The following article contains spoilers from Batman: Fortress #7, on sale now.

Batman and Lex Luthor finally reveal how much they hate each other's guts in Batman: Fortress #7.

While exploring the confines of Superman's submerged Fortress of Solitude, now residing in the Mariana Trench -- the deepest point on Earth -- the pair traverse multiple death traps. One of the traps confines them in a room with a slowly rising water level, and as the pair become increasingly convinced that they're about to die, Lex stares at Batman and tells him he's always hated the Dark Knight. Never one to be outdone, Batman responds with just as much vitriol.

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Batman and Lex Luthor both reiterate how much they hate each other

Batman: Fortress takes place in an alternate continuity where aliens bearing a grudge against Krypton and Superman have invaded Earth. With Superman nowhere to be found and the Justice League either defeated or imprisoned, Batman takes the initiative to combat the extraterrestrials but is forced to ally with Lex Luthor, the President of the United States.

After rounding up as many motley heroes as they can find, including Aqualad, Emiko Queen and a wisecracking Green Lantern rodent named D'ayl, Batman and Lex venture down into the Fortress of Solitude, hoping to uncover Kryptonian tech that can help them defeat the aliens. There, they find themselves up against Superman's death traps to keep out intruders -- and after Batman and Lex express their mutual hatred for each other, Aqualad saves them from a watery doom.

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Batman And Lex Luthor's Relationship

While Lex Luthor is primarily known as Superman's greatest villain, he has clashed with Batman on a number of occasions. Their relationship is best defined as one alternating between begrudging respect -- with Lex acknowledging that Batman is a human among god-like superheroes -- and outright loathing.

Perhaps Batman's biggest conflict with Lex occurred during the "No Man's Land" story of the late '90s. After an earthquake decimated Gotham City and turned it into a warzone separated away from the rest of the US, Luthor took control of the wreckage, rebuilt the city and used the goodwill he fostered to run for president. Batman never trusted Luthor's ambitions, and Lex reverted to his criminal ways in Superman/Batman's "Public Enemies" story arc, which revealed that he had used his presidential powers to obtain weapons from Apokolips.

Batman: Fortress #7 is written by Greg Whitta, illustrated by Darick Robertson, colored by Diego Rodriguez, lettered by Simon Bowland, and features a main cover by Robertson & Rodriguez and a variant by Jorge Molina. The issue is on sale now from DC.

Source: DC