Nyssa Raatko (New Earth)

Nyssa Raatko
Mainstream Universe‎, 1986‎-2011‎
Real Name	Nyssa Raatko
Other Aliases	Nyssa al Ghul, Nyssa Head
Relatives	Ra's al Ghul (father), Talia al Ghul (half-sister), White Ghost (Dusan al Ghul, brother), Damian al Ghul (half-nephew), Sensei (grandfather)
Affiliation	League of Assassins
Base Of Operations	The Balkans
Status
Alignment	Bad
Identity	Secret Identity
Race	Human
Citizenship	Russian
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Professional Assassin
Characteristics
Gender	Female
Height	5' 9"
Weight	145 lbs (66 kg)
Eyes	Blue
Hair	Black
Origin
Universe	New Earth
Creators	Greg Rucka · Klaus Janson
First Appearance	Detective Comics #783 (August, 2003)
Appearance of Death	Robin Vol 4 #148

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's genocide by greed, apathy, and neglect. These are the real 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.

— Nyssa Raatko

History

Ra's al Ghul had a love child born during his travels in Russia in the 18th Century called Nyssa. Enamored by the romantic stories that her mother would tell her about Ra's as a child, Nyssa set out to find Ra's and eventually located him at his headquarters in North Africa.

Impressed by her beauty, her warrior skills, and the fact that she was able to locate him, she was promoted to a position similar to that held by her half-sister, Talia. As a right hand associate, she accompanied him during his adventures. Ra's was so impressed with her abilities, he even allowed Nyssa to use his Lazarus Pits. Like her sister Talia, Nyssa eventually became disenchanted with Ra's genocidal plans to "cleanse the Earth," and disassociated herself from her father sometime in the early 19th century. Ra's reluctantly approved this, believing that she would return to him and that she and/or her children would become his future heirs. To his disappointment, Nyssa refused to give herself or her family to him, causing him officially to disown her permanently. He did however allow her to keep a Lazarus Pit for herself and, much to his surprise, she found a way to reuse it, allowing her to survive until modern times.

World War II

During World War II, Nyssa and her family were sent to a concentration camp, where Nyssa's entire family died as she was rendered infertile by gruesome Mengele-sque experiments.

Revenge against Ra's al Ghul

Batman Death and the Maidens 6

Broken by her horrifying experiences during this time, and enraged that Ra's had abandoned her and her family to die at the hands of the Nazis, she planned to kill Ra's by befriending, kidnapping, and brainwashing Talia and using her to kill Ra's. She would then destroy all hope and optimism in the world by assassinating Superman with kryptonite bullets she stole from the Batcave.

While Batman was successful in preventing the assassination of Superman, he was unable to stop Ra's from being killed by Nyssa. This in turn was part of a greater plan by Ra's to ensure that his daughters, both initially dissatisfied with his plans, would realize that he was right, and that they would come to accept their destinies as his heirs. Realizing and accepting this, both Nyssa and Talia became the heads of the League of Assassins. Talia disavowed her love for Bruce Wayne, and both sisters declared Batman to be their enemy.

Lazarus Pit

Nyssa is in possession of the world's last Lazarus Pit which has granted her longevity and the ability to heal her wounds; she survived the Holocaust thanks to its powers. She is also extremely wealthy, especially since she assumed control of Ra's' organization and joined forces with Talia. Like her father and sister, she knows Batman's secret identity and the location of the Batcave.

Infinite Crisis

During Infinite Crisis, Nyssa and her sister connived to use Talia's membership in Luthor's Secret Society of Super-Villains in order to take over the planet. Talia tried to recruit Batgirl to stand at her side as "The One Who Is All". Cassandra refused, and, along with Mr. Freeze, escaped from Nyssa's grasp.

In Robin #148, the first One Year Later issue, Nyssa is seen in Northern Africa, planning an unknown plot with two terrorists. As she gets into her car to leave, it explodes. In the following issue, Lady Shiva reports that Nyssa Raatko is dead, probably killed by the League of Assassins.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Longevity: Extended lifespan through the use of Lazarus Pits.

Abilities

Genius-Level Intellect: knowledgeable in the study of alchemy; genius rivals that of her father.

Advanced Combatant

Skilled Assassin

Related

• 20 Appearances of Nyssa Raatko (New Earth)
• 5 Images featuring Nyssa Raatko (New Earth)
• 1 Quotations by or about Nyssa Raatko (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Nyssa Raatko (New Earth)

Footnotes

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This article covers information about something that exists within the DC Universe, and should not contain out-of-universe material. Please remove all out-of-universe material, or include it in a separate section at the bottom of the article. And take off that silly costume.