Dark Knight Trilogy: Ra’s Al Ghul (INFJ)

Ni:

“You have to become a terrible thought. You have to become an idea.”

“If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely.”

Ra’s Al Ghul seeks out Bruce Wayne with the vision in mind that he will be Ra’s second hand man, something he basically states when fighting Bruce near end of the movie. He tells Bruce that he had freed him from his fear, and showed him a “path”, which is a very Ni way to speak. Of course, Ra’s operates via long term planning. He initiates plans for Gotham’s destruction that take time and effort, not yielding immediate results. He first tries a brand new economic approach which fails. He then begins enacting the plan that we see unfold in Batman Begins, where he makes a deal with Scarecrow, leading to the eventual contamination of the entire city’s water supply.

During his time training Bruce, Ra’s is constantly speaking in abstractions. He teaches Bruce that, in order to make a difference, he needs to become more than a man. He needs to become a legend, an ideal, a terrible thought. He emphasizes the use of deception to further those efforts. In addition, Ra’s has a tendency to make vague statements, leaving the interpretation open to the individual. He tells Bruce to carry a rare blue flower to the top of the mountain, and that once he does, Bruce will find what he is looking for. Of course, Bruce questions that statement, and Ra’s just throws the interpretation back on him, claiming that only Bruce can know the answer.

Fe:

“And you are afraid, but not of me. Tell us, Mr. Wayne. What do you fear?”

“But a criminal is not complicated. What you really fear is inside yourself. You fear your own power. You fear your anger, the drive to do great or terrible things.”

“Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s understanding.”

As a mature and jaded Fe auxiliary, Ra’s Fe shows up in his perspective of humanity. He’s less focused in on the individual, and more on the overall state of the world. He wants to maintain harmony by destroying corruption. His work in the League of Shadows is focused on destroying any society that has gone too far down the wrong path, so that overall harmony in the world can remain.

Ra’s is excellent at reading others, which would be a combination of his Ni-Fe. His Ni perception is essentially wielded by his Fe focus on people. He seeks Bruce out to mentor him, and raise him up to work along side Ra’s. He hones in on Bruce’s fear, attempting to rid him of it. He pokes at his insecurities, and tries to free him from his guilt.

Lastly, Ra’s gives off a friendly and personal vibe that is typical of Fe users. He’s charismatic, and speaks in a polite and refined manner, referring to people by their proper titles. We also see him have a tendency to collectively refer to those around him by saying “gentlemen”, which further supports that polite, Fe mentality. (Even though in some cases, the “gentlemen” are his men, so he could have easily and justifiably taken a more authoritarian approach.)

Ti:

“If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk up behind them and stab them in the heart.”

“Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share.”

Ra’s more cynical nature is due to his Ti development. He doesn’t believe in attempting to reform society any longer, but simply wants to enact judgement once boundaries have been overstepped. One of the lessons that he attempts to teach Bruce over and over again is that compassion is a weakness that he must not have. Of course, this completely goes against a typical high Fe user’s mindset, but Ra’s is the example of a more tragic INFJ, who is setting aside the welfare of an individual for the sake of the collective. He essentially rationalizes that his mission, whatever it may be, is better for humanity as a whole. He appears to feel absolutely no remorse for his criminal deeds.

Se:

“You never learned to mind your surroundings.”

It can be hard to find specific evidence of inferior functions in characters. We see general inferior extraverted perceiving evidence in Ra’s Al Ghul in the way he seems to plan everything out in the long term. He doesn’t appear to ever place himself in a position that he hasn’t strategized out already. He also shows signs of devaluing the sensory when he’s telling Bruce that training is nothing and will is everything. He is essentially saying that the only important thing is your power from within, and actual physical skills are irrelevant.

As a mature INFJ, he demonstrates some healthier Se signs, such as enforcing the need to mind one’s surroundings. Of course, this is due to his training. In addition, him specifically stating that Bruce’s father failed to act could also been seen as Se, due to the implication that his father should have at least reacted and done something.