He wanted to save Lois.
He had seen Yongye call her away at the Daily Planet office. He had heard the sounds that slipped through the blinds with his own ears. They had taken root in his mind, and he couldn't shake them.
But crippling Yongye... that felt like going too far.
After all, Yongye had dealt with the Kryptonians and Ultron. He had saved Earth at least twice.
Crippling a savior over a matter between a man and a woman went against the Justice League's principles. It went against Superman's own moral code, too.
Superman stood at the edge of the rooftop, his dark red cape snapping in the night wind. Moonlight cast a long shadow across his chiseled face.
His fists clenched and unclenched, then clenched again. He wavered between saving Lois and refusing to go too far, trapped between two choices he couldn't reconcile.
Batman leaned against the low wall and watched him. The corner of his mouth twitched beneath his cowl. He didn't press him or say another word. He simply waited.
The night wind swept through the gaps between the buildings, stretching the silence between them until it felt long and cold.
A long while passed.
Superman finally forced out a sentence. His voice was lower than before. A deeper, hard-won reason had subdued his agitation, but beneath it, resentment and pain still churned.
"Best if we can break whatever hold he has over them."
Batman studied him for a long time.
Then he slowly pushed away from the wall and stopped half a step in front of Superman. His dark gray cape hung in the night wind, and his gaze was steady and sharp beneath the cowl.
"And once we break it, what about Yongye himself? Do you think he'll just accept that?"
Superman