The League of Assassins is a group of fictional comic book villains, an organization of killers formerly led by Ra's al Ghul, an enemy of Batman in the DC Comics Universe. DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to the date or issue of a characters first appearance. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Dennis ONeil (A.K.A. Denny ONeil) is a comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s. ... Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 (April 1970), the first of a landmark run by artist Neal Adams and writer Denny ONeil. ... Cassandra Cain, is a fictional character in the DC Universe, and was the most recent Batgirl. ... Ras al Ghul, sometimes written Rās al Ghūl (Arabic: رأس الغول) (pronounced as Raesh Al Ghoul), is a DC Comics supervillain, and an enemy of Batman. ... Talia al Ghul is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, the now-estranged daughter of the supervillain Ras al Ghul, and a love interest of Batman. ... Nyssa Raatko (Arabic: ‎) is a character in the Batman comic books. ... Lady Shiva is a fictional character created by DC Comics. ... Merlyn is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Bronze Tiger (Ben Turner) is a fictional character in the DC Universe. ... The Sensei is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Professor Ojo is a DC Comics supervillain. ... David Cain is the name of a comic book character associated with the Batman mythos. ... The Mad Dog is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, associated with the Batman mythos, created by writer Andersen Gabrych and artist Ale Garza. ... Alpha is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Onyx is a DC Comics fictional character. ... FicTioNaL is a Gaming Legend. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... A stereotypical villain, common in early 20th century silent films, wears formal black clothes, exquisitely neat facial hair, and a maniacal demeanour. ... Ras al Ghul, sometimes written Rās al Ghūl (Arabic: رأس الغول) (pronounced as Raesh Al Ghoul), is a DC Comics supervillain, and an enemy of Batman. ... It has been suggested that Batman (Earth-Two) be merged into this article or section. ... DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ...

History

Doctor Ebeneezer Darrk

The League of Assassins was founded by Ra's al Ghul (exactly when is unknown) to be "the fang that protects the head" (Batgirl #67, 2005). Members of the League demonstrated willingness to die at a word from Ra's. They have included some of the most dangerous assassins in the world including Lady Shiva, David Cain, and master archer Merlyn. For much of its current history any member to fail in an assassination was in turn targeted by the League (and indeed, one of its best-known members, the master-archer Merlyn was eventually forced to flee from the League, fearing for his life, having failed to assassinate Batman). In more recent years this policy has apparently relaxed somewhat. Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ... Lady Shiva is a fictional character created by DC Comics. ... David Cain is the name of a comic book character associated with the Batman mythos. ... Merlyn is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Merlyn is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... It has been suggested that Batman (Earth-Two) be merged into this article or section. ...

Ebeneezer Darrk, aka Doctor Darrk, was the first known individual assigned to head the League of Assassins by Ra's al Ghul. Daark himself was seconded by The Sensei, a martial arts master from Hong Kong. Although many of the League's leaders over the years have been accomplished martial artists, Daark himself did not depend on physical prowess, and as an assassin he instead relied upon careful planning and manipulation, ambushes and death traps, as well as a variety of cleverly concealed weapons and poisons. Although the League apparently had an inner circle of elite fighters as well as a large number of warriors trained in the martial arts, The League during Daark's tenure as leader reflected his personal methodology. Following a "falling out" with Ra's (the exact details of which were never made clear) Darrk kidnapped Ra's daughter, Talia Al Ghul. Batman became involved in this matter while attempting to bring the League to justice for a number of recent killings. Although he had connected the League to several assassinations over the years, all previous attempts to investigate had met dead-ends. Batman rescued Talia (the first time the two would meet, laying the foundation for all their future interaction) and Darrk died while trying to kill them. The Sensei is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Talia al Ghul is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, the now-estranged daughter of the supervillain Ras al Ghul, and a love interest of Batman. ... It has been suggested that Batman (Earth-Two) be merged into this article or section. ...

The Sensei

Under the direction of the organization's second known leader, the villainous Sensei, the League became more brutal, and rebelled against Ra's' rule. Although The Sensei's methods closely resembled Daark's, and the majority of the League's operatives showed little to no real skill in personal combat, The Sensei did show slightly more reliance on skilled martial artists. This version of the League is best known for two assassinations. As part of an initiation process, the operative known as the Hook was assigned to murder Boston Brand (who became Deadman after his death). Additionally, Professor Ojo successfully brainwashed Ben Turner (best friend and partner of Richard Dragon), creating an alternate personality dubbed The Bronze Tiger, and turning the master martial artist into a League operative. As The Bronze Tiger, Turner defeated Batman in personal combat while another League operative murdered Kathy Kane (the secret identity of Batwoman in pre-Crisis continuity, and a close personal friend of Batman's post-crisis). Eventually Turner's training at the hands of The O-Sensei proved too strong for the League to fully break, and when he refused to kill Batman he was forced to flee the League. Not long afterwards, the insane Sensei - no longer motivated by anything but a desire to raise assassination to an art - attempted to cause an artificial earthquake in order to kill a number of diplomats gathered for peace talks. Batman traced Ben Turner to a hospital, foiling a League attempt to assassinate the man. Turner could not fully remember the actions of his alternate personality (although years later, as a member of the Suicide Squad, he would reveal that The League had used him to kill a number of people) but he was able to aid Batman in uncovering The Sensei's latest plot. Although Batman was unable to prevent the earthquake, ultimately it was only The Sensei himself that died in the disaster, and control of the League returned to Ra's. The Sensei is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Deadman is a DC Comics superhero created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino in the comic book series, Strange Adventures, specifically in issue #205 (October 1967). ... Professor Ojo is a DC Comics supervillain. ... Bronze Tiger (Ben Turner) is a fictional character in the DC Universe. ... Richard Dragon is a fictional character created by Dennis ONeil and Jim Berry in the novel Dragons Fists (1974). ... Batwoman (real name Kathy Kane) is the name of a fictional character, the female counterpart to DC Comics popular superhero Batman. ... Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12 issue comic book mini-series produced by DC Comics in 1985 in order to clean up their 50-year-old, convoluted and confusing continuity. ... O-Sensei is a fictional character in the DC Universe. ... Suicide Squad is a name for a number of fictional organizations created for and owned by DC Comics. ...

Role in the creation of Lady Shiva

It was more recently revealed that, prior to the betrayals of Doctor Daark and The Sensei, Ra's had grown tired of the fickle loyalties of his warriors. Ra's assigned David Cain to create a perfect bodyguard ("The One Who Is All"). After early attempts to raise such a person resulted in hopelessly psychotic children, Cain decided that he needed a genetically suited child and began searching for a possible mother. To this end he assassinated Carolyn Woosan/Wu-San, one of two astonishingly talented martial artist sisters he had seen fighting in an exhibition. Carolyn's sister, Sandra, swore revenge and tracked Cain down, only to be subdued by the combined might of the League. Both intoxicated and frightened by the levels of skill she was attaining now that she was no longer holding back for her sister's sake, Sandra agreed to be the mother of Cain's child. In return The League spared Sandra's life, and assisted her in further training. By the time Sandra gave birth she had surpassed the entire League in skill. She left immediately following the birth of her daughter, Cassandra Cain, rechristening herself Lady Shiva. David Cain is the name of a comic book character associated with the Batman mythos. ... Cassandra Cain, is a fictional character in the DC Universe, and was the most recent Batgirl. ...

Other stories would suggest that at some points afterwards Shiva worked as a member of the League, and eyewitness testimony from former League member Onyx indicates that she kept in contact with the League, although she apparently did not see her daughter. Although most of her appearances over the years show her working independently, she apparently had some degree of League membership, and was called upon by Ra's to "rescue" Talia during the Hush storyline. Onyx is a DC Comics fictional character. ... Hush is a DC Comics supervillain and an enemy of Batman. ...

In keeping with Ra's and Cain's plans, The League attempted to train Cassandra Cain from birth to be the ultimate assassin, unknowingly giving her the skills she would use as the hero Batgirl. Art from Wizard Magazine (2006), featuring Barbara and Cassandra as Batgirl. ...

Nyssa al Ghul

Nyssa's League, including (bottom) Lady Shiva and Mad Dog Cain

After the death of Ra's, his daughter Nyssa Raatko formed a new League. Lady Shiva was recruited to serve as Sensei to this incarnation of the League, with the intent that Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) would lead the warriors themselves. Image File history File links Nyssasleague. ... Image File history File links Nyssasleague. ... Nyssa Raatko (Arabic: ‎) is a character in the Batman comic books. ... Lady Shiva is a fictional character created by DC Comics. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Reflecting Shiva's emphasis for martial arts, the known members of Nyssa's League were all skilled in this area, and included the warriors Shrike, Kitty Kumbata, Wam-Wam, Joey N'Bobo, Tigris, Momotado, Krunk, White Willow, the twin warriors Los Gemelos, Ox, "The Mad Dog", Alpha, and Cristos. The new League was present when Mr. Freeze's wife Nora Fries was brought back to life as the monstrous Lazara, and several members died in the resulting chaos. Shrike is the name of 4 DC Comics characters. ... The Mad Dog is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, associated with the Batman mythos, created by writer Andersen Gabrych and artist Ale Garza. ... Alpha is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Mister Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) (Pronounced as Victor Freese or Freeze) is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Due to the conflict between their loyalty to Shiva and Nyssa and their near-worship of Batgirl as "The One Who is All" The League split at that point, with Ox, White Willow, and Tigris pledging themselves to Cassandra. Several more members of the League (including all the defectors except Tigris) died when the insane "Mad Dog" went on a killing spree. "The Mad Dog", it was revealed, had been one of David Cain's early attempts to create Ra's' perfect warrior. The Mad Dog had been considered useless as a child, since Cain's methods had driven him murderously insane, and Ra's had ordered the child be killed. Nyssa, however, knew that the servant ordered to carry out this execution had instead released him into the wild, explaining how it was possible to recruit him. The Mad Dog was successful in killing Batgirl (who gave her life to protect the burqa-clad assassin Tigris). She was quickly restored to life in a Lazarus Pit by Shiva, in order that the two could face each other in a final battle. Woman in an Afghan burqa A burqa (also burkha, burka or burqua) (Arabic: برقعة, burqʿah) is an all-enveloping outer garment worn by most women in Afghanistan, and some in Pakistan, and northern India. ... A Lazarus pit is a fictional natural phenomena in the Batman comics used most commonly by Ras al Ghul to regenerate his body. ...

Cassandra Cain

Although most of its members had died or defected, the League survived the Infinite Crisis, and was seen to play an important role in The Society's world-wide prisonbreak. Throughout the period of aftermath it remained under the control of Nyssa, until she was apparently killed in a car explosion. Cassandra Cain has apparently taken over the League as its new leader. All the members thus far seen in Cassandra's version of the League have been unnamed masked martial artists. Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics. ... The Secret Society of Super Villains (SSOSV) is a group of comic book villains that exist in the DC Universe. ... 52 is the title of a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. ...

In Teen Titans #43, it has been revealed that Deathstroke has been controlling Cassandra with drugs. Therefore, any claim to the League she might have at this point is questionable at best. Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson), also called simply Deathstroke (and originally simply the Terminator) is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. ...

Other media

The Leagues of Assassins (top) and Shadows (bottom) as they appear in the Animated Continuity. Art by Rick Burchett.

In the motion picture Batman Begins (2005), the League was instead called the League of Shadows, and existed to fight what Ra's perceived as injustice in the world. They trained Bruce Wayne for an unspecified period of time, until he could best any of the League in single combat, but he rejected them when the time came for him to kill a criminal to prove his commitment to justice, having realised that he must retain his compassion or he would become like the criminals he fought. The League's original base was destroyed in the subsequent battle as Bruce fought Ra's, but either enough men escaped the blaze or Ra's had other groups in the world, as they eventually attempted to strike at Gotham. Their reason to attack Gotham was because they felt the city became decadent, and Ra's Al Ghul said that the League destroyed civilizations throughout history once they reached the pinacle of their decadence, as Ra's stated, "We sacked Rome, loaded trade ships with plague rats, and burned London to the ground." Despite their best efforts, Bruce Wayne, now Batman, was able to fight off four members of the League single-handedly before challenging Ra's himself. Whether the League survived the apparent death of Ra's is unknown. Image File history File links Assassinsandshadows. ... Image File history File links Assassinsandshadows. ... Rick Burchett is an illustrator known for his drawing of pop culture icons such as Batman and Superman. ... Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. ...

In the Batman: The Animated Series Ra's League was also as The Society of Shadows. It first appeared under the control of a character loosely based on Count Vertigo, simply called Vertigo, who filled a role similar to that of Ebeneezer Darrk. Interestingly, in the comic book Batman: The Gotham Adventures (based on Batman: The Animated Series), it was revealed that the League of Assassins existed as a serparate entity from the League of Shadows (although both groups served Ra's al Ghul). Much like their counterpart in the mainstream DC Universe, this version of the League of Assassins was responsible for the murder of Boston Brand, creating the ghostly hero Deadman (which might make the events canon in the DC animated universe, since Deadman's murder was referenced in that continuity). The Sensei, however, was loyal to Ra's in this continuity, and faced with either living out the last of his years in prison or defying Ra's wishes, he chose a third option: suicide. The animated Batman shoots his grappling gun from a rooftop in a scene from the episode, On Leather Wings. ... Count Werner Vertigo is a DC Comics supervillain. ... Batman Adventures is a DC comic book series featuring Batman. ... Deadman is a DC Comics superhero created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino in the comic book series, Strange Adventures, specifically in issue #205 (October 1967). ... A Justice League Unlimited promotional image. ...

In the future of Batman Beyond, Terry McGinnis (the future Batman) confronts Curaré, the most deadly member of the Society of Assassins in that future. Batman Beyond (known as Batman of the Future in Europe, Latin America and Australia/New Zealand) was an American animated television series created by WB Network in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy. ... Terry McGinnis (age 17). ... It has been suggested that Batman (Earth-Two) be merged into this article or section. ... Curare Curaré (voiced by Melissa Disney) was a female villain appearing as a foe of Terry McGinnis in the animated television series Batman Beyond. ...