Robin #12 sees a turning point for the al Ghuls. Damian has rejoined them, hinting that they might become a force for good in the future.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Robin #12, on sale now.
The al Ghul family has always been one mired in internal struggles. It is a situation passed down from Ra’s to his grandson, but in Robin #12 (by Joshua Williamson, Roger Cruz, Norm Rapmund, Luis Guerrero, ALW’s Troy Peteri), the family may have reached a turning point in their history. After a brief confrontation with his own inner demons and his mother, Damian Wayne has elected to return with her and Ra’s al Ghul instead of Gotham City.
Talia clearly wants to rebuild their family’s empire, but her desire to break the cycle of suffering their family inflicts upon one another hints that if the al Ghuls successfully heal their family bonds, then they may just become a force for good in the DC Universe.
The al Ghuls have faced low moments before. Times where they have lost everything and had to rebuild from scratch. What makes this moment so different from those is that this is the first time in years that the al Ghuls have been united since before Damian left to go live with Batman. It’s even more significant because Damian went with them willingly, something he would never have done if he didn’t believe their offer to fix their family was sincere.
Adding on to this, both Talia and Ra’s have gone through significant emotional journeys recently. Ra’s, after his last defeat at Batman’s hands, had to reconcile that nothing he has done has actually made a difference, forcing him to reconnect with his original goals. As it stands, the Ra’s of today might be the most peaceful he’s ever been since he first delved into the Lazarus pit.
Talia, for her part, has had to claw her way back from the ruthless woman who had her son killed. She has both been purged of the hate that fueled her and rediscovered her own fierce drive to save the world as she sees fit. Talia has even worked alongside other heroes to reclaim her Leviathan organization from those who stole it. She went from having power to nothing and fighting to be worthy of it again.
After all of that, both the elder al Ghuls have learned to value their family more than they did in the past, recognizing that they are weaker when divided. Damian has had his own personal growth since living with Batman, coming to see the virtues and flaws of that lifestyle. It has helped him find his own moral compass, one that is clearly stronger than either Talia or Ra’s’. That compassion for others might be the key to “breaking the cycle” as Talia put it.
His mother and grandfather, while both might be earnest about wanting to change, are still very stubborn people. To truly turn things around they’d need someone with integrity to help them see where they could go wrong. Damian is just the person for that, not only having overcome the same impulses, but also understanding where they are coming from.
It could be the start of turning the al Ghuls into one of the world’s best peacekeeping organization. Instead of performing acts of eco-terrorism they could go on to be philanthropists or relief workers in countries that need aid. The medical technology Ra’s has built up could revolutionize hospitals all across the world. They may even work alongside the Bat-Family, extending their reach and resources, perhaps even replenishing Bruce Wayne’s money. With as much as the al Ghuls have to offer, their potential for good is limitless.
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