Batman Comics Explain The Secret Meaning of Ra's al Ghul's Name
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Robin #10
While Ra's al Ghul has been a classic Batman villain for years, the latest issue of DC's Robin reveals the true nature and secret meaning behind his name. Also serving as his title, "Ra's al Ghul" is Arabic for "Head of the Demon." While it's been assumed that this was in reference to his Leagues being a demon with his position as its head, the truth is far more complex, revealing that Ra's has always had an ongoing battle between the science he believes in and the supernatural he's long rejected.
In Robin #10 from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Roger Cruz, Damian Wayne's great-grandmother gives Batman's son a glimpse into the past, revealing the origins of her son when he was nothing more than the physician of a sultan in the middle east. However, following the deaths of his mother and later his wife Sora, the man who would be Ra's threw himself into studying the miraculous Lazarus Pits he had discovered. All the while, he refused to acknowledge visions of a demon that had been haunting him.
In his refusal of the demon he saw in his dreams and his faith in science, the sultan's physician went to war. Gathering a collection of followers who would eventually become the League of Shadows, every trace of the Demon his mother once worshipped was erased and burned away. Eventually, the ultimate test of his scientific faith came when he tested the power of the Lazarus Pits on himself. Finding success and achieving immortality, he finally took the name Ra's al Ghul. However, the name is one of superiority over the supernatural. Rather than being a demon himself, Ra's believes he's greater than any demon who could ever exist, believing in science rather than magic even after he brought back his mother who told him otherwise—her faith in the Demon stronger than ever before.
These new insights into the origins of Ra's al Ghul help explain the current state of the Demon's Head and his three Leagues. Over time, al Ghul's mother gained followers of her own who believed in the supernatural power of the Demon behind the Pits rather than science as she did. Becoming Mother Soul, Robin's great-grandmother took command of the League of Lazarus and broke off from her son's leadership, leading to open war with each League fighting against the others. Not only does this issue reveal the true meaning behind the name and title of Ra's al Ghul, it also shows the internal struggle he's long battled, choosing to believe in science even as the supernatural evidence continued to grow. This led to an external struggle within his own organization.
Thanks to prior issues of Robin, it certainly seems like there is indeed a true supernatural Demon behind the Lazarus Pits, seeing as how one was summoned on Lazarus Island who tried to possess Connor Hawke. However, this current issue ends with the arrival of Ra's al Ghul himself along with Damian's mother Talia and the League of Assassins, teasing a brand new War of the Leagues given Ra's comments that he should have killed his mother years ago. Regardless, the new insights into Ra's al Ghul's origins and insights into his name make him even more of a dimensional and multilayered Batman rogue than he already was in DC Comics.
Source: Screenrant
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