The Demon's Obsession: Ra's Al Ghul | Batman The Animated Series

I always liked that he called Bruce "Detective" instead of "Batman".

Fun fact about Ra's AL Ghul is that he originally tried to change the world as a healer and someone who saves lives (a lot like Thomas Wayne) he would save people no matter who they were but when some of the bad people he saved, instead of taking their new lease on life to change, ended up committing atrocities and doing evil acts it was only when one of those same people he saved killed his wife and the first woman he loved that he became the Ra's AL Ghul we know.

"Head of the beast" sounds way more badass and scarier because it implies the Devil, and Ra's can be seen as an Antichrist of sorts.

Ghouls, in Arabic folklore, are the equivalent of Revenants or Daugrs in European folklore. They are creatures that stalk graveyards and dig up the freshly dead to eat, although they are also known to attack travelers in order to gain fresh meat. Also, a minor gag with Ra's al Ghul is that he can't quite remember how old he is ("I lost count during the Black Plague") so it's possible that he also can't exactly remember how to pronounce his title.

I gotta say, I love that shot of Bruce's reaction to the photo. From shock, to sadness, to pure rage. Really shows that this man isn't an empty husk full of vengeance. This is a driven man, who will NOT let people get hurt under his watch. EVER.

“Ra’s gets abducted by aliens and steals a UFO no it’s really good I promise” SOLD

Ra's is one of Batman's more unique villains in that unlike the other rogues he's not another nut with a gimmick in a colorful costume. He's just a guy with a dream, a dream to murder two billion, fifty-six million, nine hundred and eighty-six thousand people and then go swimming in a fountain of Monster energy drink. For real though, I think he's one of Batman's coolest foes. He's a James Bond style villain whose grand schemes take Batman out of Gotham and makes him travel across the world in pulp style adventures which is always a delight and fits the character and his world perfectly.

Props to David Warner for the awesome performance of this character. He will be missed. Also, speaking of Arabic, a fun fact I found: bats are specifically mentioned in the Quran and are said to be one of god's miracles. So, when the character of Batman is translated into Arabic media, it possibly has a different, but still perfectly valid interpretation of the character. Batman is adopting a miraculous aspect, indirectly giving him divine connotations. Thus, to criminals, he would be representing a form of divine punishment, possibly, so he would still be frightening to criminals in that cultural context. Just something I thought interesting when I heard it.

Ra’s al ghul is by far one of my favourite villain; I know he’s not quite typical by Batman Villians given he’s not a street criminal but his cunning, sense of class and nobility yet still being callous and insane plus a great design.

No no, you had me at "Ra's gets abducted by aliens and steals their flying saucer". I wanna know more about it, and would gladly see it adapted in animation.

In Arabic, the Nolan version is correct. In Arabic, it is Rahs. My Arabic mother used to curse at me, saying Kassur Rahsuck which means "I will break your head" when she would get angry at me.

As far as I know, there is barely anything delving into how Thomas and Martha Wayne met or what some of their earlier life experiences were like prior to Bruce's birth. That said, I think it could be an interesting twist to have a reveal that a noticeably younger Ra's was, in fact, one of Thomas's instructors at medical school, under an assumed identity as part of one of his numerous plans, with Thomas inadvertently rendering the plan moot without being aware of what was really going on. As a result of that, Ra's would see it necessary to keep tabs on the Waynes to see which of his lists they should be on at any given time; maybe he would even be somewhat aware of Bruce during this observational period, and really turn his attention on Bruce after he began walking the path that would lead him to becoming Batman, and maybe even seeing Bruce's time as Batman as a trial run for the duties required to be his successor. But that's just a bit of theory crafting on my part, and chances are the comics won't really do that kind of dive, but I still think it could be a fun surprise and twist if we did get to see something like that in the near future, if not foreseeable future.

I like that we don't know where Ras al Gul's ethnicity except that he's probably Eurasian.

Of all the villains in BTAS, I always felt Batman hated Ra’s the most.

R.I.P. David Warner, the voice of The Demon, and Kevin Conroy.

We always avoided the Ra’s episodes (in my family) because of the occult stuff, for religious reasons. In the ones I did watch, it felt like the fellow was playing God, deciding who lives and who dies based on his skewed view of human nature. A pathetic creature terrified of his own mortality. Characters like this are so interesting, and can tell you a lot about the people who create them.

Head of the Beast honestly sounds just as cool as of the Demon

Hypocrisy is Ra's big failing. He was thrown into a prison during Birth of a Demon and left to rot as a political gesture. Now in his final days he... threw Batman's Rogues Gallery into a prison and left them to rot as a political gesture to Batman. He always talks big about principle, but when the chips are down he takes the coward's way out. Batman always keeps his moral fiber, unwilling to take it easy and willing to have faith in other people. I just rewatched "Double Talk" from TNBA and it showed how much he was willing to help Arnold, the Ventriloquist, just by believing in him. Ra's would never put his faith in someone else, and ultimately this is his downfall. Unable to cheat death anymore, and unwilling to trust his daughter with his legacy, he tries to trust Batman, but wants it his way. Batman's methods are different, and that's simply not acceptable. Can't wait to hear about your video on Talia.

The moment you say Batman was trained by Jedi Master Qui Gon Jinn, there is NO take backsies.

An awesome Friday-night delve into Batman lore. I loved every minute of it and learned lots of new facts. Keep them coming Serum!