Lex Luthor Has Struck a Bargain with the Batman Who Laughs

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Justice League #8 by James Tynion IV, Mikel Janin and Jeremy Cox, on sale now.

When Lex Luthor first brought the Legion of Doom together, he said that he had locked a monster in the basement. In Justice League #8, Luthor and his Legion are reeling from their defeat at the hands of the Justice League. The good guys reached the Totality first, but that doesn't mean the war is over. It is finally revealed that Luthor has been keeping the Batman Who Laughs locked up, and he has been doing so for a very important purpose.

While the Legion of Doom continues its quest to unlock the seven secret forces in the universe, Luthor needs something of a pep talk from the evil Batman. If he has dedicated so much of his time to the universal concept of entropy, how did he still fail in his mission? If he has done something wrong, he's going to need advice from one of the most powerful forces in creation. In the end, the two come together, strike a deal and the Batman Who Laughs reveals a dark secret about the universe.

Lex Luthor Makes a Deal with the Devil

The Batman Who Laughs has proven to be one of the most dangerous creatures across multiverses. He has destabilized and destroyed whole universes in his quest to spread chaos, and has proven to be an incredibly dangerous being to be around. To this end, it makes sense that Lex Luthor would chain him up in an attempt to keep his power in check, even if the two seemingly want the same things.

As it turns out, Luthor was not keeping the evil Batman against his will. He may seem more cosmic Joker at this point, but he's still a Batman. This means he has his own machinations and has only been sticking around because it's where he wants to be. He defiantly spits a lock pick at Luthor to prove this point, but what exactly does this Dark Multiverse Batman want?

He tells Luthor that he has watched his journey with the Legion of Doom to this point. He saw how much he discovered on his own, from the secret plans under the Legionnaire's Club to the secret forces behind creation. However, the Justice League still triumphed because Luthor has yet to truly embrace his new mission, like the Batman Who Laughs has. He also still doesn't have all the answers, so the evil Batman is there to provide them.

The two come to an understanding. If Luthor lets the Batman Who Laughs go, he must understand that the cosmic villain has his own plans. In return, Luthor will receive an important hint about the secret of creation that can help him defeat the Justice League once and for all. The two strike a bargain. The Batman Who Laughs will be released, and Luthor will hear about what is behind the Source Wall.

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The Batman Who Laughs is Free

We don't yet know what the Batman Who Laughs has planned for this universe, but it's clear he's had his own motivations from the very beginning. During Dark Nights: Metal, the Batman Who Laughs may have been used by Barbatos, but he was not as subservient as his Dark Multiverse brethren. While the others did as they were told, this evil Batman was often seen operating on his own, and now he is once against free to do as he pleases.

Nothing is confirmed yet, but this could be where the Batman Who Laughs ended up following his defeat in Metal. The villain would have permitted Luthor to imprison him so that he could further manipulate the Legion of Doom founder. Now that the Batman Who Laughs is free once more, it sets him up to take an active role in the DC Universe, which we have already seen elsewhere.

In the short-lived Immortal Men series, also written by James Tynion IV, the Batman Who Laughs is shown to have set the entire plot of the story in motion. He influenced the Infinite Woman to finally take decisive action against her rivals and eliminate most of the House of Action. The series recently ended with the conflict coming to the attention of the Justice League, alluding to the book's plot being enveloped into Justice League at some point.

If the Batman Who Laughs is now free to do whatever he wants, it also sets things up for the upcoming Batman Who Laughs six-issue miniseries coming from Scott Snyder and Jock in November. Perhaps we may finally learn what this evil Batman wants.

The Secret of the Totality Revealed

What did Luthor get out of this deal? Maybe the secret truth about everything that has ever existed. The Batman Who Laughs posits that the Source Wall was conceived as a means to keep the dark forces of creation away from someone. Her name is Perpetua, and she may be the answer to everything the Legion is trying to unlock and the Justice League is trying to contain.

Who is Perpetua? We don't know yet, but the evil Batman hints that she was once imprisoned behind the Source Wall and that she previously wielded the seven powers the Legion of Doom is trying to control. If they collect all seven, they will be able to free her from her prison, but where exactly is she being held?

It is revealed on the last page of Justice League #8 that the Totality isn't just the blueprints to the DC Multiverse, it also appears to be a prison. A small being emerges from inside the Totality, proving that there are still more secrets to be revealed regarding the artifact. Could this being be Perpetua? It's hard to know when we'll learn all the answers.