Characters / Earth Twenty Seven The League Of Assassins

Main Character Index: The Light | The Legion of Doom | The League of Assassins (The White Glove | The Black Glove | The Foot Clan) | H.I.V.E. | The Rogues | The Organized Crime of Gotham (The Masterminds and Allies) | The Salvation Syndicate | The Cadre of the Immortal | Extraterrestrial Villains (The House of Zod | Apokalypse) | Supernatural Villains (ECO | Slashers) | Townsville Villains | Other Villains

The man known as Ra's al Ghul ("The Head of the Demon" in an archaic dialect of Arabic, known internally as lisan alqatala) founded the organization in the mid-14th century. Ra's had been a physician by trade but revenge against the murderers of his wife Sora and a near-drowning in a Lazarus Pit had propelled him on a different path.

Rumor has it that Ra's al Ghul's father or grandfather had once been an Asāsīyūn commander of a citadel belonging to the Nizari Ismailis and had escaped the mongol invasions that had killed many of his comrades. While he had seemingly escaped from a violent end and carried out a more peaceful existence, it is possible he taught his son the ways of the Asāsīyūn or Ra's learned of this through study of his father's journals after his passing. Whether these rumors are the truth of the matter or not, Ra's al Ghul chose to found an organization to be the spiritual successor to the Order of the Asāsīyūn.

Originally known as the Safinat Dakhma, the early League of Assassins took over a small city after murdering the bandits who had once used the city as their base of operations. This city was used as a temporary base and staging area for the construction of new citadel in the nearby mountain wilderness. This was a fortification which would take many years to complete but once finished it would serve as the first true bastion of the order, a palace built atop a Lazarus Pit.

From here, Ra's al Ghul's Safinat Dakhma began to grow and expand. Scouts were sent out to other remote locations on order of Ra's al Ghul, using carefully calculated instructions and the dreams induced by Pit vapors to seek out other Pits and secure possession of them, either through violence, obfuscation, or legitimate channels. If a Pit could not be secured, it was often instead destroyed to ensure it did not fall into the hands of their enemies.

To finance this growth, Ra's al Ghul had made political alliances by conducting deals brokered in blood, selling the services of the League's assassins to Heads of State and warlords. Expanding into European Renaissance, Ra's made himself an illicit friend to many courts, most eager to give him wealth and power just to mitigate the chance that Ra's al Ghul would entertain an offer from their enemies.

While his followers lived and died, Ra's al Ghul survived, nourished by the Lazarus Pits. This apparent immortality made him a legend, which both helped draw some to the cause and also helped shroud the League of Assassins in mystery, causing some to believe they were nothing more than a boogeyman tale told to frighten small children into behaving.

In the late 17th or early 18th century, Ra's al Ghul had an affair with a Japanese woman. The product of this affair was his daughter Talia al Ghul. Within a half-century, Ra's al Ghul's affairs had produced another daughter, this one from Russia. These two were the first known children of Ra's al Ghul which were allowed use of his prized Lazarus Pits and eventually both began to compete with one another for stewardship of the League. Instead of choosing one to be his chief subordinate, Ra's elected to divide the League into two halves: naming Talia the White Hand of the Demon and overseeing the order of the White Glove while Nyssa became the Black Hand of the Demon and commanded the Black Glove.

Talia's White Glove handled the business of managing wealth, construction, property acquisition and retention, and contract assassinations; but Nyssa's Black Glove oversaw security and acquisition of relics and Lazarus Pits, study of the occult, and the assassinations which were deemed necessary for the greater good. Ra's al Ghul himself chose to keep personal oversight of the League's training camps. This arrangement not only kept Talia and Nyssa from internal competition for the time, but it allowed the League to grow even larger and more powerful.

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In General

• Above Good and Evil: Goes hand in hand with their Blue-and-Orange Morality.
• Ancient Conspiracy: They've been around a while, that's for sure. A while longer than H.I.V.E., in fact.
• Arch-Enemy: They have the most personal feud with the Bat Family and Team Arrow, and almost all their members are involved, one way or the other.
• Badass Army: This is a given considering they are a secret order of assassins.
• Body Motifs: The factions and titles within the League are all named after body parts, with Ra's as the head, his daughters as his hands and so on.
• Composite Character: Their membership is composed of characters from their Young Justice, Arrow and other comic book incarnations. It is also combined with members of the Black Glove (Simon Hurt's criminal organization) and the Foot Clan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• The Corruption: Certain members are put through an intense brainwashing process to make them 100% loyal to the League.
• Cult: Definitely has the vibe of one. Members are required to discard all connection to their former lives, to be brainwashed into loyally serving Ra's Al-Ghul, adopt new names, and leaving the group is all but impossible without Ra's' say-so.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: The League of Assassins employs people of every nationality and ethnicity.
• Gratuitous Foreign Language: Named assassins are given codenames in Arabic, and members converse in it regularly, even when neither participant is Arabian.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Of the Manhattaning. They allied with Ozymandias to carry the conspiracy out, taking advantage of his misguided attempts to help humanity to complete their goal of ending humanity.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Against H.I.V.E., since they have more standards.
• McNinja: Despite the strong Ninja motif, the group is a Multinational Team, meaning there are non-Asian ninjas.
• Multinational Team: The group is quite diverse.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Gee, a "League of Assassins" doesn't sound terrifying at all...
• Ninja: Their rank and file.
• Professional Killer: This is their main trade when not involved in ancient, global expanding conspiracies.
• The Rival: Even if they're both part of The Light, the League doesn't get along with H.I.V.E. thanks to the enmity between Ra's and Damien Dahrk.
• Shrouded in Myth: How the rest of the world sees the "existence" of the group.
• Succession Crisis: When Ra's is imprisoned, he names his daughter Talia as acting Head. This creates a rift between Talia and Nyssa's factions, who see themselves as the rightful successor of Ra's work. And with the Foot Clan intending to overthrow Ra's, an inner conflict between the "limbs" of the Demon seems inevitable.
  • And Ra's anticipated it, which is why he makes a deal with Dick Grayson to ensure he remains in charge and in a position within the Light.
• Training from Hell: Required to undergo this to be a member.
• Übermensch: The group has their own code of morality — a very twisted morality.

Head of the Demon

Ra's al-Ghul

Probably the biggest threat to the world in Batman's Rogues Gallery, Ra's Al Ghul (Arabic for "The Demon's Head", and pronounced "Raysh Al-Ghool" or "Rahz Al-Ghool" depending on the adaptation) is a centuries-old man who leads an enormous international terrorist organization known as DEMON (as well as the League of Assassins). Unlike most of the other Bat-rogues, he is actually quite cultured and polite, if ruthless, and genuinely believes his goals to be noble. Of course, since his goal is to "purify" the world by killing off ninety percent of its population, Batman disagrees.

With the assistance of the mysterious Lazarus Pits, Ra's has achieved limited immortality, as they rejuvenate him every time he takes a dip. Such a practice has allowed him to live centuries, if not millennia, and he's taken advantage of such a long lifespan to master swordsmanship, war strategies, various fighting styles, and many other skills.

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• Arch-Enemy: He's Batman's secondary nemesis, after The Joker.
• Badass Cape: As if the trope pic couldn't tell you.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: He wears a green pinstriped suit.
• Badass Normal: Lazarus Pit aside, he's completely human.
• Beard of Evil: Oh yes, he sports a two straight tufts on either side of his chin.
• Composite Character: His alias as Henri Ducard is from the The Dark Knight Trilogy series.
• Eco-Terrorist: Ra's is dismayed at the human population boom and the way nature has suffered as a result. He plans to kill off most of humanity to forcibly restore the balance between humanity and the world.
• Enemy Mine: He actually proposes an alliance with the heroes if it means saving Earth from the onslaught of The Anti-Monitor.
• Evil Old Folks: Emphasis on old.
• Fountain of Youth: The Lazarus Pit, which has prolonged his life.
• Freudian Excuse: He had his wife murdered before his very eyes by the spoiled prince he had just saved. He was then wrongfully accused of murdering his own wife. Then he was left in a cage in the desert to rot before finally being saved. The kind of tragedy Ra's went through would screw just about anybody up. All it took was one bad day to turn him into the would-be world conqueror that he is now.
• Greater-Scope Villain: A number of villains are, or used to be, minions of his.
  • David Cain is an instructor for the League of Shadows.
  • Lady Shiva was intended to be one of his finest warriors, but she prefers being on her own.
  • The Shredder and the Foot Clan are one of many factions under his control.
• Immortality: He has cheated death plenty of times.
  • Resurrective Immortality: The Lazarus Pit can bring him back, if he needs it. But, it is less and less effective as he naturally ages.
• Immortality Seeker: One of his defining traits, and often used to push his more hypocritical depictions; Ra's is absolutely terrified of dying and will do whatever he can think of in order to preserve his own existence. Although he has the Lazarus Pits as a matter of course, he knows they're not 100% reliable — they can be exhausted, tainted or destroyed, and are either very hard or even outright impossible to replace — and so he's always looking for alternatives, either metaphorical (having worthy heirs) or literal.
• I Want Grandkids: Well, he has them, but not enough for an heir.
• The Man Behind the Man: Actually, the Joker killing Jason set the League's plan back considerably. Ra's was concerned that Joker may have compromised their smuggling operation so they abandoned it altogether and revised their plan, striking almost a year after Jason's death. This is why Ra's used Jason's corpse as a means to enact revenge on Joker.
• Master Swordsman: He's boasted of having fenced in the courts of King Louis XII through XVI, and surviving Cossack dueling circles.
• Noble Demon: He might be ruthless in his methods, but he does have his sense of honor.
• Pet the Dog:
  • He actually treated Tag, later known as Cynthia Lance, pretty well and even made her his cupbearer after noticing she didn't had the making of an assassin.
  • He also allowed Nathan Scofield to keep custody of Gizmo the Mogwai, simply sending him to England to keep an eye on the country and do work for them until he was called back.
• Really Gets Around: Has lots of kids, from a lot of mothers around the world, but none that are apparently worthy to be his heir.
• Really 700 Years Old: Thanks to his Lazarus Pit. Ra's is over a hundred years old.
• Restart the World: Ra's' basic modus operandi.
• Resurrective Immortality: The Lazarus Pit can bring him back, if he needs it. But, it is less and less effective as he naturally ages.
• Secondary Color Nemesis: Ra's has a particular affinity for green, be it formal wear, robes, or whatever.
• The Social Darwinist: His entire philosophy is a combination of this and eco-terrorism; Earth's population has grown too large, and the vast majority of those souls are unworthy to live, especially as they defile the precious ecosystems of fragile Mother Earth.
• Sparing the Aces: One of the reasons he's so determined to lure the Bat-family to his side.
• Übermensch: He believes he lives up to this ideal and, as such, he's justified in his goals to take over the world.
• Wicked Cultured: He's certainly lived long enough to become adept in many different philosophies, cultures, languages, and customs.
• Worthy Opponent: Considers Batman one and by extent to Green Arrow.

Hands of the Demon

Talia al-Ghul

^{Click for Miranda Tate} 

The eldest daughter of Ra's al Ghul, she was the product of either a forceful or romantic encounter 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. Despite her father being opposed to the Dark Knight, Talia finds herself in love with him, and is often torn between loyalty towards her father and her love for Batman. She's normally not above co-operating with Batman if it would serve her own ends, yet has firmer ties to the rest of The DCU villain community than her father, even taking over for Lex Luthor as CEO of LuthorCorp upon his election as president.

Talia has severed ties with Bruce, but is still infatuated with him, and has recently returned to Batman's life to let him know that he owes roughly years' worth of child support payments.

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• Abusive Parents: She was trained from birth to be an assassin by her father, so yeah. She also implies that he was distant. She herself was this to Damian, having him trained to lead the League of Assassins one day, even fighting him on his birthdays to see if he'd matured enough to learn about his father. However, she was much warmer towards him, and it's clear she does love him.
• Affectionate Nickname: She calls Bruce Wayne "Beloved".
• Asian Babymama: Talia Al Ghul (Chinese/Arab) is Batman's babymama.
• Betty and Veronica: The (relative) Veronica to Selina Kyle's (relative) Betty for Bruce's Archie.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Getting killed and resurrected countless times will do that to anyone.
• Composite Character: Her alias as Miranda Tate is taken straight from The Dark Knight Rises. She's also combined with Penumbra, a member of the League that fell in love with Bruce while he was training.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Lex Luthor after becoming U.S. President he appointed Talia as CEO of LuthorCorp as Miranda Tate. She's wearing an obfuscation charm. Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen can see through it.
• Daddy's Girl: Talia is certainly this. She is torn by her loyalty to her father and her love for Batman.
• Daddy's Little Villain: Talia has done some really, really, abhorrent things to please her father.
• Dating Catwoman: She ends up being one of Batman's primary love interests and arguably the most famous example after the Trope Namer herself.
• Dissonant Serenity: No matter how upset, enraged, or surprised she gets, she almost always looks completely calm and seductive.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: She truly cares about her son Damian and still holds some fondness for Bruce.
• Evil Matriarch: Towards Damien Wayne.
• Femme Fatale: Batman knows getting involved with her is a bad idea every time it happens, but he can't help himself.
• Glamour: As Miranda Tate she wears a magical amulet that makes people unfamiliar with her unable to recognize her as Talia al-Ghul.
• Glass Cannon: Much like Harley and Ivy, she isn't very resilient when it comes to physical fights and relies on her Amazon Brigade to protect herself. But she can definitely dish out a lot more than she can take.
• Hiding Behind Your Bangs: Her iconic hairstyle has her eyes frequently disappear behind her bangs, which helps reinforce her "shady" nature.
• Hypocrite: She hates Ra's for trying to control her destiny, apparently not realizing she does the exact same thing to Damian.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Talia was perfectly content to let Bruce have his romance with Selina. Though that was mostly because she was not threatened, as she considers it simply a matter of fact that Batman already married her.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Much like her father, too much time in the Lazarus Pit eventually takes its toll on her mental state and moral fiber.
• Little Big Sister: She might be older than Nyssa by about a century, but she's slightly shorter than her younger sibling.
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: A classic example.
• Mama Bear: She almost murders Heretic on the spot for almost killing her son Damian.
• Mind Rape: At the hands of her own half-sister, no less.
• Related in the Adaptation: She's the mother of David Cain here, which makes her the grandmother of Cassandra Cain.
• Villainous Cheekbones: Talia has some sharp cheekbones and she's pretty amoral on the best of days.
• Woman Scorned: Talia has this twice:
  • Her entire Leviathan scheme's motivation was "Batman rejected me". After she gives him an ultimatum about finally joining her and Damian to rule the world and he refuses, she says she'll destroy his world. She follows through.
  • Briefly dated Matt Hagen when she realizes that a relationship with Batman is impossible. When she realises that he only used her so he could get to use the Lazarus Pit to treat his illness, she locks him inside, transforming him into Clayface.
• Yandere: Constantly in her goal, but only occasionally in her methods.

Nyssa al-Ghul

The youngest daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, she 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, it is unknown 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. When her training as an assassin 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.

Years later she met Oliver Queen after she invested in him 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. The two became involved in sexual relationship almost immediately and eventually, Ra’s al Ghul approved for his daughter to marry Oliver.

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• Adaptational Sexuality: Nyssa, unlike her comic book or her Arrowverse versions, is Bisexual in Earth 27.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Nyssa is usually portrayed with black hair, but here she has lighter brown hair.
• Affably Evil: She actually seems to be a pretty nice girl, all things considered. About as friendly as ruthless assassins tend to get.
• Asian Babymama: Nyssa Al Ghul(Russian/Arab) is Oliver Queen's babymama.
• Big Little Sister: She's taller than her older sister Talia despite being a century younger.
• Composite Character: Nyssa al Ghul is combined with Red Claw from Batman: The Animated Series (having that moniker, a similar tattoo, and status as a terrorist) and Sandra Hawke (being the mother of Oliver Queen's son Connor).
• Daddy Issues: Yes! Ra's was a horrible father who emotionally abused all her life. Even after she no longer cares for him, she still makes it clear that the lack of parental love in her life still affects her.
• Daddy's Little Villain: She works directly for her father, and constantly seeks his approval.
• Dark Action Girl: She is something of a dark twist on Oliver.
• Evil Matriarch: Towards Connor Hawke. Nyssa was a doting mother, if a bit misguided and warped. Much like her lovers, she expects much out of her children... Not the same sorts of things but she does demand loyalty in exchange for her love.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Like Oliver, she's a crack shot with a bow. Special mention must go to her shooting off his quiver and breaking his arrows.
• Lady of War: She has an elegant and composed demeanor, and her preferred weapon is a bow and arrow.
• Older Than They Look: She may looks her mid thirties but she's actually born in the 18th century in Russia.
• Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: Oliver Queen is deeply afraid of his ex-wife Nyssa and can become paranoid when he believes she is out to get him.
• Psycho Lesbian: Sara loved Nyssa. Nyssa loved Sara. Nyssa's love is just a difficult and dangerous thing. Nyssa is also not a selfless lover. She expects much out of her lovers.
• Related in the Adaptation: In Earth 27 she's the mother of Connor Hawke.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: Her assassin outfit has a snazzy black color scheme with red accents.
• Sibling Rivalry: With Talia. Talia was their father's favorite, and she resented the fact that Talia left and it meant she was left alone until she met Oliver.
• Statuesque Stunner: She stands 5'9"/175cm. Also counts as Tall, Dark, and Snarky given her blunt demeanor.
• Tyke Bomb: Trained for combat at a very young age.
• Unholy Matrimony: 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.
• Yandere: Was this to Oliver when he chose Dinah over her.

Talia's Personal Guard

Assassins Three

See the Challengers of the Unknown page

Nyssa's Personal Guard

Silken Spider

Dragonfly

Tiger Moth

Heart of the Demon

O-Sensei (Kirigi)

• The Ghost: Mentioned on Bruce Wayne's bio but hasn't made an appearance.
• Mentor Archetype: He trained Bruce Wayne during his time with the League of Assassins. He also trained Ben Turner, Ricardo Diaz. and Sandra Wu-San as well.

Feet of the Demon

Bane (Antonio Diaz)

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^{Click for Abaddon} 

Forced to serve a life sentence for the crimes of his father, Bane was born and raised in the underground prison, Peña Duro in Santa Prisca. There, he forged himself into the pinnacle of physical and mental potential all without seeing the light of day. Joining the League and Assassins as "Abaddon", Bane challenged Batman and became famous as "The Man Who Broke the Bat".

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• Badass Bookworm: In prison, he read three books a day and became an expert in a variety of subjects at the same time as he became a physical powerhouse.
• Badass Normal: When he's not using Venom, he's this. Arguably, he's much more dangerous as Venom has mind-altering properties.
  • Empowered Badass Normal: When he's using Venom, he's several times stronger than a normal man.
• Blood Knight: Befitting a prison born brawler, Bane loves a good fight and the opponents that he feel are worthy of his time.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Even without Venom he is extremely durable and strong.
• Composite Character: Bane is a composite character with Ubu from the comics, Ubu in Earth-27 is the title of the League of Assassins' captain of the guard, the bodyguard of the Demon's Head. His Abaddon look is based on his incarnation from The Dark Knight Rises.
• Delinquent Hair: Underneath his mask, Bane styles his hair in a short mohawk.
• Foil: To Batman himself. He is every bit as brilliant, skilled, strong, manipulative, and strategic as the Bat, but where Bruce Wayne came from privilege and uses his abilities for justice, Bane fought his way to the top from the darkest, most oppressive environment possible, and uses his powers to sow evil.
• Freudian Excuse: He was born and raised in a maximum security prison which left him with a pretty dim view of the world.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: He was once just a young boy who was expected to die in prison but he survived to become one of the DC Universe's deadliest threats.
• Genius Bruiser: Just because he's The Brute for the League of Assassins, it doesn't mean he's dumb. All the contrary, he's incredibly smart.
• Hoist Hero over Head: It's his Signature Move.
• Masked Luchador: His design evokes this image, especially with his mask.
• Named by the Adaptation: In the comics and most adaptations, Bane's name is unknown, but here he takes the name Antonio Diaz, which is based on his name in Batman and Robin, Antonio Diego, and the last name of his siblings Ricardo and Larissa Diaz.
• No Social Skills: As a result of his upbringing, Bane has little understanding of how social interaction outside prison works.
• Red Baron: The Man who Broke the Bat.
• Related in the Adaptation: He's the half-brother of Ricardo and Larissa Diaz from his father Edmund Dorrance/King Snake.
• Sins of the Father: His mother was locked up while pregnant of him due to his father's crimes.
• Super Serum: The Venom formula, a military project to create a super-steroid that could be used to make super soldiers.
• Super-Strength: When juiced up on Venom, Bane's strength is beyond human, making him one of the most dangerous of Batman's opponents in hand to hand.
• Trauma Button: Witnessing his mother being devoured by sharks made him very uneasy around the creatures. Shortly after being appointed as Ubu, Shredder made him watch an execution by his hammerhead shark to get under his skin. This made Bane severely limit his interactions with Saki.
• Wrestler in All of Us: It's a bit exaggerated with the Luchadore mask, but his signature Backbreaker is indeed a wrestling move.

Shredder (Oroku Saki)

See The Foot Clan page

The Inner Circle

Respected Masters

Lady Shiva (Sandra Wu-San)

Lady Shiva is most likely the deadliest assassin of the League and rival of Ricardo Diaz and Black Canary. Having dedicated her life to the study of combat, she is a human weapon living for the thrill of a good fight. Her daughter is the vigilante Cassandra Cain, whom she conceived with assassin David Cain to be the perfect warrior.

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• The Ace: She's considered the single greatest martial artist in the DC Universe, in terms of pure skill. Only Ricardo Diaz can be considered her equal, and only her daughter, Cassandra Cain, is considered overall superior.
• Action Mom: She is Cassandra Cain's mom. She's also the deadliest woman on the planet.
• Arch-Enemy: She's been one to Ricardo Diaz, Black Canary, the Question, and Black Bat, though with the former two she tended to team up as often as she fought them.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Has a deep superiority complex due to her mastery of martial arts. She can be very amiable to someone she considers an equal, though.
• Badass Longcoat: Her black trench coat.
• Combat Clairvoyance: She and her sister were born with this ability, which is what makes her a natural genius at martial arts. This gift was also passed along to her daughter Cassandra, and David Cain enhanced it through an abusive Training from Hell.
• Dark Action Girl: She's noted to be the most dangerous woman alive, and for good reason.
• Deadpan Snarker: Towards anyone she sees as beneath her respect (which is most people) and to Ricardo Diaz.
• Dragon Lady: As is the norm.
• The Dreaded: Just mentioning that she's in town is usually enough to scare the shit out of any skilled martial artist.
• Evil Matriarch: She's the mother of Cassandra Cain and Shiva is in the running as one of the worst moms in the DC Universe.
• It's Personal: Do not harm her sensei or her students. The latter is her job.
• Lady of War: Her fighting style is a masterpiece of elegance with no wasted motion whatsoever.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: She's Cassandra Cain's biological mother.
• My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours: It's so good, other characters go to her to enact this trope.
• Parental Substitute: Feeling guilty for neglecting her daughter Cassandra, she took Oroku Karai as apprentice, to the point she came to see her as a mother in all but name and blood.
• Professional Killer: Her day job. She doesn't really care about it, though. It's just good for thrills, and for finding good opponents by luring heroes to protect her targets.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: Shiva's outfit is primarily red and black.
• Worthy Opponent: All she wants is to find one.

The Swiss (David Cain)

One of the league's respected masters and a notoriously deadly assassin.

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• Abusive Parents: He made Cass living her life in Hell.
• Composite Character: Instead of becoming Orphan, Cain is The Swiss in Earth 27, who is an old foe of the character Richard Dragon.
• The Dragon: To Ra's Al Ghul.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While he has done some pretty awful things, he won't let El Penitente to suck the blood of his daughter.
• Even Evil Has Standards: He was disgusted by Hurt's project of turning children into weapons.
• Evil Parents Want Good Kids:
  • Not exactly, since he wanted Cassandra to be his personal killing machine, but he does seem a bit proud of her regardless, and framed Bruce for murder because he felt he would be just as bad for Cassandra as he had been.
  • He does seem to show recent signs of regret and wishes to find a way to make amends with his children, particularly his daughter, Cassandra Cain. He even saved her from Simon Hurt.
• Frame-Up: Left Roy Harper's severed arm on the site of a terrorist attack to frame Prometheus, knowing it would send Oliver Queen into a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the rival killer.
• Manipulative Bastard: He's responsible for framing Prometheus for killing Roy Harper, knowing it would send Oliver Queen against his rival.
• Scars Are Forever: Harold Allnut gives him a facial scar when he was threatening Harold to kill a young Dick Grayson.
• White Hair, Black Heart: He has silver hair.
• Would Hurt a Child: His training methods for Cassandra (and her predecessors, who were not so lucky as her) involved shooting her.

The Magician (Malcolm Merlyn/al-Ghul)

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The son of Nyssa al Ghul, father of Thea Queen and Tommy Merlyn, and a member of the League of Assassins. He's known as "The Magician" or "Sharpshooter" and is the one of the greatest assassins in the DC Universe.

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• Abusive Parents: To Tommy and to Thea. His abusive tendencies have gotten to a point where it can be hard to watch how cruel he is to his children.
• Action Dad: He's father of Tommy Merlyn, Saracon Lucero and Thea Queen.
• Adaptational Sexuality: His bio states that he's bisexual. This is a reference to his Arrowverse actor John Barrowman, who is openly gay. In the comics Merlyn was heterosexual.
• Alliterative Name: Malcolm Merlyn.
• Arch-Enemy: He's to Oliver Queen what Ra's Al Ghul is to Bruce Wayne. He also has a personal rivalry with Damien Dahrk of H.I.V.E.
• Archnemesis Dad: He's the biological father of Thea Queen/Sin.

• Badass Normal: Let's put it that way; this is a guy who, with nothing but a bow and arrows, almost succeeded in killing Green Arrow as a supervillain.
• Cain and Abel: The Cain to Connor Hawke's Abel.
• Composite Character: Shares a lot of traits with his Arrow incarnation.
• The Corrupter: Malcolm is highly talented in the art of deception. He is able to fool and convince others of his agenda, even experts of seeing through deception such as Ra's al Ghul have fallen for his ruses. However, his actions and nature as a liar make it difficult for people to ever believe him.
• Dark Is Evil: In his Magician persona, he wears all black and fires black arrows.
• Deadpan Snarker: No matter what, one thing never changes about Malcolm: his sharp wit.
• Determinator: Malcolm has an extremely high tolerance for pain like most members of the League of Assassins, which he taught to his daughter, Thea. Malcolm is able to pour boiling water on his own hand without flinching, even resisting the temptation to douse it in ice afterward. Malcolm's threshold for pain allowed him to survive the torture inflicted upon him by his longtime rival Damien Darhk.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Malcolm deeply cares about his mother Nyssa al-Ghul.
• Even Evil Has Standards: He's also vehemently against using the Lazarus Pit to bring back loved ones since they usually Come Back Wrong.
• Evil Counterpart: To Green Arrow as part of the Salvation Syndicate as Straightshooter. Both are spectacularly talented Archers, but Ollie uses his skill as a superhero, while Merlyn chose to use it for profit as an assassin.
• Evil Sounds Deep: Sometimes Malcolm will use this device to change his voice for the purposes of intimidation, changing his voice to a deep, low growl.
• Family Theme Naming: His children, Thomas (Tommy) and Thea.
• Friend to All Children: In the past shows he would perform magic tricks for children as a way to connect to them. This trait does not carry over in the present day however.
• I Have Many Names: Malcolm Merlyn, Arthur King, The Magician, Al Saahir.
• In the Hood: Malcolm wears an armored suit similar to the standard armor used by members of the League of Assassins, aside from some minor differences. It is unknown what materials it's made out of as that is a guarded secret of the League but it is known to have magic wards and sigils built into his weaving and stitching.
• Master Archer: The one who trained Oliver and probably the best archer currently in the League of Assassins.
• Master Swordsman: Despite his preference for archery, Malcolm is a trained and highly skilled swordsman, often practicing fencing in his spare time to maintain his skills. He owns and uses several different types of swords. Malcolm might actually be more dangerous with a sword than he is with a bow as even Oliver, a world-class swordsman and archer, has said he was never able to best Malcolm in any of his fencing lessons with the League.
• Older Than They Look: Thanks to the Lazarus Pit, he remains young-looking despite being over a hundred years old.
• Redemption Rejection: His love of Thea could have made him a better person, but he's just too selfish to change.
• Related in the Adaptation: Malcolm is the son of Nyssa Al Ghul in Earth-27, meaning that he's also the grandson of Ra's Al Ghul and nephew of Talia and Dusan Al Ghul, half-brother of Conner Hawke and Mara al Ghul and cousin of David Cain, Damian Wayne and Maya Ducard.
• The Sociopath: He has no problem manipulating and lying to literally everyone around him. That said, he does love Thea — he just doesn't express it healthily at all.
• Stage Magician: Malcolm is exceptionally trained in the art of stage magic including sleight-of-hand, escape artistry, and hypnotism, his skills in these areas were one of the reasons he was called "The Magician" by the League of Assassins. Malcolm used to perform a coin disappearing trick for his son, Tommy Merlyn, frequently. His skills as hypnotist also allow him to retrieve lost memories from the Lazarus baths via hypnotic-regression therapy or avoid telepathic interrogation through self-hypnosis and mental compartmentalization.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: As a highly trained assassin, Malcolm was a master in the art of stealth, as his ability to break into buildings and disappear without a trace was another reason why he is called "The Magician" by the League of Assassins. Malcolm's skills have repeatedly made of mockery of the Quiver's security, despite several relocation and countless upgrades. Malcolm has even managed to show up in Barbara Gordon's Clocktower more times than she care to admit to deliver a message to Dinah... somehow he's always chomping on an apple.
• The Straight and Arrow Path: Malcolm has his own superbly designed bow that he uses. Supposedly it was the bow that Green Arrow designed his own bows' design upon.
• The Strategist: Malcolm is an exceptional tactician, evidenced with his successful execution of the Undertaking at the command of Ra's al Ghul. He was also one of the only assassin to tactically outsmart Tim Drake and escape capture on New Year's Day, 2013. Because Tim is still not sure how Malcolm did this, Tim continues to fear the day he must face Malcolm in the field again.
• Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Malcolm was well aware of the existence of magic and mysticism from a young age, knowing the existence of the Lazarus Pits. In his long life, Malcolm gained a higher understanding and knowledge of the arcane fabric of the world and how to exploit to his benefit. Malcolm devised an esoteric system of geomancy to accurately locate other, undiscovered Lazarus Pits, become a master of first circle of alchemy and potion-brewing, and is familiar with the necessary means and methods for the killing of supernatural beings such as vampires and werewolves.
• Torture Technician: Malcolm is a trained torturer due to his time in the League of Assassins, having once studied under El Penitente. However, Malcolm oddly prefers diplomatic solutions or trickery before resorting to torture.
• Training from Hell: He went through it from Ra's Al-Ghul just like everyone who joins the League of Assassins, and puts Thea through the same, though he does go comparatively easy on her at first.
• Trick Arrow: Though he used to mock Oliver's trick arrows as gimmicks, Merlyn has taken to using some explosive and grapnel arrows.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Ever dramatic, Merlyn likes to always have a few on hand to quickly escape the scene.
• We Used to Be Friends: Claims this with Moira and Robert.
• Would Hit a Girl: Willing to elbow and punch his own daughter in the face to train her. It wasn't out of malice or hatred, but still, his daughter.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When he starts tying up loose ends, he really starts tying up loose ends.

El Penitente (Simon Hurt)

See the Arkham Asylum page

The Dragon (Ricardo Diaz)

^{Click for Civilian Look} 

Former apprentice of O-Sensei, Ricardo is one of greatest martial artists of the world along with his close friends Ben Turner and Sandra Wu-San.

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• Adaptation Name Change: A light one, as his alias is simply The Dragon instead of Richard Dragon.
• Ambition Is Evil: Diaz's driving force is to gain more and more power and influence to compensate for being treated as worthless throughout his childhood.
• Ax-Crazy: Beneath his controlled exterior, Diaz is clearly not a stable man.
• Badass Normal: He can go toe to toe with the likes of Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance, Oliver Queen, Lady Shiva in a serious fight in hand-to-hand combat? You qualify. Point Blank.
• Bald Head of Toughness: Has a shaved head and he's one of the toughest and most skilled martial artists in the world.
• Bash Brothers: With Ben Turner and to a lesser extent with Lady Shiva.
• Beard of Evil: Has a well-trimmed beard and he's not a very nice person.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Dragon's physical conditioning is at the peak of human potential. He was strong enough to light a grown man with a single arm and hurl him off of a building.
• Composite Character: His name and appearance are based off both of his New 52 and Arrowverse incarnations.
• Genius Bruiser: Very good at analyzing strengths and weaknesses of rival hand-to-hand combatants and adapting accordingly.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Sports numerous scars from previous battles.
• Lack of Empathy: The lives and suffering of others don't mean a damn thing to Diaz.
• Related in the Adaptation: He's the brother of Larissa Diaz, half-brother of Bane and his father is Edmund Dorrance a.k.a King Snake in Earth-27.
• The Strategist: He is capable of analyzing complex combat strategies, including fighting at least two people simultaneously, in his head instantaneously.
• Tattooed Crook: He has a dragon tattoo on his bald head.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: When fighting he doesn't wear a shirt.

Mrs. Menace (Paula Nguyen)

Paula Nguyen, is the wheelchair-bound mother of Artemis and Cheshire, wife of Sportsmaster, and devout disciple of Ra's al Ghul. Paula was one of Nyssa al Ghul's personal handmaidens and a logistic coordinator of American activities.

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• Action Mom: In her early days, Paula was a career villain. Then, she got injured while on the job and gave up the "life".
• Abusive Parents: Losing her mother when she was only a baby, she was raised by an aunt who constantly beat her, until she fled and lived as a Street Urchin.
• Battle Couple: Used to be this with her husband Lawrence.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She's a reformed criminal and who's now paralyzed from the waist down, but she's not harmless. When she's angry she can be absolutely vicious.
• Dark Action Girl: In the past, she was a criminal assassin under the name "Mrs. Menace".
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While she might be a former assassin who has committed some serious crimes without remorse, Paula truly loves her children and grandchildren.
• Handicapped Badass: Just because she's in a wheelchair, it doesn't mean she has lost her observation skills and the ability to remain undetected.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Formerly, she was the Tiny Girl to Sportsmaster's Huge Guy.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Her defending a young Connor Hawke from H.I.V.E. is what led to her becoming paralyzed in the first place.
• Related in the Adaptation: Her mother happened to be Eddie Blake's Asian Babymama who was killed on the day of "Victory in Vietnam Day" at a bar by The Comedian, making her half-sister of Laurie Jupiter, indirectly relating Lilith Clay and Artemis Crock. This also makes her a cousin of John Winchester and cousin once removed of his sons Sam and Dean as well as of Daphne Blake.
• Retired Monster: She might no longer be an active assassin, but she remains very much loyal to the League as a whole.
• Undying Loyalty: Towards Ra's, but also Nyssa, getting paralyzed defending Nyssa and an infant Connor from a H.I.V.E. attack.

Crimson Lotus (Yumiko Daimio)

A World War II spy, highly-skilled assassin and witch that was part of the Inner Circle. She's also the grandmother of B.P.R.D. member Ben Daimio.

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• The Ghost: While listed as still alive, she hasn't appeared yet.
• Related in the Adaptation: She's the great-aunt of the Gotham head of the Yakuza Eiko Hasigawa.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant: In the comics she was defeated and captured by Lobster Johnson, but here she was captured by Eddie Blake/The Comedian.
• Worf Had the Flu: Not that Eddie was weak in his youth, but it's unlikely he would have been able to capture her without Yumiko being pregnant with her son Masaru.

Horsemen

Copperhead (Larissa Diaz)

^{Click for Lilith} 

An extremely agile assassin specialized with toxic venom.

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• Animal Motifs: The Snake, which fits the reptilian motif of her family.
• Composite Character: While her design is mostly based on her Arkham series incarnation, her name comes from the Gotham series.
• Contortionist: She's very flexible and is almost impossible to restrain. She can even escape Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth.
• Dark Action Girl: She's quite deadly, to say the least.
• Gratuitous Spanish: Occasionally adds Spanish to her sentences.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: Adding to the overall snake theme.
• Navel-Deep Neckline: Her outfit has a plunging neckline.
• Poisonous Person: She can secrete poison from her claws that causes powerful psychotropic hallucinogens before death.
• Related in the Adaptation: She's the sister of Ricardo Diaz, half-sister of Bane and her father is Edmund Dorrance a.k.a King Snake in Earth-27.
• She-Fu: A contortionist who utilizes her skills in combat.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: She frequently uses Spanish obscenities.
• Smarter Than You Look: While she's somewhat feral in her mannerisms, she naturally knows a great deal about poisons and their effect on human physiology, including the symptoms of necroptosis.
• Snake People: She mostly looks human, but has a forked tongue, slit pupils, and venom.
• Statuesque Stunner: She stands at 5'8"/172cm tall, and not bad looking at all.
• Tattooed Crook: Larissa's signature tattoos were from her time in Peña Duro before the activation of her metagene. They marked her as a sister of Bane any anyone who messed with her would be met with his wrath. From what Felicity can tell, the protection was a bit redundant as she have found record of no less than a dozen prisoners Larissa killed on her own.
• Wolverine Claws: Sports a pair on each of her wristguards.

Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley)

See The Organized Crime of Gotham page

Dumas (Jason Todd)

See The Bat Family page

White Glove

See their own page

Black Glove

See their own page

Former Members

Khuffash (Bruce Wayne)

See The Bat Family page

Al Sahim (Oliver Queen)

See Team Arrow page

Ibn al Xu'ffasch (Damian Wayne)

See The Bat Family page

Tayr'Abyad (Sara Lance)

See The Legends page

Khatiya (Thea Queen)

See The Legends page

Zarqa al-Yamama (Roxanne Sutton)

See The Legends page

Zilu al qadim (Jiau Chau)

See the Maple City page

King Snake (Sir Edmund Dorrance)

• Archnemesis Dad: None of his children have anything positive to say about him, considering he abandoned them and their mothers on Santa Prisca.
• Related in the Adaptation: He's the father of both Ricardo Diaz/Dragon and of Larissa Diaz/Copperhead.

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