| The Sensei | |
|---|---|
.png) The Sensei, as he appeared inJustice League of America #94 (November 1971). Art byNeal Adams. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Strange Adventures #215 (December 1968) |
| Created by | Neal Adams |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Unknown |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | League of Assassins |
| Abilities | Mastermartial artist |
TheSensei (Japanese: 先生) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. The Sensei was created by writer-artistNeal Adams and first appeared inStrange Adventures #215 (December 1968).[1] The character is amartial artssensei and adversary of thesuperheroBatman, along withDeadman and several other heroes.
In one continuity, Sensei is the father ofRa's al Ghul, paternal grandfather ofTalia al Ghul, and maternal great-grandfather ofDamian Wayne.
The character appeared on thethird season ofGotham, played byRaymond J. Barry.
The Sensei is a Chinese martial arts master who first appeared as the leader of theSociety of Assassins, before the introduction of Ra's al Ghul.
Ra's later appointed Ebenezer Darrk as president of the assassins (renamed the League of Assassins) with the Sensei as his lieutenant.[2] After Darrk's death in a conflict against Batman, the Sensei rebelled against Ra's for the leadership. For a time, the Sensei was possessed by the spirit called Jonah, who in Sensei's body was responsible for the murder of Boston Brand, who became Deadman after his death. After a struggle with Deadman andRama Kushna, Jonah was destroyed and Sensei regained control of his body.
By this stage, the Sensei was clearly insane (if he had not been before) with no goals other than to raise assassination to an art form. Among other crimes he usedBronze Tiger, the brainwashed partner ofRichard Dragon, to carry out a number of assassinations. Most notably he used the Bronze Tiger to occupy Batman in battle, while other assassins killed Batman's friendKathy Kane.
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He next attempted to kill a number of dignitaries by having the League plant explosives along a fault line, stating that using a force of nature to carry out an assassination would be his greatest work of art. Although Batman arrived in time to rescue the delegates, he was unable to stop the earthquake. With no time to pursue Sensei, Batman was forced to allow Ra's al Ghul to go after the assassin. Sensei then engaged himself in a fight to the death with Ra's, during which both of them were swallowed by the earthquake. Ra's survived thanks to his rejuvenating Lazarus Pit.[volume & issue needed]
The Sensei also somehow survived, to reappear inThe Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul storyline, wherein he is revealed to be Ra's al Ghul's father.[3] When Ra's and Batman seek the Fountain of Youth inNanda Parbat, Sensei confronts them both, stabbing Ra's' decaying body and then attacking Batman, arrogantly informing the Dark Knight that, while he can only maintain the necessary physical strength to vanquish Batman for two minutes at his age, he only needs one minute to break him. However, Batman is able to take him by surprise, hurling both of them into the Fountain. It destroys Sensei due to his impure spirit, but Batman is not only healed, but apparently slightly rejuvenated by his dip in the waters.
The Sensei is an expert martial artist. His longevity allowed him to learn dozens of martial arts over the centuries, able to beat Batman within minutes, although his age meant that he was unable to physically confront the Dark Knight for long enough to do so.
The Sensei appears inBatman: Odyssey. This version is Ra's al Ghul's son.[4]
