As two of DC Comics’ greatest criminals, the Joker and Lex Luthor have worked together on more than one occasion, but the World’s Foulest very nearly killed each other over an entire planet of supervillains. The Joker is known for his seemingly erratic personality while Luthor is the ultimate cold and calculating mastermind. And when these two planet-sized egos were forced to depend upon each other for survival, things definitely could have gone better.
As the respective archenemies of the world’s two greatest superheroes, Superman and Batman, it’s no surprise that Lex Luthor and the Joker can’t handle sharing the spotlight for too long. But after the two are exiled to an alien world – alongside an army of their fellow supervillains – in the pages of JLA: Salvation Run by Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, and Sean Chen, their individual cases of main character syndrome make them natural enemies. And if not for some timely intervention, one hero would no longer have to face their greatest foe.
After years of constant superhuman conflicts, Amanda Waller and Task Force X – the program behind the Suicide Squad – take it upon themselves to exile every known supervillain on Earth to an uninhabited alien world via Boom Tube. When the villains arrive on the hostile terrain, they naturally begin to split into separate tribes with the two largest led by the two biggest bads – Lex and Joker. While Joker’s camp is content to simply conquer this new world, Luthor and his ilk are determined to return to Earth, and these opposing goals lead Lex and Joker to a one-on-one showdown. While the two at first seem to be evenly matched, Lex proves himself out-villained by the Joker’s relentless love for violence. And it’s only the timely arrival of a horde of Darkseid’s Parademons, sent by their Apokoliptian masters – that saves Lex’s life.
The villains do manage to find their way back to Earth, but the real story is the dynamic between Superman’s arch-rival and the Clown Prince of Crime. While the Joker and Lex are two of comics’ most evil characters, this conflict really cements just how differently these two operate. Above all else, Luthor prides himself on his calculating intellect and his cold logic. Meanwhile, the Joker is frequently portrayed as an agent of chaos without much rhyme or reason behind his madness.
Even more so than their respective superhero rivalries, Joker and Lex’s battle is the ultimate manifestation of wild chaos versus dispassionate order. And while Lex may be one of the most egotistical and sinister forces in the DC Universe, it is that same dispassion that nearly gets him killed by the Clown Prince of Crime. After all, the Joker himself says during his fight with Lex, “I love my job.”
Batman and Superman may be Joker and Lex’s greatest foes, but this dreadful duo aren’t really fans of each other either. And while DC Comics’ biggest baddies have worked together more than once since this whole debacle, it’s never been an easy alliance. When all is said and done, Lex Luthor and the Joker really could take over the world – if they could manage not to kill each other to do it.
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