| Nyssa Raatko | |
|---|---|
 Cover toBatman: Death and the Maidens #3 (December 2003). Art byKlaus Janson. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #783 (August 2003) |
| Created by | Greg Rucka (writer) Klaus Janson (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | League of Assassins |
| Notable aliases | Nyssa al Ghul, Nyssa Queen |
| Abilities |
|
Nyssa Raatko is asupervillain inDC Comics. Nyssa Raatko was created byGreg Rucka andKlaus Janson for theBatman series ofcomic books. She is an enemy of Batman, a daughter ofRa's al Ghul and the older half-sister ofTalia.[1]
Nyssa made her first live-action appearance as a recurring character on theArrowverse television seriesArrow, starting in thesecond season, played byKatrina Law. She also appeared in the final season ofGotham, portrayed byJaime Murray.
InBatman: Death and the Maidens, it is revealed thatRa's al Ghul and aRussian-Jewish peasant woman had alove child named Nyssa born during his travels in Russia in the 18th century. Enamored by the romantic stories that her mother told her about Ra's as a child, Nyssa sets out to find her father and eventually locates him at his headquarters in North Africa.[2]
Impressed by her beauty, warrior skills, and determination and ability to locate him, he promotes her as his right hand associate and they go on adventures together. Ra's is so impressed with her abilities, he even allows Nyssa to use his Lazarus Pits. Like her sister Talia, Nyssa eventually becomes disenchanted with Ra's genocidal plans to "cleanse the Earth", and disassociates herself from her father sometime in the early 20th century. Ra's reluctantly approves this, believing that she will return to him and that she or her children will become his future heirs. To his disappointment, Nyssa refuses to give herself or her family to him, causing him to disown her permanently. He does however allow her to keep a Lazarus Pit for herself which helps her survive until the modern times.
During World War II, Nyssa and her family are quickly sent to a concentration camp, where Nyssa's entire family dies and she is rendered infertile by veryMengele-style experiments. At one point she begs Ra's for help, but he declines to offer any.
Broken by her horrifying experiences during this time, and enraged that Ra's has abandoned her and her family to die at the hands of the Nazis, Nyssa is finally motivated to act when her great-grandson – her last living descendant - is killed. She plots to kill Ra's by befriending, kidnapping, and brainwashing Talia and using her to kill Ra's. To this end, she captures Talia and, using a Lazarus Pit, kills and resurrects her in rapid succession. Rendered apathetic by her time in the camp, unable to feel anything, Nyssa then attempts to destroy all hope and optimism in the world by assassinatingSuperman withKryptonite bullets she steals from theBatcave, hoping that, by uniting the world in one moment of tragedy, she will manage to rouse herself once more.
While Batman is successful in preventing the assassination of Superman, he is unable to stop Ra's from being killed by Nyssa.[3] This in turn is part of a greater plan by Ra's to ensure that his daughters, both initially dissatisfied with his plans, will realize that he is right, and that they would come to accept theirdestinies as his heirs. Realizing and accepting this, both Nyssa and Talia become the heads of theLeague of Assassins.
The Lazarus Pit can grant restorative properties that can heal injuries and even grant immortality. Nyssa owns one of the world's last Lazarus Pits, which has granted her longevity and the ability to heal her wounds; she survivesThe Holocaust thanks to its powers. She also found the ability to use the pit multiple times. She is also extremely wealthy, especially since she assumes control of Ra's' organization and joins forces with Talia. Like her father and half-sister, she knows every of Batman's secrets.
During "Infinite Crisis", Nyssa and her sister connive to use Talia's membership inLuthor'sSecret Society of Super Villains to take over the planet. Nyssa tries to recruitBatgirl (as Cassandra Cain) to stand at her side as "The One Who Is All". She attempts to explain why she is working with the villains of the Society to Batgirl:
"Vast stockpiles of food rot, while people starve. Millions die from curable diseases, while drug companies rake in the billions. Our environment chokes on our waste, becoming so toxic that life fails. It'sgenocide by greed, apathy, and neglect. These are thereal crimes. Something must change... The Society's plans are vast. They will succeed. I can't stop them. When the world gets a true taste of violent oppression, and their heroes lie dead and broken – apathy will die. That's when you'll lead my league to sanction key society members. Leaving Talia and I to lead the revolution. A new world will be born, one of peace and equality. Millions of lives will be saved".
Cassandra refuses, and, along withMr. Freeze, escapes from Nyssa's grasp.
In "One Year Later", Nyssa is seen in Northern Africa, planning an unknown plot with two terrorists. As she gets into her car to leave, it explodes.[4] In the following issue,Lady Shiva reports that Nyssa Raatko is dead, probably killed by theLeague of Assassins.[5]
.jpg)
Nyssa Raatko appears in theBatman: Arkham Knight DLC "Season of Infamy", voiced byJennifer Hale. This version is the leader of a rebel faction of the League of Assassins who oppose Ra's al Ghul's resurrection. Dpending on the player's choice, she can either be killed by a resurrected Ra's or take command of the League.
