Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy has redefined the superhero genre. Batman, in the trilogy, fights off quite a few villains. And as the director himself said, the villains defined the franchise far more than the Caped Crusader.
In Batman Begins, Nolan’s first movie of the franchise, Batman had to face his mentor-turned-enemy Ra’s al Ghul. The movie was indeed under the domination of Liam Neeson’s villainous character. In the first installment, Nolan provided Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne with an origin story and a worthy opponent.
Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul
Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul was vital to Batman’s growth and the origin story of Gothm’s hero. Also, the character’s evil traits are amazingly conflicted with Batman’s strength. Ra’s is immortal, mysterious, and an ancient warrior who is a master of ninjutsu.
But for Neeson, he was not a bad guy. He just wanted order in the city to save it from moral decay and corruption through mass destruction. “He wasn’t really a bad guy. He was trying to reorganize the world as it needs to be organized,” Neeson once said.
However, Neeson has been vocal about his dislike of superhero movies in the past. He once said, “I’ll be honest: All these superhero movies? I’m not a fan. I’m really not,” but played one of the iconic villains of DC anyway. Perhaps, the reason is not about the superhero element but rather the noir tone of the film along with an ensemble casts.
“You took the words right out of my mouth. They had a noir feel to them. And Chris Bale and Gary Oldman? Come on! What a cast. And Michael [Caine] and Morgan [Freeman]? My god!”
Also, Ra’s is more grounded, much like Batman. Unlike the typical super-powered heroes and villains with inherent superstrength, the mentor-mentee are trained for their goals.
Liam Neeson’s Potential Ra’s Al Ghul Return
The Dark Knight trilogy ended and Christopher Nolan has no intention of extending the franchise. Ra’s dominance is, however, only limited to the first installment of the series. Of course, he had a brief cameo in The Dark Knight Rises, but it was just a mere vision of the Caped Crusader.
Christian Bale, who played Batman in the DC franchise, jumped ship to MCU appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder. Now, what about the Ra’s Al Ghul actor? Earlier, Neeson said that he would reprise the role in a heartbeat. “I would in a heartbeat, if it came my way,” Neeson said of reprising his role.
“They have to believe in their philosophy. Ra’s al Ghul absolutely believed what he was doing was ultimately saving civilization, and it was quite a good argument he comes up with. Throughout the ages this fraternity, that brought the plague to wipe out a section of mankind because it needed to be regenerated again. Very dangerous, but you have to believe it.”
If Neeson ever returns as the villain, it would not be in the DC universe rather he talked about the CW’s Arrowverse. However, so far, there is no solid indication of his return. Especially given Arrowverse already had its own Ra’s al Ghul.
The Dark Knight trilogy is available for streaming on Max.
Source: Showbiz CheatSheet
