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Quote1 I am no terrorist! I am Thugee! I was Thugee before Jihad; I am Thugee after. I simply combine theology and commerce like any other religion. Jihad paid me to kill. I give those lives to Kali to delay the Kali-Yuga. Americans pay me to do the same -- and they pay better. Quote2
Ravan src

Ravan is a highly skilled terrorist working out of Qurac, and a member of the Jihad.

This originally made him an enemy to the Suicide Squad, although he later became one of their members. He is a Thuggee assassin who practices Kali worship, believing that every life he sacrifices delays the Kali Yuga another thousand years. This has made him a formidable and deadly martial artist.[1]

Jihad

 Main article: Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire

The Jihad auditioned for President Marlo of Qurac by destroying a fake airport. They used real Quraci citizens to set the scene, and Ravan assassinated several guarded actors posing as politicians. This was a success and Marlo hired them to kill the American President. The other members of this team included Chimera, Djinn, Jaculi, Manticore, and their leader Rustam. Amanda Waller sent the Suicide Squad to attack their fortress Jotunheim.[1] Rick Flag describes Ravan's living quarters as part shrine to Kali, part Playboy Mansion. Bronze Tiger is sent to neutralize Ravan, and Ravan is surprised that he did not sense Bronze Tiger's approach. They fight and Bronze Tiger breaks Ravan's back, leaving him on the ground, then walks away. Ravan demands an honorable death, but Bronze Tiger insists that he does not kill anymore.[2]

Return of Jihad

Recovering from their failure, Jihad recruited several new members to take revenge on the Suicide Squad. They attacked New York City and demanded that the Squad be handed over or innocents would be slaughtered. Ravan started by murdering people in the U.N. Building so their corpses could be taken over by Koschei the Deathless.[3] Bronze Tiger finds Ravan about to kill Mayor Ed Koch and attacks him. Deducing that Ravan must wear an exo-skeleton since his back was broken, Bronze Tiger simply targets the power source and easily disables him. Bronze Tiger convinces Ravan that he could serve Kali better by joining the Suicide Squad.[4]

Suicide Squad

Ravan is taken into custody and becomes a member of the Suicide Squad operating out of Belle Reve prison. His first mission is helping to rescue an American nun imprisoned in the militaristic country Ogaden.[5] The team needs uniforms to pass as local military, and Bronze Tiger is horrified when Ravan does not hesitate to slit the throats of several soldiers. The mission is a success and nobody important dies.[6]

The Janus Directive

During the events of The Janus Directive, Ravan is part of a team sent to fight the Force of July. He slits the throat of their operative Mayflower and kills her.[7] There is a large battle at Belle Reve and Ravan is seen fighting Val Vostok.[8] Ravan is part of the infiltration team sent to handle Kobra's soldiers when the U.S. Government attacks Kobra's space ark.[9] In the final battle, Ravan nearly kills Mark Shaw before Shaw unmasks himself as a good guy.[10]

Major Victory of Force of July joins the Squad and threatens violence against Ravan for killing Mayflower.[11] The Squad's next mission is a prisoner rescue in Iran. Ravan offers to kill "whoever is running Iran this week" to humiliate the country further. Amanda Waller tells him that will be unnecessary, but commends his attitude. He is sent to hold the local news station captive, and make sure the rescue footage is broadcast. He kills the newsroom employee before he leaves, explaining that the Iranians are "barbarians" andwould have given the man a horrible death.[12]

Apokolips

Ravan confronts Kobra in prison, and announces plans to kill him. Kobra seeks to bring about the Kali Yuga that Ravan is trying to delay. This makes them mortal enemies, like "the snake and the mongoose." Ravan is left out when Lashina kidnaps the Squad as an assault team to help her on Apokolips.[13] However, he becomes part of the rescue mission with the Forever People.[14] In the final battle against the Female Furies, Ravan is seen using his garrote wire to strangle Parademons to death.[15] He is returned to Earth by Darkseid with the rest of the Squad.[16] Sarge Steel was forced to disband the Suicide Squad when Amanda Waller was exposed to the media. Waller decided she had to stop the L.O.A. cartel, so she put together one last illegal mission. Deadshot, Poison Ivy, and Ravan were promised their freedom in exchange for helping her out. After executing the heads of the L.O.A. the villains were released, and Waller was sent to prison.[17]

The Phoenix Gambit

Amanda Waller was eventually released from prison and allowed to continue the Suicide Squad as an international freelance organization.[18] During his year of freedom, Ravan is shown to have moved to London. To continue his Kali worship, he begins operating a murder-for-hire business out of a church. Batman tracks him down and delivers him to Waller after blowing the "Cyberchurch" up.[19] Ravan tries to attack Batman, but Batman easily defeats him. Waller explains that they will pay him better, and working with the Squad will give him another chance to kill Kobra.[20] Ravan is used to assassinate General Kaligari, the despotic Soviet leader of Vlatava.[21]

Death

The Egyptian government hires the Squad to stop Kobra's plans in Jerusalem. Bronze Tiger and Ravan are both forced to sneak into Israel through the coast because they are considered known terrorists. It is shown that Ravan no longer needs his exoskeleton because the Squad developed an implant to restore his mobility. Bronze Tiger teases Ravan about breaking his back, and Ravan repeats his promise to kill Bronze Tiger someday. Bronze Tiger suggests they fight right there, but Ravan simply laughs at his attempts to seem 'bad.' The two are forced to stay in a safehouse in Tel Aviv to avoid capture.[22] When Vixen tells them Kobra has been captured, Ravan ignores the mission instructions to go kill Kobra. They are attacked by the Hayoth warrior Judith and Vixen is left needing medical attention. Ravan refuses to help Bronze Tiger take her to the hospital as he believes killing Kobra is more important.[23] Ravan finds Kobra and attacks him, but Kobra strikes Ravan with his poisoned staff. Despite the poison slowly killing him, Ravan continues to fight until he is finally struck down. The Atom knocks Kobra unconscious while Kobra is distracted. Ravan begs the Atom to kill Kobra or stand aside and let him do it, but the Atom refuses. Ravan finally succumbs to the poison and dies, saying that he is unfulfilled since Kobra still lives.[24]

Ravan is reanimated as a zombie when his old Jihad teammate Koschei the Deathless returns to take revenge on the Squad. He is part of a "Death Squad" consisting of zombie versions of old Suicide Squad members and enemies. In this form he has one final battle with Bronze Tiger, but he is defeated and his corpse returns to normal.[25]

Blackest Night

 Main article: Blackest Night

Roy Harper Cry for Justice
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Ravan is "the last of the old Thugee sect or, as he prefers to think of himself, the first of the new Thugee sect." Ravan, whose skills and beliefs were formed before joining the Jihad, is a young sophisticated Indian who attempts to update the Thugee beliefs with modern weapons. Well-trained in martial arts and at home with the weapons and pleasures of the West, he is a very urbane terrorist.[26]


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Footnotes


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Suicide Squad member
This character is or was a member of the Suicide Squad, a team of imprisoned super-villains who perform high-risk missions for the U.S. Government in exchange for commuted sentences, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Suicide Squad members" category.

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