Lex Luthor Holds the Key to the Mysteries of the DC Universe

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League #1, by Scott Snyder, Jim Cheung, Mark Morales and Tomeau Morey, on sale now.

Something great and terrible is about to be unleashed upon the DC Universe, and Lex Luthor is going to be at the center of it. Coming off Justice League: No Justice with a freshly villainous disposition, Luthor is now an agent of entropy looking to create as much chaos as possible.

Unleashing the end of the world just might do the trick.

In Justice League #1, Lex unveils his new Legion of Doom, a group consisting of Joker, Black Manta, Cheetah, Sinestro and Gorilla Grodd, just as the Source Wall expels a mysterious concentration of energy. With this "Totality" heading toward Earth, Lex Luthor becomes aware that it may contain the deepest, darkest secrets of the universe. In order to unlock them, he bashes Vandal Savage's brains in with a doorknob. That's right, a doorknob.

This is no ordinary object, though. As the issue points out, Lex might have a doorknob, but Martian Manhunter has just discovered a door. Of course, we may find out that Lex has the only way of accessing the secrets of the universe.

Lex Luthor is Ready to Unleash Doom

Luthor is a man who now knows that everything he once believed about the world is wrong. No Justice proved to him that mankind is only headed toward chaos, and rather than fighting against it, he has decided to embrace it. Instead of justice, a concept founded in the idea that some universal order does exist, Lex is ready to embrace entropy, destruction and anarchy, which he interprets as mankind's ultimate doom. When he's warned by Vandal Savage that what he is trying to unleash is too horrible, he simply states "I know, and I can't wait."

He eliminates Vandal and his band of Neanderthals, and not because this is a case of two villains fighting over a name. To Lex Luthor, Vandal Savage restarting the Injustice Gang is an example of thinking too small, too much like the old days. For injustice to exist, there had to be some sense of justice to begin with. In order to truly be an effective force and take power, the world needs a Legion of Doom, and someone who can lead humanity in their descent. According to Luthor, this is only way real, permanent change can come.

In this moment, Lex does not see himself as a villain. In his eyes, he is a hero, and he's "Here to rescue you from life." He has taken on an extremely fatalistic interpretation of the universe and sees his Legion as something of a death cult that will help others find peace in the end of all things. In order to bring his plan as far as he can take it, Luthor is determined to unleash the darkest secrets of the universe just before he brings it all to an end. He wants to unravel all the cosmic mysteries of life, and kill the world with them. The Totality is holding a terrifying secret, and Luthor wants to mess with the very order of the universe.

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Every Doorknob Has a Door

Following the parallels established in No Justice, Scott Snyder and Jim Cheung continue to pit Lex Luthor and Martian Manhunter against each other. As J'onn rises above all the heroes, and literally floats above the planet at one point, Lex is down in the subterranean depths within the Hall of Doom. Just as Luthor comes into possession of a doorknob, the Manhunter from Mars has a vision that details a door hidden beyond the universe itself.

The similarities don't stop there. As the Totality comes to Earth, it gives off a signal that Cyborg reads as being architectural in design. He begins to draw the symbol, which looks very much like the new logo of the Justice League. It is a Martian symbol, J'onn explains, one that stands for his peoples' equivalent to the human concept of justice. Strangely, when Luthor baths his doorknob with the blood of Vandal Savage, it begins to glow and shows a symbol almost equal, yet opposite to the Justice League's.

Lex Luthor and Martian Manhunter have developed into equal and opposite forces who are clearly on a collision course. While one attempts to establish justice across the universe, the other only wants to unleash doom. These two are destined to come together, but what will that mean for the universe, and its secrets? Only one can win in the end, after all.

Whatever ends up happening from here, it's quickly become clear that J'onn and Luthor are linked in some strange way. A race to the most important artifact in the DC Universe is upon us, and if Lex Luthor gets there first, the world might be doomed. What this title will look to explore is whether or not that's such a bad thing.