"I've detected the presence of another Martian!"
As the island and the so-called "ultimate weapon" were obliterated, the voice of Miss Martian rang out in the Avengers' base, filled with excitement.
When Robert first brought Miss Martian back to Earth, he didn't allow the young Martian to join the Avengers or participate in their dangerous missions. Instead, he entrusted her with a single task: to locate Martian Manhunter.
In Robert's opinion, Martians were a unique and extraordinary race. Their abilities resembled those of Skrulls, with the added benefit of their innate psychic powers and the capacity to reshape their molecular structure. Individually, Martians could rival Kryptonians in strength without the need for sunlight or an external power source.
While Kryptonians might have a slightly higher upper limit in terms of raw physical power, Martians compensated with their adaptability and resilience. Using their psychic power to manipulate their own molecules, they achieved physical strength and versatility akin to Kryptonians—without the vulnerability to substances like Kryptonite.
However, this perfection in molecular structure also made them difficult to track. A skilled Martian like J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter) could alter not only his appearance but also his energy signature, making even someone as sharp as Robert incapable of locating him directly.
Still, when one of the people Robert had locked onto earlier mysteriously vanished, Robert began to suspect that this individual might be Martian Manhunter in disguise. Given how bold and organized the recent schemes against the Avengers had been, it wasn't far-fetched to think that Lex Luthor could be involved—and that he might have found a way to manipulate J'onn.
"Where is he? Can you pinpoint his location? I'll take you there now," Robert said to Miss Martian as he returned to the Avengers' base after destroying the ultimate weapon.
The targets he had previously marked were no longer his immediate priority. They were already locked by his energy-tracking abilities, and unless they possessed the same mastery as Martian Manhunter, they wouldn't escape him, even if they fled to another planet.
"I've sensed him!" Miss Martian said excitedly. "He's constantly shifting his form and energy signature, but I caught a glimpse of his true power leaking out. He's in Queens, New York."
"Hm."
Miss Martian didn't stop at a verbal explanation. She directly established a telepathic link with Robert, allowing him to perceive what she had detected. In an instant, Robert locked onto J'onn's location.
"Hold tight," Robert said, vanishing with a faint whoosh.
The next moment, he reappeared in the Avengers' base with Martian Manhunter, unconscious and reverted to his original form, slung over his shoulder.
Martian Manhunter had been cautious—perhaps overly so.
When he realized Robert was taking action against the officials he had been manipulating in disguise, J'onn understood that Robert likely had the ability to track him. In his panic, he used his shapeshifting powers to alter his form and energy signature, believing this would throw Robert off his trail.
He didn't realize that his very act of frequently switching identities had inadvertently exposed him. His desperate efforts to blend in had drawn Miss Martian's attention, and when Robert arrived, J'onn had no time to react before being struck unconscious.
Robert looked at J'onn thoughtfully. "There's no way Martian Manhunter was working against us willingly. Someone must have manipulated him."
Though puzzled by how someone could control a psychic powerhouse like J'onn, Robert decided it was best to keep him unconscious for now.
"Can you figure out what's wrong with him?" he asked Miss Martian. "Or do you need me to extract his soul for examination?"
Miss Martian hesitated but shook her head. "Let me try first. His psychic state seems damaged. I'll see if I can communicate with him or find any clues."
Nodding, Robert stepped back as Miss Martian began channeling her psychic energy into J'onn's mind.
Despite being the same species, the mental plane was still a battlefield of strength, and J'onn was far more experienced and powerful than Miss Martian. Complicating matters further, J'onn's psyche was completely subservient to Lex Luthor's control, and he reflexively launched a psychic counterattack.
Miss Martian's body trembled as her connection to J'onn's mind was forcibly severed. Meanwhile, J'onn's body stirred, showing signs of waking up.
Smack!
Before J'onn could fully regain consciousness, Robert struck him again, knocking him out cold. J'onn's incredible psychic power was no match for Robert's overwhelming physical strength.
"Not working?" Robert asked as he turned back to Miss Martian, whose face had paled slightly. "Should I extract his soul, then?"
Miss Martian shook her head. "No! I've identified the issue!" she said with surprising confidence. "His psychic power is much stronger than mine, but I've found a flaw in it. I know what's holding him back!"
"A flaw?"
Robert raised an eyebrow, intrigued. The rest of the Avengers perked up as well, recalling what they knew about J'onn's well-documented weakness: his fear of fire. This psychological vulnerability rendered him nearly powerless when exposed to flames.
The Avengers had previously assumed that this fear was a biological trait, much like Kryptonians' vulnerability to Kryptonite. However, after Miss Martian joined the team, she clarified that the fear of fire was unique to J'onn and not a characteristic of their species.
In the Avengers' base, under the watchful eyes of the team, Miss Martian's form began to shift. Her features transformed until she bore an uncanny resemblance to Lex Luthor.
"What...?"
The resemblance was so perfect that it startled the Avengers. But for Miss Martian, this was a calculated move. She hadn't pulled this identity from J'onn's memories; rather, she deduced that Luthor was the root of J'onn's psychological control.
Using the Martians' innate shapeshifting abilities, Miss Martian created a flawless imitation of Lex Luthor, complete with the subtle details needed to manipulate J'onn's fractured psyche.
Entering J'onn's mind once more, Miss Martian confronted his mental image of Lex Luthor.
"Master... wait, no! You're not my master... or are you?"
J'onn's psyche wavered as he struggled to distinguish between reality and illusion. Despite his suspicions, he was unable to disobey the mental commands of the figure before him.
"Now, follow my orders," Miss Martian—disguised as Lex Luthor—commanded firmly, her psychic energy flooding into J'onn's mind. "Everything I do, you must cooperate with."
"Yes, Master," J'onn responded instinctively, his voice filled with obedience.
With Miss Martian guiding him, J'onn began dismantling the mental conditioning that Luthor had imposed on him.
The process wasn't something J'onn could have accomplished alone. Even the strongest psychic couldn't lift themselves by their own bootstraps. But with Miss Martian's help, J'onn gradually unraveled the layers of control, freeing himself from Luthor's influence.
Finally, after what felt like hours, J'onn awoke. For the first time in years, his mind was clear—not only of Luthor's control but also of his crippling fear of fire.
Miss Martian's intervention hadn't just freed him—it had made him whole.
"Success!" Miss Martian exclaimed, though her face was pale with exhaustion. Her joy, however, was evident. Helping her fellow Martian, potentially the only other member of her species, filled her with pride.
J'onn opened his eyes, his gaze filled with remorse as he looked at the Avengers.
"Welcome back, J'onn," Robert said with a faint smile.
"Welcome back," the others echoed warmly.
"I... I'm so sorry," J'onn said, his voice heavy with shame. "I've betrayed all of you. It's my fault the Avengers are in this state..."
Robert shook his head. "It's not your fault. You were under Luthor's control. And honestly, the Avengers could use a break. Who knows? Maybe without us, Earth will fare even better."
Peter Parker chimed in, "Besides, there's still the Seven, right? Sure, they're knockoffs and not that great, but they'll manage. I expected Vought to take advantage of this situation, but they've been surprisingly quiet."
J'onn grimaced. "That's because Vought isn't innocent in all this. Some of the people Robert eliminated earlier were connected to them. Vought isn't a single entity—it's an alliance of factions. And without the Avengers to keep them in check, their heroes will reveal their true colors."
Robert's expression hardened, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Let them. We'll deal with them when the time comes. For now, it's time to settle an old score."
The room grew tense as everyone realized what Robert meant. With J'onn restored, there was no longer any place for Lex Luthor to hide.
"It's time," J'onn said quietly. "I'll take you to him."
Reaching out telepathically, J'onn shared Luthor's precise location with Robert.
"Let's end this."
Robert vanished, his body radiating an aura of pure, unrelenting wrath. For too long, Lex Luthor had evaded justice. Now, Robert intended to make him pay—not just for his manipulations but for what he had done to Clark.
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