In the main DC Universe, Superman and Batman have never truly acted as registered members of law enforcement agencies. Even so, DC’s biggest heroes have often worked alongside the law and done their best to uphold it. The World’s Finest made a highly illegal move, however, when they broke into the White House.
Superman and Batman’s risky heist took place in the pages of 2001’s Superman #168, by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, and Detective Comics #756, by Greg Rucka and Coy Turnbull. Everything began when Clark Kent and Lois Lane were sitting at home, enjoying dinner with her parents. Lois’ father, General Sam Lane, discussed Lex Luthor‘s recent presidency. Lane praised Luthor, boasting about how the president was in possession of a Kryptonite ring in case The Man of Tomorrow ever went rogue.
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Highly concerned over this news, Lois called in Batman for help. Lois knew that Clark wouldn’t make any move against Luthor, since she realized that they were about to commit a federal offense. Batman was asked to go with Lois to Washington, D.C., so they could steal the ring from Luthor.
The job seemed fairly straightforward. Bruce Wayne sent Lois in, reinstating her press pass and telling her to disable the White House’s electronic security. The Dark Knight then snuck through the tunnels underneath the White House undetected, and the two would meet up to steal the ring. Just as Batman and Lois were about to make their move, however, Superman arrived and immediately ordered them to stop what they were doing.
Superman attempted to escort both Batman and Lois out of the White House. Even though Lois tried convincing Clark that they were helping him, he insisted on taking them to the authorities. Before Superman could take them away, however, Batman fled. The ensuing chase spanned the corridors of the White House. The Caped Crusader managed to evade the Man of Steel since Luthor had lead-lined the White House’s walls and installed sonic generators all around.
With Superman’s senses impaired, Batman gave his friend quite the chase. When Clark caught up with Bruce, the two of them got into a big fight. The Dark Knight used all of the resources at his disposal to slow Superman down. After temporarily disabling Superman, Batman met up with Lois to grab the ring. Just as they achieved their goal, however, Bruce and Lois were caught by Luthor and Superman.
Clark gave Luthor the ring, which appeared to be a fake. Realizing Batman gave Lois the real ring, Superman confiscated it from his wife. Once they’d left the White House, however, Clark and Bruce revealed that they had staged this entire mishap. Superman been conspiring with Batman all along, faking his outrage at the heist. The World’s Finest also tricked Luthor into believing that the real Kryptonite ring was a fake, and vice-versa. In the end, the real Kryptonite ring was out of Luthor’s hands.
This whole debacle is probably the most illegal thing that Superman, Batman or Lois Lane has ever done. The trio broke into the White House and stole from the President of the United States, which, as Superman stated, is a federal offense. Even if the president was Lex Luthor, one of DC’s worst villains, this is still an extraordinary crime.
Breaking into the White House is certainly a greater offense than Batman’s usual crimes of vigilantism and trespassing. Lois Lane has probably overlooked some laws every now and then in hopes of uncovering a good story, but it’s hard to imagine how Lois could go further than stealing from the president.
It’s pretty surprising that Superman would commit such an offense, considering his nature as a well-intentioned boy scout. At first, it seemed as if Clark was playing to his type, preventing Bruce and Lois from stealing the ring. Superman was in on this heist the entire time, however, making this one of his biggest legal offenses. Still, the Man of Steel was acting against his worst enemy, so it’s understandable that he’d want the ring out of Luthor’s hands as soon as possible.
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