DC Comics has merged its two biggest villains into one horrific new nightmare foe. The Joker and Lex Luthor not only have their personas combined – they also get a twisted version of a major DC superpower to wield. It all happens in Dark Knights of Steel #4, the new Elseworlds story that re-imagines Superman and Batman – and the larger DC Universe – in a Medieval era setting. The series (by writer Tom Taylor) has had some wildly fun remixes of DC lore – but this latest one is certainly the wildest yet!
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(WARNING: Dark Knights of Steel #4 SPOILERS Follow!)
The latest chapter of Dark Knights of Steel finally shines light on a key mystery of the past: the deaths of King Thomas and Queen Martha Wayne. Alfred tells the tragic story to Bruce Wayne, who has come to discover he, too, has the powers of a Kryptonian, due to the fact that he was Jor-El and Martha Wayne’s bastard.
In Alfred’s telling (and the flashback story) we learn how Jor-El and Lara saved the Waynes’ kingdom from destruction by a volcano, earning the friendship and trust of the monarchs. It was that close bond that eventually led to Martha and Jor-El crossing the line – but it was also that same bond that allowed both couples to move past the incident and reach an understanding: Thomas and Martha would raise the son they could not conceive, and one day he would inherit the kingdom.
…Unfortunately, fate had different plans.
Joker + Luther = The Green Man
When Jor-El and Lara saved the Wayne kingdom, they also exposed the treachery of Alexander Luthor, the Wayne Family’s advisor. Luthor had ignored a warning the Els tried to give about the Wayne Kingdom’s downfall and nearly cost everyone their lives; when Jor-El and Lara stopped the volcano and earned the Waynes’ trust, Luthor went into exile.
As it turns out, Luthor returns at the tragic moment in Bruce Wayne’s life: the death of his parents. As The Els and Waynes are traveling one day in two carriages, the one containing the Waynes is incinerated by a green energy blast. Only Bruce survived (due to his Kryptonian abilities) and the assassin is revealed to be “The Green Man,” who is basically Medieval Lex Luthor, driven Joker crazy, by the power of a Green Lantern ring.
Dark Knights of Steel continues to make the case for being its own branch of the DC Universe – and The Green Man fusion of Luthor and Joker is just one more reason why. The concept isn’t all that new, but how Taylor frames and executes it certainly is fresh and fun. Now, these Medieval Batman and Superman characters have a shared foe that’s every bit a match for them. Onto the battle!
Dark Knights of Steel is on sale from DC Comics.
