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Warning: Spoilers for Batgirl #3!The family tree for one of Batman’s archenemies is more intricate than most readers may think, and it leads to the forgotten character, Nyssa al Ghul. Bruce Wayne has been in a feud with Ra’s al Ghul ever since the latter debuted in 1971, and that feud led to Batman falling in love with Talia, his daughter. That affair, in turn, birthed Batman’s son, Damian Wayne, the latest Robin. The al Ghul family has become vital to Batman lore.
However, one oft-forgotten facet of Batman’s feud is that Ra’s al Ghul has another daughter named Nyssa, but DC Comics gladly reminds readers of that fact in Batgirl #3 by Tate Brombal, Takeshi Miyazawa, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano. Nyssa Raatko (sometimes Nyssa al Ghul) returns to DC canon as the leader of the League of Shadows, seemingly co-opting the sect with her sister Talia.
Nyssa has a fascinating origin story, but her apparent death from yesteryear has massive repercussions on Cass Cain’s life and how readers have to contextualize her despised turn from a superhero into a villain.
Who Is Nyssa al Ghul in Batman Lore?
The Forgotten Daughter of the Demon’s Head
Originally created by Greg Rucka and Klaus Janson, Nyssa Raatko is first introduced during DC’s “Death of the Maidens” storyline, where it is established that Nyssa is the distant child of Ra’s al Ghul (and, by proxy, Talia’s half-sister) and a Jewish peasant from a village past the Volga River in 1773. Ra’s abandoned Nyssa’s mother, who still romanticized her time with “her Arabian prince” throughout Nyssa’s childhood. Curious, Nyssa sought out the Demon’s Head, who was impressed she actually found him with few resources. She became his right-hand woman, and he gifted her access to his Lazarus Pit.
Specifically, Nyssa makes her official debut in Detective Comics #783 in the “Death and the Maidens: Prologue” backup story by Greg Rucka, Klaus Janson, Clem Robins, and Lee Loughridge.
She eventually exited her father’s life, disinterested in his plans for the world. They reconnected in Paris in 1932 once Nyssa had her first child, Daniel. Ra’s wanted him as his heir, but she refused, proving that she’s capable of outsmarting the great Ra’s al Ghul by having her caretaker, Shoshana, carry a rifle in Daniel’s carriage. Her family was later sent to a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Nyssa was left infertile and understandably enraged by the experience, initially blaming Ra’s for letting her and her family rot. She seeks revenge years later in her debut story.
What Nyssa al Ghul Returning to DC Canon Could Mean for Her Future
And for Batgirl’s Past Continuity
Nyssa is a compelling character because she spent years trying to reject her father’s philosophies of the world, warning her of the treacheries of humankind, only to adopt those same philosophies decades later. She even attempted to kill Superman in an effort to suck dry the hope that people felt in the world thanks to his presence. Her animosity toward her father led her to form a close kinship with Talia al Ghul, which has resulted in an alliance alongside the League of Shadows.
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What’s most interesting about this alliance is that it brings her in proximity to Batgirl, and the last fans saw them together was during the “One Year Later” Batgirl arc. The arc is infamous for turning Cassandra Cain evil, a decision so reviled by the Batman fan community that it’s been virtually retconned. However, that story was also the last time that Nyssa was prominently seen on-panel, as she was killed off-panel in an apparent car explosion. The 2024 Batgirl series will need to address how Nyssa al Ghul survived her apparent death, leading her back to Batgirl’s side in what’s shaping up to be a story with some deep-cut Batman lore.
Batgirl #3 is available now from DC Comics.
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