WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #4, by James Tynion IV, Javier Fernandez, Steve Epting, Nick Filardi and Travis Lanham, on sale now.

As part of his machinations for the DC Universe, the Batman Who Laughs spread the Infection across the DC Universe, which led to numerous heroes being transformed into their darkest, Jokerized forms. Things have only gotten worse with most other heroes otherwise occupied or in some cases even becoming Infected themselves. While Apex Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs have been preparing for their final drag-out battle, both of them have utilized different plans and schemes against the other for some time now.

In Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #4, those efforts crescendo with a  final battle that only leaves one villain left standing. By the end of the issue, Lex Luthor has not only stopped but cured all of the Infected heroes. However, Luthor's victory is short-lived, since the Batman Who Laughs has apparently been planning for that eventuality all along.

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Luthor has spent much of Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen trying to figure out how to stop the Batman Who Laughs and his Infected heroes. On top of trying to figure out how to beat the Infection with his extensive knowledge, Luthor has also rallied a number of his fellow villains to bring down his enemies. Meanwhile, it's been revealed that the twisted Bruce Wayne has used his own connection to the Dark Multiverse as the source of energy to infect numerous heroes. The assembled forces of both villains essentially fight to a stand-still, while Luthor and the Batman Who Laugh directly confront each other. Initially, the pair seem to be able to counter each other incredibly well - every one of their attacks countering another in turn.

But the Batman Who Laughs apparently gets too cocky and tries to close the distance to kill Luthor himself instead of having Supergirl use her heat vision to burn Lex to death. This gives Luthor the chance to inject the Batman Who Laughs with a serum that blocks the Dark Matter energy that was spreading from him and into the Infected. It takes effect immediately, ending the battle as the heroes stop attacking the villains and are restored to their true forms. Effectively, Luthor just cured all the Infected in one fell swoop. The only member of the Infected who isn't seen being transformed back to normal is Hawkman, who may be still affected by his former life-controlling him instead of just being corrupted by the Batman Who Laughs. But still, it appears that Luthor just saved the world.

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The Infection threatened the entire DC Universe, and credit where credit is due, Luthor figured it out before the heroes could create a solution. But it turns out this was part of the Batman Who Laughs' plan all along. Brought to the Godhead, Luthor presents the Batman Who Laughs to his master, Perpetua.

In one final twist that Luthor never saw coming, this is exactly what the Batman Who Laughs wanted. Given an audience with Perpetua, the Batman Who Laughs is able to convince her that he would make a far more effective servant than her "dog," Luthor. He reveals he led Luthor to her in the first place, as well as information he's gleaned from the Phantom Stranger about the survival of the Justice League, and that they could end up bringing down her entire plan if allowed.

Luthor's subsequent outbursts seemingly prove the Batman Who Laughs' point to the dark god, who strips Luthor of his Apex powers and casts him back to Earth. Meanwhile, the Batman Who Laughs takes his place beside Perpetua as her new right hand, seemingly convincing her that his intentions for the universe are far more appealing than hers.

While Luthor may have solved the crisis of the Infected heroes, he may have just doomed Earth to an even worse fate. It's also worth remembering that while Perpetua has designs to remake the multiverse in her image, the Batman Who Laughs has previously stated that his intention is to wipe out all life across both multiverses. While Perpetua seems intrigued by his plans, it's possible that this is just another attempt by the Batman Who Laughs to lull his enemies into a false sense of security before enacting his complete plan. No matter what his intentions really are, it looks like DC's heroes will have their work cut out for them in Dark Nights: Death Metal going to end well for anyone.

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