8 Comic Book Villains Whose Own Desires Are Their Downfall

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.