The following contains spoilers for Titans Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2, "Lex Luthor" and "Mother Mayhem," now streaming on HBO Max.
When Lex Luthor was announced for Titans Season 4, fans of the HBO Max series were eager to learn how his arrival would impact Conner Kent. While many viewers have long hoped Superboy would meet Superman, Lex is equally important because no matter how much Conner has tried to escape it, he feels a pull toward his human father.
In Season 4's first two episodes, Conner chooses to convene with Lex after the Man of Steel leaves an apology note. Their meeting is lot more emotional than first assumed, with Lex seeming truly vulnerable and sincere. However, Titans reveals he has a sinister card up his sleeve that's reminiscent of Joker in The Dark Knight. And sadly, his words could lead to Superboy's corruption in the future.
Titans' Lex Luthor Calls Out the Public
The Dark Knight saw Joker warn Batman of the public's hypocrisy and how it would take just one bad day for Gotham City to turn on him. "They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out like a leper," Joker told his nemesis. "You see, their morals, their code; it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you." The Lex Luthor whom viewers meet in Titans firmly subscribes to the same philosophy.
He mentions how the world would react if they knew Conner was made from Lex's DNA. "They love you now, but all it'd take is one mistake, and then they will see you differently," Lex says. He is dying from Kryptonite poisoning and dabbling in the occult, but he's adamant his words aren't out of desperation or any selfish motive -- he wants his 'son' to know he's the only person who truly understands and won't judge him. While Joker saw himself and Batman as soulmates, Lex and Superboy are literally family.
Titans' Superboy Sees the Dark Side of Humanity
While Gotham and Batman proved Joker wrong when the city became a No Man's Land, Metropolis doesn't extoll the same virtue. After Lex bleeds out and dies due to Mother Mayhem's scheming, Superboy is arrested. When his secret comes out, the media and public ream him about it -- even though he's yet to be proven guilty. They just want someone to blame, and there's no one better than a half-Luthor. Conner is left incensed about being treated like a pariah.
He vents to Kory, who tells him to ignore the public, but she doesn't know how angry he really is. Conner is listening to the city's whispers using his super-hearing and realizing Lex was right about how fickle Earth is. He eventually gets out of prison and reunites with the Titans but it's unlikely that he'll view mankind the same way his team or Superman does again. If he continues down this path, Titans Season 4 may end with him carrying on the Luthor legacy.
New episodes of Titans stream Thursdays on HBO Max.