Ra's al Ghul (
Raʾs al-Ġūl; "
Ghoul's Head" or "
Demon's Head") is a fictional
supervillain appearing in
American comic books published by
DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the
superhero Batman. Created by writer
Dennis O'Neil and artist
Neal Adams, the character first appeared in
Batman #232's "Daughter of the Demon" (June 1971). Ra's al Ghul is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery. Ra's al Ghul's high status as a supervillain has also caused him to come into conflict with other superheroes in the
DC Universe.