Ra's Al Ghul, the environmental terrorist whose name translates in Arabic to the "Demon's Head", was a genius mastermind born five centuries ago. At some undisclosed point in the past , Ra's obtained access to one of the many Lazurus Pits around Earth-One, enabling him to revive himself even in the face of death. From this he built up a monolithic organization to achieve his ends, the League of Assassins, until he broke off from them.
Ra's Al Ghul initially encountered his arch-nemesis, Earth-One's Batman, more to determine the viability of the Caped Crusader as Ra's heir-apparent to his empire, and husband to his daughter Talia. Wanting none of this, Batman unseated Al Ghul's schemes time and time again. On each occasion, it was Talia who, behind her father's back, aided Batman as her love was as great for him as for her father.
On occasion, Ra's worked alongside Batman in order to defeat a common foe. Generally, this was due to a schism in the League of Assassins between Ra's and his principle deputy the Sensei.
Eventually, this led Al Ghul into forming a cult of the Crimson Sun after his latest revival. Once more, it was his daughter and her lice, the "Detective" whom al Ghul called Batman, that outmaneuvered him leading to another of his seeming deaths for which he returns.
Wong, the unofficial mayor of Gotham City's Chinatown on Earth-Two, was the latest incarnation of the Khan Dynasty that traced its origin to his forefather, Genghis Khan aka the immortal Vandal Savage. The first recorded Wong encountered a time traveling Batman and Robin who had journeyed to his era seven centuries before their birth, decisively defeating Wong Tso's scheme to usurp power from his sibling, the latest Khan.
Early in Batman's career, he met the most recent Wong, who aided him versus the mortal enemies of he and his ancestor Savage, the first keeper of the Green Flame of Life known as the Green Dragon, Chang. Wong was managing Chinatown when he first met Batman, prior to perishing at the hands the Tong of the Green Dragon.
Seeking to assist Batman in uncovering this imposter of Chinese mastermind Fang Gow, Wong ended up himself being assassinated. However, his old friend Batman brought the fake Fang to justice.
Sometime after this, a new mayor Chin Loo caused more problems within Chinatown until Batman and Robin uncovered him as the true culprit. Chin's Earth-One counterpart Bill Loo was a more honorable mayor. It was on this occasion versus Chin Loo that the Caped Crusaders learned from Wong's father the history on their family as heirs of Genghis Khan aka Vandal Savage, who had given his descendants a special ring that would be passed down to each subsequent Wong.
Thus, Savage's descendant's gained a type of immortality like their forebears, and could carry on his crusade against the keepers of the Green Flame spawned by his fellow immortal Chang.
Vandal Savage himself would rise up to battle the latest heir to that flame in Batman's fellow Gothamite and fellow Justice Society member Green Lantern. In the late 1940's, Superman would encounter the elderly Wong raising his late son's children.
It is unknown if Ra's ever encountered his fellow immortal Shanh-Zi as had Wong and Chang in the early 1940's. Nor is it known what if any connection there was between Chang's hundreds year old wife Lo-Lanke and Vandal Savage's lineage... if perhaps she was a daughter of the Wong family which had led to bad blood between the two Chinese households for centuries.
What is known is that Lo-Lanke, like Talia, proved that true love and justice trumped familial relationships when lives were on the line. Both Talia and Lo-Lanke aided Batman and Green Lantern of Earths One and Two, respectively, against the dominant domineering men in their lives. This led to alienation from them, without earning the lasting love of the heroes they allied themselves with in times of need. Sad indeed.
It is unknown if Ra's ever encountered his fellow immortal Shanh-Zi as had Wong and Chang in the early 1940's. Nor is it known what if any connection there was between Chang's hundreds year old wife Lo-Lanke and Vandal Savage's lineage... if perhaps she was a daughter of the Wong family which had led to bad blood between the two Chinese households for centuries.
What is known is that Lo-Lanke, like Talia, proved that true love and justice trumped familial relationships when lives were on the line. Both Talia and Lo-Lanke aided Batman and Green Lantern of Earths One and Two, respectively, against the dominant domineering men in their lives. This led to alienation from them, without earning the lasting love of the heroes they allied themselves with in times of need. Sad indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment