In the comic Red Son, the Superman of that world once performed a unique kind of brain surgery on dissenters in the Soviet Union under his rule.
The purpose of it was simple—to turn anyone who opposed him into his loyal supporters, using technology to forcibly alter their thoughts.
Luthor, unsurprisingly, had taken that same idea and improved it. His method was more elegant, more precise.
Gravik had undergone the procedure just moments ago. A specially designed chip now sat deep within his brain. And just like that, he ceased to be a free individual. He had become a tool of LexCorp—stripped of autonomy, stripped of thought. From now on, he would respond only to commands from Luthor and Reid.
"The surgery was a success. As I expected, Skrulls are just as susceptible to this method," Luthor said as he and Reid stepped out of the operating room, and walked toward his offfice.
Behind them, Gravik followed in silence, his face blank, devoid of emotion. When they reached the hallway, Reid gave a simple nod. Gravik turned without a word and walked away, disappearing down the corridor.
Moments later, the two entered the chairman's office—sleek, vast, and soaked in sunlight. Reid walked over to one of the twin leather chairs in front of the desk and sat down. Luthor circled behind the desk and settled into his own seat.
"Will there be any issues later on?" Reid asked. "We both know Skrulls change every cell in their body when they shapeshift. If they transform too many times, will the chip still work?" He wasn't about to overlook any potential risks.
Luthor nodded, already prepared for the question. "That's definitely something we have to consider. So we'll need to perform another surgery every time a Skrull undergoes around twenty transformations."
Reid frowned at that. That wasn't the answer he was hoping for; it basically confirmed that even with brain surgery, these controlled Skrulls still carried hidden dangers. There was no way he could trust a group like that—especially not when Carol and J'onn were likely to send even more Skrulls to Earth in the future.
"Unless we manage to develop nanotechnology in this era, something that allows the chip to evolve along with the changes in Skrull cells, there's no way to solve this problem purely with current science," Luthor added.
"Nanotech, huh..."
The moment he heard the word, Reid thought of Helen Cho's Regeneration Cradle technology and the nano suit Tony created, the Mark 50 from the future.
But that stuff was still years away.
"Any other solutions?" He asked.
Luthor knew Reid wouldn't be satisfied with the current outcome. Truthfully, neither was he. But even he had to compromise with reality sometimes. Some things just took time.
"Not at the moment. It'll take me about ten years to perfect nanotech. I can't bring on assistants either. I have to handle every part of it myself. Until then, the only option is for you, boss, to use telepathy to monitor the Skrulls and make sure nothing goes wrong."
"So in the end, this is how it turns out?" Reid sighed. The whole point of the surgery was to free himself from having to keep constant tabs on the Skrulls. He didn't have the time or energy for that.
Starting from 1998, with Black Widow joining S.H.I.E.L.D., the future of this world would be anything but calm.
By 2000, a cosmic storm would approach Earth and kick off the Fantastic Four's story. At the same time, it was likely the mutants would begin to act as well, leading to inevitable conflict between him and them.
After that, once the mutant situation was handled, Hulk would show up. Then Tony would become Iron Man, Thor would arrive on Earth, Captain America would wake up, and the Avengers would form.
Reid's influence might change how these events unfold, but it still meant one thing—what was coming would be far more intense than just a corporate rivalry with Norman. It would be world-shaking.
"Alright. I'll keep an eye on the Skrulls," he finally said. "But that means everything over the next ten years needs to be adjusted. You'll have to handle those changes yourselves."
"I understand," Luthor replied, knowing Reid was talking about the Fantastic Four and the mutant situation. But all of that had already been accounted for in their plans.
Far away in Gotham, 'Batman' had been preparing for the mutant problem for the past three years.
Just as the conversation neared its end, a knock echoed through the office.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door opened, and Susan stepped in. She wore a sharp, professional outfit, her heels tapping softly against the polished floor as she approached with a steaming cup of coffee.
"Mr. Luthor, it's time for your lunch break," she said with a smile, while placing the coffee on the desk.
The it was clearly not for Reid. He understood the cue.
"Then I'll take my leave, Mr. Luthor."
"Alright."
In front of others, Luthor still acted like he was the superior.
After Reid exited, Susan's eyes slowly shifted from the door to the man behind the desk—the one who, over the past three years, had never failed to draw her attention.
"Mr. Luthor," she said thoughtfully, "it doesn't feel like you and Reid are just boss and assistant. It's more like you're partners. That's not just my imagination, right?"
"You're not wrong to think that," Luthor answered calmly, taking a sip of his coffee. "Reid is incredibly capable. He's earned my respect."
"What about me?" Susan didn't like that answer. She had left Reed and joined LexCorp to prove she was just as talented. Hearing Luthor praise Reid like that didn't sit well with her.
Over the past three years, Susan had gradually let go of her past with Reed. He had definitely drawn her in—no doubt about that. He was a genius, and she was always attracted to geniuses.
But Reed was just that: a genius. His brilliance was only known to those around him. Luthor, on the other hand, was different.
He stood at the top of the world, one of the few truly leading the future.
Working beside him as his secretary, watching how flawlessly he operated in every field—well, this wasn't just about America being an open-minded country. Even the most reserved person would start to feel something after three years.
Still, Luthor was not the kind of man to say sweet things. Faced with her irritation, he responded in his usual blunt tone.
"My dear Susan, don't embarrass yourself, alright? You're an excellent secretary, no doubt. But if you want to compare yourself to Reid, how about beating me in chess first?"
"You—!"
Susan puffed up her cheeks in frustration and immediately pulled out a chessboard, slamming it down between them.
"This time, I'm going to beat you."
"I look forward to the day you actually do."
That was the kind of relationship Luthor and Susan had.
No flattery. No romance. She just wanted to prove her worth to Luthor. And in that process, she slowly got used to having him in her life.
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