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.