Lex Luthor (episode)

For the eponymous character, see Lex Luthor.

"Lex Luthor" is the first episode of the fourth season of Titans, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. It premiered on HBO Max on November 3, 2022.

Synopsis[]

After Superman requests a meeting with Conner, the Titans travel to Metropolis for exclusive access to S.T.A.R. Labs. But when unexpected complications arise, including the re-emergence of Lex Luthor, Conner faces a tough decision.

Cast[]

Starring[]

• Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson/Nightwing
• Mame-Anna Diop as Princess Koriand'r/Kory Anders/Starfire
• Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth/Raven
• Ryan Potter as Gar Logan/Beast Boy
• Joshua Orpin as Conner Kent/Superboy
• Jay Lycurgo as Tim Drake
• Franka Potente as May Bennett
• Joseph Morgan as Sebastian Sanger

Special guest star[]

• Titus Welliver as Lex Luthor

Guest starring[]

• James Scully as Bernard Fitzmartin
• Kyana Teresa as Dr. Espenson

Co-starring[]

• X'avier Montague-Burton as Jim
• Tim Post as Arthur Holmwood/Raven Mask
• Lovina Yavari as Molly
• Tremaine Nelson as Steve
• Ryan Bainbridge as Security Man

Plot[]

The Titans take a well deserved rest at a bowling alley to reward themselves after saving Gotham City. Kory tells Dick that a few days she didn't believe the Titans were going to make it, and when Dick remarks that they got lucky they discuss whether it was just luck or something else. Dick maintains that it was just luck and appreciates a new, freer seeming Kory, who expresses how she feels as if she's paid of a debt or quit a job she hates. Their chat is interrupted when Dick gets a call from Bruce Wayne, informing him that Superman wants to meet Conner and Dick quickly lets the Titans know, teasing them at first by making them believe they are going back to Gotham before sharing the news.

Forty miles north of Metropolis at Fire Creek Dam, Lex Luthor and his team arrive at the newly uncovered Temple of Azarath under the cover of darkness. He is welcomed to the ancient world by his associate May Bennett, who informs him that once the ritual they have planned is done he will be more powerful than anyone on Earth, even him and abruptly, he dismisses her. He fires May and her team and swears them to absolute secrecy. Shocked, May protests that she had spent years devoted to the project and disagrees with Lex's desire to keep the knowledge of the Temple a secret from the world. As she leaves May ominously calls out that someone will have to pay and, not taking her seriously, Lex sadly replies that someone always does.

At Wolfman's Taxidermy somewhere in the city limits of Metropolis, Sebastian closes up shop and practices an upcoming speech to the various taxidermied animals around him. Once deciding upon a style he proudly claims that his plans will change everything. Elsewhere a couple is eating take-out and watching an episode of Riverdale when they notice how much the storm outside is picking up and complain about the various additions to the cast the show has made that they consider unnecessary. The man, Steve, looks over to his girlfriend, Molly, and is horrified to see her noodles have turned bloody, when she notices she screams and drops her food then looks up to see Steve has been magically frozen in place. Behind him is a horrifying Raven Masked man who pursues Molly as she screams and tries to escape, and kills her by slitting her throat. Back at the taxidermy, Sebastian is working on a fox when he drops the fake eye, after leaning down to retrieve it he rises to see blood pouring from the taxidermy's eyes and mouth and recoils in horror. At the same time, at the bowling alley Rachel hangs back as the Titans leave to take another sip of her milkshake before she goes and as she puts on her jacket the drink is knocked over and to Rachel's distress sees that the milkshake has been replaced with blood that spills out over the table. Gar asks if she's okay and she says she's fine when her vision of blood turns back into a regular spilled milkshake.

The following morning the Titans arrive at S.T.A.R. Labs and Conner takes a moment to admire the statue honoring Superman. He's approached by Dick, who asks if he's ready and after getting the go ahead from Conner, the Titans enter the labs. Tim offers them a rundown on the origins and history of the facility, clearly excited to be there and the team are then greeted by Bernard Fitzmartin who introduces himself and his colleague to them. The Titans follow Dr.Espenson but Bernard calls Conner aside to regretfully inform him that Superman cannot make the visit and gives him a letter from Clark. Dick, Conner, Gar, Tim, and Dr.Espenson then join Bernard in his Morphology lab to test out Gar's new suit, which will shift with him and is stored within a glove he wears so he no longer has to strip to transform. With permission to try the new suit out, Gar activates it but something goes wrong: his eyes turn red and he wakes up in a mysterious desert land and sees a dead tree in the distance with various animal bones hanging from it. When he wakes he finds himself in a now ruined Morphology lab and his scared friends inform him that he had turned into various animals and gone on a destructive rampage, none of which Gar recalls. Dick checks in on him but Gar insists he's fine. Later, a virtual observatory, Dick and Conner are given glasses in order to watch a short show put on by S.T.A.R. Labs to explain Superman's absense and Dick notices Conner's uncanny resemblance to Clark. In another part of the lab, Rachel and Dr.Espenson watch as Kory blows up a large mass of rock and Espenson shows Kory readings taken from her power useage and informs her that Kory has only just scratched the surface of her powers and only used around 8% of her estimated output.

As the Titans leave S.T.A.R. Labs Bernard presents them with final parting gifts, firstly to Tim whom he gives his number and a bo-staff to learn to fight with, and to the Titans he reveals an upgraded RV with a porsche that is stored in an underneath compartment. Delighted, the Titans thank him and quickly set out. Just as they are leaving the city, Conner is interrupted from taking a picture of Tim and his new staff to send to Bernard when he is painfully contacted via a signal only himself and Krypto are able to hear by Lex Luthor, who wants to meet him alone that evening. Dick pulls the RV over and he and Kory discuss the risks of Conner going to meet with Lex, eventually agreeing to let Conner go but insisting that they invesitage the man first: reasoning that Lex Luthor was the only man Bruce Wayne had ever been afraid of and was not a man to be deal with lightly. Kory enters LexCorp. head on, fighting her way through Lex's security detail to reach him just as he beings his evening meal: he greets her once she is done, then expresses his admiration of Kory and offers her both a drink and some food while Dick and Tim set up in the building across from the tower and wait for Kory's half of the plan to be completed. At the Daily Bugle, Conner, Gar and Rachel search through the archives with Jim's help for any information on Lex's dealings, noting that their records on Lex are extensive and cover a wide range of criminal categories. Conner chooses to begin with Lex's acts of Philanprophy and on their way to Jim's office, Rachel senses something and splits from the group. Back at LexCorp. Kory successfully plants a bug that is then able to send data from Lex's personal laptop over to Dick and Tim, and questions Lex as this happens, asking why Lex wants to meet with Conner and to her surprise Lex refers to Conner as his son, implying his interest in meeting Conner is purely sentimental. Lex tells her that he wants Conner to stay with him and refutes her claim that Conner won't as he knows who Lex is, stating that he doesn't know who Lex is and that all Lex wants is to guide Conner and pass on both his knowledge and his company. Kory accuses Lex of only wanting to own Conner and that he only views him as a possession, a weaponized one. Lex looks through a telescope trained on Dick and Tim, and calmly retorts that on the contrary, that is exactly how the Titans treat Conner. Realizing Lex knows they are there, Dick and Tim are quickly attacked by a group of ninjas that Dick is able to fight off to Lex's disappointment. Back at the Daily Bugle, Conner and Gar are able to uncover news that the Luthor Foundation had a long history of sponsoring many hospitals and schools, as well as scholarships, grants and more globally, surpassing the total of a billion dollars. Alone wandering through the archives, Rachel follows her senses and tries to pull a box from the shelving and sees a vision of blood overflowing from it after it drops to the ground. Once again her vision is interrupted by Gar, who asks her what she is doing. She tells him she thinks something terrible is about to happen and that they should have never come back to Metropolis. As Conner questions who a man in many photos with Lex is and why Lex Luthor had so recently set up his charitable foundation in the first place, Dick and Kory arrive with the news that Lex has six months left to live as he is dying from kryptonite poisoning. Regardless of the risks and disagreement from the team, Conner wants to help Lex and agrees to meet him.

That night Conner arrives at LexCorp. to meet Lex, who asks if his meeting with Clark Kent was everything he'd hope it would be and notes that Conner took the Kent name. When Conner tells him he's there for his own reasons, Lex commends his motives and remarks "Like father, like son", which Conner refutes. He suspects Lex wants to use him for a cure and Lex agrees and tells him that he had already tried. He explains that the real reason Conner existed was not as a weapon to be sold, but actually to see his dream of becoming Superman be realized not as himself imbued with powers but instead a progeny with them: hoping that his son would succeed where he had failed. He cautions Conner that while the world may love him now and see only the Superman in him, but one mistake will make them turn on him and apologizes for the inevitable time the world would only see Conner as Luthor's son instead. Moved by Lex's answers Conner agrees to stay for the final months of the man's life and Lex, relieved, moves on to a book he had uncovered while working with May Bennett, intending to warn both Conner and the Titans of her evil intent that concerns even him. However before he is able to show Conner May's notebook, he begins to cough up blood and subsequently dies when a large black serpent rips out of his mouth and slithers towards Conner. Conner kills the snake but it is too late for Lex. As these events unfold, across the city Sebastian is seen cleaning the floor of the taxidermy and begins to cough violently. He rushes to the bathroom for some medicine and is horrified to witness his reflection moving independently from him, grinning and gradually bleeding more and more as it holds up its hand to him. In the Titans' RV, Dick, Kory and Gar are visibly saddened by Conner's decision to meet with Lex while Tim and Rachel are enjoying a pizza. As she eats Rachel begins to choke and scream as Lex dies. Sebastian and Rachel recover while Conner is surrounded by Lex's security team who hold him at gun point, and outside LexCorp. May Bennett smiles: recalling that someone always pays.

Trivia[]

• The CW show Riverdale, and one of its main characters Archie Andrews, makes an appearance. A couple are seen watching and discussing an episode from the show's fifth season.
  • This scene is also a meta-joke eluding to past fan complaints regarding previous seasons of Titans having too many characters, and the underdevelopment of the fan favorite romance between Dick Grayson and Koriand'r.^[1]
• According to S.T.A.R. Labs' database seen in this episode, Kory is 31-years-old, 1.73m ^(5'7") tall and weighs 57kg.^{(126lb approx.)}
• May claims she has devoted five years of her life to her project with Lex, however later on in the season it is revealed that until 2019 she was imprisoned at Agnews Asylum. This may be a continuity error, a detail related to her cover story as an archaelogist, or it could be that she was somehow working on finding it while imprisoned.

References[]