Beware the Batman – Sacrifice

• Title: Beware the Batman – Sacrifice
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Anarky (Wallace Langham) returns to set Batman (Anthony Ruivivar) against the League of Assassins by stealing an important shipment from Lady Shiva (Finola Hughes) and offering to return it in return for the assassins acquiring a deadly virus from Gotham’s Contagion Research Center. The anarchist promptly informs Batman and Katana (Sumalee Montano) of the villains whereabouts and then sits back to enjoy the chaos his maneuverings have caused.

Unable to stop Shiva from breaking into the labs, when her assassins release the virus transforming them into mindless monsters and plague carriers capable of destroying all of Gotham Shiva has no choice but to agree to a temporary partnership. Things aren’t helped when Katana becomes infected and Batman is faced with a less than cooperative Shiva who decides her best course of action is to take down the Dark Knight before the center’s incineration protocols are engaged.

Trapped inside, Batman races to make it to the antidote before time runs out. Meanwhile, outside the CRC, Gordon works hard to buy Batman a little time before a trigger-happy executive tries to cleanse the entire center with the vigilante and others still inside. After everyone makes it out alive, the episode ends with the reveal of just what cargo Shiva was willing to risk anything to protect as “Sacrifice” gives us our first look at a comatose Ra’s al Ghul.

Aside from giving us our first glimpse of Ra’s al Ghul, “Sacrifice” also provides a nice fight sequence between Batman and Shiva that showcases Batman’s fighting superiority but also Shiva’s ability to get out of any tight spot if given the opportunity. Anarchy’s return also works well as the character is far more useful as a behind-the-scenes puppet master than a direct threat to Batman.