Comic book writer Dennis O'Neil was surprised when Rha's Al Ghul, the character he co-created with Neal Adams, was introduced in Arrow Season 3 episode 9, a.k.a. the winter finale. Talking to Comicbook.com, the 75-year old writer who is also known for his works on Green Lantern, Iron Man, and the Amazing Spiderman said that he had a lot of objections at first with the way CW Network portrayed Oliver Queen. He even added that he is not comfortable watching his stuff. However, when it comes to overall grade, he thinks Arrow is doing a good job.
"I was kind of slow to warm up to it. I had a lot of quibbles at first, but most of them have gone away. But the fact that I'm watching it means that I like it. I'm not always comfortable watching the stuff I've done translate into another media. But I would say that even without a comic book connection, I would watch Arrow-and all of the comic book shows currently on-for entertainment."
Arrow Season 3 episode nine saw the arrival of DC Comics' most ruthless and bad-ass villain, Rha's Al Ghul played by Matt Nable. The show stick to what the leader of League of Assassins is really known for by having him kill the show's main protagonist Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) with no mercy. For O'Neil, the Arrow Season 3 episode 9 'dignified' Rha's Al Ghul.
"Ra's is a good villain for Batman, and Green Arrow is a Batman-scale figure. He's human, which makes for a good interchange. I paid a lot of attention to Ra's last night. I think the actor, Matt Nable, gets it. I think he's dignified. He's tough-looking, he's ruthless. That's about the way that character should be played. I don't have any qualms with the way he was written."
Will fans see more of Rha's al Ghul? Watch out for the next episodes. Arrow Season 3 episode 10, the first in more than one month, will air on January 21st.
