Warning: Contains Spoilers forThe Boy Wonder #4!
Summary
If there’s one thingBatmancanonically likes, it’s bad girls - and I don’t blame him. Although one of his more infamous romances is with the head of an assassin organization, there is a lot more toTalia al Ghulthan meets the eye. She’s not just the Daughter of the Demon, but a person in her own right, struggling under her tyrannical father while trying to care for a son she has abandoned. Finally, the deeper side of her story comes to light — and in a story told in the style of her country of origin.
From Catwoman to Nocturna to Talia al Ghul, there’s no shortage of intense women in the list ofBatman’s love interests. But inThe Boy Wonder#4by Juni Ba, the villainous Talia gets to show her other side, as both daughter and mother, in a way that makes me fall in love, too.In a fairy tale told and illustrated in the style of anArabian Nightsstory, Talia’s childhood is revealedas Ra’s al Ghul, the Demon Head, poisons her mind against humans and raises her as the perfect assassin.
On her sixteenth birthday, a djinn provides Talia with three prophecies: that she will be shackled, dented, and mended. And in the three prophecies, she discovers the prison of her father’s rule, the hurt Batman causes her, and the saving grace of their son: the fifth Robin, Damian Wayne.
Created by Denny O’Neil and Bob Brown, Talia al Ghul first appeared in 1971’sDetective Comics#411.
Batman vs [SPOILER] Justifies Every Anti-Superman Contingency He Ever Designed
Batman has accidentally fought Superman many times, but thanks to a familiar (and ugly) face, Batman’s anti-Superman plans just might save the world.
Talia al Ghul Shares Her Side of the Story
The Past of the Daughter of the Demon
Talia is no longer just a romantic partner — but a daughter first and a mother second.
Batman comics, inevitably, are about Batman. He will always be the hero of his story.Even when Talia becamethe mother of his son, she never quite became a hero. The two were always at odds, and Talia’s classic idealism transformed into a version of every other supervillain’s boring plans for world domination. Now that she gets her own story as her own hero,all of her actions and motivations finally make sense to me.Talia is no longer just a romantic partner - but a daughter first and a mother second.
Talia has only ever tried to to achieve her father’s dream of saving the world from the evil power of humans. Her father showed her how humans had been destroying the very earth that had cared for them, and Talia jumped to action. Much likethe anti-hero Poison Ivy, Talia is an eco-conscious character who is acting for the good of humanity — it is only her means that make her a villain. Once I understood her intent, it’s hard not for me not to seewhy Batman fell for her: a strong-willed woman who only wishes to save the world for her son.
Talia al Ghul Is So Much More Than the Mother of Robin
But She’s Getting Better at the Role (Alongside Batman)
Talia al Ghul’s abandonment of her son has been asore subject for Damiansince his debut. But once looked at through the lens of her overbearing upbringing with her father, I can see just why she would send him away. All a mother wants is a better life for her children, and Talia knew that he would become a better person under the Dark Knight than if he suffered the treatment she received as a child under the Demon’s Head. It doesn’t make her a conventional mother, butsending her son to live with his father certainly doesn’t make her a villain in my eyes.
No Superman and Lois Lane, Batman and Talia al Ghul were doomed from the start. Batman has his tragedy, and now Talia al Ghul has hers. Thanks to this issue, I can see her with the same eyes through whichBatmansaw her, and I totally get it - for a strong-willed woman willing to do anything to protect her son and save the world, there isn’t anyone better thanTalia al Ghul.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
