Capes On the Couch - Where Comics Get Counseling

Issue 44 - Talia al Ghul


Listen Later

It's the Season 2 finale, and per our President level Patron Ariel's request, we're covering TALIA AL GHUL! Anthony & Doc go in depth on Ra's daughter, her on/off-again relationship with Batman, and how good of a mother she is to Damian. All this, plus a first ever treatment session and the weirdest accent Anthony's done yet - LISTEN NOW!

SHOW NOTES:

  • Introduction

    • Shoutout to Blood & Black Rum (NSFW) – – Ryne & Chris drink beer and talk about (mostly) cult films – (3:34)

  • Background (5:54)

    • Created by Dennis O'Neil and Bob Brown in Detective Comics #411 (May 1971)

    • Daughter of Ra's al Ghul, introduced as simply Talia – Batman rescues her from the League of Assassins, and she shoots her captor (Dr. Darrk) to save Batman

    • Later revealed that a kidnapping was a test by Ra's to see if Batman would make a good husband for Talia – Bruce rejects the offer, but still loves Talia

    • She marries Bruce in 1978 with Ra's approval

    • She becomes pregnant with Bruce's child, but she realizes she can't stay with him, so she fakes a miscarriage and annuls the marriage – the boy is dropped off at an orphanage – later grows to become Damian Wayne

    • Takes over LexCorp when Lex Luthor becomes President of the US – she sells all the assets to Wayne Foundation, leaving Lex broke

    • Gets kidnapped by her half-sister Nyssa and brainwashed to turn against their father – Nyssa kills Ra's, and both women take over his organization

    • After Bruce is apparently killed, she tells Dick Grayson to take Damian under his wing as the new Robin – after Damian is injured, she implants a device in his spine that allows her to control him, and she starts to clone him to create a more obedient son

    • Batman Inc – she takes control of an organization called Leviathan to kill Batman – her Damian clone kills the original, and she poisons Batman in a battle, but gets killed by Kathy Kane – Ra's brings her body to a Lazarus Pit to resurrect her – she awakens with no memory of her former life

    • Rebirth – fights Catwoman after finding out she's engaged to Bruce

    • Lies to Deathstroke and tells him that Damian is his son so he attacks Bruce

  • Issues (12:02)

    • Loyalty torn between her father and Bruce

    • After kidnapping by Nyssa, becomes more detached from humanity like her father

    • Maternal instincts over Damian vary – usually fiercely loyal to him, but also willing to abandon him when he defies her (28:21)

  • Treatment (39:50)

    • In universe

    • Out of universe

  • Skit (54:04)

  • Ending

References:

  • Chris Hansen - Anthony - 3:30
  • Jack Frost - Anthony - 4:08
  • Leprechaun in the Hood - Doc - 4:40
  • Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood - Doc - 5:04
  • Ra's al Ghul episode - Anthony - 9:04
  • Maury Povich - Doc - 11:52
  • "Get Down Tonight" by KC & the Sunshine Band - Anthony - 12:20
  • Married with Children - Doc - 12:49
  • Stockholm Syndrome - 20:48
  • Gaslighting - Anthony - 22:54
  • A Clockwork Orange - Anthony - 23"08
  • Skinner conditioning - Doc - 24:18
  • Negan episode - Doc - 27:25

iTunes: here Google Play: here Stitcher: here TuneIn: here iHeartRadio: here Spotify: here Twitter FacebookE-mailPatreon

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Capes On the Couch - Where Comics Get CounselingBy Capes on the Couch: Where Comics Get Counseling

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

55 ratings