Batman General Discussion

Ra's just wanted the chance to go "ok, boomer" on someone, huh?

Hah! Bet Vamdal Savage could complain about the agricultural revolution. In his day, people hunted with spears and were happy about it!

While Ra's is functionally immortal and has been around a long time, I don't think he's supposed to be as old as, say, the Demon (who hails from the Arthurian era), and certainly not as old as Vandal Savage (who was born in the pre-historic era—say, did he ever meet Anthro?). Do we know approximately how old he's supposed to be?

He's somewhere between 600 and 450 years old. He himself isn't sure of the exact number, given how long he's lived and how much he's been through.

Around 700-800? Isn't he from late medieval times? Whatever age it is is less than a thousand.

Edited by bookworm6390 on Feb 27th 2024 at 4:37:23 AM

I believe most versions of Ra's are in the 700 range. In Arkham City Batman specifically gives that as the number of years he's been using the Lazarus Pits, and presumably he wasn't already over 100 when he discovered them.

Ra's is one of the characters closest to literally being Really 700 Years Old

As for who exactly was stopping him before Batman, there are a number of heroic or at least neutral immortals that have been around at least as long as him like Jason Blood. Vandal Savage has probably had a bunch of Evil Versus Evil moments because some of his evil plans might get a wrench thrown in them by some of Ra's evil plans. It's more who was making sure Vandal Savage didn't rule the world (outside of limitations of human travel at the time) since he's one of the oldest Earthbound characters

Edited by RJ-19-CLOVIS-93 on Feb 28th 2024 at 3:53:08 AM

One of the very few things I liked in New 52 was Demon Knights and its depiction of Vandal Savage where, instead of plotting world or regional domination, he was just screwing around as a Neutral Evil/Chaotic Evil merc.

That was pretty good. I do like the idea of Vandal spending some of his immortal life just kinda screwing around to figure out what works for him. It kind of reminds of that really brilliant bit from "Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow" where Mxy talks about how he experiments with different personalities and gimmicks every few hundred years because he gets bored. "Who knows, maybe in another century, I'll try being guilty".

Didn’t the show have Jonah Hex fight Ra’s.

Yes. In Batman: The Animated Series, an older Jonah Hex encounters Ra's in the episode "Showdown."

You Tuber reccollect has finished a two-part series keeping track of every first appearance by Batman villains in every Batman movie, TV show, and video game. There's going to be a compilation in the future with some fixes.

Is it just me, or is the beginning of the latest Harley Quinn issue trying to say something?

Huh. So they are acknowledging her apparently excessive overexposure? (*glares at SSKTJL Harley, Harley Quinn Show!Harley and DCAMU Harley who somehow didn't get mauled by Paradooms*)

That at least one writer is under the assumption Harley Quinn doesn't have any special powers as of New 52-You-Rebirth-Infinite Frontier-Dawn Of DC?

Recently found this and wanted to share it. The final shot is the best.

Edited by Avenger09 on Mar 1st 2024 at 2:56:25 PM

The story will probably end up saying "No, actually she deserves all of her popularity, if you think otherwise you are just a hater everyone loves her lol".

IIRC one of the Harley Black Red and White stories had the same message after posing that question.

So don't have any hope on Harley writers having that much selfinsight.

While they don't have any especial antipathy outside of the Legends cartoon, one of the funnier things I remember regarding Hawkman and Vandal Savage was when the latter claimed to be one of the Pharoahs of Egypt.

And Hawkman gets PISSED because HE was that Pharaoh.

Do you think they keep track on what Vandal Savage is actually a part of or what is just bullshit or things he forgot for living so long?

I think no one actually cares about continuity these days and it's all Broad Strokes.

Plus this is written by Tini Howard who do exactly that.

I'm reminded how in Gotham War she had Selina lambast Bruce for ruining their wedding when she left him at the altar.

Can a more competent writer have Bruce tear Selina a new one for all the stupid shit?

So TIL that King Tut from the Adam West series was brought into the comics in a modernized form in 2009, and he's reappeared as recently as DC Rebirth.

The idea of straight-up modernizing 66 villains to fit in with the rest of Batman's rogues gallery is weirdly fascinating to me. Like, how would you do this to Louie the Lilac or Egghead or Marsha, Queen of Diamonds?

Yes, I know Bookworm was the librarian in Gotham Academy, but that was just a Mythology Gag and he was basically presented right as he was on the show. I'm talking more like a total Darker and Edgier revamp as if they've been there and evolving since the Silver Age.

I feel like Louie the Lilac would be the easiest to do, because he's basically Poison Ivy before they made her only an environmentalist.

The Batman '66 comic had Poison Ivy fall in with Louie the Lilac instead of the Floronic Man.