How?
- Every time. - Wow.
That is just talent.
Whoo!
How did you, how did you even do it?
I can't believe it.
I know, right?
Doesn't seem like the bowling type,
but she's beating Conner.
No, not that.
A few days ago, I didn't think
we were gonna make it.
Now, here we are, goofing off in a bowling alley.
We got lucky.
Is that what it was?
Just luck?
Plus skill and strength,
courage, teamwork, brains.
But, yeah, mostly luck.
Okay!
- Whoo! - Yeah!
Oh, he finally made one.
See that? Thank you.
You seem different.
Yeah?
Yeah.
I feel different.
I feel free.
Like I just paid off a debt.
Or quit a job I hate.
Like your life is your own again?
Yeah.
Or maybe mine for the first time.
Since I've met you, how many different destinies have I had?
Four?
Oh, well, let's see. Um...
Kill Rachel.
- Save Tamaran. - Mmm.
Kill a bunch of other people.
Save Gotham.
Take care of your sister.
Am I forgetting one?
Survive the RV.
Yeah.
Right now, my only destiny
is bowling alley pizza and a bad night's sleep.
And I'm so good with that.
Back away, Robin. Pick up the spare.
One sec.
What about you?
I'm just glad we're all together.
Mmm.
Me too.
You got this.
They're so good.
Thank you.
Hey. Hey, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
- -No, no, no. - That's, that's not fair.
Dad, we're just bowling.
No transformation.
Hey, everyone's gotta bring their skills.
- Yeah. In a normal bowling alley. - This is cheating.
Yeah, don't worry.
I love you, too. Bye.
- Who was that? - Oh, dad.
He's worried we're already into something.
Hey, did you explain to him that sometimes we go hours without saving the world?
Yeah. I think he just wanted an excuse to call.
My phone's been blowing up ever since we left.
Aw. It's nice to have parents that miss you.
Yeah, nice to have parents.
Look who's back.
Is everything okay?
Yeah. Everything's fine.
You have that "I have news" look on your face.
Well, I do have news.
Just got off the phone with Bruce.
No!
We're not going back to Gotham. We're not doing that.
- Way too soon. - I just left.
For the record, I don't mind going back.
Okay, hang on, this isn't about Gotham.
It's about Metropolis.
Bruce and I have been talking about you wanting to meet your dad.
So, Bruce made some calls and...
and he wants to meet you.
Superman wants to meet me?
Are you serious? He... he said that?
He said you need flying lessons, actually. But, um...
- He what? - What?
No, no. I'm... I'm joking.
Come on.
But he does wanna meet you.
This is incredible. I... I can't even believe it's really happening.
It is.
Nine o'clock sharp at S.T.A.R. Labs.
Wait, S.T.A.R. Labs? The S.T.A.R. Labs?
Special Projects team heard we might be visiting and went into overdrive.
Apparently, they've been trying to get their hands on us for some time.
Bruce said there might be some surprises.
Whatever that means.
Well...
Sounds like Superman isn't the only one that wanted to meet us.
Please don't burn down the bowling alley.
She definitely will.
Whoo!
Welcome to the ancient world, Mr. Luthor.
Let there be light.
The Temple of Azarath is now yours.
When the ritual is done, your power will be greater than...
anyone else on Earth.
Him, too.
Soon the Gods will know your name.
I can assure you, Ms. Bennett,
the Gods already know me.
That will be all.
- Excuse me? - You may go.
Rest assured, you've done everything I've asked.
Mr. Luthor... It sounds as if...
I'm firing you.
Either this will do its job or it won't.
Either way, your work is done here.
Now, your contract will be paid in full,
but you will leave this compound...
immediately.
And you will never speak...
about what we've done to anyone.
Ever.
This was our dream.
- Our destiny. - My dream.
And my destiny.
I devoted over five years of my life to this project.
There's so much for the world to learn.
That's where you're wrong.
The world will never learn.
Gentlemen...
help Ms. Bennett pack her things.
You're making a mistake.
You know this power comes at a cost.
Someone will have to pay.
Someone always does.
"Ladies and gentlemen,
allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is Sebastian.
And I'm going to change the world.
I'm gonna change the world."
Is that too much?
Yeah, it's too much.
Okay, um...
Okay, uh...
How about...
"Hi, my..." Stupid.
"Hi.
My name is Sebastian
and I've invented something
that will give... millions of people
all over the world
hours...
of happiness,
and contentment.
And isn't that exactly what we need right now?"
Is that better?
Yeah.
I thought so, too.
This...
is the one, guys.
And girls.
This is the one...
that's gonna change everything.
Wow. It's raining pretty hard out there.
Oh, my God.
Why are they doing this?
I don't care about all these new characters.
Just give me the main cast.
Mmm-hmm. I know.
And make them kiss already.
Hmm?
Wh...
What?
Steve?
Mmm.
Ugh. Mmm. Damn it.
So, what should I say? I mean,
I don't want it to be weird.
Just say, "Hey, Supes, what's good?"
That's horrible.
I will not be saying that.
Rach.
You good?
Yeah, I'm fine.
You ready?
Ready.
Let's go!
S.T.A.R. Labs.
Scientific and Technological Advance Research Laboratories.
Built by Garrison Slate in 1971.
Dedicated to pure scientific research,
but no private or governmental affiliations.
The Titans, I presume.
Bernard. Good to see you.
Good to see you again, Mr. Grayson. Everybody.
I'm so, so happy that you're all here.
My name is Bernard Fitzmartin and I am the Director of Special Projects
here at S.T.A.R. Laboratories.
This is Dr. Espenson,
the Director of Applied Sciences,
and we have got a very big day planned.
We've been scrambling a little,
since we heard you were coming today, but we've managed to put together
a few things for you.
So, why don't I show you what we've been working on,
and you show us what you can do.
If you'd follow the good doctor.
Dick, Conner,
if you don't mind hanging back, um...
Conner, I'm afraid that I have some bad news.
Kal-El sends his regrets.
He's not here?
He was called away on urgent business.
A matter that did require his immediate attention.
I understand.
I'm sorry.
But... he did leave you this.
Everything okay?
"Conner,
I'm sorry I couldn't be there to meet you today.
But when I get back,
I would very much like to see you
and finally get to know you.
Until then, please follow Bernard.
He has something to show you.
It's what we do."
Let's go.
Garfield Logan,
your days of stripping naked in public are over.
Just when I was starting to like it.
Can I give it a try?
Sure.
Bernard, are you okay?
Thank you.
Hey.
What happened?
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You turned into a gorilla.
What?
And a velociraptor.
And one of those little guys, with the, uh, the shell.
Wh... what are they called?
A turtle?
Uh, no, they're from Texas.
Uh, armarillo.
- Armadillo. - Yes, an armadillo.
Apparently, the gorilla had something against my morphology lab.
I'm... really sorry about that.
And you don't remember anything that happened?
No. I... started to transform,
and then...
Look, has any...
Has anything like this ever happened before?
No.
All right. Well, your, um,
your alpha waves fluctuated slightly.
Uh, but just to be sure,
we will... we will check the suit
for any possible anomalies before you leave, all right?
- Oh, God. - Gar?
You're feeling okay?
Yeah.
There's just a...
Conner...
It's time.
Mr. Grayson.
Let's get this cleaned up, all right?
Okay.
This lab,
along with several others,
is dedicated solely to studying your father and his abilities.
- Are we on schedule? - We're ready.
Thank you.
So...
what's he like?
He's extraordinary.
Go ahead and put these on for me.
What?
Nothing.
If you'll look off to your left for me,
about ten o' clock,
in three...
two...
one.
What is it?
That is Superman.
Where is he going?
He's headed to Q4 105BV.
We've predicted the collapse of a red dwarf star
near a planet that might hold life.
When he gets there, he'll try to counter-act the effects.
Save an entire galaxy from destruction.
This is what we do.
You'll meet him in person.
Some day.
This way, gentlemen.
Holy shit.
Do we have to pay for that?
No, we actually needed it fragmented.
This was way cheaper than lasers.
So, how'd I do?
Well, considering that was Perithium,
the hardest substance known to man,
I'd say you did great.
And you have no idea what this power is
or where it came from?
Well...
Apparently, I was born with it, but...
I just discovered it last week.
Okay. Well, we can try to identify the nature
of the energy source you're drawing from.
But I can tell you this.
You've just barely scratched the surface.
Just now, you've used only 8.1%
of your total estimated kinetic output.
All right, that's everyone.
You sure you don't want anything?
No, I'm good.
- All right, let's go. - Hold on a second.
- Here he is. - Tim?
When, uh, Mr. Grayson called us
he asked that we design something especially for you.
No.
The Robin Suit?
Yes!
I knew it!
Uh, no.
- That's, uh... I'm sorry, it's not the Robin Suit. - Huh?
- It's not? - Of course, not.
Are you crazy? You've been a Titan five minutes.
Oh.
Still something pretty cool, though.
This...
is a rokushakubo.
It's a Bo staff.
But I don't know how to use one of these.
Yet.
You're gonna teach me?
Starting tomorrow.
- Thank you. - Of course.
It's my pleasure.
And, um, should you ever have any questions,
don't hesitate to ask.
Tim?
One more thing.
We did a quick retrofit of your recreational vehicle
while you were inside.
I hope you don't mind.
A gift from Bruce Wayne.
Something about saving Gotham city.
This is ridiculous.
Who is driving that thing?
I am.
Are we allowed to sit in it?
You are.
Everyone else can start a sign-up sheet.
You can go first.
Where do I sign?
Whoo-hoo!
Hey!
Get in here!
Get your ass out of there.
New kid.
Happy rush hour, Metropolites.
We've got traffic, traffic and more traffic,
with some big slow-downs for you folks coming into town.
The city is gearing up for the big hero day parade
and if you're planning...
Hey, Conner.
Can you take a picture of me with the Bo staff?
Sure.
Yes.
All right.
Nice.
Uh, what's this for? A profile?
Uh, nah. I just...
I wanna send it to that guy.
That guy? Who?
Uh, Bernard. The S.T.A.R. Labs dude.
Oh, okay. Got it.
I mean, come on, they made this for me.
I would like to say thank you.
Yeah.
Say thank you.
- What? - Your phone just died.
But I just charged it.
What the hell's going on?
Conner!
Hey. Hey. Conner? Conner?
Conner. This is Lex Luthor.
I know this might seem a bit much,
but how else was I going to contact you?
I'd like to meet in person.
Come to LexCorp Tower tonight at 8:00 p.m.
What's going on?
I'll expect to see you then.
Conner!
Are you okay?
- Yeah. - What happened?
We have to go back to Metropolis.
What?
All I'm saying is, it's complicated.
I mean, not really.
He wants me to come to LexCorp Tower tonight at 8:00 p.m.
Look, we're talking about Lex Luthor here.
He's the only man Bruce Wayne was ever afraid of.
Superman's not afraid of him.
Neither am I.
You should be.
He spent the last 40 years trying to kill Superman.
He tried to kill you, too.
He failed.
He's just a man.
He doesn't have superpowers.
Not all of us do.
Dick.
The whole reason we came to Metropolis
was so that I could meet one of my parents.
Okay, so it wasn't the one that I wanted.
Am I supposed to just ignore him?
Walk away?
No.
You deserve to know your parents.
Everyone does.
It's just Lex Luthor never shows his cards. We don't know what he wants.
Then maybe we should find out.
I mean, if he is up to something
isn't it better that we know?
The man's a psychopath.
I know. You won't get any argument from me there, but...
ultimately, it's not our decision.
It's Conner's.
I wanna meet him.
Okay.
I don't like it, but if it's gonna happen, Kory's right.
We should get as much information as we can first.
So, what do we do, call him and ask for a quick chat?
That's not really my style.
Yeah.
Me neither.
Hmm.
Thank you.
Alpha two. I have a breach Top level...
Hey, what do you think you're doing?
Sorry to interrupt your meal.
I would have beamed a message into your head, but...
this seemed like more fun.
Well, what a pleasure to meet you, Starfire.
Or may I call you Koriand'r?
You can call me Kory...
Lex.
May I offer you some Spaghetti Puttanesca?
Or perhaps a glass of wine?
No, I'm okay. Thank you.
I understand there've been some...
changes on Tamaran.
Komand'r has now rightfully taken the throne?
That's right.
And now,
she possesses
the power...
you've always thought of as your own.
Yes, yes, but, you know,
it's for the best, really.
She's...
She spent her whole life feeling denied.
Overshadowed.
Less than.
But of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?
We have much to discuss.
This way, please.
What a quaint little place you have here.
Allow me to show you around.
May I give you a tour?
So far nothing.
Just give her some time.
Welcome to the Daily Planet archives.
Outsiders usually don't get access to this kind of stuff,
but considering it's you guys, I'll make an exception.
Thanks.
Every single issue dating back to our very first day of publication,
November 2nd, 1775.
This is insane.
- How do you find anything? - Ah, it's all cataloged.
Well, most of it.
We're digitizing as fast as we can.
The Luthor section is just down there.
According to Dick, Lex Luthor never tips his hand.
So, we need to see what cards he's showing
and then try to figure out what he's holding.
Okay, so we'll need everything you've got on him.
Everything? I mean, that could take months to go through.
Don't worry. He's a fast reader.
I mean, I believe you, but still. Can we narrow it down?
I mean, we got a lot on the guy.
We got...
Felony arrests, felony convictions,
capital crimes, crimes on the high seas,
space-based crimes, philanthropy.
Oh, definitely the pirate...
- Philanthropy. - Philanthropy.
- Okay.
Let's head to my office. We can pull it up on the server.
Powerful, isn't it?
Gautier 1762.
I acquired this bottle at auction.
It was found in the sealed-off compartment underneath Jean Paul Marat's bathtub.
It tastes like it.
- To new friends. - We'll see.
I have so many questions for you.
So much I want to learn about your planet,
history, your abilities.
I have a few questions for you, too.
Why do you want to meet with Conner?
Doesn't a father have a right to meet his son?
A desire doesn't equal a right.
It worked. Unbelievable.
The unbelievable thing about Bruce's toys is never that they work.
It's what they do.
I got personal, medical, financial, schedules, calendars.
Hell, I've even got his Twitter account.
What do you want?
I want Conner to stay with me.
Here in Metropolis.
No, no. That's... that's never gonna happen.
It might.
After all,
it is his decision.
He knows who you are.
- What you are. - That's exactly the point.
He doesn't.
I wanna give him the benefit of my knowledge and guidance.
And I want him to be prepared to one day...
take over as President of LexCorp.
You know what I think?
I think what you really want
is to own the thing you created.
You consider Conner your possession.
He is not.
He has compassion,
empathy,
moral intelligence.
All of which make him far stronger than you.
In every way.
You want him to be your personal weapon.
He will never be that.
Isn't that exactly...
how you're using him...
Richard?
Hasn't Bruce taught you any other way?
I'd like you to meet some friends of mine.
Remember, Richard,
this is me...
being gentle.
Tim, stay down.
Ninjas.
You good?
I hate ninjas.
More ninjas.
Okay.
I liked those men.
All I ask is six months.
If you believe you know Conner's answer,
then you'll have no problem conveying my offer.
I expect an answer tonight.
- Let's go. - All right.
Here you go. The Luthor Foundation.
"Just announced 18 months ago, Luthor Foundation recently broke ground on
a dozen hospitals and schools."
Scholarships, research grants, charities all over the world.
Funded at over a billion dollars.
He seems serious.
There's one thing I know about Lex.
He's always serious.
Where's Rachel?
Rachel.
What are you doing?
I don't know.
Gar...
I think something terrible is about to happen.
I need to get out of here.
We should not have come back to Metropolis.
Who is this guy?
He's in a lot of these photographs.
Uh, I don't know.
I can't find his name anywhere.
Maybe he works for the foundation.
Even bigger question.
Why does Luthor suddenly have a charitable foundation, anyway?
Because he's dying.
What?
Lex Luthor has six months to live.
What are you talking about?
He wants you to stay with him.
Learn how to run LexCorp.
Learn about him while you still can.
How do you know all this?
Oh, I let one of these loose in his penthouse.
It's a superbug from WayneTech.
It hacked into Lex's files
and revealed multiple visits to medical clinics
all around the world.
This guy right here, his name is Arthur Holmwood.
He's the world's leading expert in kryptonite poisoning.
Luthor was diagnosed two years ago.
And there's no cure.
This changes things.
It does.
We think Lex wants to use you as a way of saving himself.
Holmwood created a theory. It's called, um,
radical mass transfusions.
- Radical mass transfusions. - It's blood, organs,
everything.
You're the closest living genetic match.
Your body's obviously stronger than his.
There might be a way he can use it to fight his disease.
Okay. Uh...
A blood transfusion.
People get those all the time, right?
If that's all he's asking...
Conner. You can't be serious.
Can we talk?
A dying man is like a cornered animal.
That's when they're most dangerous.
Listen, Conner, at the end of the day, it's up to you.
But if my opinion means anything,
I wouldn't get within a mile of Lex Luthor.
I hear you.
But you're the one who told me I deserved to know my parents.
Maybe he's a terrible person.
But I have to find that out for myself.
And I have to know it
before I can know what to do about it.
You don't owe him anything.
Maybe he owes me something.
Like what?
Answers.
Why was I created?
For what purpose?
I understand. Trust me.
But none of that matters to him.
His purpose is not yours.
I still need to find out.
I can't tell you what to do.
I can tell you this.
You're a part of our family.
And if you leave,
it's gonna hurt us.
I know.
I'm sorry, Dick.
But I have to do this.
I hate Lex Luthor.
Yeah, I hate him, too.
I know Conner needs to do this.
For his own personal growth.
I needed it, too.
It's a painful thing, not knowing where you come from.
But people like Lex Luthor...
they only destroy things.
Like you said, it's Conner's choice.
I just hope he made the right one.
Mr. Luthor?
I'm Conner Kent.
You took his name.
I understand you came to Metropolis at his invitation.
So?
How was it?
Meeting the great Man of Steel?
I didn't meet him.
He was... away.
Oh. That must have been devastating for you.
Well, I hope I'm not too much of a disappointment.
And I suppose you're...
- probably wondering exactly why... - I'm not.
I'm not wondering why you invited me here.
I don't care.
I'm here because of what I want.
Putting your own desires first.
Like father, like son.
I want you to know that I don't consider you my father.
I see.
Are you dying?
Perhaps.
Were you hoping to use me for a cure?
Splendid idea.
I already tried.
I have an ample supply of the genetic material
it took to create you.
It follows that a treatment might be found there...
Didn't work.
However,
I do owe you an apology.
For what?
For creating you in my image.
If people found out,
they would see you as partly me.
Well, they love you now.
But all it would take is one mistake.
And then...
they will see you differently.
I don't have to listen to this.
No, you don't. But you should.
Because I'm the only person in the world
who can truly understand you.
The only one
who will never judge you for being what you are.
How could I?
I created you.
Why?
Why did you create me?
Am I to assume
that your decision on whether or not to stay
rests on my answer to this question?
Very well.
I created you... for one reason.
To see my dream of becoming Superman come true.
Please understand, I realized many years ago
that I, myself,
could never become Superman, so...
I went about achieving my personal dream the way men have
since the beginning of humanity.
I had a son.
My dream was that...
my child would succeed where I had not.
To be...
both man and Superman.
Did I succeed?
Maybe you should tell me.
I see what Superman has given you.
So does the world.
You show them with your actions every day.
But what I have given you...
expresses itself...
more subtly.
And I admit,
it is pride and self-regard, and what I'm sure
the television psychologists would call "narcissism"
that has driven me to want this meeting.
To want my time with you.
To give you some part of myself and not just my DNA,
but my real actual thoughts.
My thesis.
Conner.
I don't want you to become me.
I've already done that.
What I want is for you...
with all your gifts...
to know me.
And with that knowledge,
choose for yourself,
what and who...
you will be.
Now I've answered your questions,
please allow me the only one I have.
Will you stay?
Yes.
I will.
Excellent.
I have something I wanna share with you.
A project I've been working on.
The reason why death may no longer be the foe
I once thought it to be.
But there's problems.
My partners may have...
even darker ideas than I do.
I may need your help.
Mr. Luthor?
Are you okay?
I actually hate tomatoes, Raven.
Gross.
You okay?
Lex!
Rachel! Rachel!
Dick!
Rachel!
What happened?
Lex.
Down! Down! Now!
Show me your hands! Get away from him!
I said show me your hands!
Watch his eyes.
You see, Mr. Luthor...
someone...
always pays.