Question for fans of DC Comics

[Orrex]

When did Ra's Al Ghul change his name?

That is, when did it switch from ROZ Al Ghul to RASHE Al Ghul?

In Christopher Nolan's Batman films, we clearly hear the former pronunciation multiple times. But in the more recent Arrowverse (and, I note, in the MMORPG DC Universe Online), it is always pronounced as the latter. It might be that way in the current DC animated properties, but I've seen very few of those, so I don't know.

Growing up, I tended to pronounce it as ROZ, because that's how it looked in print.


Why the change? Is it because of the Deep State?

[Dave Starsky]

1. It was always RASHE.

I remember Denny O'Neil (who created the character in the early 70s) explaining that long, long ago in the letters section of a Batman comic.

I imagine the movies changed it to avoid confusion with the more casual movie-going audience, but the other properties do it the right way.

[Orrex]

2. Whoa!

I will of course defer to the guy who created the character, but IMO that was a dumb way to spell it except as a deliberate effort to create confusion.

[Dave Starsky]

3. It's an Arabic name, actually.

Apparently, that's how you would really pronounce it if you were to see it in actual Arabic.

I always pronounced it ROZ, too, until I read that. I think every kid did.

[Orrex]

4. I don't know Arabic, but I kind of figured that the long-A sound is a rarity

Live and learn.

But I still can't forgive Denny O'Neil for his post-Miller stint on Daredevil in the 80s. Those scars run deep.

[FSogol]

5. Is he the guy that if you make him say his name backwards he goes back to his own dimension?