Talia al Ghul

Talia al Ghul: 1600's - 1993
Talia was supposedly born to a daimyo’s daughter… or was it a laundry maid? Talia was the product of either a forcibly or romantic encounter (sources give conflicting reports) between her mother and Ra's al Ghul himself and after Talia’s birth, her mother either died due to complications or was killed by Ra’s al Ghul (again, sources conflict). Whatever the case, Talia spent her youth traveling the world with her father learning from his intellect and skills as he continued to build up his organization.

As the League of Assassins continued to take shape and consolidate influence throughout the world, Talia proved to be more competent than any of Ra’s al Ghul’s other children. Talia excelled in management and was soon given oversight of both criminal and legitimate operations for the League, answering only to her father.

As secondary only to Ra’s himself, Talia was widely respected within the League, despite the fact that her own father once considered woman to be inherently inferior to men and let that belief permeate through the League.

Though Ra’s al Ghul was always supportive of his daughter, she hear him comment many times of a desire to correct “that sole failing” in her. This continued emotional abuse led to Talia improving her skills beyond her father’s expectations and working harder than any of his other subordinates. Talia must have been able to do so as she seems to be the first child of Ra’s al Ghul to be allowed to bathe in the Lazarus Pits as often as needed to maintain her youth, an honor which has since only been given to one other child since, her half-sister, Nyssa.

After giving his daughters eternal youth, Ra’s al Ghul sought to marry his daughters off in hopes of finally starting a proper dynasty for the Demon’s Head. In their time, Talia and Nyssa have had many suitors and even several husbands.

Many of them disappointed Ra’s al Ghul or were discovered to be less than ideal mates for the daughters of the demon and were taken care of accordingly (for a particularly brutal example, see “Hagen, Matthew”). Then in 1993, Talia al Ghul met the love of her life. But we’ll get to that later.

Talia al Ghul: 1993 - Present
In 1993, Talia al Ghul met Bruce Wayne, one of many young men het father had selected for their remarkable abilities and unique social standing. Though at first the billionaire did not interest her, during the course of Bruce's training, Talia found herself drawn to Bruce's remarkable aptitude and the two became intimate. When a similar relationship had formed with her sister and Oliver Queen, Ra's al Ghul ordered a wedding ceremony to be held and at the end of the wedding, both Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne were named not only as the husbands of the Demon's Daughters, but also Heirs to the Demon's Head. For all intents and puposes, Talia was loyal and loving wife to Bruce. I mean, as far as assassin wives go, she was lovely.

Bruce and Talia would remain together for less than five years. At some point, Bruce went a paradigm shift and abandoned not only the League of Assassins, but also Talia - not aware that she was with child. When the HIVE attempted to kill Nyssa's newborn some time later, Talia decided to keep her pregnancy a secret and Ra's al Ghul accomodated this. After giving birth to the son that many called "The Son of the Bat" in a secret, sequestered stronghold, Talia's love for Bruce took on an odd shape, transforming itself into a weird devotion into making certain that their child was the best son possible - worthy of not only her love, but his father's admiration as well. So Talia used steroids and elixirs to ensure that her child, Damian al Ghul, would grow into the assassin that she believed he was destined to be. When not spending time with her son, tutoring him and molding him into the ideal warrior, Talia would continue to serve as her father's right hand. When her duty to the League put her in conflict with Bruce, she would show her only known weakness and secretly aid Bruce.

In 2013, after Tim Drake orchestrated a masterful takedown of the League (with my help), Talia was given the chance to keep order in the League. As assurance, she told Bruce where to find their son. Since then, Talia has become more jaded and less devoted to Bruce. Recently, she orchestrated the Judas Contract which saw the escape of her father from Arkham.

Medical Profile

 * Patient is in exceptional health through regular exercise, yoga, and meditation.
 * Patient exhibits none of the metahuman characteristics that her father does, but DNA test do confirm her father is Ra’s al Ghul (Patient #71232).

Psychological Profile

 * Patient shows evidence of thought reform therapy (brainwashing).

Behavior Profile

 * Patient is highly trained combatant, familiar with a multitude of weaponry. CAUTION: HIGH RISK ASSAULT.


 * Patient is a top lieutenant of the League of Assassins terrorist sect. HIGH RISK SCAPE: Should be housed in insolation away from her father and any of his high-profile lieutenants: Nyssa Raatko (#83783), Sandra Wu-San (#51976), Jade Nguyen (#83106), David Cain (#99567), Slade Wilson (#80122).


 * Patient is currently being questioned by ARGUS, FBI, CIA and Interpol for her connection to multiple terrorist attacks and political assassinations.


 * Patient mentioned in the intake interview that she was pregnant twelve years ago, but when asked about the welfare of her child, patient becomes agitated and denies that she has a child. Further when asked if she would like to join our child-loss counseling group, patient again denies that she was ever pregnant. Perhaps she is in denial? Further inquiry recommended.

Trivia

 * Talia is also a CEO of LuthorCorp as Miranda Tate.
 * Dr. Westerman's inquiries about Talia's child (Damian) caused her to send Assassins Three after him during the League of Assassins breakout.

Links and References

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