SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Justice League #5 by James Tynion IV, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, Wil Quintana and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
In DC's Justice League relaunch, it's been a bumpy ride to say the least. Following the breach in the Source Wall, dark energies and shady forces are spreading throughout the DC Universe, a seismic shift in reality that culminated with a mysterious sentient ecosystem known as the Totality crash-landing on Earth.
This chain of events has inspired Lex Luthor to form a new Legion of Doom, as the longtime villain believes the secrets of the multiverse need to be brought to the light to usher in a new era of evolution. However, with the League directly opposing him and his goals, Lex knows he needs more than a random cabal of villains alongside him. He needs a team of specific allies, and a headquarters that will help them to fulfill their goals. Enter the Legion of Doom and their "new to the DCU" headquarters.
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Previous issues established the fortress as something more than just a hub for Lex's generals to meet in and discuss their sinister plans, but here, James Tynion IV and Doug Mahnke delve even deeper into its secrets. The fortress is set in a mysterious location inside a volcano, and here, we learn how its previous owner Vandal Savage used Felix Faust's magic and unique metal from Skartaris to keep it hidden.
The debut issue of this series saw Lex kill Vandal Savage and take it over, revealing in the process that he actually altered its engineering and construction plans without Vandal ever knowing, bringing to light secret rooms and trap doors which only Lex knows of. It's for this reason Lex was able to kill Vandal's army so easily, by having them fall through the floors and into the molten lava.
Now, we see a weapons room, boasting guns which look Kryptonian in nature, swords and shields which may well be Atlantean or Amazonian, and ammunition which may very well be from Apokolips. Given that Lex has been traversing the universe, building his Legion and gathering secrets, the possibilities are endless. Most surprising, though, is the interrogation chamber, which Cheetah reveals Joker actually made improvements to.
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It's a literal bloody mess, because the demented Joker wanted it tested on himself. And we all know if he's enjoying the pain and torture it dishes out, it can only mean trouble. We also see Lex's artifacts room in his private quarters, where he kept the mysterious doorknob of doom he's seen wielding throughout the series thus far.
Tynion and Mahnke don't hint what else is in this chamber, but clearly, Lex has set this facility up to be the polar opposite to structures like Superman's Fortress of Solitude and the League's Hall of Justice.
The first issue already had Lex shocking Vandal by revealing this headquarters actually has a basement, with a "monster" locked in, and an attic boasting weapons from the future. With Lex stockpiling items, not just across the universe, but from different sections of DC's time-stream, it's pretty obvious -- he hasn't built a fortress, he's built a weapon.
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With the League firmly Lex's his crosshairs, it's only a matter of time before he unleashes it to help him achieve his ultimate goal: reshaping the destiny of the entire cosmos.