The new season of Titans continues to explore the grim and gritty lives of superheroes on DC Universe, expanding the scope of the series to include characters such as Bruce Wayne, Deathstroke, and now Superboy. But in the Boy of Steel’s debut on the show, the mythos of his origin were further fleshed out, which gave more prominence to unseen characters such as Superman and Lex Luthor. While Clark Kent has been previously mentioned on the show, this is the first confirmation that we’ve had about Lex Luthor’s existence — and if Superboy continues to play a big role, it seems inevitable that Lex will show up at some point.
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Spoiler warning for Titans episode “Conner” below.
The episode picks up directly after the post-credits scene from the first season finale of Titans, showing the Superboy escape from his containment device at Cadmus Labs and helping the dog Krypto escape. From there he finds a maintenance worker’s outfit with the name “Conner” written on it, and decides to adopt the name.
Dr. Eve Watson, the scientist who took over the cloning project after she found out what Cadmus was doing, attempts to be a moral compass in the initiative but she understands that she too has made mistakes. She tries to track down Superboy, who has escaped and is channeling his genetic memories that lead him back to Smallville.
From there, Conner discovers Lionel Luthor’s farm and the two share a few moments together before Cadmus soldiers led by Dr. Watson attempt to apprehend him. But Superboy and Krypto eliminate the threat, and he confronts the scientist who then comes clean about who his “parents” really are.
She informs Conner that he is a clone of both Lex Luthor and Superman, and that those dueling natures will likely always torment him until he figures out who he is as a person. And while they attempt to escape, they continue to be pursued by none other than Mercy Graves, Lex Luthor’s bodyguard and top lieutenant when it comes to matters such as this.
Mercy is Lex Luthor’s eyes and ears on the grown, and her benefactor even gifts her with kryptonite-laced bullets so she can take down Superboy as he attempts to go rogue.
With Bruce Wayne playing a major role, and Titans continuing to explore the theme of legacy and the influence of families and parents, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Lex Luthor playing an even bigger role as the show continues.
New episodes of Titans debut on Fridays on DC Universe.
