[Dr Kain]

As mentioned previously, Joker may be Batman’s exact opposite, and killing sociopath, but it is this man uses his intellect to combat Bruce, which to me, makes him the more dangerous threat. And that man is:



Like many others, I was introduced to Ra’s al Ghul through “Batman: The Animated Series.” However, not only did this series help propel Ra’s into being one of my favorite Batman villains of all time, it also helped me discover the comics written in the 70s by Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano. The Ra’s al Ghul saga that is collected in the “Tales of the Demon” paperback is by far one of my most favorite Batman collections ever. I love nearly every minute of the story telling and the artwork found within is just phenomenal. Not to mention we got the introduction to Batman’s beloved Talia.

What is there to say about Ra’s? His name is Arabic for The Demon’s Head. He is the leader of the League of Assassins. And he has been alive for hundreds of years. This brings him a multitude of experience and knowledge of the world around him despite how narrow his views may be. Of course, are his views narrow or is he just using the wrong means to “fix” the world? This to me adds a layer to the character that no other Batman rogue can touch. Yes, he is just a man, but a very strong one at that thanks to the Lazarus Pits and his wit. On the other hand, he is very arrogant, which usually leads to his defeat, but that cannot be helped at times.

One of the other things I love about Ra’s is that he is not over used like some of the other rogues Batman faces are. As much as I love the likes of Joker and Penguin, there are times when they are used way too much that sometimes my thoughts are, “Oh, another Joker story.” Thanks to this, it is always a treat when Ra’s is featured. Unfortunately, I fear what DC will do to him soon as I don’t believe he has made an appearance yet in the New 52 universe. Obviously, he has to exist, as Damian and Talia exists (ed), but it does not mean DC is going to find some way to really mess up his character as they seem to be doing with many others. Next thing we know, the Ra’s Batman has been fighting against over the last 40 years will turn out to be an imposter.

Nevertheless, Ra’s al Ghul is my favorite Batman villain to date, not to mention one of my favorite DC villains, and I doubt that will change any time soon.