"I have to admit... this design for life is on par with my own."
Ego sighed. It had taken him millions of years and the assimilation of countless materials to evolve into the living planet he had once been.
Yet this species could become so powerful simply by soaking up sunlight. He felt a twinge of envy.
"Which brings me to a question..." Homelander smiled faintly and looked at Ego. "Can you give me that ability to grow stronger in the sun?"
"In theory, yes, Master. It would require restructuring your genes." Ego's voice turned grave. "But I advise against it."
"Why?" Homelander asked.
"First..." Ego explained.
"This evolution has a flaw. His power comes from a single source."
Ego pointed to the hologram, where the energy reactions inside the cells rapidly dimmed once the light disappeared.
"If he goes too long without Yellow Sun radiation, the energy in his cells will drain without being replenished. His powers will gradually weaken, then vanish entirely, leaving him an ordinary mortal. Certain wavelengths of radiation may also have unpredictable negative effects on him."
"The cost outweighs the benefit, Master."
"The strength of this Kryptonian body has a clear cause. It depends on what its environment provides, on radiation from a star. That leaves it with an obvious weakness."
Ego's tendrils gestured in midair.
"But you are different. Your strength... defies reason."
"Transplanting these flawed genes into you could very well disrupt your own flawless system of power. It might even cause your existing abilities to disappear. It isn't worth the risk, Master."
Homelander considered this. My abilities probably wouldn't disappear. The system built them up steadily, unlike the flimsy powers of comic-book superheroes, who lose them at the drop of a hat or suddenly go out of control.
*Still, there's no reason