Where is Superman in ‘Titans’ season 4?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Titans season four, episode one, “Lex Luthor.”

In DC Titans, the team is headed to Metropolis for ConnerKent/Superboy to meet Superman, but the trip doesn’t go quite as planned.

Conner, played by Joshua Orpin, is a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor (Titus Welliver), but even though he’s been operating since season two of the season, he’s never met the Man of Steel. Lex Luthor created him using his own DNA and the DNA of his greatest enemy, and that left Conner unsure of himself and who he’s supposed to be. Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Brenton Thwaites) gets a call from Bruce Wayne/Batman (Iain Glenn), who tells Dick that he made some calls to set up a meeting between Superman and Superboy. Conner’s excited to meet the biggest hero of them all, and they visit S.T.A.R. Labs Metropolis for the fateful meeting.

When the team arrives at the facility, there’s a magnificent silver statue of Superman outside of it, and Conner admires it before they go in. He’s depicted in a heroic pose and holding up his fist as his cape flows heroically. Behind the statue is the Daily Planet on one side and Lex Corp on the other. This perfectly represents the two sides of Conner’s genetics. Clark Kent works at the Daily Planet, while Lex Luthor owns and operates Lexcorp. Which side will the Boy of Steel choose?

When they go inside the high-tech S.T.A.R. Labs, Conner gets some devastating news. The scientist Director of Special Projects Bernard Fitzsmartin (James Scully) pulls Dick and Conner aside and tells them that Superman sends his regards, but he’s unable to make it. He was called away on urgent business on a matter that required his immediate attention. Conner says that he understands but he’s clearly very devastated. Bernard hands him a note from his father, and Conner reveals that Superman apologized and hopes to meet him one day. Until then, he should follow Bernard because he has something to show him that should show him what they do.

Bernard takes Dick and Conner to a laboratory dedicated solely to studying Superman and his abilities. The scientist tells the half-Kryptonian that Superman is extraordinary, then hands the two Titans special glasses that allow them to see a 3D hologram of galaxies all around them. Dick looks at Conner with his glasses on and smiles because he looks like a certain Daily Planet journalist.

Bernard shows them a stream of light blasting through the galaxy and tells them that that’s Superman. He’s going to Q4 105BV to counteract the effects of a collapse of a red dwarf star to save an entire galaxy from destruction. Conner realizes that this is what he meant in his letter. Even though Conner doesn’t get to meet him, he gets to see all the good that they can do as superheroes.

The problem is that Conner’s other father has other plans for the boy. He requests a meeting with him by invasively sending a sonic message to him while the Titans are in the RV driving out of Metropolis. Lex wants Conner to meet him at Lexcorp that night, but the Titans don’t think it’s a good idea. Dick and Kory/Starfire (Anna Diop) advise him to be cautious. Lex always has an ulterior motive up his sleeve, but Conner wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. Beforehand, the Titans steal information from Lex’s computer and learn that he’s fatally ill and could want his son’s genetics to save his own life.

Conner chooses to go to Lexcorp, but he doesn’t meet him with open-mindedness and kindness. Instead, Conner’s cautious in his conversation with the wealthy supervillain. Lex asks him how his meeting with Superman went and Conner admits that he didn’t get to meet him. Conner says he’s here because of what he wants, and Lex responds, “Like father, like son,” because of his own selfish agenda, but the boy doesn’t consider him his father. Lex reveals that he’s not interested in Conner as a means to a cure, but he’s already tried that with other genetic material and everything has failed.

Superboy asks why he was created and he’s given the answer. Lex created him to see his dream of becoming Superman come true. He could never become Superman, so he went about achieving his dream by having a son. He wanted Conner to succeed where he could not, to be both man and Superman.

Now, Superboy has the difficult decision of deciding who he will become. The public has turned against him and sees him as a danger now, which just might push him further to the dark side.