In her youth, Talia traveleds the world with her father learning and adapting his intellect and skills which she proved to be more competent than any of his other children. She exceled to the point in managing his criminal and legitimate operations, that she is eventually appointed as Ras Al Ghul's primary secondary despite the fact that Ras considers women to be inheritantly inferior to men. Ras is supportive of his daughter though has commented that if possible, he would correct "that sole failing" in his child suggesting that he fears any possible distortion of her through chemical or biological modifications despite his aversion to her as a woman.

Talia first met Batman when he rescued her from Dr. Darkk, apparently the leader of the League of Assassins. It is eventually revealed that the League is just one part of Ra's al Ghul's organization, The Demon, and that Darkk apparently turned against Ra's after failing in a mission (the usual punishment for this being death). At the end of the story, she shoots and kills Darkk to save Batman's life. Dick Grayson (Robin) is kidnapped. Ra's al Ghul enters the Batcave, revealing to Batman that he knows Batman's secret identity and saying that Talia was also kidnapped along with Dick. Batman then goes with Ra's to search for Dick and Talia; in the end, it is revealed that Talia loves Batman and that the entire kidnapping is a setup designed by Ra's as a final test of whether Batman's suitability as an heir. Though Batman rejects Ra's offer, he nevertheless returns Talia's feelings. In the years since Talia met Batman, she is repeatedly torn between loyalty to her father and her love of Batman. However, she has proven an important 'ally' in her way; most prominently, she encourages Batman to return to Gotham City when it is declared a "No Man's Land" following an earthquake, and he has lost his fighting spirit and didn't believe he could save Gotham.

After Jason Todd's death at the hands of the Joker, Batman brought his body back to Gotham and buried him with the rest of the Wayne Family. However, several weeks later, Superboy Prime resurrects Jason with a reality-altering punch. Although Jason is returned to life, his body and mind are still broken from the Joker's attack. Some time later, he is discovered by the League of Assassins and is taken in by Talia and Ra's Al Ghul. Jason spends months in their care, and although his body recuperates, his mind is shattered.

Seeing no other way to help him, Talia takes Jason down to the Lazarus Pit and throws his body in while her father regenerates himself. Jason is fully revived in body and mind. Immediately afterward, in order to spare Jason her father's wrath, she aids the boy's escape. Before giving him a passionate kiss, she informs him that Batman had let his killer live.

Livid at the fact that the Joker was still alive and that Batman had done nothing more than imprison him again, Jason pursues his own brand of justice. Talia agrees to finance Jason and aid him in his training, so that he can become the second Red Hood.

Talia entered a brief alliance with Bane, "The Man Who Broke the Bat," whom Ra's has also considered might be suitable as an heir. However, after a short time, she rejects Bane, though her father still wants her to marry the musclebound assassin. When Bane is defeated by Batman soon after, Ra's gives up trying to match him with Talia.

Talia, disillusioned with her father and his plans, leaves him to run LexCorp for Lex Luthor when Luthor becomes President of the United States. Although she seemingly supports Luthor, she secretly works to undermine him, anonymously leaking news of his underhanded dealings to Superman. When the time comes for Luthor's downfall, she sells all of LexCorp's assets to the Wayne Foundation, leaving Luthor penniless and his crimes exposed to all.

During his travels in Russia in the 18th century, Ra's al Ghul met a woman by whom he had a daughter named Nyssa. Ra's abandons Nyssa at a crucial time: she is tortured, and her entire family is killed in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Seeking vengeance, Nyssa plans to use her considerable wealth and resources to kill Ra's by befriending, kidnapping, and brainwashing Talia, turning her into a weapon to kill their father. To this end, she captured Talia and, using a Lazarus Pit, killed and resurrected her in rapid succession, leaving Talia virtually broken from the trauma of dying again and again in so short a time. Rendered apathetic by her time in the camp, unable to feel anything, Nyssa also plans to assassinate Superman with kryptonite bullets she stole from the Batcave, hoping that, by uniting the world in one moment of tragedy, she would manage to rouse herself once more.

While Batman is successful in preventing the assassination of Superman, he is unable to stop Nyssa from killing Ra's. This, in turn, is actually part of a greater plan concocted by Ra's, who wanted to ensure that his daughters would accept their destinies as his heirs, and take up his genocidal campaign. Realizing and accepting this, Nyssa and Talia become the heads of The Demon, with Talia disavowing her love for Bruce Wayne as another result of her torture at Nyssa's hands. (Both sisters consider Batman to be their enemy.)

Talia is revealed to be one of the core members of the third Secret Society of Super-Villains (along with Lex Luthor (secretly Alexander Luthor, Jr. in disguise), Black Adam, Doctor Psycho, Deathstroke, and Calculator). This is revealed to be part of one of Nyssa's plans to take over the planet and bring about world peace and equality. Nyssa explains why she and Talia are working with the villains of the Society to Batgirl (Cassandra Cain).

""Vast stockpiles of food rot, while people starve. Millions die from curable diseases, while drug companies rake in the billions. Our environment chokes on our waste, becoming so toxic that life fails. It's genocide by greed, apathy, and neglect. These are the real crimes. Something must change. The Society's plans are vast... they will succeed. I can't stop them. When the world gets a true taste of violent oppression, and their heroes lie dead and broken -- apathy will die. That's when you'll lead my league to sanction key society members. Leaving Talia and I to lead the revolution. A new world will be born, one of peace and equality. Millions of lives will be saved." --Batgirl #67

Nyssa fails to recruit Batgirl to her new League of Assassins, and the Society fails to achieve its goals.

After Nyssa's apparent death at the hands of Cassandra Cain (who usurps control of The League of Assassins), Talia becomes the new Demon's Head. However, the League of Assassins has apparently splintered and Cassandra Cain has gained partial control.

It is revealed that Talia and Batman have a son. She let him be partially raised by The League of Assassins. Talia gaves him back to Batman, as part of a grand scheme involving ninja man-bats and the kidnapping of the British Prime Minister's wife. Batman is unsure whether this is his son, but he attempts to deal with the spoiled, hot-tempered child anyway. Damian, effectively raised to be an assassin, kills a costumed villain known as The Spook and nearly kills Tim Drake, the newest Robin. Shortly afterwards, father, mother, and son confront each other on a ship which is destroyed by a torpedo.

Talia and Damien survived the explosion, however, Talia continues to keep a close eye on Bruce. Meanwhile, Damien was recently injured severely and has undergone a transplant of all his major organs.

Talia is prompted to read the history of Ra's al Ghul to her son Damian by a mysterious figure from Ra's past: the White Ghost. Unbeknownst to her, the White Ghost plans to use Damian as a vessel for Ra's return. However, mother and son manage to escape before the plan is completed. After the escape, Batman confronts the White Ghost; he fights Batman, but accidentally ends up falling into a Lazarus pit.

During the Final Crisis, Talia is placed on the new Society's inner circle by Libra.

Despite Talia's interaction with the new Society, she still behaves lovingly and almost devoted to Batman. She and Damian become aware of the Black Glove's plot against the Batman and begin devising a plan to help save him. They arrive at Wayne Manor just in time to save Commissioner James Gordon from being killed by assorted booby traps created by the Black Glove. She offers to join forces with Gordon to save Batman. She and Gordan arrive too late however and are informed by Robin that Batman went missing and may be dead following a battle with Doctor Hurt.

Furious that her love may be dead, she sends out her ninja bats to murder Jezebel Jet, who played a major role in trying to kill Batman. Soon after however it is revealed Batman did not die, but rather survived only to be captured soon after by Darkseid during the Final Crisis and then murdered by the New God.

Following Batman's death, Talia has apparently decided to leave Damian in the hands of his adopted brother Dick Grayson, who later takes on the role of Batman, and selects Damian to succeed Tim Drake as Robin.

It is also revealed that Talia trained Catwoman so that, even under the most intense psychological coercion, she would not reveal Bruce Wayne's secret identity.