Ra’s Al Ghul just vowed to bring war into another DC superhero’s life, which means Batman may not be his only major nemesis anymore.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman and the Outsiders #16 by Bryan Hill, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini and Clayton Cowless, on sale now.
Ra’s Al Ghul and Batman have been enemies for years, with Bruce Wayne doing his best to keep Ra’s from extending his control from the League of Shadows to the entire world. Now, Ra’s has decided there’s another hero he hates just as much.
Ra’s Al Ghul just named Black Lightning as a new nemesis, which means Black Lightning will have to deal with the villain on a more regular basis.
Throughout Batman and the Outsiders, Jefferson Pierce has been increasingly targeted by Ra’s Al Ghul. As one of Batman’s agents and the leader of the Outsiders — which includes three young heroes Ra’s has an interest in corrupting into agents for the League of Shadows — Black Lightning has been made into a target by Ra’s.
In a bid to break down Black Lightning, Ra’s had his agents destroy the Metropolis High School Jefferson was running as principal. They also murdered his friend and fellow educator, Tina. Ra’s later sent agents specifically to target Jefferson, leading to a number of battles and even a massive terrorist attack in Cambodia that presumably killed numerous civilians.
Jefferson has grown increasingly furious with Ra’s over the course of the storyline, even threatening to kill the villain if he gets his hands on him. After receiving a major power upgrade from Batman’s technology, he’s able to fully stand up to Ra’s even when the villain has an alien device that allows him to break the Earth underneath their feet.
Despite Ra’s attempts to convince Jefferson to be his better half and help Ra’s recreate the world in their battles, Black Lightning utilizes his overwhelming abilities to bring down Ra’s with ease, destroying the device and stripping Ra’s of his newfound power.