Superman 2 (lex Luthor Edition)

Lex Luthor Actor
Lex Luthor Superman Suit
Superman 2 Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor Dc
Lex Luthor Dc Comics

As we previously discussed, Lex Luthor is arrested and put on trial for his actions which result in the death of Superman. In the first issue of All-Star Superman, the arresting officer says that the warrant is for “attempted murder and crimes against humanity.” In issue 5, we see the conclusion of the actual trial, and it seems that at some point the attempted murder charge was seemingly dropped, as when the judge hands down the verdict, he says “Guilty on all counts, of crimes against humanity.”

Portraying the early years of the man of steel, from his birth on the planet Krypton to his arrival on Earth and the first of his epic battles with the arch-criminal Lex Luthor. The superhero must prevent Luthor's nefarious scheme to rearrange the west coast of America with the help of a couple of nuclear bombs. Superman II was released as two somewhat different movies with similar actions going on in their storylines. The original theatrical version released in 1980 was directed by Richard Lester, with material originally filmed under the direction of Richard Donner. In 2006, a 'Richard Donner cut' ver Superman II is the second Superman movie by Richard Donner. Donner was fired during production. Three escaped criminals from the planet Krypton test the Man of Steel's mettle. Zod, the Kryptonians take control of the White House and partner with Lex Luthor to destroy Superman and rule the world. But Superman, who attempts to make himself human in order to get closer to Lois, realizes he has a responsibility to save the planet. The Man of Steel gets serious with Lois Lane and fights three Krypton outcasts in league with Lex Luthor.Superman II (DVD). Edition: Widescreen.

This is interesting, because there isn’t actually indication of what court we’re in, and “crimes against humanity” aren’t actually crimes in most jurisdictions, in part because the term is at least as much a political term as it is an actual offense. Be that as it may, you will not find “crimes against humanity” listed in any criminal code in the US, state or federal (Well, technically it’s a crime in Puerto Rico (a first degree felony!), so maybe Luthor got busted while returning to his vacation home in San Juan, but we doubt it.). So right off the bat, there’s something we need to talk about. More than that, there’s also the question of what court, if any, would have jurisdiction over such charges. Lastly, we’ll look more generally at the issue of prosecuting supervillains, which as we’ll see is far from simple.

I. “Crimes against humanity”

What exactly are “crimes against humanity”? There are a variety of competing definitions, and the Wikipedia article does a pretty good job of covering them. Article Seven of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines it as “any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.” Since Luthor’s actions were not widespread or systematic, this wouldn’t seem to apply, although if Superman is defined as a civilian population of 1 (i.e. the Kryptonian population of Earth; we’ll talk about Kandor in a minute), then perhaps a single planned murder is sufficient.

Notably, the ICC does not apply only to government officials and members of the military. Article 27 of the Rome Statute explicitly states that “This Statute shall apply equally to all persons without any distinction based on official capacity.” So in theory Luthor could be held to account by the ICC, if he were in a country under its jurisdiction.

II. Jurisdiction over “crimes against humanity”

The problem is that the US hasn’t ratified the Rome Statute. Democratic administrations are generally friendlier to this sort of international law than Republican administrations, but no administration has ever been able to convince the Senate to ratify it, generally on the grounds that it would diminish American sovereignty. So the US does not officially recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, also known as “The Hague”, where the court sits, any more than it recognizes the authority of any international body to dictate terms to the US. And the US has no functional legal definition of “crimes against humanity” (again, not counting Puerto Rico).

So not only would it be impossible to put Luthor on trial for crimes against humanity in a US court, it’s vanishingly unlikely that the US would permit an international court to try him. For example, if he had been captured, Osama Bin Laden would not have gone to the ICC, he would have been tried in a US court—either civilian or military—and probably executed, but not for crimes against humanity. So that’s just a non-starter.

What the US does have, however, is the crime of genocide, defined by 18 U.S.C. § 1091. Notably, the definition of genocide here basically tracks the definition of genocide used by the ICC. There’s a good argument that what Luthor did would fit the bill, too:

Whoever, whether in time of peace or in time of war and with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group as such—
(1) kills members of that group;
(2) causes serious bodily injury to members of that group; …
(4) subjects the group to conditions of life that are intended to cause the physical destruction of the group in whole or in part; …
shall be punished as provided in subsection (b).

Since Superman is one of very few Kryptonians on Earth, Luthor’s efforts to kill him could be painted as genocidal. (While Kandor exists in this continuity, it’s still miniaturized at this point in the story and is eventually moved to Mars anyway.) So while Luthor might not be literally guilty of “crimes against humanity,” he could be guilty of genocide.

III. Prosecuting Supervillains

But let’s leave the “crimes against humanity” issue aside and assume that the court in question is a US court (we’ll say federal to keep it simple) for a plausible crime like, say, felony murder or even genocide. We’ve got another problem: how is the prosecution going to prove its case?

In this particular instance, it shouldn’t be that hard, because we’ve got multiple admissions both in and out of court. Way to make it easy on the DA there, Lex. But what if he hadn’t? What if he had said something along the lines of “I am so thrilled that Superman is dead, but good luck proving I had anything to do with it!” The DA would be left with a situation where he had to prove that the human bomb on the spaceship was modified by Luthor, put on the ship by Luthor, and activated by Luthor. Or one of his agents, but whatever. So the DA is going to have to sort through some very complex and sophisticated technology to be able to understand it well enough that he can prove to the jury’s satisfaction that this is actually what happened.

This means hiring an expert, because most lawyers, while smart, aren’t engineers or scientists, and most jurors certainly aren’t. In this particular case we’re talking about technology which is merely on the bleeding edge of available mundane tech, but we’d still probably need to get in touch with one of the one or two top scientists in the field. Only… most of them work for P.R.O.J.E.C.T., and thus have a conflict of interest in providing testimony on this case. The situation would be even worse if it were someone like Dr. Doom on trial, or anyone using technology they had developed themselves or which is significantly more advanced than that generally known, as the only people likely to be able to understand the tech and explain it to a jury are superheroes like Reed Richards, and thus also subject to a conflict of interest. This doesn’t mean they couldn’t testify, only that the conflict of interest could be raised during cross-examination, which would hurt their credibility.

The problem is not limited solely to technology as such. A supervillain who commits his crimes telepathically will be very difficult to convict without the testimony of another telepath, and such persons are not exactly a dime a dozen. In the absence of such testimony, all the DA can prove is that people inexplicably started committing crimes in the presence of the allegedly telepathic defendant. That’s not the same as proving that the supervillain had anything to do with it. Same goes for things like releasing dangerous animals/aliens/robots into the public. There needs to be some evidence connecting the supervillain with the creature or construct, and that evidence is likely to require expert testimony.

Such testimony is also problematic for legal reasons. The Daubert standard, announced in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, is the standard to which expert testimony must comply before it is admissible. Opinion testimony is generally disfavored, but since the eighteenth century, courts have recognized that the subject matter of litigation sometimes involves technical discussions which are beyond the normal knowledge of jurors, judges, and attorneys, so in order to come up with a result the input of an expert in the field is necessary. But just because someone calls themselves an expert doesn’t mean that they are one, and there are countless scientists, doctors, and engineers who are also quacks or cranks. So the Daubert standard exists to give judges some guidance in deciding who counts as an expert and the sorts of things about which they are permitted to testify.

Here we run into some problems. There a number of factors judges weigh in considering whether to admit expert testimony. The first is whether the principle at issue is subject to empirical testing and falsification. A lot of supervillain/superhero expert testimony falls into this category, but a lot of it wouldn’t, particularly where magic is involved. Then there’s the question of whether it’s subject to peer review. Most superhuman expert testimony would not be, as they don’t tend to publish articles in scholarly journals—wouldn’t want their tech to call into the wrong hands, etc.—and they don’t really have peers. Also, it helps a lot of the error rate is known. Scholarly science spends quite a bit of time focusing on the error rate of measurements, counting as insignificant those results which fall inside the margin of error. If we don’t even know what it is, and in many superhuman cases we don’t, it’s hard to give reliable testimony on a subject. Then there’s the question of standards and controls. Supervillains almost by definition don’t operate with any, but a lot of superhuman experts don’t really either, or if they do, they’re not really comprehensible to mundanes. But the most important is frequently whether the principle is generally accepted by the scientific community. In most superhuman cases, the answer is “Almost certainly not,” as they’re dealing with science and technology which is by definition way beyond anything the scientific community even recognizes as possible.

All that said, these are only factors to be used, and we wouldn’t be surprised if courts took some liberties with those factors in extraordinary cases like this. There might be some cautionary statements made to the jury in order to underscore the fact that the expert testimony is on somewhat shaky ground, and no doubt the defense would have a field day on cross-examination. In sum, the standards for expert witnesses would make prosecuting technology-wielding supervillains somewhere between difficult and impossible.

As a final note: even if Luthor were convicted and sentenced to death, it wouldn’t be by the electric chair. The federal government only uses lethal injection, and the ICC doesn’t employ the death penalty at all. For those of you still rooting for Puerto Rico, first degree felonies like crimes against humanity are punishable by 99 years in prison but not by death.

IV. Conclusion

This section gave us an excuse to talk about some of the larger issues in prosecuting supervillains. But really, Luthor’s fate is not critical to the plot of the overall story, so the fact that the legal implications here don’t really pan out is not as important as it might otherwise be. If Luthor failed to appear for the rest of the series, the plot would be largely intact. This isn’t a story about Superman overcoming villainy, it’s a story about Superman preparing for death.

Superman II is the 1980 sequel to Superman: The Movie (1978). The story continues the adventures of the orphan Kryptonian, Kal-El, who has become the world's greatest hero. Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to marry Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.

Directed by Richard Lester. Story by Mario Puzo, Screenplay by Mario Puzo & David Newman, and Leslie Newman.

Based on the DC Comics characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

The three outlaws from Krypton descend to Earth to confront the Man of Steel in a cosmic battle for world supremacy.Taglines

Lex Luthor[edit]

Think of it. Three… count them, three supervillains! Each one with the powers of Superman! They'll need a contact here on Earth! Someone with the same wonderful contempt for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!

General Zod[edit]

The vote must be unanimous Jor-El. It has therefore now become your decision. You alone will condemn us if you wish and you alone with be held responsible by me...Join us. You have been known to disagree with the Council before. Yours could become an important voice in the New Order, second only to my own. I offer you a chance for greatness, Jor-El. Take it! Join us! You will bow down before me, Jor-El! I swear it! No matter that it takes an eternity! YOU WILL BOW DOWN BEFORE ME! BOTH YOU AND THEN ONE DAY...YOUR HEIRS!
So this is planet Houston. A very strange surface!
I like the glow. It flashes red, like the Krypton sun. But not this disturbing noise. Make way!
[after shooting himself, unharmed] Crude noisemaker.
I win! I always win. Is there no one on this planet to even challenge me?!
[referring to the President] And he will answer to me! Or all of his cities shall end up like this one!
I see you are practiced in worshipping things that fly.
Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!
[to Superman] And now, finally- take my hand, swear eternal loyalty... to Zod.

Ursa[edit]

I have powers beyond reason here!
If the whole planet is watching, cannot we show them something more interesting?
General Zod does not take orders! He gives them.
Look- they need machines to fly!
What kind of a backwards planet is this, where the fighting men wear jewelry and ribbons?

Others[edit]

Non, you are as without thought as you are without voice. ~ Kryptonian Councilmember
Then, if this is what you wish, if you intend to live your life with a mortal, you must live as a mortal. ~ Lara
I'll bet you 10 dollars they're from Los Ange-leez. ~ Sheriff as he spots Zod and company in the road
Keep it on the flame Rock, this is just minute steak. - Trucker at diner

Dialogue[edit]

Council Member #1: You three criminals have been caught in a further act of seditious treason! General Zod, your only feeling was contempt for our society; your only desire was to command! Ursa, the only feeling you showed was for your vicious General; your only wish: to rule at his side. Non, you are as without thought as you are without voice. This council has no hesitation in proclaiming you all...

Council Member #2: Guilty.

Council Member #3: Guilty.

Council Member #4: Guilty.

Council Member #5: Guilty.

Council Member #6: Guilty.

Perry White: Kent, I need a story to run with the page three sidebar. Get me everything you can on this terrorist group.

Clark Kent: Right! [stops] Uh, sorry. T... terrorists?

Perry White: Get your head out of the closet, Kent! Where've you been for the past twelve hours?

Clark Kent: Home.

Perry White: Well, don't you watch television?

Clark Kent: Well actually I don't enjoy television, Mister White, there's too much violence. I was just reading Dickens.

Jimmy Olsen: (races in) Mr. Kent! A gang of terrorists seized the Eiffel Tower! In Paris!

Perry White: He knows where the Eiffel Tower is, Olsen! You do, don't you Kent?

Clark Kent: Yes, sir. Has anybody been hurt?

Jimmy Olsen: Well, so far the hostages are unharmed.

Clark Kent: The hostages?

Jimmy Olsen: Yeah! Tourists! About twenty of them!

Perry White: Yeah, but that's just petty-ante stuff. These guys claim that if the French government doesn't meet their demands, they've got a hydrogen bomb ready to level Paris.

Clark Kent: (genuinely surprised) Well, geez Mr. White. That's t... terrible!

Perry White: That's why they call them 'terrorists', Kent.

(A Niagara crowd witnesses Superman rescue a plummeting boy)

Woman: What a nice man!

Another woman: Of course he's Jewish.

(After saving the boy, Superman flies behind a hot dog stand and re-dons his Clark Kent guise)

Clark Kent: Lois! Um, uh Lois! Uh (offer Lois her hot dog) Uh, here you go.

Lois Lane: Where were you?

Clark Kent: I was getting hot dogs. (Lois takes both hot dogs) What do you mean?

(The two start walking)

Lois Lane: Well, it seems kind of strange to me that every time Superman's around, you disappear.

Clark Kent: Superman?! I mean, he was here?!

Lois Lane: Mm hmm.

Clark Kent: (looks up) Golly!

Lois Lane: And you weren't . . . as usual. So what have you got to say about that?

Clark Kent: Darn! I forgot your orange juice.

(Clark starts to walk away)

Lois Lane: Clark!

Clark Kent: No orange juice?

(Lex Luthor and Miss Teschmacher explore Superman's Fortress of Solitude)

Lex Luthor: It's beautiful! It has everything.

Miss Teschmacher: Wrong.

[They exchange a 'look'.]

Lex Luthor: Why didn't you go before we left?

Miss Teschmacher: That was two days ago.

(Lois and Clark are still walking)

Lois Lane: You know, it's, it's really amazing. I never started to put it together before now. It's just kind of funny, you know, cause a good reporter isn't supposed to let anything slip by her.

Clark Kent: No. Course not.

Lois Lane: Well, uh, I'm beginning to get the picture.

Clark Kent: As usual, Lois, I-I really don't know what you're talking about. Um, tell you what, I-I'll meet you back at the hotel.

Clark starts walking away.

Lois Lane: What's your hurry, Superman?

Clark Kent[stops and turns around]: Sorry?

Lois Lane: I gotta admit, you know. Your disguise is nearly perfect. You had me fooled. And I am nobody's fool, believe me.

Clark Kent: Oh no, of course not, Lois. I mean, you just have an active imagination. You just get carried away sometimes. Believe me, I understand. It can happen to anybody.

Lois Lane: Listen, I'm so sure you're Superman, that I'm willing to bet my life on it.

Clark Kent: What?

Lois Lane[nods her head]: Now, if I'm right, you'll turn into Superman.

Clark Kent: Hmm.

Lois Lane: And if I'm wrong, you've got yourself one hell of a story.

Clark Kent: You think I'm [makes a flying gesture with his arm] Superman? [Lois nods.] Boy, you certainly have some imagination, Lois. Huh. For a minute there, you almost had me convinced [turns around and starts walking], for a minute.

Lois: Bye bye Baby!

(Lois throws herself into the Falls)

[Lex accesses Superman's power crystals, and one summons the 'spirit' of a Kryptonian professor)

Kryptonian Man: Literature Lesson #35: 'Trees' by Joyce Kilmer of Earth. I think I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree . . .

Lex Luthor: (as the Kryptonian professor continues) He's not here, it's a voice from the past. Now that's cute, it's very cute.

(Luthor then stops the lesson intended for Superman by ejecting the power crystal)

Miss Teschmacher: I like trees!

Lex Luthor: So does your average cocker spaniel.

(Spotting the strangely dressed Kryptonians in the road, a sheriff flips on his police lights and siren)

Deputy Dwayne: I dunno, from the look of them I'll bet ten dollars they're from Los Angeles.

Sheriff: Hey, ya hippies! Get your butts off the road!

General Zod: I like the glow that flashes red like our Krypton sun. But not this irritating noise. Make way.

Sheriff: Did I hear right? That son of a bitch give me an order?!

(The Sheriff hands a shotgun to Dwayne)

Sheriff: Dwayne, you take care of him.

Dwayne: But I...

Sheriff: Dwayne, you gotta learn to kick ass, you wanna be a peacemaker.

(In East Houston, Non is about to destroy a TV newscrew's equipment, but he is stopped by Zod)

General Zod: No! Who else is seeing this?

Reporter: Ah . . . well, with this satellite link up, uh . . . just about everybody. I mean, the whole planet!

General Zod: The whole planet Houston?

Reporter: Earth. The whole planet Earth.

(Zod looks arrogantly into the camera)

General Zod: (satisfied with the man's answer) You may continue.

Reporter: As the extraordinary story continues . . . as this extraordinary st—

Ursa: (petulantly) Enough of this nonsense! If the whole planet is watching, can't we show them something more interesting?

(A US Army battalion has been deployed to East Houston)

Army Major: (via bullhorn) Throw down your arms and surrender! This is an order!

Ursa: General Zod does not take orders. He gives them.

[Zod literally blows off a flamethrower attack from soldiers)

Reporter: He was right in the line of that fire and nothing seemed to happen to him. I haven't seen the likes of this since Superman.

(An Army helicopter fires on the Kryptonians, to no effect)

Ursa: Look! They need machines to fly!

General Zod: What bravery! Be nice to them, my dear. Blow them a kiss.

(Ursa blows at the chopper and the resulting violent wind sends the craft crashing fatally into a barn)

General Zod: I win! (now realizing the lack of resistance he is receiving) I always win. Is there no one on this planet to even challenge me?

(With East Houston in ruins, the US Army battalion surrenders to the Zod trio)

Ursa: Come forward. Your General wishes to speak.

General Zod: I am General Zod. Your ruler. Yes, today begins a new order! Your lands, your possessions, your very lives will gladly be given in tribute to me, General Zod. In return for your obedience, you will enjoy my generous protection. In other words, you will be allowed to live.

(Zod rips an Army general's stars from his shoulder)

General Zod: So you are a general too? And who is your superior?

Army General: I answer only to the President.

General Zod: And he will answer to me! Or all of his cities will end up like this one!

(In the Fortress of Solitude, with Lois watching, Superman addresses the image of his Kryptonian mother, Lara)

Lara: Your father and I tried to anticipate your every question, Kal-El. This is the one we hoped you would not ask.

Superman: But I have to, because... she's everything I want in life.

Lara: And she, the one you have chosen, she feels as much for you?

Superman: Yes.

Lara: Then, if this is what you wish, if you intend to live your life with a mortal, you must live as a mortal. You must become one of them.

Lex Luthor Actor

[Superman has lost his powers to be with Lois Lane]

Lois Lane: You did all that for me, I don't know what to say.

Superman: Just say you love me.

[Lois is touched to her core upon hearing this and hugs Kal-El)

(The U.S. president watches on TV as Zod, Ursa, and Non use heat vision to transmute Mount Rushmore in their own images)

President: Thousands of hours to create, and they defaced it in seconds. Imagine what they'll do to the world if we resist!

[Zod demands that the President kneel before him. The man complies)

General Zod: You are not the President. No one who leads so many could possibly kneel so quickly.

(The real President emerges from the group)

President: I am the man they're protecting. I'm the President. I'll kneel before you if it will save lives.

General Zod: It will. Starting with your own.

President: What I do now, I do for the sake of the people of the world. But there is one man here on Earth who will never kneel before you.

General Zod: Who is this imbecile? Where is he?

President: I wish I knew.

The President kneels before Zod)

President: Oh, God...

General Zod: Zod.

[[After losing his superpowers, Clark gets beaten by rude diner patron 'Rocky']

Clark Kent: I think... think maybe we oughta hire a bodyguard from now on.

Lois Lane: I don't want a bodyguard. I want the man I fell in love with.

Clark Kent: I know that, Lois. I wish he were here.

[Clark and Lois watch the President address the nation on TV.]

President: This is your President. On behalf of my country, and in the name of the other leaders of the world, with whom I have today consulted, I hereby abdicate all authority and control over this planet...to General Zod.

Clark Kent: Zod!

President: Only by strict compliance with all his directions will the lives of innocent millions be spared. [desperately] Superman! Can you hear me? Superman! Where—?

(The camera pans to Zod as he grabs a microphone)

General Zod: Who is this 'Superman'?!

President: You'll find out, General, and when you do —

General Zod: Come to me, Superman! If you dare. I defy you! Come! Come and kneel before Zod! Zod!

[Non, Ursa, and Zod lounge about the Oval Office, bored.]

Ursa: You're master of all you survey.

General Zod: So I was yesterday. And the day before.

[Lex Luthor waves a white handkerchief in the doorway, knocks, then enters.]

Lex Luthor: Hello, there. Lex Luthor. Lex Luthor. Possibly you've heard of the name — the greatest, eh, criminal mind on Earth?

Ursa: I told you this was a puny planet.

[She and Non advance on Lex]

Lex Luthor: Wait just a moment! Wait— till you get to know me better, will you, please? [laughs nervously] Wait! Look! I-I-I-I-I can give you, uh, anything you want! I-I can give you the brass ring! The… uh, unlimited freedom to maim, kill, destroy! Plus . . . Lex Luthor's keen mind, Lex Luthor's savvy . . . [He grasps Ursa's hand.] . . . Lex Luthor's career guidance, Lex Luthor's school of better re—

[Ursa squeezes. Lex grimaces as his bones audibly crunch.]

General Zod: We have all of this without you. You cannot bargain with what you don't have.

Lex Luthor: Oh, Magnificent One. [bows] What I am bargaining with is what you do not have. The Son of Jor-El.

(Non turns to General Zod, clearly intrigued by Luthor's offer)

General Zod: (taken aback) The son of Jor-El?

Lex Luthor: I said that, didn't I?

General Zod: Jor-El, our jailer?

Lex Luthor: (sarcastically) No Jor-El the baseball player.... (seeing Non and Ursa start toward him) Uh yes! Jor-El, your jailer.

General Zod: (still at a loss) The Son or Jor-El! On this planet?

Lex Luthor: Ah, possibly you know him better by his nom de voyage, or his . . . name he travels under — Superman.

General Zod: (everything now making sense) Ah, so this is Superman. How do you know of Jor-El?

Lex Luthor: Oh, my Fullness . . . as I explained to you before . . . I'm about the best there is.

General Zod: Revenge! We will kill the son of our jailer!

Ursa: Revenge!

Lex Luthor: Revenge! Heh heh, now we're cooking, huh?

General Zod: He flies, then?

Lex Luthor: Constantly.

General Zod: He has powers as we do?

Lex Luthor: Certainly, but, uh . . . oh, Magnificent One, he is . . . just one, where you are . . . three!

[Non growls menacingly]

Lex Luthor: Or four, if you count him twice.

General Zod: We will bring him to his knees!

Ursa: Praying!

General Zod: Yes, to me!

[Zod strides toward the door, Ursa and Non following]

Lex Luthor: Wait!

[They turn back to Lex]

Lex Luthor: First you must find him. And Lex Baby is the only one who knows where he is.

General Zod: What . . . do you want?

[Lex makes himself at home in the President's chair and lights a cigar.]

Lex Luthor: Well, General . . . the world is a big place. Thank goodness, uh . . . my needs are small. Eh, as it turns out, I have this affinity for, uh . . . beachfront property.

General Zod: (approaching Luthor and mildly irked) What do you want?

[Lex, feet up on the Oval Office desk, makes a Nixonian double-V sign with his fingers]

Lex Luthor: Australia!

[Lex, walking through the Daily Planet, observes the destruction wrought by Non]

Lex Luthor: [muttering] Even with all this accumulated knowledge, when will these dummies learn to use a doorknob?

[He enters Perry White's office]

Lex Luthor: Hi! You should see the White House. They'll be cleaning it for months.

Lois Lane: Lex Luthor.

Jimmy Olsen: Wouldn't you know it!

General Zod: This is the son of Jor-El? You promised me the son of Jor-El.

Lex Luthor: Oh yes, Your Grace. But what I've given you is the next best thing. You just hold onto that little lady and he'll be along. You see, that have this relationship. She does all his public relations and he gives her every exclusive.

[Luthor snickers]

Lex Luthor: They're the best of friends. [snickers again] You know what I mean?

Ursa: What an undemanding male this Superman must be.

Lois Lane: Yeah, and you could use a tuck here and there yourself, sister.

. . .

General Zod: She lives for now. Kill the rest. [nods to Lex] Starting with him.

Lex Luthor: W— w— wait! W-wait! Wait! Don't you remember the White House? The- the Oval Room? We had a few laughs, right? Oh, it's Australia, Australia! It's too much, right, okay forget it. I can turn over a new leaf...a tree, a whole forest.

[Superman arrives, floating just outside Perry White's office window.]

Superman: General? Would you care to step outside?

Lois Lane: Superman!

Lex Luthor: Superman! Thank God. [Zod looks sharply at Lex] I mean, get him!

General Zod: Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!

General Zod: Son of Jor-El. We were beginning to think you were a coward.

Superman: I'm not a coward, Zod.

Ursa: Let him prove it!

General Zod: Possibly not. It is extremely likely you are merely a fool. Like father, like son.

Superman: Somehow I just can't hear you, Zod.

[Zod fetches slab of concrete and prepares to throw it at Superman.]

General Zod: Then die as you deserve to!

General Zod: This . . . Superman is nothing of the kind! I've discovered his weakness.

Ursa: Yes.

General Zod: He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people.

Ursa: Like pets?

General Zod: I suppose so.

Ursa: Sentimental idiot.

(Superman rams the mammoth radio antenna back onto the Metropolis State Building, onto the momentarily supine Non)

Ursa: He's caged Non.

General Zod: I'll draw his fire . . . with some of my own.

Man in Crowd #1: They killed Superman!

Man in Crowd #2: Let's go get 'em!

[Superman flies off, abandoning Metropolis to Zod]

General Zod: Our victory is complete. The Son of Jor-El has fled.

Jimmy Olson: Superman fled?

Perry White: I don't believe you!

Lex Luthor: You heard him. Three against one.

General Zod: He fled in fear of us!

Lois Lane: (shakily) He'll be back! As long as he's alive, he's going to try again.

General Zod: The next time we will kill him.

Lex Luthor: The next time? The next time? What am I gonna do with you people, huh? I held up my end. I delivered the Blue Boy. What do I get for my triple threat? 'Bow! Yield! Kneel!' That kind of stuff closes out of town.

General Zod: Why do you say this to me… when you know I will kill you for it?

Lex Luthor: Kill me? Lex Luthor? Extinguish the greatest criminal flame of our age? Eradicate the only man on Earth with—

Ursa: Kill him!

Lex Luthor: Superman's address?

[Zod and company arrive at the Fortress of Solitude, Lex and Lois in tow.]

General Zod: Scruffy. So morbid! A sentimental replica of a planet long since vanished! No style at all!

Superman: [off-camera] I expect better manners from my guests, Zod.

General Zod: Now. The son of Jor-El will be my slave . . . forever. If not, the millions of Earthlings you protect will pay for your defiance, beginning with this one. I sense the presence of Joe-El here. Destroy this place.

[Lex finally makes his way down the crystal walls.]

Lex Luthor: Hi, guys. Uh, sorry I'm late—

General Zod: We have no more use for this one. Kill him.

Lex Luthor: Me?! Lex Luthor? General . . . I showed you through the tough times, remember? I set your insights straight! Y-y-you came to me with nothing! I gave you Superman!

General Zod: Silence!

[Non pushes Lex, who moves off.]

Lex Luthor: Watch it! Don't touch me.

[Lex approaches Superman.]

Lex Luthor: [muttering, to Superman] Guy's a clod! [laughs nervously] Promises were made, gifts exchanged. . . I gotta hand it to you, you know. You always told the truth. Guy always knew where he stood with you.

(longer version of Luthor 'confession' scene with Superman, used on ABC telecast of early Donner mix)

Luthor: (nervously) Promises were made, gifts exchanged....I don't know what the think anymore.

(Superman steps away for a moment)

Luthor: Hey, you know, this isn't like in the old days, when it was just you and me. Hey, I gotta hand it to you, you know, you always told the truth, a guy always knew where he stood with you. You were totally honest and you wanted to destroy me. Pure and simple. I respect you for that.

Superman: Hmm, well, perhaps there's some good in you after all, Lex Luthor.

Luthor: I'm telling you, I'm full of good. I just never used any of it.

Superman: All right, I guess we'll have to take that chance. Now......try and get them all into this molecule chamber.

Superman: [whispering to Lex Luthor]: Try to get them all into this molecular chamber.

Lex Luthor: Huh?

Superman: It takes away their powers. See—

Lex Luthor: Ahh!

Superman: And turns them into ordinary human beings.

Lex Luthor: Hmm.

Superman: Now, if you could—

General Zod approaches them.

Superman: Shh! Shh!

Lex Luthor: Don't go in there, General. It's a trap.

Superman: Luthor, you poisonous snake!

Lex Luthor: That's a molecule chamber. It makes people like you . . . into people like me.

General Zod: You've done well, Lex Luthor.

Lex Luthor: General, um, the crystal there activates the mechanism.

General Zod: Lex Luthor, ruler of Australia, activate the machine.

Non grabs Luthor from behind and flies him to the machine.

Lex Luthor[on the way there]: Hugh! Whoa! Wuh!

The two land.

Lex Luthor: Thank you. [grabs the crystal][to General Zod] With your permission.

General Zod nods. Luthor places the crystal into the machine. Superman sighs while Lois cries. Superman walks into the chamber. Lois continues crying. The machine activates. Lois puts her hand to her face. Superman steps out of the chamber

Superman: Huh, huh.

Lois continues crying. General Zod beckons Superman to come to him. Superman sighs and obeys.

General Zod: And now [Lois sniffles and continues to do so.], . . . finally. [motions Superman to kneel, and Superman obeys] Take my hand and swear eternal loyalty to Zod.

Superman takes Zod's hand and crushes it, causing Zod to scream in pain. Superman lets go of Zod's hand, grabs Zod and lifts him into the air while standing up. Superman looks at Zod and shakes his head. He then throws Zod, who falls to his death. Non growls and attempts to fly, only to discover that he cannot. He loses his balance and falls to his death while screaming.

Lex Luthor: He switched it. He did it to them. I mean the lights were on out here . . . while he was safe in there.

Lois Lane[to Ursa]: Hey, you know something? [grabs Ursa's arm and gets out of her grip.] You're a real pain in the neck!

Lois punches Ursa who falls to her death screaming.

Superman: I'd knew you'd double-cross me, Luthor. A lying weasel like you couldn't resist the chance.

Lex Luthor: Are you kidding? That was beautiful! Did you see the way they fell into our trap!

Superman: Too late, Luthor! Too late.

[Back at the Daily Planet, Clark nervously enters the office of a brooding Lois]

Clark Kent: Hi.

Lois Lane: Hi.

Clark Kent: How'd you sleep, all right?

Lois Lane: No, I didn't close my eyes all night.

Clark Kent: Look, Lois—

Lois Lane: I understand. I understand. I sat up all night listening to the voices of reason. Do you know how vile it is to hear the first bird of the morning singing, when you've been sitting up all night, crying?

Clark Kent: I'm sorry.

Lois Lane: I'm sorry, too. I guess it's, uh… sorta like being married to a doctor, you know. The doctor gets wakened in the middle of the night, and then the wife has to cope with the fact that he's gone. I guess I'm just too selfish.

Clark Kent: No, no, you're not selfish at all.

Lois Lane: Yes, I am selfish when it comes to you. I am selfish. And I'm jealous of the whole world.

Clark Kent: Lois, it may not be easy for you to hear this now, but… someday, you'll—

Lois Lane: Clark! Look. Don't tell me that I'll meet somebody. You're kinda… tough act to follow, you know? Now, I'm gonna be fine. You don't have to worry about me.

Clark Kent: I like worrying about you.

[Lois fights more sobbing as she continues.]

Lois Lane: Would you stop? Don't you know that this is killing me? Do you know what it's like to have you come in here, every morning, and not be able to talk to you? Not be able to… show I have any feelings for you, not… be able to tell anyone I know who you are? I don't even know what to call you!

Clark Kent: Lois, I don't know what to say.

Lois Lane: I dunno, just... say that you love me.

[Clark returns to the diner where he was beaten by Rocky, who is stuffing his face.]

Rocky: Gimme another plate of this garbage.

Waitress Ann: Garbage?! That's my number one special, Rocky!

Rocky: All right, Ann! Gimme some more coffee, too, will ya?

Clark Kent: Gee, that's funny. I've never seen garbage eat garbage before. Excuse me, sir, I believe you're sitting in my favorite seat.

Rocky: Come and get it, four-eyes.

Rocky moves to punch Clark, who picks him up and sets him on a stool, spinning it at high speed until Rocky is dizzy. Clark then picks him up again and sets Rocky on his own meal.

Clark Kent: This order's to go.

Clark then super-pushes Rocky to slide across the full length of the diner's countertop, where Rocky's butt lands into the table of a pinball machine and he breaks the backglass, making various pinball jingles. Truckstop patrons and the counterman look in awe

Clark Kent: Sorry about that sir. This should cover you for damages.

Clark hands a wad of cash to the counterman, who still looks dumbfounded

Clark Kent: I'm, uh, terribly sorry about all the damage, sir. Oh, I've been, uh… uh, working out.

[Inside the ceiling-less Oval Office, the President sees Superman arrive with a new dome.]

Superman: Good afternoon, Mr. President! Sorry I've been away so long. I won't let you down again.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut[edit]

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is an offical 2006 re-edit of Richard Lester's 1980 film, Superman II and sequel to Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie (1978).

Directed by Richard Donner and written by Mario Puzo, David Newman, and Leslie Newman.

Based on the DC Comics characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Lex Luthor[edit]

Lex Luthor Superman Suit

That's Kryptonite, Superman. A little souvenir from the old home town?
You were great in your day, Superman. But it just stands to reason! When it came time to cash in your chips, this old...diseased maniac would be your banker. Mind over muscle?
Wrong Lex? Miss Teschmacher, those are two words we don't use in the same sentence.
'Funny' is a person trying to smile without any teeth.

Kal-El / Superman[edit]

Father? If you can hear me, I failed. I failed you, I failed myself, and... and all humanity. I traded my birthright for a life submission in a world that's ruled by your enemies. There's nobody left to help them now... the people of the world... not since I... FATHER!!
General, haven't you ever heard of freedom of the press? [alternate line of 'General, would you care to step outside?']

Dialogue[edit]

Jor-El: I ask you now to pronounce judgment on those accused: [referring to Non] On this... this mindless aberration, whose only means of expression are wanton violence and destruction. On the woman Ursa, whose perversions and unreasoning hatred of all mankind have threatened even the children of the planet Krypton. Finally, General Zod - chief architect of this intended revolution, and author of this insidious plot, to establish a 'New Order' amongst us - with himself as absolute ruler! The decision of the Council will now be heard.

Council Member 1: Guilty!

Council Member 2: Guilty!

Council Member 3: Guilty!

Council Member 4: Guilty.

General Zod: The vote must be unanimous, Jor-El. It has therefore now become your decision. You alone will condemn us, if you wish, and you alone will be held responsible by me. [Jor-El signals the Phantom Zone] You will bow down before me, Jor-El! I swear it! No matter that it takes an eternity! YOU WILL BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!! BOTH YOU AND THEN, ONE DAY, YOUR HEIRS!!!

[Clark and Lois enter Mr. White's office]

Clark Kent: Good Morning, Lois. How are you today?

Lois Lane: Oh, I'm just super. Thanks.

Clark Kent: Good morning, Mr. White.

Lois Lane: [elbows Clark] I'm super.

Perry White: Yeah, morning. You're late, Kent.

Clark Kent: Yeah, uh, sorry, Mr. White. I got stuck in traffic.

Lois Lane: Oh, that's a new one.

Clark Kent: Excuse me?

Lois Lane: I mean, as opposed to: 'I got stuck in a phone booth' or 'I got locked in the men's bathroom'.

Clark Kent: Lois, what are you talking about? I'm sorry I was late-

Perry White: If you two wanna bicker, that's great! I have just the assignment for you. You're gonna pose as a honeymoon couple in Niagara Falls to get an expose on the newlywed racket. Some of the hotels up there are just bilking those poor kids for every cent they can get. Real human-interest stuff, though. Make your Aunt Hatie cry her eyes out.

Clark Kent: Um, newlyweds?

Lois Lane: That is a great idea, Mr. White!

Clark Kent: Excuse me, Mr. White, I'm sorry, but I'm right in the middle of a series on the city council and I-

Lois Lane: I mean, it wouldn't take long! We could just fly right up there and zoom back down again. No, Superman?

Perry White: Ha! Yeah. If he'd give you two a ride, maybe we could save a couple bucks.

Clark Kent: Well, my goodness, you sure look like the cat that has swallowed the canary this morning.

Lois Lane: A canary? No, I was thinking of something a lot more bigger. Something that flies. Something more in blue.

Clark Kent: Uh, Lois, as usual, I'm totally in the dark-

Lois Lane: Let me just turn on the lights for you then. [shows Clark Superman's picture with Clark's discription drawn on it] Get the picture?

Clark Kent: Hmm...

Lois Lane: You know, I didn't start to put this together until this morning, which is really strange because a good reporter isn't supposed to let anything slip by her.

Clark Kent: Hmm. Well that's, um, very amusing. Yes. Excuse me.

Lois Lane: Amusing?

Clark Kent: Yes siree. That's, uh, that's very ammusing.

Lois Lane: Amusing, huh? Tall, broad sholders, dark hair; I gotta give you credit, you really had me fooled. And I'm nobody's fool... Superman.

Clark Kent: S-Superman? You mean you think I'm Superman?

Lois Lane: Willing to bet my life on it.

Clark Kent: (laughs) Lois, you know, you are priceless. Really! I mean that is the single most ridiculous thing I've ever - [Lois opens a window] Lois, what are you doing!?

Lois Lane: You wouldn't let me die, Superman!

(Lois promptly jumps)

[An alarm sounds off in jail. Otis grabs a basket full of prisoners' uniforms and joins Luthor, who is serving time behind bars for the missile sabotage that nearly destroyed the West Coast]

Lex Luthor: So this is how it ends for the Greatest Criminal Mind for Our Time. Not with a whimper. Not with a bang. How do they choose to reward Lex Luthor, the Greatest Genius in this World? Do they give him glory? Do they give him treasure? What matter in fact do they give him?

Guard: Life plus twenty-five, Luthor. Get to work.

Otis: How're we gonna get over that wall?

Lex Luthor: How'd we get in here?

Otis: We flew in, don't you remember?

Lex Luthor: That's how we're gonna get out.

Otis: Oh, no! Not that guy...

Eve Teschmacher: [Offscreen from a balloon] Psst.

Lex Luthor: Shh! Did you do 'psst?'

Otis: I wish I had, Mr. Luthor, before we left.

(Luthor grunts angrily at Otis)

Eve Teschmacher: Psst.

Lex Luthor: Not that 'psst', that 'psst.'

Eve Teschmacher: Psst.

Lex Luthor: Psst?

Otis: Psst.

Lex Luthor: Don't go 'psst' when I go 'psst'!

Otis: Oh.

Eve Teschmacher: Psst.

Lex Luthor: Psst?

Eve Teschmacher: (with some desperation) Psst.

Lex Luthor: (now figuring out) Get out there and find it.

Otis: Okay. What am I looking for?

Lex Luthor: You'll know it when you see it.

Otis: Oh. Psst.

(After Miss Teschmacher rescues Lex from prison)

Lex Luthor: Miss Teschmacher, how would you like to go on a vacation?

Eve Teschmacher: A vacation!? Do I get to wear a bikini, Lex? Please tell me you thought about me in a bikini, Lex?

Lex Luthor: No, actually I thought about you in a parka.

Eve Teschmacher: You thought about me in a parka!? You are sick, Lex. You're really sick.

Lex Luthor: That's possible. [points] North, Miss Teschmacher. Due north.

Eve Teschmacher: Um, Lex...[points the other way] North!

Lex Luthor: That's what I said North!

Eve Teschmacher: Well, you said...

Lex Luthor: Don't repeat what I just said.

Lois Lane: You are Superman, aren't you?

Clark Kent: Lois, now we've been through these haullcinations of yours before. Can't you see what you almost did? Throwing yourself off a building 30 stories high? Can't you see what a tragic mistake you almost made?

Lois Lane: I made a mistake? I made a mistake because I risked my life instead of yours.

[Lois pulls a gun on Clark]

Clark Kent: Lois! Don't be insane!

Lois Lane: And don't fall down 'cause you're just going to have to get up again!

Clark Kent: Lois, don't be crazy! LOIS!

[Lois fires at Clark, who is not affected]

Lois Lane: It is you. I guess I've know it for the longest time.

[Clark removes his glasses and reveales himself as Superman]

Superman: You realize, of course, if you'd been wrong, Clark Kent would've killed.

Lois Lane: With a blank? Gotcha!

[After Kal-El and Lois sleep together in the Fortress of Solitude, Kal-El addresses the image of his father, Jor-El]

Jor-El: The people of your planet are well pleased with you, Kal-El. You have served them faithfully and they are grateful for it. And yet you have returned to reason with me once again. My son, I have tried to anticipate your ever question. This is one I'd... hoped you would not ask.

Kal-El: My attatchments, um, the feelings which I have developed for a certain human being have deeply affected me, Father.

Jor-El: You cannot serve humanity by investing your time and emotion in one human being at the expence of the rest. The concepts are mutally exclusive.

Kal-El: And if I no longer wish to serve humanity...

Jor-El: Is this how you repay their gratitude? By abandoning the weak, the defenceless, the needy for the sake of you selfish pursuits?

Kal-El: Selfish!? After all I've done for them? Will there ever come a time when I've served enough? At least they get a chance for happiness. I only ask as much, no more.

Jor-El: Yours is a higher happiness. The fulfillment of your mission, as inspiration you must have felt. You must have felt that happiness within you. My son, surely you cannot deny that feeling.

Kal-El: No, I cannot... any more than I can deny the other, which is stronger in me, Father. So much stronger. Is there no way then, Father? Must I finally be denied the one thing in life which I truly desire?

Jor-El: If you will not be Kal-El, if you will live as one of them, love their kind as one of them, then it follows that you must become one of them. This crystal chamber has in it the harnessed rays of the red sun of Krypton. Once exposed to them all your great powers on Earth will disappear... forever. Once this is done, there's no going back. You will feel like an ordinary man and you can be harmed like an ordinary man. Think, Kal-El, I beg you.

Kal-El: Father... I love her.

Jor-El: Think, Kal-El.

[Kal-El steps into the chamber]

[Extended version with Lex visiting the villians in the Oval Office]

Lex Luthor: Oh, Magnificent One. [bows] What I am bargaining with is what you do not have. The Son of Jor-El.

General Zod: The Son or Jor-El!

Lex Luthor: [to himself] I said that right?

General Zod: Jor-El!? Our jailor?

Lex Luthor: No, Jorel the baseball player... [Non growls] Yes, Jor-El, your jailor. Ah, possibly you know him better by his nom de voyage, or his... name he travels under — Superman.

Jor-El: Listen carefully, my son, for we shall never speak again. If you hear me now then you have made use of the only means left in you: The crystal source through which our communications begun. The circle is now complete. You have made a dreadful mistake, Kal-El. You did this of your own free will in spite of all I could say to dissuade you.

Clark Kent: I, uh...

Jor-El: Now, you have returned to me for one last chance to redeem yourself. This too finally I have anticipated, my son.

Clark Kent: Father, no...

Jor-El: Look at me, Kal-El. Once before when you were small, I died while giving you a chance for life. And now, even though it will exhaust the final energy left within me- Look at me, Kal-El. The Kryptonian prophecy will be at once fulfilled. The son becomes the father, the father becomes the son. Farewell forever, Kal-El. Remember me, my son.

Jimmy Olsen: Wouldn't you know it?

General Zod: [thinks Jimmy is Superman] This is the son of Jor-El?

Jimmy Olsen: No, but I bet you're a son of a-

Lois Lane: Jimmy!

General Zod: [to Lex Luthor] You promised me the son of Jor-El.

General Zod: Son of Jor-El. We were beginning to think you were a coward.

Clark Kent: I'm not a coward, Zod.

General Zod: It is extremely likely you are merely a fool. Like father, like son.

[Lex Luthor takes Jimmy Olson's cup of coffee]

Jimmy Olson: Hey, that's for the chief!

Lex Luthor: The chief's got it.

(Superman flees Metropolis; the villians return to the Daily Planet)

General Zod: Our victory is complete. The Son of Jor-El has fled.

Jimmy Olson: Superman fled?

Perry White: I don't believe it.

Lex Luthor: You heard him. Three against one.

General Zod: He fled in fear of us!

Lois Lane: (shakily) He'll be back! Believe me, he'll be back.

General Zod: Then next time we will kill him.

Lex Luthor: The next time? The next time? What am I gonna do with you people, huh? I held up my end; I delivered the Blue Boy. What do I get for my triple threat? 'Bow! Yield! Kneel!' That kind of stuff closes out of town.

General Zod: Why do you say this to me when you know I will kill you for it?

Lex Luthor: Kill me? Lex Luthor? Extinguish the greatest criminal flame of our age? Eradicate the only man on Earth with...

Ursa: (impatiently) Let me kill him!

Lex Luthor: Superman's address?

(Lois and Perry stare at Luthor in shock)

General Zod: (suspiciously) What more do you want? I can see the greed written on your face.

Lex Luthor: A small incentive, oh Fullest One. A mere bauble to jog the memory.

General Zod: What more?

Lex Luthor: Cuba.

[After Superman destroys the Fortress of Solitude]

Superman: Look, Lois -

Lois Lane: No regrets, okay? I did it. I got the man I loved to love me. Didn't I?

Superman: Oh, yeah.

Lois Lane: Well, okay then. Those people need you. Do you think I don't understand that?

Superman: We can still see each other, you know. I mean, all the time. But it just can't be -

(Lois kisses Superman)

Lois Lane: Just don't forget, that's all. Don't ever forget.

[Superman returns Lois Lane home]

Superman: See you at work in the morning.

Lois Lane: Bright and early, huh? The same old Clark and the same old Lois.

Superman: Yep.

Lois Lane: Except, maybe I won't be quite so mean to you from now on. You don't have to worry. Your secret's safe with me.

Superman: I know. I know that, Lois.

(Superman flies off)

Lois Lane: Well, there he goes, kid. Up, up, and away.

(Clark arrives for work the next day after he turned back time again)

Clark Kent: (hangs his coat) Good morning, Lois. (his coat falls down; Lois ignores him) Good morning, Lois.

Lois Lane: Oh. Hi, Clark.

Clark Kent: Jeepers, I have seen some faraway looks in my time, but with that look, you might as well be on the North Pole.

Lois Lane: The North Pole! No, that's too silly. Did you ever feel like you knew something that was so important that... No, you never did. I mean, I'm sitting on the single most important story of my career and I can't even remember what it is.

Clark Kent: Well, knowing- knowing you it must be about Superman. Maybe how he saved the city or saved the world or saved the universe.

Lois Lane: Clark, Clark. Listen, jealousy's really not counterproductive. Now there's some things that you can do.

Clark Kent: Oh, yeah? Really? Like what?

Lois Lane: Like... get us a pizza!

Clark Kent: A pizza? Now?

Lois Lane: Yah, I'm hungry.

Clark Kent: Actually, I don't think Mr. White would like it if -

Lois Lane: I'll pay for half of it, all right.

Clark Kent: I'm going. [gets his coat and hat] Lois, you know about the pizza? It's okay. I'll pay for the whole thing.

Lois Lane: You know you really are super!

(Clark stops and glares at her thinking she was about to say 'Superman')

Taglines[edit]

Superman II[edit]