Batman: The Animated Series
Episode 78
Showdown
The best Ra’s al Ghul episode in the entire series, the entire DCAU. Ra’s organization the Society of Shadows kidnaps a really old guy from a retirement home. Ra’s leaves a tape for Batman and Robin to listen to as they drive to the airport to stop him. On the tape is Ra’s telling a story dating back to 1883.
From there we flashback to a story about Jonah Hex!!! Since Ra’s is really old thanks to the Lazarus Pits. He’s been causing trouble to the world for a really longtime. This story has an older Jonah Hex tracking down a bad guy name Arkady Duvall for roughing up a woman and doing a bunch of other crimes. He’s working for Ra’s and they are planning on invading America as it begins to expand via it’s railroad line.
While Hex is tracking Duvall he discovers Ra’s plan and stops it. He captures Duvall and turns him in. Duvall offers him more than his bounty to go free but Jonah Hex will have none of that. We’re back in the present as Batman catches up with Ra’s and fills in the rest of the blanks with Duvall after his capture.
Duvall was sentenced to 50 years hard labor, no one expected him to survive it except Ra’s but he lost track of him during that time. It makes Duvall over 100 years old because he was exposed to Lazarus Pit as a child. Ra's reveals Arkady Duvall is his son. Talia isn’t his only child. Ra’s admits that Arkady was too unstable to be his successor and at his advanced age is beyond the Lazarus. Batman lets Ra’s leave with his son since he’s not a bureaucrat who requires lots of paperwork proving paternity like the retirement home likely required.
Such a great ending and it puts the villain in the right, in his own evil way. All he’s doing is reclaiming his child to care for him. Ra’s has many crimes to answer for. Taking his son out of a retirement home isn’t one of them. The inclusion of Jonah Hex in the episode is outstanding. His best TV appearance, it even tops many of his stories in the comics.
Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com
