In a new interview with CBR, DC Comics visionary Scott Snyder delved into the antagonizing force in his forthcoming series, Justice League: the Legion of Doom. Snyder’s Legion — the first to truly take place in-continuity — will be a great deal more ruthless than the version most know from Saturday morning cartoons.
The Legion of Doom’s roster consists of Lex Luthor, Black Manta, Gorilla Grodd, Cheetah, Sinestro, and the Joker. Naturally, Luthor is the team’s founder and leader, however, the Joker fulfills a niche as well — and it’s not the wild card.
Snyder is very particular about his use of the Joker, and in his words, for the classic villain to be a part of a team he’s writing, the Clown Prince of Crime needs “to have a very specific role.” And while this role will become more clear as the series progresses, Snyder was very clear about not wanting to use the Joker in a big way at the very beginning, indicating his presence may unfold as a slow burn.
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Snyder explained Luthor’s reasoning for putting the Joker on the team as Luthor seeing the Batman nemesis “as his partner.” He said, “Luthor has this vision all of a sudden of what we’re supposed to be as a species…and he sees the Joker as a great inspiration in the story.”
But why add the Joker to the Legion of Doom? According to Snyder, “Joker is almost a touchstone for [Luthor] to go back and say, ‘Am I doing this right? Does this bring us closer to what we’re supposed to be?’ Joker gleefully plays that role.”
Justice League #1 by Scott Snyder, Jim Cheung, and Jorge Jimenez is out on June 6.