Nyssa Raatko ( ar, نيسا رعتكو), also known as Nyssa al Ghul, is a
supervillainess in
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. Nyssa Raatko was created by
Greg Rucka
Gregory Rucka (born November 29, 1969) is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series '' Whiteout'', ''Queen & Country'', '' Stumptown'' and '' Lazarus'', as well as ...
and
Klaus Janson for the
Batman series of
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s. She is an enemy of Batman. She is the daughter of
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...
and the half-sister of
Talia al Ghul
Talia al Ghul ( ar, تاليا الغول; ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Bob Brown (comics), ...
.
Nyssa made her first live-action appearance as a recurring character on the
Arrowverse
The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW See ...
television series ''
Arrow'' starting in the
second season, played by
Katrina Law
Katrina Law is an American actress. She is known for playing the roles of Mira on the Starz television series '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' and '' Spartacus: Vengeance'', Nyssa al Ghul on The CW television series ''Arrow'', Karen Beach on the ...
. She also appeared in the final season of ''
Gotham'', portrayed by
Jaime Murray
Jaime Erica Murray (born 21 July 1976) is an English actress. She is known for playing Stacie Monroe in the BBC series '' Hustle'' (2004–2012), Lila West in the Showtime series ''Dexter'' (2007), Gaia in the Starz miniseries '' Spartacus: ...
.
Fictional character biography
In ''Batman: Death and the Maidens'', it is revealed that
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...
and a Jewish peasant woman had a
love child born during his travels in Russia in the 18th century named Nyssa. Enamored by the romantic stories that her mother told her about Ra's as a child, Nyssa sets out to find Ra's and eventually locates him at his headquarters in North Africa.
Impressed by her beauty, warrior skills, and her determination and ability to locate him, he promotes her as his right hand associate and they go on adventures together. Ra's is so impressed with her abilities, he even allows Nyssa to use his Lazarus Pits. Like her sister Talia, Nyssa eventually becomes disenchanted with Ra's genocidal plans to "cleanse the Earth", and disassociates herself from her father sometime in the early 20th century. Ra's reluctantly approves this, believing that she will return to him and that she or her children will become his future heirs. To his disappointment, Nyssa refuses to give herself or her family to him, causing him to disown her permanently. He does however allow her to keep a Lazarus Pit for herself which helps her survive until the modern times.
The Second World War
During World War II, Nyssa and her family are quickly sent to a concentration camp, where Nyssa's entire family dies and she is rendered infertile by very
Mengele-style experiments. At one point she begs Ra's for help, but he refuses her.
Death and the Maidens
Broken by her horrifying experiences during this time, and enraged that Ra's has abandoned her and her family to die at the hands of the Nazis, Nyssa is finally motivated to act when her great-grandsonher last living descendant - is killed. She plots to kill Ra's by befriending, kidnapping, and brainwashing Talia and using her to kill Ra's. To this end, she captures Talia and, using a Lazarus Pit, kills and resurrects her in rapid succession. Rendered apathetic by her time in the camp, unable to feel anything, Nyssa then attempts to destroy all hope and optimism in the world by assassinating
Superman with
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
bullets she steals from the
Batcave
The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...
, hoping that, by uniting the world in one moment of tragedy, she will manage to rouse herself once more.
While Batman is successful in preventing the assassination of Superman, he is unable to stop Ra's from being killed by Nyssa. This in turn is part of a greater plan by Ra's to ensure that his daughters, both initially dissatisfied with his plans, will realize that he is right, and that they would come to accept their
destinies as his heirs. Realizing and accepting this, both Nyssa and Talia become the heads of the
League of Assassins
The League of Assassins (sometimes renamed the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...
.
Lazarus Pit
The Lazarus pit can grant restorative properties that can heal injuries and even grant immortality. Nyssa is in possession of one of the world's last Lazarus Pits, which has granted her longevity and the ability to heal her wounds; she survives
The Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
thanks to its powers. She also found the ability to use the pit multiple times. She is also extremely wealthy, especially since she assumes control of Ra's' organization and joins forces with Talia. Like her father and half-sister, she knows Batman's secret identity and the location of the
Batcave
The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...
.
"Infinite Crisis"
During "
Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
", Nyssa and her sister connive to use Talia's membership in
Luthor's Secret Society of Super Villains in order to take over the planet. Nyssa tries to recruit
Batgirl (as Cassandra Cain) to stand at her side as "The One Who Is All". She attempts to explain why she is working with the villains of the Society to Batgirl:
Cassandra refuses, and, along with
Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Batman'' #121 in February 1959 as the ice-based criminal Mr. Ze ...
, escapes from Nyssa's grasp.
In "
One Year Later
"One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through books published by DC Comics. It involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the ''Infinite Crisis'' storyline, to explore ...
", Nyssa is seen in Northern Africa, planning an unknown plot with two terrorists. As she gets into her car to leave, it explodes. In the following issue,
Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva (real name Sandra San or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and first appeared in '' Richard ...
reports that Nyssa Raatko is dead where she was probably killed by the
League of Assassins
The League of Assassins (sometimes renamed the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...
.
In other media
Television
*
Nyssa al Ghul appears as a recurring character in the
CW series ''
Arrow'', portrayed by
Katrina Law
Katrina Law is an American actress. She is known for playing the roles of Mira on the Starz television series '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' and '' Spartacus: Vengeance'', Nyssa al Ghul on The CW television series ''Arrow'', Karen Beach on the ...
. First appearing in
season two Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* ''2econd Season
''2econd Season'' is the second and most recent album by Atlanta-based rapper Unk.
Release
It was released on November 4, 2008.
Guest Performers
The album features gu ...
, Nyssa al Ghul teams up with protagonists to take down
Deathstroke. She reappears in
season three
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
, following Sara's murder, Nyssa trains
Laurel Lance. In the season finale of season 3, Nyssa works with Oliver and his allies to defeat and kill Ra's. She then reappears in
season four to oppose Laurel's reckless scheme to resurrect Sara using the Lazarus Pit. She declines the leadership of the League and instead disbands it. In
season five, Oliver recruits Nyssa to join his team to oppose
Adrian Chase
Adrian Chase is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second DC character to bear the name Vigilante.
The character made his live-action debut in the Arrowverse series ''Arrow'', portrayed by Josh Sega ...
and his team, which includes Nyssa's sister
Talia. In
season six, Nyssa battles the Thanatos Guild. Nyssa is later seen in a flashforward in
season seven, training
Mia Smoak, Oliver and
Felicity's secret daughter, throughout her childhood. In the series finale episode "
Fadeout" Nyssa has reconciles with Talia at Oliver's funeral.
** Law reprises her role in the spin-off series ''
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American time travel superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, who are also executive producers a ...
''. The episode "Left Behind" reveals that Nyssa's first meeting with
Sara
Sara may refer to:
Arts, media and entertainment Film and television
* ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui
* ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda
* ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...
is the result of a
Bootstrap paradox. She makes an appearance in "River in Time", where Sara says goodbye to her before she leaves on the ''Waverider''.
** Nyssa al-Ghul appears in one of the tie-in comic books of the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...
'' crossover event, along with
Felicity Smoak
Felicity Smoak is a fictional character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. Her first appearance was in ''The Fury of Firestorm'' #23 (May 1984), created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Rafael Kayanan. She was originally the manager of ...
,
The Ray
The Ray is the name of four superheroes in the DC Comics Universe. All versions of the character have the superpower of manipulating visible light in some manner.
The first Ray was Langford "Happy" Terrill, a Quality Comics character. When D ...
, and
Wally West
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...
.
*Nyssa al Ghul appears in the
fifth season of the FOX television series
Gotham, as portrayed by
Jaime Murray
Jaime Erica Murray (born 21 July 1976) is an English actress. She is known for playing Stacie Monroe in the BBC series '' Hustle'' (2004–2012), Lila West in the Showtime series ''Dexter'' (2007), Gaia in the Starz miniseries '' Spartacus: ...
. She acts as one of the season's main antagonists alongside
Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gu ...
. She is originally introduced as the "Secretary of Homeland Security" named Theresa Walker. Throughout the season she works via multiple proxies and henchmen such as Bane,
Riddler,
Leslie Thompkins
Leslie Maurin Thompkins (sometimes spelled Tompkins) is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring Batman, of whom she is an ally. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil a ...
, and
Hugo Strange
Hugo Strange is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character is one of Batman's first recurring villains and is also one of the first Batman villains to discover t ...
. After
Jim Gordon and
Bruce Wayne
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
realize someone is manipulating these events, they are able to convince Riddler to turn over evidence on his boss. As a result, "Theresa Walker" is ousted from the government and forced to go on the run. After arriving in Gotham, she reveals to Bruce that she is in fact Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of the recently-deceased Ra's al Ghul, seeking vengeance for her father's death. Nyssa is ultimately defeated in combat with the combined efforts of Gordon and Barbara Kean. She is able to escape arrest and steal
Oswald Cobblepot's submarine, forcing Bruce to leave the city in pursuit of her.
Film
*Nyssa is seen in ''
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is a 2019 American animated superhero film directed by Jake Castorena and written by Marly Halpern-Graser, based on the comic book miniseries ''Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' by James Tynion IV a ...
'' in an online file when the Ninja Turtles were seeking information of Ra's al Ghul and his obtaining longevity via Lazarus Pits.
Video games
* Nyssa Raatko is referenced in ''
Batman: Arkham Origins''. She is mentioned on Lady Shiva's assassin profile as an associate of Lady Shiva alongside
David Cain and
Richard Dragon
Richard Dragon (or simply Dragon) is the alias of two fictional, comic book characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Although both incarnation differ in alignment, they're portrayed as extremely accomplished martial arti ...
.
* Nyssa Raatko appears in ''
Batman: Arkham Knight'', voiced by
Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...
.
[(June 23, 2016), " oicechasers.com/database/showprod.php?prodid=5589 The Voices of Batman: Arkham Knight (2015, Video Game)" Voice Chasers. Retrieved December 23, 2016] Like the comics, Nyssa is depicted as Ra's al Ghul's daughter. She appears in the "Season of Infamy" DLC in the "Shadow War" story. Nyssa is leading a rebellious faction of the League of Assassins. When Batman arrives at a previously-unknown secondary Lazarus pit (separate from the one located in Wonder City) and prepares to blow it up after taking a sample, Nyssa confronts him along with a few of her separatist forces. She takes the detonator and reasons with Batman that each time Ra's al Ghul is resurrected, he becomes less and less of a man, and gives him an ultimatum: deny him the remnants of the Lazarus and she will recall all her forces from Gotham taking the war elsewhere. After detonating the explosive gel that Batman sprayed all over the pit, Nyssa leaves Batman to his own devices. When Batman returns to Elliot Memorial Hospital where a decrepit Ra's al Ghul is hooked up to a constant supply of Lazarus, Batman can go with one of two choices both of them involving Nyssa:
** Batman can give the Lazarus to Ra's al Ghul at which point Batman is forced to fight Nyssa and her separatists. Not soon after, Ra's al Ghul regains his former strength and remarks that Nyssa is a traitor where he slashes her torso. Batman tries to fight him, but Ra's al Ghul steals one of his smoke bombs and disappears. Batman offers to save Nyssa with the remaining Lazarus, but she refuses. Batman comforts Nyssa in her dying moments and closes her eyes before he leaves.
** Batman can deny Ra's al Ghul and after he takes care of Ra's al Ghul's loyalists, Nyssa arrives to see what her father has ultimately become. As she is about to strike him down, Batman stops her and says that he will take him to the GCPD. Nyssa is satisfied and lives up to her word, recalling all her forces from Gotham while Batman takes Ra's al Ghul to a special cell and straps him to a gurney.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raatko, Nyssa
Batman characters
Characters created by Greg Rucka
Comics characters introduced in 2003
DC Comics female superheroes
DC Comics female supervillains
DC Comics LGBT superheroes
DC Comics LGBT supervillains
DC Comics martial artists
Fictional American Jews in comics
Fictional Arabs
Fictional alchemists
Fictional characters with slowed ageing
Fictional cult leaders
Fictional female assassins
Fictional Jewish women
Fictional Holocaust survivors
Fictional bisexual females
Fictional mass murderers
Fictional LGBT characters in television
Jewish superheroes