Nyssa al Ghul

Nyssa al Ghul: 1700's - 1993
Let me just start by saying that this girl is crazy. Anyway, Nyssa was born in Russia, during one of three periods of the 18th century when Ra's spent significant time in the Russian court, currying favors and killing time while the seeds he planted in France incited revolution. Much like her half-sister, Talia, we do not know who exactly Nyssa’s mother was, except that her last name was Raatko as that is a name Nyssa had until she was a young woman and managed to finally meet her father after tracking him down to a League camp in North Africa. Impressed by her beauty, her skills, and initiative, Ra’s al Ghul took her in and saw to it that she would have the training to supplement her skills with those of a proper assassin.

When her training was completed, Ra’s promoted her to a position similar to that held by Talia. As the left hand associate, to Talia’s place on Ra’s al Ghul’s right, Nyssa accompanied her father and half-sister during their adventures. Nyssa eventually impressed her father to the point where he allowed Nyssa to use his Lazarus Pits to maintain her youth throughout time.

During one rejuvenation session, the already unbalanced Nyssa got curious and intentionally drowned herself in the waters of the Lazarus Pits. When she revived, Nyssa swore she’d been subject to a potent vision of the future. Though Ra’s al Ghul dismissed her claims, Nyssa became obsessed with attempts to repeat this experience. This practice would ultimately bite her in the butt, or rather in the brain, as the next time she was successful in doing so, in 1891, she was pulled from the pit with all white hair and speaking incoherently.

Though color would return to most of her hair (save the bold streak of white she retains to this day), it took Nyssa the better part of two decades to regain the ability to speak coherently. In that time, Nyssa had scribbled jibberish in hundreds of journals and when she regained her mind (or a portion of it, at least), Nyssa took it upon herself to decode her own writings, fervently holding to the belief that somewhere in her mad ravings, she had discovered the secret to something called the “Anti-Life Equation”. Yeah… like I told you, this girl be crazy.

The Red Claw: 1993 - Present
In 1993, Nyssa al Ghul met Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen. Though most assassins seemed to believe Bruce Wayne to be the superior choice for Ra’s al Ghul’s possible heir, Nyssa was invested in Oliver Queen due to the prophetic nature of his abduction and his eyes having turned green when exposed to the Lazarus pit as she believed in some of her mad scribbling which foretold of a person called “Ahkdir” (Green) being of great importance to the League. Not only was Oliver a capable assassin, he was one of the best archers Nyssa had ever met. The two became involved in sexual relationship almost immediately and eventually, Ra’s al Ghul approved for his daughter to marry Oliver.

For years, I’m sure they were happy as everything I know about the two seems to suggest they probably rarely got out of bed, but eventually Oliver screwed things up… literally. Having sired a child in Nyssa and in one of her attendants, Oliver feared Ra’s al Ghul’s wrath and conspired with Bruce Wayne to escape the League. I am told Nyssa was heartbroken and after having given birth to her and Oliver’s child, Connor, she became obsessed with making Oliver’s life hell like the crazy ex she was born to become. Among Nyssa’s many plots against Oliver involved befriending Oliver’s sister-in-law, Sara Lance, and seducing Sara (literally and figuratively) into joining the League. Once in the League’s control, Nyssa began covertly polluting Sara’s mind with toxins made to warp her perceptions, brainwashing her. By the time Sara’s training was complete, Nyssa sent Dinah’s sister back to Star City armed with more potent bled of the drug that Nyssa had used on her. Under Nyssa’s orders, Sara laced one of Oliver’s drinks and the seduced Oliver who mistook her for her sister. Nyssa then arranged to have Dinah catch the two in the act. The final part of the plan was for Sara to kill Dinah, but Nyssa underestimated her ex’s new wife.

Recently, Nyssa has decided to forgive Oliver (or claims to have, at least). Her sincerity has yet to be tested, however, as she’s been locked in Arkham for some time now.

Trivia

 * She is recognized as an international terrorist and is under ARGUS jurisdiction.

Links and References

 * Appearances of Nyssa al Ghul
 * Character Gallery: Nyssa al Ghul