. His honorable and moral side made him the only enemy who earned the respect of Oliver, who held Ra's in a high regard to the point where he stated Ra's would have been ashamed and disgusted with Talia associating with the psycophatic Adrian Chase and even Thea acknowledged Ra's had noble traits.

Ra's also had some love and care towards his daughters: His relationship with Talia was close enough that he spared her after she left the League and allowed her to form her cult and Talia likewise was devastated by his death enough to want to avenge him. Even towards Nyssa, though limited, Ra's seemed to care for her as well: Though he clearly was dismissive of Nyssa's love for Sara, he respected their relationship enough to carry out the usual tradition when a League member dies. Likewise, when Nyssa temporarily released Sara from the League, Ra's did not punish her nor did he object. He had correctly anticipated that Nyssa would only be heartbroken where she to love Sara. Although he was more than willing to be ruthless towards Nyssa as he forced her to marry Oliver, Ra's did have the kindness to try to make her accept it willingly. As he focused solely towards grooming Oliver to be his heir, Ra's seemed to act as a father figure to Oliver, as he took time to make Oliver see why he should become Ra's and employed indirect means to force Oliver to become Ra's but did not resort to capturing him, which he could very well do considering how easily he bested Oliver in their first fight. As Oliver became his heir, Ra's personally trained and complimented his skills and devoted much of his time to teaching Oliver the philosophies of the League. Even after Oliver betrayed him, once Oliver defeated him, Ra's showed no resentment towards Oliver, being only proud as he gave Oliver his ring.

Ra's apparently doesn't request people to do things but he orders them. This was shown when he started killing people in Starling City with The Arrow's tools to frame him to make the "request" to be Ra's al Ghul more appealing.

Abilities

• Longevity: Having unrestricted and full access to the waters of the Lazarus Pit, Ra's was able to live for many centuries while retaining his peak health, vitality, as well as the physical appearance of a middle-aged man. He could also use the Pit for healing purposes, which was potent enough to heal a deep cut on his hand in mere seconds, without leaving a trace of it being there in the first place.
• Peak of human physical condition: With countless years of training and experience as well as being kept in top physical form by the waters of the Lazarus Pit, which even enhanced his physical capabilities, Ra's was in extraordinary, even low-level superhuman, physical form, bearing a well-honed muscular body, capable of performing nearly abnormal physical feats: His strength was more than a match for Oliver and he could crush Oliver's windpipe with a single hit and casually kick him off a cliff before effortlessly deeply impaling a sword on the ground with a simple toss as well as overpower and pin down Thea with a single hand, leave Oliver and Nyssa stunned with two blows, and shatter Oliver's sword with a single blow. His speed and reflexes are such that he was able to land the first hit on Oliver and proceed to casually react to all of his attacks and outmaneuver him in their first fight, effortlessly catch a sword strike from the extremely swift Nyssa, nonachalantly catch a knife thrown by Thea, intercept Thea from running out to the door at such speed it seemed as if he teleported and block each and every single hit from her with a single hand before he swiftly got the upper hand, and intercept Oliver to the bio weapons despite him being closer. Ra's resilience and durability was such that he was able to completely be unfazed by catching sword strikes from Nyssa and Oliver with his bare hands, shocking both of them with how he showed no pain, and despite having his side slashed and his heart stabbed, Ra's survived long enough to pass on the mantle of the Demon's Head to Oliver.
• League of Assassins training: Being the leader of the League, Ra's would have the highest level of training any assassin could.
  • Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: As the leader of the League of Assassins and with centuries worth of fighting knowledge, Ra's was an extraordinary fighter, having killed hundreds of men within his lifespan in such an unmatched manner to the point where he stated that Oliver lasting for a couple of minutes was longer than most. His fighting style included full mastery of Kali, Krav Maga, Taekwondo, Karate, Kung Fu, Jeet Kun Do, Judo, Jujitsu, Muay Thai, Aikido, and Silat. Among the most dangerous fighters ever in the series and ranking among the top tier even among the many dangerous foes Oliver had faced, even Malcolm Merlyn expressed absolute confidence that Ra's would defeat and kill him if they were to fight and stated that even if it was he, Thea and Oliver in an encounter with Ra's, the chances of them surviving was still undesirable. In their first duel, Ra's managed to overpower and disarm Oliver while the latter had two swords and the former had none while holding both hands behind his back with ease, easily countering sword strikes and soon landing multiple precise strikes that disarmed Oliver, and continue to overpower and counter every bare-handed move Oliver made and repeatedly hit and knock him down with mediocre effort as they dueled with swords. Even after Oliver surprised and disarmed him, Ra's simply regained a sword with his bare hands, easily catching Oliver's sword strike before landing a blow to the latter's windpipe that stunned him. With a single hand, he effortlessly blocked all of Thea's attacks and swiftly proved himself to be far better as he pinned her once before he finally choked and knocked her down for real. Even after Oliver had greatly improved his skills after being trained by Ra's himself, Ra's still proved to be superior to him in skill, as he defeated him in their spar, overpowered him on their altercation at the plane while simultaneously effortlessly besting Nyssa wielding a sword using nothing but the Alpha and Omega container and in their last fight, he was able to maintain the upper hand in their fierce bout of both swordplay and hand-to-hand combat, countering and landing precise strikes on his own, and ultimately he only lost because Oliver caught him off-guard. It was even possible he may have allowed himself to be defeated by Oliver at the last moment to make Oliver his successor.
  • Master swordsman: As the leader of the League of Assassins, Ra's is perhaps the single greatest swordsman in the series: He effortlessly defeated 8 assassins in a sword fight within seconds and casually dominated Oliver in their first fight, easily countering every sword strike Oliver launched and responding with his own that left Oliver rattled as he struggled to keep up, even managing to slice Oliver's hand, only being disarmed after being surprised, and quickly stabbed Oliver in the mid-section after regaining a sword. Likewise, he was able to effectively train Oliver in swordsmanship and remain superior to him even afterwards, besting him in their sparring session and then again in their final duel.
  • Master archer: Although only shown once, Ra's proved to be an excellent archer, as when he posed as the Arrow, he swiftly took out multiple thugs before they could properly aim at him within a matter of seconds.
  • Stealth: Ra's was able to sneak into Thea's loft without her being aware of it.
• Genius-level intellect: With his centuries of lifespan allowing him to gain the wisdom of the ages, Ra's was among the most intelligent and wisest man in the series. Ra's was highly perceptive and an exceptional leader and tactician, as he was able to lead the League of Assassins for many centuries successfully in secret and can recognize the internal conflicts in people to use to his advantage, as Ra's successfully used this ability to convince many to becoming unquestionably loyal to the League. Likewise, Ra's effortlessly saw through Oliver's lie that he killed Sara and in his quest to make Oliver his heir, Ra's was one of the few to have outsmarted Oliver, as he was able to predict the stealth attack on Nanda Parbat and caught Oliver and Diggle off-guard when they came for Malcolm, successfully trapping them, and having predicted the future adversities of Oliver, he was able to successfully orchestrate the acts that would turn the city against Oliver and force him to become his heir, with Oliver needing Malcolm's aid to outsmart him. Although scarcely seen, Ra's was an expert in other fields such as science and occult: He fully understood how the Lazarus Pit worked and devised a concoction capable of destroying the pit and was able to quench Sara's bloodlust with herbs. He clearly knows much about human anatomy and herbs, something which made him extremely skilled in the arts of torture and brainwashing, as Nyssa stated that Ra's could torture Malcolm to the point where hell would be paradise and Malcolm indeed deeply feared Ra's torturing skills, with Ra's successfully torturing Malcolm to the point where he was barely conscious and half-death without killing him. He also used isolation, herbs, and brainwashing techniques for weeks on Oliver successfully to the point where he needed Malcolm's help to regain himself.
• Multilingual: Ra's is capable of fluently speaking English and Arabic.

Equipment

• Sword: Ra's carries a decorated, double edged sword as his side arm. 
• The Arrow suit: Ra's wore a suit identical to Oliver Queen's while posing as The Arrow.
• Customized Oneida Kestrel compound bow: Ra's used a bow identical to Oliver Queen's bow while posing as The Arrow. 
• Customized hunting arrows: While posing as the Arrow, Ra's used a number of green arrows identical to Oliver's and used them to kill Murmur's men. 
• Quiver: He wore a quiver while wearing the Arrow suit to carry arrows.

Gallery

Images

Ra's with his daughter Talia

Videos

Oliver Queen vs Ra's al Ghul

Trivia

• Ra's al Ghul, along with his daughters, are normally portrayed as enemies of Batman and his associates. However, his organization, the League of Assassins, has a history with Green Arrow and Black Canary.
• This is the second live action portrayal of the character, following the Nolanverse adaption and preceding with Gotham's adaption.
• Matt Nable's casting as Ra's was met with notable controversy from fans. In light of Liam Neeson suggesting he would be happy to reprise the role (and the follow up reveal that Neeson was offered the role but had to turn it down being given little attention) many criticized the actions of the casting department when Stephen Amell announced it. Nable's debut in "The Magician" went largely unnoticed by critics due to only a very small amount of screentime, though fans were critical. Despite all of that, following the airing of "The Climb", Nable was heavily praised by fans and critics alike, many suggesting he held up to Neeson's portrayal of the character.
• He is arguably the Bigger Bad of the entire series due to being responsible for most of the series' events apart from just Season 3, even indirectly.
  • He trained Malcolm Merlyn in the League's arts, where he would go on to destroy the Queen's Gambit and shipwreck him to Lian Yu (which is how he met Slade Wilson), and destroy the Glades that would result in newer villains.
  • He trained Sara Lance, who would later defect due to becoming uncomfortable with killing. This would lead to Ra's sending multiple assassins to retrieve her, or kill her if she refuses.
  • He was the one who drove Damien Darhk to betray and defect from the League, which is how he formed H.I.V.E. and try to nuke the world, and also kill Laurel Lance.
  • His death drove Talia to vow vengeance against Oliver, which led to her to train Adrian Chase and become Prometheus.
  • His defeat led to a civil war with Nyssa and Talia against loyalists of Malcolm (Ra's' successor) led by Athena.
• Similar to his DC comic version, Ra's al Ghul is not his birth name. However, the DC comic version actually assumes the identity of Ra's al Ghul whereas the show depicts the name as a title given to whoever is the current leader of the League of Assassins. Also, unlike the DC comic version, there has been more than one Ra's al Ghul.
• In the comics, Ra's arranged exactly the sort of alliance he proposed to Al Sah-him between Batman and his eldest daughter, Talia.
• Ra's al Ghul is the first Arrow main villain to die in the third season.

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Comics Amanda Waller | Atrocitus | Black Adam | Black Lantern Corps | Black Manta | Black Spider | Blood Rose | Brain | Brick | Bronze Tiger | Brother Blood | Brotherhood of Evil | Carol Ferris | Catman | Cheetah | Cheshire | China White | Clayface | Clock King | Count Vertigo | Constantine Drakon | Crumbler | Cupid | Deadshot | Deathstroke | Dick Grayson (DC vs Vampires) | Doctor Psycho | Double Down | Dr. Light | Dr. Sivana | Electrocutioner | Hellgrammite | Jinx | Killer Croc | Kodiak | Komodo | Larfleeze | League of Assassins | Longbow Hunters | Mammoth | Merlyn | Metallo | Mister Freeze | Neron | Ninth Circle | Onomatopoeia | Orange Lantern Corps | Professor Ojo | Professor Zoom | Prometheus | The Queen | Ra's al Ghul | Red Dart | Red Lantern Corps | Richard Dragon | Riddler | Royal Flush Gang | Sinestro | Sinestro Corps | Skylark | Solomon Grudy | Stinger | Suicide Squad | Tobias Whale | Warp | Wizard Movie DC Showcase: Green Arrow: Merlyn | Count Vertigo Television Season 1: Oliver Queen | Malcolm Merlyn | China White | Edward Fyers | Billy Wintergreen | Moira Queen | Adam Hunt | Constantine Drakon | Frank Chen | Martin Somers | Deadshot | Jason Brodeur | Royal Flush Gang | Huntress | Frank Bertinelli | Firefly | Ted Gaynor | Count Vertigo | Alexi Leonov | Anatoly Knyazev | Cyrus Vanch | Vivian Vanch | Amanda Waller | Marcus Redmond | James Holder | Warren Patel | Max Fuller | Jared Swanstorm | Matt Istook | Deathstroke | Leo Muller | Nick Salvati | Cass Derenick | Dodger | Guillermo Barrera | Gus Sabatoni | Joseph Falk | Dr. Webb | Edward Rasmus | Mr. Blank | Yao Fei | Dominic Alonzo | Harold Backman | Zhishan Season 2: Oliver Queen | Deathstroke | Isabel Rochev | Brother Blood | Anthony Ivo | League of Assassins (Ra's al Ghul,Nyssa al Ghul & Al-Owal) | China White | Dollmaker | Mayor | Butcher | Officer Daily | Amanda Waller | Count Vertigo | Cyrus Gold | H.I.V.E. (Milo Armitage) | William Tockman | Suicide Squad (Bronze Tiger, Deadshot & Shrapnel) | Huntress | Frank Bertinelli | Count Vertigo | Dark Archer | Starling Slasher | Eddie Walzack | Alexi Leonov | Anatoly Knyazev | Gholem Qadir | Adam Donner | Hendrick | Hugo Manheim | Baker | Clinton Hogue Season 3: Oliver Queen | League of Assassins (Ra's al Ghul, Maseo Yamashiro, Nyssa al Ghul & Chase) | Matthew Shrieve | Amanda Waller | China White | Werner Zytle | Komodo | Cooper Seldon | Captain Boomerang | Roy Bivolo | Danny Brickwell | Deathstroke | Michael Amar | Joseph Cray | Suicide Squad (Deadshot & Cupid) | H.I.V.E. (Mina Fayad) | Vincent Steelgrave | Mark Shaw | Dark Archer | Isaac Stanzler | Kirby Bates | Katsu Cheng | Li Khuan Hui | Klaus Markos | Jermaine Fisher | Jose Anton | Jimm Huffman | Jordan Kern | Joseph Gray | Officer Lopez | Frank Pike | Priestess | Damien Darhk | Jake Simmons Season 4: Oliver Queen | H.I.V.E. (Damien Darhk, Ruvé Darhk, Slater,Alex Davis,Malcolm Merlyn, Andrew Diggle, Milo Armitage, Phaedra Nixon, Mina Fayad, Thomas, Demolition Team, Michael Amar, Danny Brickwell & Cooper Seldon) | Shadowspire (Baron Reiter, Conklin & Joyner) | Amanda Waller | Lonnie Machin | Jeremy Tell | Rogue Anti-Vigilante Task Force (Liza Warner) | Vandal Savage | Calculator | Alvarez | Vlad | Fitzmartin | Deathstroke | Cupid | Brie Larvan | Evelyn Sharp Season 5: Oliver Queen | Prometheus | Talia al Ghul | Evelyn Sharp | Black Siren | Konstantin Kovar | Ishmael Gregor | Tobias Church | Lonnie Machin | Ragman | Janet Carroll | J.G. Walker | Derek Sampson | Scimitar | Vigilante | Dominators | Laura Washington | Hideo Yamane | Sean Sonus | James Edlund | China White | Liza Warner | Gora | Viktor | Evan Wender | Sergio Espinosa | Pyotr Friendkin | Susan Williams | Pablo Estevez | Skulls | Deathstroke | Damien Darhk | Dark Archer | Declan Lin | Yurievich | James Wong | Alena | Jordan Pierce | Amir | Werner Zytle | Gennady | Cupid | Anatoly Knyazev | Captain Boomerang | Justin Claybourne Season 6: Oliver Queen | (Ricardo Diaz, Black Siren, Anatoly Knyazev, Kimberly Hill & Sam Armand) | Cayden James | Sheck | Vigilante | Alex Faust | Jackals (Joe Wilson & Nylander) | Dark Arrow | Overgirl | Eobard Thawne | Prometheus (Earth-X) | Prometheus | Onyx Adams | Metallo | Sean Sonus | Declan Lin | Hester | Parks | Marshall Katz | Brock | Quadrant | Maxim | Alexa Van Owen | Mcgarvey | Quentin Lance (Earth-X) | Athena Season 7: Oliver Queen | Ninth Circle (Emiko Queen, Dante, Virgil & Beatrice) | Kevin Dale | Ricardo Diaz | Longbow Hunters (Red Dart, Kodiak & Silencer) | Stanley Dover | Jon Cortez | Cameron Adams | Jarett Parker | Magee | Javelin | Pyotr Roslov | Max Fuller | Mirror | Dark Archer | Nora Fries | Reverse-Flash | William Glenmorgan | Sam Hackett | Chimera | Andrew Thornton | Blackout | Felix | James Midas | Gustavo Hernandez | Shadow-Thief | Jason Toth | ZETA | Danny Brickwell | Derek Sampson | John Deegan | Monitor | A.M.A.Z.O. | Psycho-Pirate | Ghost Initiative (Joe Wilson, China White & Cupid) Season 8: Oliver Queen | Anti-Monitor | Deathstroke Gang (John Diggle, Jr. & Grant Wilson) | Monitor | Athena | Edward Fyers | Billy Wintergreen | Shadow Demons | Tommy Merlyn (Earth-2) | Dinah Drake (Earth-2) | Rene Ramirez (Earth-2) | China White | Shu | Abdul Nardoc | Farzad Qadir | Alexi Burov | Oleg | Anderson White | Vincent | John Deegan | Trevor | John Bryne | Deathstroke | Lex Luthor Video Games Injustice: Superman | Killer Frost | Solomon Grundy | Sinestro | Black Adam | Wonder Woman | Nightwing | Raven | Catwoman | The Flash | Bane | Gorilla Grodd

Villains

Multiple Seasons Leonard Snart | Mick Rory | Damien Darhk | Reverse-Flash | Nora Darhk | Astra Logue Season 1 Vandal Savage | Time Masters (Zaman Druce, Declan, Chronos, Hunters, & Pilgrim) | H.I.V.E. | Mr. Blake | Valentina Vostok | Mikhail Arkadin | Deathstroke Gang (Grant Wilson) | Jon Valor | Hawk-Beasts | Bud Ellison | League of Assassins (Ra's al Ghul & Talia al Ghul) | Per Degaton | Stillwater Gang | Cassandra Savage | Leviathan Season 2 Legion of Doom (Reverse-Flash, Damien Darhk, Dark Archer, Captain Cold, & Heat Wave) | Black Flash | Baron Krieger | Shogun | Lead Samurai | Daniel Collins | Quentin Turnbull | Dominators | Agent Smith Season 3 Mallus | Nora Darhk | Damien Darhk | Kuasa | Grodd | Julius Caesar | Freydis Eriksdottir | Blackbeard | Henry Stein | Dominators | Agent Smith | Black Arrow | Overgirl | Reverse-Flash | Prometheus (Earth-X) | Quentin Lance (Earth-X) | Benatu Eshu Season 4 Neron | Tabitha | Astra Logue | Chad Stephens | Mike the Spike | Konstentyn | Nergal | First of the Fallen | Vandal Savage Season 5 Lachesis | Atropos | Astra Logue | Anti-Monitor | Shadow Demons | Lex Luthor | Grigori Rasputin | Benjamin Siegel | Kathy Meyers | Marie Antoinette | Genghis Khan | Damien Darhk | Jack the Ripper | Clyde Barrow | Bonnie Parker | Henry VIII | Black Caesar | Marchosias | Joseph Stalin | Caligula Season 6 Bishop | Kayla | Amelia Earhart | Knoxicrillion | Fidel Castro | Aleister Crowley | Levi Stapleton | Capitán Noriega | Pin Killers Season 7 Evil Gideon | Bishop | J. Edgar Hoover | Duplicate Legends