8 Comic Book Villains Whose Own Desires Are Their Downfall

5. Ra's Al Ghul

The Joker
DC Comics

Batman has some of the most complex and engaging villains in comics, and Ra’s al Ghul is just one of several such Bat-foes to be featured in this article.

For Ra’s al Ghul, what drives him is the need to shape humanity in his own personal image. In his head, Ra’s only wants what’s best for mankind – yet it has to be on his own, often brutal terms.

The Demon’s Head is one of those with a penchant for mass genocide if he feels the cost justifies the reward. And in this constant quest, al Ghul is on the lookout for an heir to continue this work for him.

That’s where Batman comes into the equation, for Ra’s views The Detective as his natural successor and the person with the perfect skillset and mindset to executive The Head of the Demon’s plans for a better world. The problem here, mind, is that should Ra’s succeed in somehow convincing Batman to take over from him, that essentially renders Ra’s al Ghul as redundant.

Much like The CW’s Arrow did, if Ra’s al Ghul passes control over to A.N. Other – in Arrow’s case, Oliver Queen – then his own presence is not needed. And that’s before you explore the times when Ra’s’ passing of the torch would require him to be killed.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.