The following story and photos are from Giant Panda King's book,
Gotham 1919-1939 by Russall S. Beattie, available from www.giantpandaking.com.
Viewer discretion is advised.
More mysterious than the League of Assassins was its leader. Known by many names,
Ra’s al Ghul - the Demon’s Head - had been shaping the direction of history for hundreds of years.
This mysteriousness surrounding him was a closely guarded secret. The name of Ra’s al Ghul does not
appear in history books and classrooms, but is only whispered by those used to
living in the shadows. It is hard to discern fact from fiction, truth from fabrication,
but there are some tales and legends that stand out more than others. One such legend is that
of Endymion. Endymion was a shepherd - Aeloian in descent - whose physical beauty was unparalleled.
This beauty drew the attention of the Titan moon goddess, Selene. Selene petitioned Endymion’s
father, Zeus, to grant the shepherd eternal youth. This way she could appreciate his
beauty for eternity. Another account attributed to the Demon’s Head was that of Marco Polo.
Polo referenced Hassan Sabbah, the Old Man on the Mountain. Sabbah was said to lead the Hashshashin,
an ancient order of assassins. These accounts lend credibility to the historical existence of such a
figure as Ra’s al Ghul. It is unknown how many of these accounts are based in truth, or fabricated
for the intents and purposes of the League of Assassins. All of these tales involved an
air of mystery, and - in some cases - immortality. The League of Assassins held the belief that
Ra’s al Ghul was immortal, while others aware of their existence believed that the title of
Demon’s Head was passed down each generation to a new successor. Whatever the truth may have been,
it was generally believed that Ra’s al Ghul was the founder of the League of Assassins.
The League had been shaping history and manipulating political infrastructures in West,
East and Central Asia since the crusades. The influence of Ra’s al Ghul and his
League was very widespread, while only being based out of West Asia.
An event that Ra’s al Ghul allegedly played a part in was the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire - near its end - had numerous issues within and without.
The Young Turk Revolution was gaining traction, and the Ottoman Empire had suffered numerous
military defeats. They had lost the Italo-Turkish War, and they had lost the Balkan Wars.
This resulted in the expulsion of the Ottomans from all of North Africa,
and almost all of Europe. It is speculated that Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins were
responsible for helping fund and supply the rivals of the Ottoman Empire during these conflicts.
This would make Ra’s indirectly responsible for the events leading up to World War I,
the Great War. The fall of the Ottomans and the rise of a new regime would be causation for the
horrors to come. Another conflict that Ra’s al Ghul may have been involved in was the Boxer
Uprising in China between 1899 and 1901. This conflict was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and
anti-Christian uprising. It resulted in numerous deaths, innocent people and otherwise, and was a
very bloody conflict. The Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists was responsible for these deaths.
They were referred to as “Boxers” by the English due to their propensity for Chinese martial arts;
referred to as “Chinese boxing” at the time. Ra’s would’ve wanted this outcome in the Boxer
Uprising; it would’ve aided his interests in Asia tremendously. These two conflicts show
what exactly Ra’s al Ghul and the League were doing: consolidating power from the shadows.
Apart from his lackeys in the League, Ra’s had other allies; ones he trusted above everyone
else. His daughters, Nyssa and Talia, were just such allies. They were half-sisters.
Nyssa was the first-born daughter of Ra’s, and had been the result of a night of lust between
Ra’s and a woman he didn’t love. Nyssa did not meet her father until she was five years old.
Her mother was cruel to her, and, as a result, Nyssa had already developed a cruel streak
herself. This was due to the verbal and physical abuses she had experienced at her mother’s hands.
Ra’s was angry to learn of Nyssa’s existence; it had not been planned, and Ra’s was someone
who liked to maintain control. Still, he had her trained and respected as the progeny of
the Demon’s Head, as was her right. Talia, on the other hand, was Ra’s al Ghul’s favorite daughter.
She was offered something Nyssa had never experienced from their father: affection.
Nyssa always resented her sister, and - when Talia and Bruce Wayne fell in love - would have loved
nothing more than to kill Bruce just to spite her sister. Another of the allies of the Demon’s Head
was his most faithful servant: Ubu. A former Rashidi fighter, Ubu was one of the deadliest
men in the world and loyal only to Ra’s. This was because of a blood pact the two had made in 1903.
Ubu had been fighting for the Rashidi in the Battle of Dilam. This battle was one facet of
the Unification War between Rashidi and the Saudi rebels. During the Battle of Dilam,
Ra’s al Ghul saved Ubu’s life. From that day forward, Ubu pledged himself to the Demon’s Head.
He would serve as Ra’s al Ghul’s bodyguard for the rest of his life.
With all of these accomplishments, Ra’s al Ghul began to turn his eyes from the old world empires.
His gaze shifted to the United States of America. In his eyes, they had proven themselves formidable
in the Great War. Ra’s thought them to be the next power to control humanity’s future. When
Bruce Wayne came to Asia looking for training, and specifically the League of Assassins,
Ra’s al Ghul saw an opportunity. He welcomed Bruce into the League, taking confidence in him more
than any of his previous protégés. As Bruce’s skills flourished with the League, Ra’s could
see raw potential in the young man. It thrilled him to see such commitment, such discipline.
It reminded Ra’s of himself. Ra’s could see the attraction forming between Bruce and Talia,
and was secretly approving of it; he saw this union as a good thing for the League.
His plan for Bruce was to have him help the League infiltrate the political and social classes of
America. Upon achieving this, Ra’s hoped to make Bruce the new leader of the League of Assassins.
These dreams were crushed when Bruce caught on to the plans of the Demon’s Head.
The young millionaire wanted no part of the slaughter that Ra’s had and would commit.
Bruce did not want the life of a warlord. After a heated argument, Bruce left the League of
Assassins in the dead of night, and Ra’s forbade his daughter, Talia, from ever seeing him again.
Ra’s was himself enraged that Bruce would so readily turn his back on the League of Assassins.
It lent credence to the fact that Ra’s considered himself almost godlike in stature
compared to the rest of the League - even the rest of the world.
This belief was also held by many among the League’s warriors. Acting in this anger,
Ra’s made sure that his plans for America included Gotham City at the top of the list.
The wrath of Ra’s al Ghul would spark a bloody conflict in Gotham. The fact
that Bruce Wayne had declined the mantle of Demon’s Head enraged the leader of the League.
Saying no to Ra’s al Ghul was not something that you did as a member of the League of Assassins.
Bruce knew this when he left, but could have no idea what the repercussions of this would mean.
It would be years after his departure from the League that the events leading
up to Shadow War would occur. The Demon’s Head wanted vengeance against Bruce, yes,
but he also considered himself a savior. He would not only attempt to seize control of Gotham,
he would attempt to save it from itself. And if that proved impossible, he would burn it
to cinders. This was part of the hubris of Ra’s al Ghul; he considered himself above reproach,
above morality, and above what most considered the common good. Whether or not Ra’s al Ghul was
actually immortal, he seemed to have bought into the stories and legends that claimed it was so.
The months ahead held numerous horrors, tragedies, and harrowing experiences for all parties involved
in the Shadow War. Lines would be drawn in the sand, enemies would become allies,
and battles would be waged. And at the heart of it all, Ra’s al Ghul would be orchestrating this war;
a deadly metaphorical chess game between himself and the Bat-Man. The price of the Shadow War would
be paid in blood; that of the League of Assassins, the Bat-Team and their allies, and the common
citizens of Gotham. Gotham City would never be the same, and the Demon’s Head would have his day.