| “ | 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- his famous quote. |
| “ | The word "assassin" has fallen victim to many abuses of language. Its real meaning hidden beneath the sediment of lies and falsehoods. In truth, "assassin" comes from hashishiyya, which means, "those who stand apart from society." Now, every man and woman in here have renounced their past life and forfeited their identity in the name of something new. And it is a cleansing only achieved by fire. Embrace the pain, for it is your soul finally being unburdened. Oliver Queen is dead. Eventually to be reborn as Ra's al Ghul. But for now, only the Arrow, Al Sah-him, shall remain. Al Sah-him. Heir to the Demon. | „ |
| ~ Ra's during Oliver's transformation. |
Ra's al Ghul is one of the overarching antagonists of the 2012-2020 superhero television series Arrow and a minor antagonist in Season 1 of its 2016-2022 spin-off DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
He is the immortal leader of the League of Assassins and the father of Talia and Nyssa al Ghul whose longevity comes from the Lazarus Pit's waters. In his devotion to the group's traditions, he intended on grooming Oliver Queen into becoming his successor so he could carry on his legacy and continue his mission to purge the world of its criminal element. He is also the trainer of Malcolm Merlyn and Sara Lance, as well as the former friend of his nemesis Damien Darhk, whom he intends on killing to correct his previous hesitation.
He was portrayed by Matt Nable in his first villainous role.
His Evil Ranking[]
His Villainous Deeds[]
Background[]
- He killed a man when the latter intended to harm his family. Though he felt ashamed at first, he quickly became proud that he stood up to someone who threatened his family. He justified his actions by claiming he had just “replaced evil with death”.
- He captured Rip Hunter and his team when they tried to infiltrate Nanda Parbat and orders them to be killed.
- It’s implied he was a cruel father to his second daughter Nyssa because she could never measure up to his firstborn, Talia Al Ghul.
- He’s indirectly responsible for Malcolm Merlyn’s villainy due to teaching him martial arts and causing his apathetic personality. While it’s true that Al-Owal was the one who trained Malcolm, it’s more than likely Ra’s oversaw it.
Arrow[]
- When Sara Lance left the League of Assassins out of guilt for her actions, Ra’s sent Al-Owal and a team of assassins to forcefully bring her back to Nanda Parbat.
- He threatens Oliver Queen to turn over Sara’s killer to him or he would have the League execute innocent civilians until the culprit was caught.
- He nearly kills Oliver in their duel by stabbing him in the chest and pushed him over the edge of a mountain.
- After the League captured Malcolm Merlyn, Ra’s has him tortured to the point of unconsciousness.
- He captured Oliver and John Diggle when they arrived to rescue Malcolm.
- When Oliver refused to become his successor, Ra’s murdered several criminals while dressed up as the Arrow to frame him for it. Afterwards, he would have Maseo continue to frame Oliver for killing innocents, including the mayor of Starling City. His actions turned the entire city against the Arrow, including Quentin Lance, and forcing Roy Harper to fake his death to prevent Oliver’s arrest.
- He captured Quentin and revealed the Arrow’s true identity to him to drive Quentin to arrest Oliver.
- He attacked Oliver’s sister, Thea, in her loft and stabs her in the chest, only offering to heal her with the Lazarus Pit under the condition Oliver becomes his successor. This makes Ra’s responsible for Thea’s bloodlust in season 4, forcing Oliver to defeat Malcolm Merlyn in order to obtain the cure from Nyssa, which resulted in Damien Darhk learning about William Clayton and Felicity breaking up with Oliver in the long-run.
- He brutally initiates Oliver into the League by marking him with boiling lava before attempting to brainwash Oliver into forgetting about his past life, even exposing him to a herb that caused him to execute a captured intruder that appeared to be John Diggle.
- He ordered Oliver to kill Nyssa after she deserted the League. He only spared her so he could force a marriage between the two. When Nyssa voices her displeasure in this, Ra’s dismisses her wishes and claims she has no say in the matter, proving Ra’s doesn’t care for his daughter.
- He intended to have Oliver unleash the Alpha-Omega Virus on the population of Starling City, which would’ve led to the brutal deaths of thousands of innocent people. This also went against his previous promise that Oliver’s friends would be spared in return for his commitment to the League.
- He attempted to kill Oliver’s friends with the virus, including Malcolm Merlyn, who told Ra’s about Oliver’s deception.
- He shot Damien Darhk’s assistant to prevent Oliver from using him to find Darhk.
- He duels Oliver in a final fight and tries to kill him for refusing to become his successor.
- He’s indirectly responsible for the events of season 5, as Talia loved him enough to teach and align herself with Prometheus just to get revenge on Oliver for killing him.
Why He Doesn’t Stand Out?[]
- Despite how awful his crimes are, he fails the heinous standards to several other Arrow Big Bads, such as Malcolm Merlyn, Slade Wilson, Prometheus, and Ricardo Diaz, who had far less resources than Ra’s and used them to commit even worse crimes. He also fails to Matthew Shrieve, who went way further with the Alpha-Omega Virus, attempting to wipe out all of China. Due to Ra’s’ worst actions being common place in the Arrowverse, he cannot qualify as IH.
- He’s polite and sympathetic to his enemies, especially Oliver. He never mistreats his subordinates as long as they don’t betray him. He was reasonable enough to release Malcolm from his vows so he could be with his family. He even gives Felicity a chance to say goodbye to Oliver before his initiation into the League. He also shows respect and admiration for Oliver. Furthermore, his death is portrayed in a sympathetic light.
- He is honorable as he will say prayers for his victims and released Sara from the League after the Legends come for her. He also forgave Maseo for his betrayal when he confessed to it. Oliver even respected him for his honor and insists that Ra’s would not have approved of Talia murdering innocent people and aiding Prometheus in his plans to break Oliver.
- He is an Extremist, who wants to purge the world of evil people, following the philosophy of the league.
- He worries about his former family, because they decided to go with the first Ra's Al Ghul to protect them because otherwise they were going to be tortured or killed, an act which he regrets.
- He felt remorse for hesitating to kill his friend, Damien Darhk, and feels guilty that his actions enabled him to kill innocent people.
- He had standards against Malcolm Merlyn’s plan to level the Glades, which violated the League’s principle. He also wanted to stop Damien Darhk and his organization, H.I.V.E.
External Links[]
- Ra’s al Ghul on the Villains Wiki
- Ra’s al Ghul on the Arrowverse Wiki
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