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The League of Assassins (renamed the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in other media) is a group of

Ebeneezer Darcel, aka Doctor Darrk, was the first known individual assigned to head the League of Assassins by Ra's al Ghul. Darrk 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, Darrk 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 Darrk'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

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 Darrk'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 earlier training at the hands of O-Sensei (not to be confused with the leader of the League) 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.

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

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.

Nyssa al Ghul

After the death of Ra's, his first-born 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.

Reflecting Shiva's emphasis for martial arts, the known members of Nyssa's League were all skilled in this area, and included the warriors

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. Batgirl won leaving Shiva on a meat hook suspended over the Lazarus Pit.

Several factions

Although most of its members had died or defected, the League survived the

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, although she abandoned the league at some point prior to the Teen Titans storyline Titans East, where it is revealed that she was being drugged by Deathstroke.

Furthermore, it appears that Cassandra was battling for complete control of the League of Assassins with Ra's Al Ghul's youngest daughter Talia, as well as the Sensei. Talia who would naturally assume control of her father's empire by default following Nyssa's death, has recently been seen in the

Batman & Son

storyline, leading ninja members of the League of Assassins, against Batman. At the same time, several members felt neither Talia nor Cassandra were up to the role, and, after failing to recruit Black Canary's adopted daughter Sin, gave the leadership to the Sensei, who recently reappeared in the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul storyline.

In the One Year Later event, Talia later forced Kirk Langstrom to give her the Man-Bat formula which she used to turn some of its members into Man-Bats. Currently, the League of Assassins and its Men-Bats are used by Talia as her personal army and bodyguards, carrying her orders and taking retribution over her enemies.^[1]

In the series

Shado.^[2]

Members

• eco-terrorist. He knows Batman's secret identity. He utilizes special pits known as Lazarus Pits
  which enable him to evade death, and live for centuries. He is the founder of The League of Assassins, though exactly when is unknown.
• Talia al Ghul: First appearing in Detective Comics #411 (May 1971), she's the daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Her father encouraged a relationship between Talia and Batman, desiring for Batman to marry his daughter in hopes of recruiting him as his successor. Talia admires Batman in his drive, determination, and nobility, but was always torn between him and the love for her terrorist father. Unlike Catwoman, Talia is more than willing to play second-fiddle to Bruce's mission. She claims he's the father of her son Damian.
• Holocaust survivor. She eventually broke off from her father and his crusade, which resulted in a rift between them. She had in her possession a Lazarus Pit
  that could be reused over and over again. She was responsible for brainwashing her half-sister Talia into despising not only Batman, but their father as well, whom she ended up killing with a sword. It appears, however, that Nyssa was killed in a car bombing in Northern Africa, presumably by the League of Assassins.
• Ebeneezer Darrk (Also known as Doctor or Professor Darrk): He is the first known individual assigned to head the League of Assassins by Ra's al Ghul. 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. After earning Ra's enmity (for reasons unknown), Daark died during a plot to kidnap Talia which was foiled by Batman.
• The Sensei: First appearing in Strange Adventures #215 (October/November 1968) as an aged martial arts master from Hong Kong, he was Darrk's second in command. He was put in charge of the League after Darrk's death. However, he would prove just as disloyal as his predecessor, and the Sensei would eventually struggle with Ra's al Ghul for the control of the organization. One of his personal goals is to raise assassination to an artform. He is revealed to be Ra's al Ghul's father in Batman #671 (January 2008).
• Doctor Moon
  : First appearing in Batman #240 (March 1972), he is a brain surgeon with skills that make him the person to contact to recover dead brains, erase or modify minds, or mental torture.
• Lady Shiva (Sandra Wu-San): First appearing in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5 (December 1975), she's a mercenary assassin who once trained Batman, and is possibly the greatest martial artist alive in the DC Universe; one of Batman's true physical rivals. She is also the biological mother of Cassandra Cain.
• David Cain
  : First appearing in Batman #567 (July 1999), he is the biological father of Cassandra Cain.
• Cassandra Cain (brainwashed at the time): First appearing in Batman #567 (1999), she is the daughter of David Cain and Lady Shiva, and was previously known as Batgirl.
• The Seven Men of Death: The seven deadliest assassins of the League and Ra's al Ghul's personal hit squad. They answer only to the Demon himself and the Sensei. Its current members include:
  • Detonator II - Member of the Seven Men of Death. He specializes in demolitions.
  • Hook - The hook-handed member of the Seven Men of Death. He was responsible for murdering Boston Brand during a circus act.
  • Maduvu - Member of the Seven Men of Death. He has mechanical clawed-hands.
  • Merlyn - An archer who was once a member of the Seven Men of Death.
  • Razorburn - Member of the Seven Men of Death. He has advanced hand-to-hand combat abilities, great throwing abilities, and wields two knives for weapons.
  • Shellcase - Member of the Seven Men of Death. He has advanced hand-to-hand combat abilities and has good marksmanship.
  • Whip
    III - A female whip-wielding member of the Seven Men of Death.
  • An unnamed member

Other members include:

• Alpha
  -
• Bane
  -
• Bear - A Mexican yeti-like man who is a member of the League of Assassins' metahuman faction.
• Bronze Tiger - He was brainwashed at the time.
• Dr. Tzin-Tzin -
• Dragon Fly - Member of the League of Assassins. She alongside Silken Spider and Tiger Moth attacked Wayne Manor during the events of "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul."
• Expediter - Member of the League of Assassins. He was a computer expert who serves a similar function compared to Oracle upon being forced to join the League of Assassins.
• Kirigi
  - A top martial artist and trainer for the League of Assassins.
• Kitty Kumbata - A talented but mentally unstable martial artist who was a former member of the Circle of Six.
• wolf and even a werewolf
  -like form.
• The Mad Dog -
• Mazone - A bearded samurai who is a member of the League of Assassins' metahuman faction.
• Onyx
  -
• Owens - A sniper who is a member of the League of Assassins. He was partnered up with Pru and Z to assassinate Red Robin. Owens is killed by Widower of the Council of Spiders.
• Professor Ojo -
• Pru - A headstrong female assassin who is a member of the League of Assassins. She was partnered up with Owens and Z to assassinated Red Robin.
• Ruck - A four-armed gunman who is a member of the League of Assassins' metahuman branch.
• Shrike
  III -
• Silken Spider - Member of the League of Assassins. She alongside Dragon Fly and Tiger Moth attacked Wayne Manor during the events of "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul."
• Silver Monkey - A former member of the Monkey Fist Cult that became an assassin for hire.
• Spike - A female martial artist that is capable of creating energy blades. She is a member of the League of Assassins' metahuman faction.
• Targa - A telekinetic midget who is the leader of the League of Assassins' metahuman faction.
• Tiger Moth - Member of the League of Assassins. Her costume disorients her opponents making them incapable of hitting her. She once assisted Dragon Fly and Silken Spider into attacking Wayne Manor during the events of "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul."
• Tigris - A female Afghan martial artist who was recruited into the League of Assassins by Lady Shiva.
• Tolliver - A vampire who is a member of the League of Assassins' metahuman faction.
• Vial - Member of the League of Assassins. He was killed upon kissing his cross that was poisoned by Funnel of the Council of Spiders.
• Ubu - A master assassin who is one of Ra's al Ghul's most trusted servants. He is actually a whole tribe of people as when one Ubu dies, another one takes his place with the same loyalty towards Ra's al Ghul. An Ubu was later killed by
  Bane
  .
• Wam Wam - A Dutch martial artist who was a former member of the Circle of Six.
• Whisper A'Daire - She worked with Ra's al Ghul until his apparent death. She took a serum that enables her to become a snake
  -like creature.
• White Ghost I - The first White Ghost was Ra's al Ghul's only son Dusan.
• White Ghost II - The second White Ghost was an unknown person who healed Red Robin after he was poisoned by Widower of the Council of Spiders. When Red Robin questioned the White Ghost about his identity, the White Ghost simply replies that "there will always be a white ghost" which suggests that the title of White Ghost is defined as a loyal figure that has been affiliated with the League of Assassins for centuries.
• White Willow - Not much is known about her past except for the fact that she was recruited into the League of Assassins by Lady Shiva.
• Will Justice - Aka Bill Justice, was recruited for the League of Assassins following the annihilation of the village of Crisfield. His radical political agenda did not sit well with the other members of the League, leading to his exile. He has since been committed to Arkham Asylum in Gotham City, the circumstances of his breakdown unknown.
• Z - Zeddmore Washington is a member of the League of Assassins. He was paired up with Owens and Pru to assassinate Red Robin. Z was later killed by Widower of the Council of Spiders.

In other media

Television

• In Batman: The Animated Series, Ra's led 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. The League of Assassins appears now under Ra's control in "The Demons Quest", "Showdown", and "Avatar".

• The Society of Shadows appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "The Demon Reborn."

• In the future of
  Curaré, the deadliest member of the Society of Assassins, a guild of Ninja
  assassins for hire in the future. Terry and an elderly Bruce Wayne later battle against the League of Shadows when Ra's al Ghul (who had taken over Talia's body) attempted to take Bruce's body. It's also known as the Society of Shadows.

• The League of Assassins appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Sidekicks Assemble". This marks the first media appearance of the League of Assassins that has not had its name altered.

• The League of Assassins (under the name of The League of Shadows) appears in the
  Project Cadmus' Board of Directors). He tells "The Light" about Young Justice's interference and discussion between Sensei and L-2 reveal that they have "someone on the inside." In "Targets", the League of Shadows works on a plot to assassinate politicians. During that time, Sportsmaster is seen as a member of the League of Shadows when it comes to helping Cheshire. It turned out that Lex Luthor and Ra's al Ghul had orchestrated the events in order to further the goals of "The Light." In the episode "Bloodlines," Cheshire and Red Arrow raid a League facility in Tibet
  in order to find the real Roy Harper (who had been kidnapped and replaced with a clone).

• The League of Assassins is featured in
  Katana infiltrated the League of Assassins to find al Ghul. However, finding the Soultaker Sword (a vessel containing the souls of different conquerors which can drain souls from it's victims), she faked her death while taking the sword to keep it from being used. However, during the events of "Safe," sent to capture Dr. Jason Burr
  so that they can get their hand on the Ion Cortex, Silver Monkey ends up learning that Katana survived and reports it while concealing his knowledge of the Soultaker's location. In "Family," Batman and Katana fight the League of Assassins' ninjas as Silver Monkey is sent to target the Soultaker Sword. Six hours earlier, Katana is confronted by Silver Monkey in Bruce Wayne's limousine and attacks her for the location of the Soultaker so that the League of Assassins can reclaim the Soultaker. When Bethanie Ravencroft and Silver Mask lead the League of Assassins' ninjas into capturing Bruce Wayne at the A.R.G.U.S. Club, Katana is sent a message to bring the Soultaker to the A.R.G.U.S. Club in one hour. Katana confronts Bethanie Ravencroft and Silver Monkey where she wants them to release Bruce Wayne in exchange for the Soultaker. After Bruce Wayne is hit out the window by Bethanie Ravencroft's arrow (though he had a special padding underneath), the League of Assassin ninjas are unleashed upon Katana while Alfred helps Bruce Wayne to become Batman. When Katana is being overwhelmed by the ninjas, Batman arrives in the nick of time. Batman then uses a smoke pellet to cause a smokescreen where Batman and Katana fight the ninjas. A League of Assassin ninja manages to seize the Soultaker by the time the smokescreen cleared and begins to present it to Silver Monkey. Lady Shiva then arrives stating that Silver Monkey's plans to succeed her won't work. Lady Shiva then unleashes the ninjas on Silver Monkey who end up defeating him. A ninja then gives the Soultaker to Lady Shiva as Bethanie Ravencroft states that she never had motives to betray her. Lady Shiva then uses the Soultaker to drain Bethanie Ravencroft's soul as she states that she has plans for Silver Monkey. Upon getting free and with the help of Alfred, Batman and Katana fight Lady Shiva and the League of Assassins' ninjas. Lady Shiva manages to get away as Batman and Katana escape from the ninjas. Batman claimed that he used Katana to turn the League of Assassins against each other as he plans to reclaim the Soultaker Sword from the League of Assassins.

• The League of Assassins will appear in the second season of Arrow, debuting in a self-titled episode.^[4]

Film

• In the first film of
  Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) recruited and trained Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) for an unspecified period of time until he could best any of the League in single combat. He told Wayne the story of how the injustice of his wife being taken from him led him on the path of the League of Shadows. Bruce rejected the League when he was ordered to kill a criminal to prove his commitment to justice, and he learned that the League wanted him to lead a mission to destroy Gotham City. The League's base was destroyed in the subsequent battle as Wayne fought the man that he believed to be their leader, Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), and left him for dead. The League later enacted their plan to destroy Gotham and Ducard revealed to Wayne that he was Ra's al Ghul at Bruce Wayne's birthday party. They attacked Gotham because they felt that the city had become decadent; Ra's al Ghul said that the League had worked to restore the world to balance throughout history as human civilization achieved decadence around the world; Ra's stated "We sacked Rome, loaded trade ships with plague rats, burned London to the ground." The plan was to use the stolen Wayne Enterprises microwave emitter to vaporize Scarecrow's (Cillian Murphy
  ) toxin and have the city's inhabitants tear each other apart in a state of fear. Despite their best efforts, Bruce Wayne, now Batman, was able to fight off four members of the League single-handedly, before defeating Ra's himself aboard a train where Ra's was left to die as it crashed.

• The League of Shadows again makes an appearance in the third film of Nolan's Batman trilogy,
  John Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn) to bring down Bruce Wayne. Alfred researched rumors about Bane and believed that Bane was excommunicated from the League in his past for being too extreme. Bane defeated Batman and placed him in a foreign underground prison known only as the "Pit" and proceeded to hold Gotham hostage while exposing the truth about Harvey Dent, which caused all the inmates of Blackgate Penitentiary to be released. While in his cell, Bruce was told the story of an exiled mercenary and his wife and child that were once imprisoned there. The child was said to be the only one who successfully escaped the prison. Ra's al Ghul appeared to Bruce in a hallucination and led Bruce to believe that he was the mercenary and was "immortal" through the birth of his child, the heir of the League of Shadows, within the Pit. Based on the information he learned earlier regarding Bane being born and raised in a pit prison, Bruce assumed the child in question was Bane. After Batman had defeated Bane, Talia (Marion Cotillard) arrived and revealed to Batman that she was Ra's al Ghul's child who climbed out of the Pit, and that Bane was her childhood friend and protector who aided in her escape. Bane was secretly working with her while she operated under the name of Miranda Tate to complete her father's mission, showing Batman that she held the trigger to the nuclear bomb. Talia recounted that the League trained her and Bane, that Ra's banished Bane because he reminded him of the prior loss of his wife, and that Bane's only crime was loving her. Talia resented her father for this, but she was never able to forgive him until he died fighting Batman. Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) killed Bane with the Bat-Pod
  's cannon at short range, and Batman forced Talia's truck carrying the bomb off the road where she died believing that her father's work was finished. Following a battle within Gotham City's streets, the rest of the League members in the city along with Gotham's criminals are either jailed, incapacitated, or killed in battle against the GCPD.

Video games

• One of the achievements (Xbox 360)/trophies (PlayStation 3) of the game Lego Batman: The Videogame is called League of Assassins. This achievement is unlocked if the player manages all the villains of the game.

• The League of Assassins appears in DC Universe Online.

• The League of Assassins appears in
  Penguin. The League is made up of Talia's elite guard, and is notably the only incarnation of the League of Assassins in both comics and media to be composed of mostly female members, with Ra's being the only male member shown in Arkham City. A member of the League is first seen on display meditating in the Penguin's museum, Penguin explaining he had no idea who she actually was, but that she had broken into his museum (why she was in the museum at all is never explained) and managed to kill eight of his men before she was beaten into unconsciousness. After Penguin is defeated and Batman mentions Ra's al Ghul to Mr. Freeze, the assassin opens her eyes and desperately tries to break the glass to her display, eventually succeeding at the cost of a bloody shoulder wound. She exclaims that Batman and Freeze are unworthy to speak of the great Ra's al Ghul before fleeing the museum, the bloodstains leaving a trail for Batman to follow out of the museum and onto the Bowery rooftops. Batman finds a bloody rag used to clean the wound and tries to scan it before the ninja attacks him. Batman follows the ninja and manages to put a tracer on her before she has him in a death stroke and two other assassins at her side. Robin saves the Dark Knight from the trio before Batman follows them down into the sewers and eventually into Wonder City. Batman is surrounded by multiple ninjas and about to be killed before he is saved by Talia al Ghul. After Batman takes the Demon Trial they are not seen again, but it is revealed that Ra's, Talia and the League of Assassins were funding Quincy Sharp's mayoral campaign and rigged it to win in his favor. They were also the power behind Hugo Strange and Protocol 10, which, if successful, would have meant Strange was Ra's al Ghul's successor. As Strange, Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul are all dead by the end of the game it appears the League has lost both its leader and possible successors. Though as both Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul's bodies are missing, it is possible the League may have taken their bodies to a Lazarus Pit
  .

Miscellaneous

• Batman: The Gotham Adventures (based on Batman: The Animated Series) revealed that the League of Assassins existed as a separate entity from the Society 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. The Sensei 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, chose a third option where he walks out of his mountain home and off the cliff.

• The League of Shadows appears in the comic book tie-in to Young Justice. In issue #3, Sensei sends Hook and Black Spider to assassinate Selena Gonzales (who was one of the former associates of Project Cadmus). In issue #4, Hook and Black Spider were defeated by Young Justice. However, Selena Gonzales was nowhere to be found causing the team to speculate that another operative was waiting for her to escape. In issue #11, Ubu was with Ra's al Ghul when the League of Shadows planned to hijack a rocket at Cape Canaveral. In issue #12, it was revealed that Matt Hagen was a member of the League of Shadows where his attempt to cure his cancer in the Lazarus Pit lead to his transformation into Clayface upon Talia al Ghul locking him in the Lazarus Put. Ra's al Ghul and Sensei managed to trick Clayface into sleeping and shipped his canister to the Wayne Foundation.

See also

• List of Batman Family adversaries

References

1. ^ Batman $655
2. ^ Green Arrow/Black Canary #11
3. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/07/12/beware-the-batman-animated-series/2513533/
4. ^ http://www.eonline.com/news/451292/arrow-scoop-homeland-big-bad-cast-as-oliver-s-new-foe