Lex Luthor
Episode 1 of Titans Season 4 picks up with Dick Grayson and Kory discussing how lucky they were to make it out of season 3. The latter feels free and like a weight has been lifted from her. They’ve saved Gotham and now they’ve got the toughest test of their life. Hitting a high score in bowling. Bruce phones though and has sorted out a visit to Metropolis so Conner can meet his father, Clark Kent. They’re en-route to S.T.A.R. Labs, but Bruce promises some “surprises” along the way. As he does, Lex Luthor begins to stir in the shadows, intent on becoming far more powerful than Superman and dabbling in some pretty sketchy cultist dealings. The gang arrive in Metropolis and heads to S.T.A.R. Labs, where they meet Bernard Fitzmartin, the guy spearheading things and in charge of Special Projects. They’ve been expecting the Titans, but Conner and Dick are forced to hang back while the others are led deeper into the lab. Bernard has bad news – Superman isn’t there. He has left a note though, apologizing and wanting to meet Conner in the near future. Bernard have been using S.T.A.R. Labs to test Superman’s powers, and with AR goggles on, they see Superman moving through space in real-time, heading to Q4 where he intends to try and save an entire galaxy from devastation. Meanwhile, the rest of the Titans help out, with Tim offered some training while the gang’s transport is given an upgrade, including a brand new car courtesy of Bruce Wayne. Suddenly though, all the electrics go haywire. It’s Lex Luthor. He wants to see Conner and the others at Lexcorp. Dick wans that Lex Luthor is dangerous and shouldn’t be trusted; he’s the only person Bruce Wayne was afraid of. So naturally, Kory shows up alone and destroys all of Lex’s guards without even breaking a sweat. Face to face with Lex Luthor, the latter brings up the power dynamic Kory had with her sister and decides they have a lot to discuss. He agrees to show her around, and as they sit and discuss what he wants with Conner, Kory distracts him by using a mini drone to infiltrate the laptop nearby. Lex tells Kory than he wants Conner to stick around, offering his guidance and power to take over Lexcorp. Kory sees through this façade and believes that he’s just trying to control Conner and use him as a personal weapon. Interestingly, Lex looks through his telescope and notices Dick Grayson and knows exactly what’s going on. “Remember Richard, this is me, being gentle,” He says, as the whole operation comes tumbling down. He knows Dick is listening from afar. With that, a whole bunch of ninjas show up and attack Dick Grayson. Tim hangs back and tries to find an opening to jump in and eventually does, helping to defeat their foes. Despite coming out unscathed, Dick relays on to Conner exactly what Lex has offered, which includes six months to work with him. Dick implores him not to go for this, but Connor decides to jump in, wanting answers around his true purpose and determined to find his parents Even if it’s a big trap or he fails completely, he’s going to do this. “If you leave, it’s going to hurt us.” Dick says. “I’m sorry. I have to do this,” Conner replies. When Conner arrives at Lexcorp, he learns that Luthor is struggling and is actually dying. He’s tried to find a cure but as yet, it has been unsuccessful. Luthor goes on to tell Conner to be careful, pointing out that if he makes a mistake, people could well look at him differently. Lex points out he’s the only one who doesn’t judge him for who he is. Lex created Superboy because he wanted his dream of becoming Superman to become reality. He had a son and wanted him to succeed where he could not, to be both man and superman, flirting both lines. Conner makes his choice and decides to stick with Lex. With this cleared up, Lex Luthor brings up a project he’s been working on, something he needs help with. A book on the table includes a number of strange, ancient markings and a familiar cultist mask that resembles a bird. Suddenly, Lex Luthor begins bleeding from the mouth, vomiting all over the floor. Out of his mouth comes a huge snake, which tries to bite Conner. Conner uses his powers to destroy it, while Rachel feels the effects and begins screaming too. With Lex Luthor dead, armed guards rush in and immediately suspect Conner of foul play. While he holds his hands up and concedes, downstairs Mrs Bennett – the woman whom Lex fired earlier in the episode – smiles and retorts that someone always has to pay.
The Episode Review
So Titans is back and this season there’s a slightly different edge to proceedings as we look to dabble in the supernatural. That guy Sebastian also appears to be a big key but given there isn’t a lot he does in this episode, (hence his exclusion from the recap!) we’ll have to wait and see what’s in store in the future. With the situation in Gotham cleared up for now, the attention instead has turned to Metropolis and the show appears to be picking up steam, gravitating around these strange rituals. The structure this year, with two parts of six episodes, could well lead to two separate story arcs like something akin to Heroes season 4 back in the day, but we’ll have to wait and see. For now though, Titans gets off to an okay start.
