The League of Shadows has long been a thorn in the side of Batman. Now, a new incarnation of the sinister society has gathered under the banner of one of Batman’s oldest enemies.
The new League of Shadows is revealed in the closing pages of Batman #138, by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, and Tomeu Morey. It is here that Scandal Savage turns command of Catwoman’s thieves’ guild to her father, Vandal Savage. (Scandal had previously been revealed as Selena Kyle’s right-hand in disguise.) The issue closes with both Savages surveying their followers, dubbing them the League of Shadows, and Vandal declaring they will “steal immortality from Gotham.”
The League of Shadows Explained
It is important to distinguish the League of Shadows from the more famous (and infamous) League of Assassins. The League of Assassins was established by Ra’s Al Ghul in the 1970s Batman comics. They were killers concerned with bringing about wide societal changes through political murders.
The League of Assassins was renamed the League of Shadows for Batman: The Animated Series. This was due to the prohibitions on mentioning assassination in a children’s cartoon. Christopher Nolan also used the name League of Shadows for Ra’s Al Ghul’s organization in the movie Batman Begins. Nolan made this change so that Bruce Wayne would have no idea of the sinister nature of the people who were training him.
A group called the League of Shadows was introduced into the core DC Universe in 2017. This League of Shadows was a splinter group of the League of Assassins, led by Lady Shiva. Before that, Ra’s Al Ghul had encouraged rumors of a rival group called the League of Shadows to scare his assassins into submission. When Shiva learned the truth, she formed her own team of other disgruntled assassins.
With an immortal warlord and his sinister daughter as their leaders, it seems clear the League of Shadows has been set up as a counter to the League of Assassins. It is unclear, however, what role they may come to play in the Gotham War.
Batman #138 is now available in comic shops everywhere.
