Last week, Liam Neeson expressed his willingness to reprise his role as Ra’s al Ghul for the third season of “Arrow.” Neeson portrayed Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins and briefly appeared in The Dark Knight Rises. However, the “Arrow” creative team has chosen another actor to portray The Demon’s Head.
“Arrow” star Stephen Amell took to twitter to make the announcement. “Please welcome Matt Nable to Arrow. You know who he’s playing,” wrote Amell above a picture of the comic book version of Ra’s al Ghul.
Created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams in 1971, Ra’s al Ghul was more of a James Bond villain than a typical Batman adversary. Ra’s al Ghul wanted to save the world from itself, but his methods included a willingness to slaughter most of the Earth’s population for the good of the planet. Ra’s al Ghul is also the leader of the League of Assassins.
During the second season of “Arrow,” Ra’s al Ghul was mentioned by name several times and his daughter, Nyssa (Katrina Law) appeared in two episodes. It was also broadly hinted that Ra’s al Ghul trained Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) before falling out with him.
Related: ‘Arrow’ Season 3 Villain Revealed
Nable is a former rugby league footballer turned actor whose best known role in the United States may be his turn as Boss Johns in Riddick. He has also appeared in “East West,” Killer Elite, The Turning and K-11.
Amell’s announcement did not include the episode in which Nable will make his debut as Ra’s al Ghul, but I would hazard a guess that Ra’s will appear in the midseason finale as a cliffhanger for the rest of the season.
“Arrow” Season 3 will premiere on Wednesday, October 8.
