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Reverted to revision 531198290 by VasOling: no. excessive detail in an already inflated article, and the long quotes do not adhere to the guidelines for fair use (see Wikipedia:Non-free content. (TW)
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===Television===
===Television===
[[File:Talia al Ghul (DC Animated Universe).jpg|thumb|right|106px|Talia al Ghul as she appears in the [[DC animated universe]].]]
[[File:Talia al Ghul (DC Animated Universe).jpg|thumb|right|106px|Talia al Ghul as she appears in the [[DC animated universe]].]]
* In ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'', Talia is voiced by [[Helen Slater]] (who is known for her portrayal of [[Supergirl]], another [[DC Comics]] character, in the [[Supergirl (film)|film of the same name]]).
* In ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'', Talia is voiced by [[Helen Slater]] (who is known for her portrayal of [[Supergirl]], another [[DC Comics]] character, in the [[Supergirl (film)|film of the same name]]). The episodes "Off Balance" and "The Demon's Quest" parts 1 and 2 are based on the two classic Talia stories "Into the Den of the Death-Dealers!" and "Daughter of the Demon". Her first appearance in "Off Balance" is based on Talia's first appearance in the comics, with only minor differences, mainly that the villain is [[Count Vertigo]] instead of Dr. Ebeneezer Darrk, and she is tracking Vertigo for her father instead of being Vertigo's prisoner. The episode ends with Batman and Talia stopping Count Vertigo, though Vertigo appears to die in the process and is not seen since. In "The Demon's Quest-Part 1", Talia and [[Dick Grayson|Robin]] are kidnapped by Ra's al Ghul, and Batman (unaware that Ra's is their captor) makes an alliance with Ra's and Ubu to save them. Batman saves them and Ra's reveals himself as the man who kidnapped Robin, and that Talia had never even been captured to begun with. Ra's nearly dies towards the end of the episode (due to his unnatural long lifespan), and Batman drops Ra's into a Lazarus Pit to heal him. The episode ends with Ra's having been maddened by the Lazarus Pit and holding Talia over the edge of the pit. In "The Demon's Quest-Part 2", Talia manages to break her father's madness before fleeing their arctic base with Ra's and Ubu. After Batman catches up with them at their desert stronghold, Ra's reveals his plan to the Dark Knight: with no male heir to carry out his crusade, Ra's plans to use a satellite to wipe out all life on Earth by destroying all the Lazarus Pits on Earth simultaneously, killing billions. While Batman successfully foils his plans, Ra's and Talia manage to escape. Talia reappears in the [[H. P. Lovecraft|Lovecraftian]] episode "Avatar" to help Batman stop her father using an Egyptian scroll to unlock the secrets of life and death for his own purposes. Even though Batman manages to capture Ra's al Ghul, Talia ends up freeing him before Batman had plans to hand Ra's al Ghul over to the authorities.
* In ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]],'' actress [[Olivia Hussey]] voiced Talia, replacing Helen Slater.

* In the ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' episode "Out of the Past", it is revealed that Batman's final confrontation with Ra's, during a period known as the ''Near-Apocalypse of 2009'', left Ra's so injured that not even the pits could heal him. Talia took control of his company, using it for philanthropic purposes to undo her father's actions and eventually approaches Bruce on his birthday with an offer to use the pits' restorative powers to become young once more.
* In ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]],'' actress [[Olivia Hussey]] voiced Talia, replacing Helen Slater. In the episode, "The Demon Reborn", she and her father's minions arrived at [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]] to steal a Native American mystical staff which possesses a power of healing. After she succeeded, she used it to drain Superman's powers in order to capture him. Ra's was dying as the Lazarus Pit became ineffective to prolong his life, so the father and daughter planned to use the staff to transfer Superman's strength to save Ra's life. Batman later arrived and interfered with the process. Despite Batman arriving in time to save Superman's life, Ra's had enough of The Man of Steel's life force to resume his longevity with the Lazarus Pit once more. Ra's and Talia later fell to the bottom of a cave, but it is later confirmed that they survived.

* In the ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' episode "Out of the Past", it is revealed that Batman's final confrontation with Ra's, during a period known as the ''Near-Apocalypse of 2009'', left Ra's so injured that not even the pits could heal him. Talia took control of his company, using it for philanthropic purposes to undo her father's actions and eventually approaches Bruce on his birthday with an offer to use the pits' restorative powers to become young once more (the process of using the pits has become so refined now that it can now grant youth without the same madness). A moment of weakness when he nearly fails to save a woman in a traffic accident leads Bruce to accept. During their stay at her mansion, Bruce and [[Batman (Terry McGinnis)|Terry McGinnis]], the new Batman, discover that Talia is actually Ra's; because his body was injured beyond repair in the ''Near-Apocalypse'', Talia effectively gave her life for him by copying his mind into her body. Though the transfer process could only work between two close genetic relatives at first, Ra's has since modified to work universally, and plans to transfer into Bruce. With Bruce's rejuvenated body, he can claim to be the son of the elder Bruce and Talia, inheriting control of Wayne-Powers for his own ends. Despite the transference almost taking place, Bruce escapes with Terry's help after Ra's underestimates the new Batman, only for Ra's to abandon all attempts to escape when he tries to save the computer he needs for the mind transference process. Ra's activates fire-extinguishing foam and manages to save the computer, but a stray cable strikes the pits and creates a massive explosion, destroying the mansion and presumably Ra's along with it. Although Bruce tells Terry not to bother investigating the mansion's remains, stating that whatever was left in there died years ago, he still shows some regret for Talia's death, commenting that she was a very special woman when Terry wishes that he could have met the real Talia (prompting Terry to ask if she was ''the'' special woman). The episode ends with Bruce looking at a picture of himself dining with Talia and saying "Rest well, Beloved". Actress Olivia Hussey again voiced Talia, though Ra's also speaks in his own, male voice for the rest of the episode once his identity is revealed (voiced again by [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]]).

[[File:Talia al Ghulanimated.jpg|thumb|right|210px|Talia as she appears in ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]].'']]
[[File:Talia al Ghulanimated.jpg|thumb|right|210px|Talia as she appears in ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]].'']]
* Talia appears in the ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' episode "Sidekicks Assemble!" voiced by [[Andrea Bowen]].
* Talia appears in the ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' episode "Sidekicks Assemble!" voiced by [[Andrea Bowen]]. Talia and Ubu aid Ra's in his plan to infect [[Coast City]] with superpowered plants in his flying island. When Ra's expresses his desire to make [[Dick Grayson|Robin]] his heir, rather than her, she helps him, along with [[Garth (comics)|Aqualad]] and [[Roy Harper (comics)|Speedy]] escape from Ra's deathtrap and foil his plan. After Ra's is defeated by Batman, she helps her father escape. In "The Knights of Tomorrow!", [[Catwoman]] is Batman's wife and the mother of [[Damian Wayne]], instead of Talia. In "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!", she is now shown harboring a crush on Batman and saves him after Ra's orders his execution. Enraged at his daughter's betrayal, Ra's al Ghul ties Talia and Batman to a rocket aimed at the sun, but they are rescued by the intervention of the [[Justice Society of America]] and the [[Justice League International]]. She presumably escapes after Ra's al Ghul is presumably killed during his fight with Batman. Talia makes her last appearance during the show's final episode, "Mitefall", as one of the numerous characters present at the [[wrap party]] for the now-cancelled ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' series. Talia's appearance in the series finale marks her only media appearance where her father is not present.


===Film===
===Film===

Revision as of 05:38, 4 January 2013

Talia al Ghul
File:Talia.jpg
Talia al Ghul.
Art by Andy Kubert.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDetective Comics #411 (May 1971)
Created byDennis O'Neil and Bob Brown
In-story information
Alter egoTalia al Ghul
Team affiliationsSecret Society of Super Villains
LexCorp
League of Assassins
Leviathan
Notable aliasesTalia Head
Abilities
  • Expert at hand to hand combat and in the use of weapons
  • Utilizes her father's Lazarus Pits to restore life and heal wounds
  • Business administration

Talia al Ghul (Arabic: تالياء الغول) is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, daughter of the supervillain Ra's al Ghul, a love interest of Batman, and the mother of his son Damian Wayne, the fifth Robin. She has appeared in over 200 individual comics issues.[1]

Talia first appeared in Detective Comics #411 (May 1971). The character was directly inspired by the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service and the Fu Manchu fiction.[2][3][4][5] She is most commonly depicted as a romantic interest for Batman, an antagonist, or a combination of the two. Her father, the leader of a worldwide criminal empire, considered Batman the man most worthy to marry Talia and become his successor.[6] Absent a spouse, Talia was considered as an heir to her father and his organization.[7][8][9] While Batman is uninterested in the criminal empire, he has often demonstrated romantic feelings for Talia.

Talia has saved the life of her "beloved" Batman or helped him on numerous occasions. The majority of her criminal acts have been committed at the behest of her father and motivated by loyalty to her father rather than personal gain. In pre-First Crisis, she was a morally ambiguous character. In post-First Crisis, she acted as an antiheroic figure, and brought about the downfall of Lex Luthor.[10] Recent depictions just before and after Infinite Crisis as well as in DC's The New 52 have shown her as a supervillainess in her own right, such as leading the League of Assassins,[11][10] as part of the Secret Society of Super Villains,[12] and as the mastermind behind Leviathan.[13]

IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Talia as #42.[14] She was ranked 25th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[15] Talia has been featured in various adaptations in other media, most notably the 2012 Christopher Nolan film, The Dark Knight Rises, where she was portrayed by Marion Cotillard.

Fictional character biography

Early life

The graphic novel Batman: Birth of the Demon (1992) explains how her father met her mother at Woodstock and that she was of mixed Chinese and Arab descent. Talia's mother later dies of a drug overdose. This is a retcon of Batman: Son of the Demon (1987), which states that Talia's mother was named Melisande and was murdered in front of young Talia by a former servant of Ra's named Qayin who threw her into a prototype Lazarus Pit. In Batman Incorporated Vol. 2, #2 (2012), a Talia origin issue for DC Comics' The New 52, Ra's meets Melisande at Live Aid. Talia is later told by her father that her mother died during childbirth, but a fortune teller claims to a young Talia to be her mother; Ra's insists Melisande is dead.[16]

In her youth, Talia travels with Ra's around the world. He teaches her hand to hand combat as well as the use of most conventional weapons, from swords to guns. She helps him in the management of various organizations that he controls.

Batman

Talia first meets Batman in the story "Into the Den of the Death-Dealers!" in Detective Comics #411 (May 1971) by Dennis O'Neil and Bob Brown.[17] In the story, Batman rescues her from Dr. Darrk, apparently the leader of the League of Assassins. It is eventually revealed that the League is just one part of Ra's al Ghul's organization, The Demon, and that Darrk apparently turned against Ra's after failing in a mission (the usual punishment for this being death). At the end of the story, she shoots and kills Darrk to save Batman's life.

Talia next appears in "Daughter of the Demon" in Batman #232 (June 1971). In the story, Dick Grayson (Robin) is kidnapped. Ra's al Ghul enters the Batcave, revealing to Batman that he knows Batman's secret identity and saying that Talia was also kidnapped along with Dick. Batman then goes with Ra's to search for Dick and Talia; in the end, it is revealed that Talia loves Batman and that the entire kidnapping is a setup designed by Ra's as a final test of Batman's suitability to be Talia's husband and his sucessor. Though Batman rejects Ra's offer, he nevertheless returns Talia's feelings. Ra's and Talia consider Batman to be married to Talia with only their consent necessary in DC Special Series #15 (1978) in the story "I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife!".

File:Talia Al Ghul batman and ra.jpg
Talia is often depicted as being torn between devotion for her father and love for Batman. Art by Graham Nolan from the Batman & Spider-Man: New Age Dawning crossover. Published by DC Comics.

In the years since Talia meets Batman, she is repeatedly torn between loyalty to her father and her love of Batman. However, she has proven an important 'ally' in her way; most prominently, she encourages Batman to return to Gotham City when it is declared a "No Man's Land" following an earthquake, and he had lost his fighting spirit and did not believe he could save Gotham.

Son of the Demon

In the graphic novel Son of the Demon, Ra's al Ghul successfully enlists Batman's aid in defeating a rogue assassin who had murdered his wife, Talia's mother. Talia witnessed the murder as a young child. During this story line, Batman marries Talia and the prior marriage from DC Special Series #15 (1978) is referenced. They have conjugal relations which results in her becoming pregnant. Batman is nearly killed protecting Talia from an attack by the assassin's agents. In the end, Talia concludes that she can never keep Batman, as he will be continuously forced to defend her. She fakes a miscarriage, and the marriage is dissolved.

Talia later gives birth to the child. The child is left at an orphanage; he is adopted and given the name Ibn al Xu'ffasch which is Arabic for 'son of the bat'. The only other clue to the child's heritage is a jewel-encrusted necklace Batman had given to Talia which Talia leaves with the child.

It is referenced in three Elseworlds storylines: Kingdom Come, its sequel The Kingdom, and Brotherhood of the Bat feature two alternate versions of the child as an adult, coming to terms with his dual heritage.

The concept of Talia and Batman having a child together was reintroduced in Batman & Son (2006).

The Red Hood

During the "Death in the Family" storyline, Jason Todd, the second Robin, is murdered by the Joker in Ethiopia. Batman and Alfred Pennyworth bring Jason's body back to Gotham and bury him with the rest of the Wayne Family. However, six months later, Superboy Prime resurrects Jason with a reality-altering punch. (Batman Annual 25, 2006) Although Jason is returned to life, his body and mind are still broken from the Joker's attack. Some time later, he is discovered by the League of Assassins. Out of her love for Batman and the desire of making Batman love her again, Talia takes Jason to her father and Jason spends months in the care of the League of Assassins. Although his body recuperates, Jason's mind is shattered.

Seeing no other way to help him, Talia takes Jason down to the Lazarus Pit and throws his body in while her father regenerates himself. Jason is fully revived in body and mind. Immediately afterward, in order to spare Jason her father's wrath, she aids the boy's escape.

Livid at the fact that Batman failed to avenge his (Jason's) death by killing the Joker and that Batman had done nothing more than imprison him again, Jason pursues his own brand of justice. In order to stall him from killing Batman, Talia agrees to finance Jason and aid him in his training, so that he then become the second Red Hood.[volume & issue needed]

Bane

Talia encounters Bane while on a mission in the Batman: Bane of the Demon prequel comic series (1998) and brings him to meet her father, Ra's al Ghul. After Bane enters the League of Assassins, Ra's considers Bane a potential heir to his empire instead of Batman and wants his daughter to marry him. Initially amused by Bane, Talia later rejects the brute, regarding him as merely a cunning animal compared to the more cultured intelligence of his predecessor. After Batman defeats Bane in the Legacy comic series (1996), Ra's agrees that Bane was unworthy of his daughter (Detective Comics #701 and Robin #33), and calls off their engagement. Following Legacy, Bane has a nightmare in Batman: Bane (1997) of Talia (presumed to be deceased) betraying him and stabbing him and then embracing Batman. In Birds of Prey #26 (2001), Bane continues to express his obsession with Talia. At the end of the story, Talia is pleased at the supposed death of Bane in one of her father's underground sanctums.

LexCorp

Talia, disillusioned with her father and his plans and using the name Talia Head for herself,[18][19] leaves him to run LexCorp as its new CEO when Lex Luthor becomes President of the United States. Although she seemingly supports Luthor, she secretly works to undermine him, anonymously leaking news of his underhanded dealings to Superman. In Superman/Batman #6 (March 2004), when the time comes for Luthor's downfall, she sells all of LexCorp's assets to the Wayne Foundation, leaving Luthor penniless and his crimes exposed to all.

Death and the Maidens

It is revealed in Batman: Death and the Maidens that Ra's al Ghul met a woman by whom he had a daughter named Nyssa during his travels in Russia in the 19th century. Ra's abandons Nyssa at a crucial time: she is tortured, her entire family is killed in a concentration camp during the Holocaust, and she is rendered sterile when Nazi doctors pour acid into her uterus. Seeking vengeance, Nyssa plans to use her considerable wealth and resources to kill Ra's by befriending, kidnapping, and brainwashing Talia, turning her into a weapon to kill their father. To this end, she captures Talia and kills and resurrects her in rapid succession in a Lazarus Pit, leaving Talia virtually broken from the trauma of dying again and again in so short a time as Nyssa asks Talia why her father is 'letting' this happen to her. Rendered apathetic by her time in the camp, unable to feel anything, Nyssa also plans to assassinate Superman with Kryptonite bullets she stole from the Batcave, hoping that, by uniting the world in one moment of tragedy, she would manage to rouse herself once more.

While Batman is successful in preventing the assassination of Superman, he is unable to stop Nyssa from killing Ra's. This, in turn, is actually part of a greater plan concocted by Ra's, who wants to ensure that his daughters would accept their destinies as his heirs and take up his genocidal campaign. Realizing and accepting this, Nyssa and Talia become the heads of The Demon, with Talia disavowing her love for Bruce Wayne as another result of her torture at Nyssa's hands (both sisters then consider Batman to be their enemy).

The Society

In Countdown to Infinite Crisis, it is revealed that Talia is one of the core members of the Secret Society of Super Villains (the others were Lex Luthor (secretly Alexander Luthor, Jr. in disguise), Black Adam, Doctor Psycho, Deathstroke, and Calculator). This is revealed to be part of one of half-sister Nyssa's plans to take over the planet and bring about world peace and equality. Nyssa explains why she and Talia are working with the villains of the Society to Batgirl (Cassandra Cain).

"Vast stockpiles of food rot, while people starve. Millions die from curable diseases, while drug companies rake in the billions. Our environment chokes on our waste, becoming so toxic that life fails. It's genocide by greed, apathy, and neglect. These are the real crimes. Something must change."

"But... they're evil."

"The Society's plans are vast... they will succeed. I can't stop them. When the world gets a true taste of violent oppression, and their heroes lie dead and broken -- apathy will die. That's when you'll lead my League to sanction key Society members. Leaving Talia and I to lead the revolution. A new world will be born, one of peace and equality. Millions of lives will be saved."

From Batgirl #67, by Andersen Gabrych

Nyssa fails to recruit Batgirl to her new League of Assassins, and the Society fails to achieve its goals.

During One Year Later, after Nyssa's apparent death at the hands of Cassandra Cain (who usurps control of the League of Assassins), Talia becomes the new Demon's Head. However, the League of Assassins has apparently splintered and Cassandra Cain has gained only partial control.

Damian

The concept of Talia and Batman having a child from Son of the Demon is reinterpreted into continuity in the story Batman & Son (2006), written by Grant Morrison. Their son is created in an artificial womb and named Damian. He is raised and trained in the League of Assassins. Talia introduces him to Batman as part of a grand scheme involving ninja man-bats and the kidnapping of the British Prime Minister's wife. Batman is unsure whether this is his son but attempts to deal with the spoiled, hot-tempered child anyway. Damian, effectively raised to be an assassin, kills a criminal and nearly kills Tim Drake, the current Robin. Shortly afterwards, father, mother, and son confront each other on a ship which is destroyed by a torpedo. Talia and Damian survived the explosion and Talia continues to keep a close eye on Bruce. Meanwhile, Damian is injured severely and undergoes a transplant of all his major organs.

Talia is prompted to read the history of Ra's al Ghul to Damian by a mysterious figure from Ra's past: the White Ghost. Unbeknownst to her, the White Ghost plans to use Damian as a vessel for Ra's return. However, mother and son manage to escape before the plan is completed. After the escape, Batman confronts the White Ghost; he fights Batman, but accidentally ends up falling into a Lazarus Pit.[20]

R.I.P and Final Crisis

During the Batman R.I.P. storyline, Talia and Damian become aware of the Black Glove's plot against Batman and begin devising a plan to help save him. They arrive at Wayne Manor just in time to save Commissioner James Gordon from being killed by assorted booby traps created by the Black Glove. This is referenced in issue 39 of the old 52. She offers to join forces with Gordon to save Batman. She and Gordon arrive too late, however, and are informed by Robin that Batman went missing and may be dead following a battle with Doctor Hurt.

Furious that her love may be dead, she sends out her ninja bats to murder Jezebel Jet, who plays a major role in trying to kill Batman. Soon after it is revealed Batman did not die, but survives only to be captured by Darkseid during the Final Crisis and then apparently murdered by the New God.

Following Batman's apparent death, Talia apparently decides to leave Damian in the hands of his adopted brother Dick Grayson, who later takes on the role of Batman, and selects Damian to succeed Tim Drake as Robin.

In Final Crisis, she is placed on the new Society's inner circle by Libra. Despite Talia's interaction with the new Society she still behaves lovingly and almost devoted to Batman.

It is revealed in Gotham City Sirens #2 that Talia has trained Catwoman to resist even the most intense psychological coercion to reveal Bruce Wayne's secret identity.

Following an operation in which Damian's spine is replaced, it is revealed that Talia inserts an implant into his spine that allows her or anyone she chooses, including Deathstroke, to control Damian's body remotely. She intends to use this device to force Damian to kill Dick Grayson, whom she perceives as holding her son back from his potential.[21] After Grayson frees Damian, Talia reveals to her son that she has begun cloning him after realizing that the Boy Wonder has completely sided with his father's circle during their confrontation. She is too much of a perfectionist to love her son after he has defied her in such a manner, and is no longer welcome in the House of al Ghul.[22]

Batman Incorporated

Talia is later revealed to be the mastermind behind the Leviathan, a shadowy organization formed to oppose Bruce's "Batman Incorporated" project. She places a bounty of 500,000,000 dollars on Damian's head, and declares war on Batman.[23] Talia puts her father, Ra's al Ghul, under house arrest for opposing her plan and takes his men away with her.[24] She claims to Batman that her agents have infiltrated all of Gotham's infrastructure and that she is providing the poor with purpose by arming them and giving them slogans to chant, as well as an enemy to fight. Talia says Batman must choose between saving Gotham from suicide or saving their son Damian from a death sentence.[25]

Powers and abilities

Talia is an Olympic-level athlete, having been trained since birth in many forms of martial arts. She is also quite proficient with most hand weapons. Often underestimated, Talia is also an excellent hand to hand fighter. Her abilities allow her to lead the League of Assassins from time to time.

In other media

Television

File:Talia al Ghul (DC Animated Universe).jpg
Talia al Ghul as she appears in the DC animated universe.
  • In Batman: The Animated Series, Talia is voiced by Helen Slater (who is known for her portrayal of Supergirl, another DC Comics character, in the film of the same name).
  • In Superman: The Animated Series, actress Olivia Hussey voiced Talia, replacing Helen Slater.
  • In the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past", it is revealed that Batman's final confrontation with Ra's, during a period known as the Near-Apocalypse of 2009, left Ra's so injured that not even the pits could heal him. Talia took control of his company, using it for philanthropic purposes to undo her father's actions and eventually approaches Bruce on his birthday with an offer to use the pits' restorative powers to become young once more.
File:Talia al Ghulanimated.jpg
Talia as she appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Film

Live action

  • Talia does not appear in Batman Begins, despite the appearance of her father in the film. However, she is mentioned in Ra's' character biography in the DVD and Blu-ray Disc special features of the film: "It is little known that Ra's Al Ghul has a child – daughter Talia." She is also mentioned in Dennis O'Neil's novelization of the film. In the journals of Ra's al Ghul, Ra's contemplates summoning Talia from Switzerland to meet Bruce Wayne at the monastery.
Marion Cotillard as Talia al Ghul (under the guise of Miranda Tate) in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
  • Talia appears as a major antagonist in The Dark Knight Rises portrayed by Marion Cotillard.[27][28][29] Joey King portrayed Talia as an older child and Harry Coles portrayed Talia as a younger child in the flashbacks.[30][31] She was also briefly depicted as a baby in a flashback. Early in the story, Talia poses as a businesswoman named Miranda Tate who has been ignored by Bruce Wayne for years after he sidelines the Wayne Enterprises nuclear fusion reactor project that she invested in. After he loses his fortune and seat on the board, he turns to her and she becomes the new chair and CEO of the company. She shares an intimate night with Bruce at Wayne Manor. Defeated by Bane and placed in a foreign underground prison, Bruce is told a legend by a prisoner about a child that was born in the prison and was the only one to climb out and escape. Bruce, while encountering a hallucination of Ra's al Ghul, deduces that the child is Ra's al Ghul's offspring and is the heir to the League of Shadows. Based on prior information he learned pertaining to Bane being born in prison, Bruce assumes that the child is Bane. In Gotham City, Bane appears to strong arm Miranda into giving him access to the reactor, which he then turns into a bomb and uses to take over Gotham City. After Batman's return to the city and near the end of the story, Miranda stabs Batman to help Bane and reveals herself to be the child of Ra's al Ghul that escaped the prison. She says that her name is Talia and shows that she is in control of the trigger to the bomb. She has been covertly carrying on her deceased father's mission to destroy Gotham for years and says that vengeance for his death is a reward for her patience. Bane is revealed to be her friend and the protector who saved her life as a child when her mother was killed in the prison. While trying to prevent Batman and his allies from stopping the bomb's detonation, she is forced off the road in her truck by Batman and dies confident that her father's work is done (having disabled the only apparent method to save Gotham), but is ultimately defeated when Batman's aerial vehicle The Bat takes the bomb away from Gotham into the bay where it detonates.

Animated

  • Talia appears in a non-speaking role in Batman: Under the Red Hood. During a flashback, she is shown standing next to her father while he attempts to bring Jason Todd back from the dead using the Lazarus Pit. She later attempts to shoot Jason after he awakens and attempts to escape from the Pit; however, her father wants Jason alive and stops her.

Video games

  • Talia al Ghul appears in DC Universe Online voiced by Ellie McBride. She is the "alert" broadcaster for the villain side.
  • Talia al Ghul appears in Batman: Arkham City voiced by Stana Katic. She is seen serving Ra's al Ghul as the head of his squad of elite female assassins. She plays a major role in the story as both an antagonist and love interest to Batman. When Batman follows one of her assassins to the League's underground base, Talia is both angry that he infiltrated her base and the failure of her guard, but likewise happy to see Bruce again. As their conversation progresses she moves to remove his mask and kiss him, only to see his face disfigured by the Joker/Titan compound, which Batman uses as an excuse to join the League of Assassins. When Batman finally reaches Ra's, he reveals he only wanted Ra's's blood for a cure, which upsets Talia because he used her for her father, though she still urges Batman to kill her father and join her as the leaders of the League of Assassins. After Ra's is defeated he quickly grabs his daughter as a hostage and tries to make Batman kill him, but Batman manages to save Talia from her father. Outraged at being betrayed by the two people she really cares for, Talia storms out of the room. However, Talia follows Batman through Arkham City and steals the Titan Antidote from Harley Quinn before duct-taping her to a pipe. Soon after when Batman is about to be killed by the Joker, Talia intervenes and offers to grant the Joker immortality for Batman's life. Joker accepts, and as the pair leave, Talia shows Batman that she is wearing the tracker he used to find her base. But by the time Batman is able to help her she is a hostage of Joker's in the Monarch Theater. As Batman tries to convince Joker to let her go, Talia frees herself and impales the Joker with her sword, apparently killing him. As Batman scolds her for killing the Joker, Talia reveals she had taken the cure from Harley Quinn. Just as Batman realizes that there were two Jokers the whole time Talia is shot by the real Joker (the one she killed merely being Clayface playing dead). She apologizes to her beloved for her mistake before dying in his arms, and the cure rolls from her hands to the waiting Clayface. Her body vanishes completely as Batman fights Clayface, implying the League may have taken her corpse. By the time of Harley Quinn's Revenge Batman is still mourning Talia.

Miscellaneous

  • Talia appears in issue #11 of the Young Justice tie-in comic book series. In the issue, she and her father attempt to hijack the launch of a Ferris Aircraft space shuttle only to be thwarted by Batman and Robin. She is later revealed to have caused Matt Hagen's transformation into Clayface, after he seduces her into using the Lazarus Pit to cure his cancer. She finds out locks him up in the Pit for months in anger, causing him to mutate into Clayface. In issue 12, Clayface emerges from the pit calling out Talia's name. As Clayface grabs Talia, Sensei chops off Clayface's arm as Ra's al Ghul arrives where Sensei tells him that the monster is Matt Hagen. After commanding Clayface to sleep, Ra's al Ghul orders Sensei to ship Clayface to Gotham City so that he can bother Batman and then demands an explanation from Talia on how Clayface came to be.

References

  1. ^ Talia al Ghul appearances masterlist. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  2. ^ O'Neil, Dennis, ed. (2008). Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City. Smart Pop. p. 20. The mysterious Ra's al Ghul was introduced at this time as well, his daughter and Batman-love interest Talia and his Himalayan headquarters both directly inspired by the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
  3. ^ Klaehn, Jeffery, ed. (2006). Inside the World of Comic Books. Black Rose Books. p. 129. Mike W. Barr: I have made the point elsewhere that the relationship between Batman, Ra's and Talia is basically that of James Bond, Draco, and his daughter, Tracy, from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
  4. ^ Morrison, Grant (2012). Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human. pp. 147–148. Together Adams and O'Neil created two classic and abiding Batman antagonists, in the forms of international crime lord Ra's al Ghul and his sexy daughter Talia, who updated the Fu Manchu exotic villain archetype into the fashionably seventies world of ecoterror.
  5. ^ Anders, Lou (2009-05-15). The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. "This is it, the inspiration for Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter Talia (also Arabic, deeply in love with Batman, but unable to betray her father). Karamaneh was combined with Fah lo Suee, the daughter of Fu Manchu who was introduced in later books. A deadly supervillain in her own right, Fah lo Suee often fought with her father for control of his organization. She also fell in love with Nayland Smith. O’Neil combined the two women, added a touch of On Her Majestry’s Secret Service, and viola, Ra’s al Ghul and Talia are born."
  6. ^ Batman Villains Secret Files & Origins #1 (1998). "'The Detective,' as Ra's al Ghul calls the Batman, is his most worthy opponent, and the one man most deserving of wedding his beautiful daughter Talia and inheriting the Demon's empire."
  7. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey Books. p. 179. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "Head, Talia. Talia was the younger daughter of Ra's al Ghul, considered heir to his empire despite her independent streak."
  8. ^ Superman/Batman Secret Files #1 (2003). "She is the daughter and sole heir of immortal international eco-terrorist Ra's al Ghul, the so-called 'Demon's Head.' Talia is also one of the few women Bruce Wayne ever admitted loving."
  9. ^ Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins (2005). "The siblings killed their father, only to discover that it was his plan all along to forge Nyssa into his successor. Nyssa and Talia now have all of Ras's empire under their control."
  10. ^ a b Greenberger, Robert (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey Books. p. 117-118. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey Books. p. 180. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "Additionally, after Batgirl killed Nyssa, Talia took control of the League, setting herself up as one of the most dangerous people on Earth."
  12. ^ Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins (2005). "With Talia also at the core of the super-villain organization known as the Society..."
  13. ^ Phegley, Kiel (2012-08-06). The Bat Signal: Grant Morrison Builds On The Past For "Batman Incorported". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2012-12-16. "Grant Morrison: This is Batman, Talia and Damian, caught in the middle of this gigantic global war. It's really about parents falling out with each other -- only these parents have the power to crack the world in half. [Laughs] One side has a supervillain army with assassins and Man-Bats and genetically engineered troops. It's kind of the horror of what goes wrong in a family just expanded to a global scale."
  14. ^ "Talia Al Ghul is Number 42". IGN. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  15. ^ Frankenhoff, Brent (2011). Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics. Krause Publications. p. 24. ISBN 1-4402-2988-0.
  16. ^ Batman Incorporated Vol. 2, #2 (August 2012)
  17. ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Before Batman first encountered one of his greatest adversaries, Ra's al Ghul, he met his daughter, the lovely but lethal Talia [in a story by] writer Denny O'Neil and artist Bob Brown. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins (2005). "..Talia eventually distanced herself from both men and, taking the English translation of her surname, 'Head', as her American last name, became CEO of LexCorp."
  19. ^ Newman, Nick. Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials - President Luthor: Secret Files and Origins #1 "Luthor parks in front of an apartment and heads up alone. Ringing a doorbell, the accompanying door opens to reveal Talia. She lets him in and tells him not to call her Talia Al Ghul. Her name is Head, pronounced Heed."
  20. ^ Batman Annual #26 (2007)
  21. ^ Batman and Robin #11 (April 2010)
  22. ^ Batman and Robin #12 (May 2010)
  23. ^ Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes #1 (December 2011)
  24. ^ Batman Incorporated Vol. 2, #2 (August 2012)
  25. ^ Batman Incorporated Vol. 2, #6 (February 2013)
  26. ^ Philbrick, Jami (2010-11-20). "EXCLUSIVE: Teresa Palmer Still Wants to Play Talia Al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises Rumors". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  27. ^ Warner, Kara (2012-07-28). 'Dark Knight Rises' Femme Fatales: An Appreciation. MTV. Retrieved 2012-12-14. "Back to Cotillard as Talia al Ghul and that moving reveal ... how great is that moment? While she reveals her true self as the cold, calculating killer maestro behind the madness, she is doing so whilst lovingly fixing Bane's busted mask, causing that aforementioned tear."
  28. ^ Wigler, Josh (2012-07-27). 'The Dark Knight Rises' Again: Tips For Your Second Viewing. MTV
  29. ^ Marion Cotillard And Joseph Gordon-Levitt Cast In Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises”. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  30. ^ Bedard, Kelly (2012-01-06). "Exclusive Interview: Joey King". My Entertainment World. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
  31. ^ Miranda (Character). King is credited as "Older prison child" and Coles is credited as "Younger prison child" in the film's end credits.

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