Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #119
In the latest issue of Batman, the Dark Knight faces the secret designs of Lex Luthor who may actually want to help Batman become better in this new arc from DC Comics. While it’s no secret that Bruce Wayne has had some massive shifts to his status quo in recent years, Superman’s greatest rival offering Batman his assistance is certainly a curveball the Caped Crusader probably didn’t see coming. That being said, Luthor is presenting himself as a changed man in this new issue, having already been sponsoring Batman Inc. for some time without the Dark Knight’s knowledge.
Having taken the reigns from James Tynion IV with Batman #118, the Dark Knight has gone overseas to investigate a murder committed by Batman Inc. Having disbanded with the international vigilantes some time ago, the Dark Knight admits he lost contact with them and had stopped tracking their movements. Furthermore, he was also unable to fund them after losing his family fortune in the recent Joker War event. However, Lex Luthor arrives with the reveal that he stepped up to “pick up the slack,” sponsoring Batman Inc. when Bruce could not.
Now, Batman #119 from Karl Kerschl, Joshua Williamson, Jorge Molina, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Mikel Janín features Bruce Wayne agreeing to meet with Lex Luthor over dinner as the Superman foe has a proposal for him. After his experiences in Death Metal where he was betrayed by Perpetua which nearly destroyed the multiverse in the process, Luthor claims he’s gained a new perspective. He now believes that the world needs both a Superman and a Batman. As such, this new issue sees Luthor offering to fund Batman along with Batman Inc., wanting to help him become a more effective Bat going forward.
While Batman’s obviously smart enough to not trust Luthor no matter how much he claims to have changed, the offer is certainly compelling. That being said, much of Tynion’s reasoning behind the removal of Bruce’s obscene fortune was to revert the Dark Knight to a more basic vigilante where he would have to rely more on his family members (rather than the super-advanced and expensive gadget of the week). As such, it would be weird for Williamson to undo that character development by having Bruce get his money back thanks to Lex. Even so, perhaps Luthor can still become a cautious ally to Batman while he investigates why Batman Inc. murdered the mysterious villain known as Abyss.
While Lex Luthor more than likely has his secret agendas, perhaps this could be a genuine turning point for the Superman villain? Perhaps Luthor is looking to become a Batman himself? Whatever his true intentions are, it certainly seems as though Lex Luthor may actually want to help Batman (even if it’s only temporary).
