Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson)

"To manipulate the fears of others, you must first master your own. Are you ready to begin?"

- Henri Ducard

Ra's al Ghul was a mentor and teacher to Bruce Wayne under the name Henri Ducard and later became his arch-enemy as Bruce stood in the way of the League of Shadows destroying Gotham. He was the father of Bruce's later romantic interest and foe Talia al Ghul. He was portrayed by Liam Neeson in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises as an adult and by Josh Pence as a younger man in The Dark Knight Rises.

Origin and Early Life
In his youthful days, Ra's al Ghul was a skilled mercenary working for a powerful warlord. He fell in love with the warlord's daughter. They became secretly betrothed and she conceived a child with him. Out of a sense of dishonor, the warlord had the mercenary condemned but exiled him instead while he had his daughter take his place in prison. The mercenary then joined the League of Shadows and rose through the ranks relatively quickly. In the Pit prison, Ra's' wife gave birth to a daughter, Talia al Ghul, who spent the first years of her life locked up with her mother. One day the prison doctor forgot to lock the door to their cell and the other inmates eventually attacked and murdered Ra's' wife.

With the assistance of a prisoner called "Bane", Talia escaped from the prison, although Bane was beaten within an inch of his life while defending her. Talia found her father, who liberated the prison and rescued Bane, who had become mutilated. The League of Shadows trained Ra's' daughter and Bane, but due to the constant reminder of the fate his wife suffered, Ra's exiled Bane. It was for this reason that caused Talia to have resentment towards her father until his death.

Mentoring Bruce Wayne
"If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely. A legend, Mr. Wayne, a legend."

- Ra's Al Ghul

Ra's al Ghul finds Bruce Wayne in a Chinese prison, where he presents himself as "Henri Ducard" and offers him a "path." After Wayne is freed, he climbs to the home of the League of Shadows, where Ra's is waiting, although presenting himself as the servant of another man called Ra's al Ghul. When asked if he is ready to begin, Wayne replies that he can barely stand. As a test, Ra's attacks Bruce and explains that death would not wait and neither should they. When he defeats Wayne, Ra's asks him what he fears.

After Wayne recovers, Ra's begins training him in every aspect of ninjutsu. Ra's is a very skilled warrior and a stern teacher in these segments. Throughout his training, Bruce is unable to best Ra's, but comes extremely close during a sword battle, fought upon a frozen glacial lake. However, he forgets to take full notice of his surroundings and Ra's simply breaks the ice beneath him for the victory. While Bruce is recovering from the cold water, Ra's explains his wife's death as the inspiration for his lifestyle.

At the end of his training, Ra's forces Bruce to face him while slightly drugged. Ra's hides among several of his men while Bruce attempts to locate him. Leaping out at Bruce from his hiding place, Ra's manages to wound Bruce slightly on his arm. Bruce, however, gives an identical injury to two of the other ninja, thus tricking Ra's into believing that Bruce has left him a 'sign'. When he rushes forward to capture his 'student', Bruce reveals the trick and defeats his master. As a final test, Ra's hands Bruce a sword and orders him to kill a captured convict, but Bruce refuses, having realised that he cannot fight evil with evil's methods, and that compassion is necessary to separate him from his enemies. The decoy Ra's al Ghul explains that Bruce must do what is necessary to fight evil, while revealing that they have trained Bruce with the intention of him leading the League to destroy Gotham City, which they believe has become hopelessly corrupt. Bruce subsequently knocks Ra's out and sets the League's fortress aflame, apparently killing the false Ra's. Ra's is rescued by his pupil before the fortress collapses.

Attack on Gotham
"No one can save Gotham. When a forest grows too wild, a purging fire is inevitable and natural. Tomorrow, the world will watch in horror as its greatest city destroys itself. The movement back to harmony will be unstoppable this time."

- Ra's to Bruce

Months later, Ra's unexpectedly reappears, and reveals that he was not Henri Ducard, but Ra's al Ghul. In the ensuing confrontation, Ra's elaborates on the League of Shadows' exploits throughout history (sacking Rome, spreading the Black Death, and starting the Great Fire of London). Ra's explains that the League plans to use a fear toxin invented by their partner Dr. Jonathan Crane (alias the Scarecrow) to infect the city with mindless panic, and watch it destroy itself. He claims that the League of Shadows had attempted to use economics as a mean of destruction, which led indirectly to the murder of Bruce's parents when Joe Chill attempted to mug them after losing his job, their deaths subsequently prompting the industries to band together and save the city. He explains that the destruction of Gotham City is merely another mission by the League to correct humanity's recurring fits of decadence and presumably protect the environment. Ra's then has his henchmen burn down Wayne Manor with the intent of killing Bruce, stating "Justice is balance, you burnt my home and left me for dead, consider us even."

With the aid of Alfred, Bruce survives the fire, and confronts Ra's al Ghul as Batman, Ra's commenting that Batman took his advice of "using theatricality" too literally before escaping and going on with his plans. Batman catches up, and teacher and student have one final battle on a runaway train. Ra's' arrogance is ultimately his downfall after Batman defeats him and reveals Gordon's assistance in taking the rails out of the tracks, using Batman's Batmobile; Batman tells Ra's that he himself has failed to be mindful of his own surroundings, as Bruce had learned before. Informing Ra's that he won't kill him, but that he doesn't have to save him, the hero leaves Ra's for dead on the train, which falls moments later into a car garage and explodes. Ra's uses his last moment to meditate, and is presumed dead, though no body is found in the wreckage.

Aftermath
Following his apparent demise, the League of Shadows, though greatly diminished and defeated, pressed on. Talia al Ghul learned of the events that transpired surrounding her father's fate and swore to avenge him by continuing his mission of ridding the world of Gotham City. Having assumed command of the League, Talia appointed Bane as the field commander of their ground forces.

The Dark Knight Rises
"You, yourself fought the decadence of Gotham for years with all your strength, all your resources, all your moral authority and the only victory you achieved was a lie. Now you understand Gotham is beyond saving and must be allowed to die."

- Ra's al Ghul

While Bruce was recovering in the Pit, he hallucinated his old mentor and foe Ra's al Ghul as he tried to make sense of what he had been told and what brought him to this point in his life. Ra's expressed his disappointment that Bruce doubted that Ra's would return, and he claimed to be immortal through another method–one that produced an heir. Bruce deduced that Ra's was the mercenary whose wife was taken from him and who fathered the only child to escape from the Pit.

Trivia

 * Ra's al Ghul is mentioned in Dennis O'Neil's novelization of The Dark Knight.

Gallery

 * Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson)/Gallery