WARNING: Major Spoilers for Titans United #5 ahead!
In the newly released Titans United #5 the eponymous team is easily defeated by their most powerful member, Conner Kent aka Superboy, who has been transformed into the villainous Black Zero by the devious Blackfire. Komand'r, the sister of the Titans member Starfire, has preyed on Conner's insecurities and his recent de-powering to seemingly brainwash him into defeating his former teammates in an attempt to take over Earth. This has given Conner, as the terrifying Black Zero, the chance to once and for all prove that he is the most powerful of all the Titans, something he does while barely breaking a sweat.
The re-formed Titans team, whose roster includes all the members of HBO Max's hit live-action series Titans, have been fighting to uncover the secrets of a massive conspiracy that has hidden a ring of metahuman sleeper agents throughout the world. Simultaneously, Superboy has been slowly losing all of his powers, causing him to be sidelined and, in his perspective, disrespected by his Titans teammates. While in his vulnerable state Conner is kidnapped by Komand'r, and somehow convinced to serve her as "his Queen," after she uses alien technology to restore Superboy's powers and give him a new armored suit reminiscent of powered suits his biological father Lex Luthor has worn in the past.
In Titans United #5 - written by Cavan Scott with art by Jose Luis - Blackfire's Tamaranean forces are closing in on Earth as she sends Black Zero to take out the Titans team. Black Zero does not hold back, and is easily able to take down literally every single member of the team except for Starfire, who is nowhere to be found during the battle. Conner's trauma is at the center of his new Black Zero persona, as he assumes that all of his former teammates view him as a "Zero," and a "clone freak." This repressed rage and hurt spilling out is part of why he is able to so soundly defeat his friends. Conner might not be as "badass" as Red Hood, or as skilled as Donna Troy, but he makes up for what he is lacking with pure brutal strength and power.
Conner's true power doesn't really show up until he fights and defeats both Donna Troy and Raven, who often use magic or magical tools, which historically are very hard for Kryptonians to fight against. Some of the only times that Kryptonians such as Superman and Superboy have been defeated are when their opponents have used magical attacks and defenses, rendering the Kryptonians' attacks ineffective. Black Zero is able to shrug off Donna's Lasso of Persuasion, a deeply powerful magical object, without a second thought before throwing her into a wall and knocking her out. Then Raven attacks Black Zero, perhaps a bit too confidently assuming her magic will beat him, before Conner completely KOs her in both the "astral plane" and the real world.
While Conner's mixed Superman/Lex Luthor DNA is often seen as a disadvantage for him, perhaps his half-human genetics make it so that he is able to be more resistant to magic than a a full Kryptonian would be. Or maybe the armor that Blackfire gifted to Black Zero is able to keep Conner safe. Either way, Black Zero is able to takedown every single Titan, without much fuss, definitively proving that in terms of pure power sets, Conner is the most powerful of all the Titans. This is bad news for the Titans, and the people of Earth, seeing as Blackfire just needs to track down and capture her sister Starfire before she can turn her full attention to taking control of Earth. To see Superboy's new villainous persona Black Zero in action make sure to check out Titans United #5.