There aren’t a lot of Batman villains that warrant a solo movie or TV show. Some don’t even deserve to be mentioned without someone more popular in their presence. A debate can be made that if Kite Man gets a series why can’t Condiment King? For one, Tom King never made Charles Brown (Kite Man) more than a joke with a disappointing origin story. The writers of Harley Quinn and Kite Man: Hell Yeah just happened to understand the assignment and expound on it.
Thanks to shows like The Penguin, we should see more villains getting self-titled TV shows. Of all the Batman antagonists, Ra’s al Ghul should be at the top of the list. Because he’s such a complex character, putting him in a movie as just the antagonist does a disservice to him and the audience.
In this writer’s opinion, Ra’s al Ghul wasn’t done well in Batman Begins. It started strong with him training Bruce Wayne, but the story weakened after Bruce escaped the League of Shadows. The problem wasn’t the actor or the story, it was the format. Ra’s' character needs time to be built up which can't be done in a movie where other things are happening.
Ra’s was done well during Batman: The Animated Series because he was the main villain. The story wasn’t about building up Bruce becoming Batman or featuring another villain. It was just Batman and Ra’s (with Ra’s' bodyguard Ubu playing a minor role). With that came an easier (albeit brief) explanation of Ra’s backstory while the duo went on their journey.
Having Ra’s in a limited series like The Penguin or something ongoing like Gotham brings a deeper understanding of the character. You’ll see his motives and descent into madness thanks to the Laazureth Pit. There’s also his somewhat justified disdain for humanity thanks to the mistreatment of the Earth's wildlife. Seeing this in long form could make him more sympathetic to the audience.
With the delays of The Batman Part 2, Warner Bros may start greenlighting projects to keep fans interested in the universe. More series from Dark Knight characters will do that. Plus, if there’s never another movie starring the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ universe, at least it can live on with projects like Ra’s al Ghul.
Would you watch an HBO Max story starring Ra's al Ghul? Should there be more shows starring Batman villains? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.