Avatar

"Avatar" is the eighth episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series. It originally aired on May 9, 1994.

Plot

The time and place is Egypt, 1898. A young boy brings a lantern to a young explorer. He is lowered into a temple and searches through the artifacts. Suddenly, a doorway starts to glow with light. The rope is suddenly pulled in with such force that it takes several men to pull it back up. When it is pulled back up, only a burned frayed end is retrieved. The explorer is nowhere to be found.

Back in the present, Lucius Fox commends Bruce on his donating several Egyptian artifacts to the museum. Amongst these artifacts is half of the Scroll of Osiris: the oldest Egyptian document currently known.

Later that night, a thief sneaks in and steals the scroll. However, Batman arrives and confronts the thief. Stopping the thief is easy enough but Batman is shocked to see that it's Ubu. Ra's al Ghul then reveals himself and throws an Egyptian cobra at Batman. The cobra bites him injecting him with poison. Batman barely has time to save himself with an anti-venom while Ra's and Ubu escape.

Back at the Batcave, Batman looks up the snake venom and talks to Alfred about the incident. Unfortunately, there's not much information to lead to Ra's so Batman heads out to Gibraltar to find his daughter, Talia.

Talia is shocked to learn that her father is alive and that he didn't try to contact her. Bruce is sure that it's Ra's and wants to know why he's so interested in the scroll. Talia explains that the scroll is part of a map and Ra's has the other half. The map leads to the tomb of the Egyptian queen Thoth Khepera and Ra's has been obsessed with finding it. She doesn't know why he's after the tomb but Batman decides he has to go after him anyway. Talia agrees to help and takes Batman to a hidden sanctuary in Cairo.

Talia and Bruce walk into a shop and using an ultrasound radar, they find their way into the secret entrance. However, the shop owner finds them and he and a couple thugs detain the duo. They are dealt with easily enough and the couple heads down. There they find the completed scroll and a translation. However, Ra's stops them from getting the scroll and explains that Thoth Kephera had power over life and death. He now seeks to have that power for himself. His explanation done, Ra's traps both Batman and Talia in a glass case with no air supply.

Batman tries his best to break out but the glass is too strong. Talia gives up but Batman uses his sonar device to break the glass with sound vibrations. Now free, the duo decides to do what must be done.

Batman and Talia make their way to the tomb and climb in. However, Ra's watches their actions from afar. Inside the temple, they find the queen's sarcophagus but Ra's arrives and has Ubu open the coffin. Inside are scrolls that are so old they crumble under Ra's hands. Batman and Talia take the opportunity to escape leaving Ra's to despair. However, while the duo deals with Ra's thugs, Ra's finds a hidden lever that opens a passageway under the coffin. Inside, Ra's finds several skeletons surrounding a green pool that contains Thoth Kephera who promises the knowledge of the power of the gods if Ra's will join her. She then hypnotizes him and lures him in. She kisses Ra's and starts to suck the life from his body.

Fortunately, Batman and Talia arrive and stop Thoth from finishing Ra's off. Outraged, Thoth summons the magic from her pool and tries to take Talia. Batman saves her and tries to kill Thoth with a grenade but it's ineffective. The trio manages to escape, however, and Batman shoves a statue of Osiris over smashing Thoth and causing the temple to collapse. Ubu is almost killed in the collapse but Batman saves him. Furthermore, Ra's is restored to normal.

With Thoth gone, the group heads out and Ra's re-accepts Talia as his daughter. However, when she sees that Ra's is tied up and learns that Batman intends to take him to the authorities she turns on Batman and takes his horse. She then frees her father and the group leaves after Ubu leaves Batman a canteen. Batman takes the canteen and vows there will be another time.

Continuity

Ra's makes reference to Batman's refusal to join him in "The Demon's Quest"

Cast

• Kevin Conroy as Batman
• Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth
• George Dicenzo as Ubu
• Nichelle Nichols as Thoth Khepera
• Brock Peters as Lucius Fox
• Helen Slater as Talia
• David Warner as Ra's al Ghul

Credits

• Written by Michael Reaves
• Directed by Kevin Altieri
• Music Composed by Carlos Rodriguez
• Animation by Studio Junio