Lex Luthor
That's Kryptonite, Superman. A little souvenir from the old home town?
Played by Gene Hackman 
Superman II (1980) · 77 quotes
Superman II (1980) · 77 quotes
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!
More lines from Lex Luthor
5 quotes Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
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?
Lex Luthor
Wrong Lex? Miss Teschmacher, those are two words we don't use in the same sentence.
Lex Luthor
"Funny" is a person trying to smile without any teeth.
Lex Luthor
[Watching Superman fight Zod, Ursa, and Non in Metropolis]
Never thought this thing would go the distance.
Scenes with Lex Luthor
15 scenes Lex Luthor
(Lex Luthor and Miss Teschmacher explore Superman's Fortress of Solitude)
It's beautiful! It has everything.
Miss Teschmacher
Wrong.
Lex Luthor
[They exchange a "look".]
Why didn't you go before we left?
Miss Teschmacher
That was two days ago.
[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.
Miss Teschmacher
(Luthor then stops the lesson intended for Superman by ejecting the power crystal)
I like trees!
Lex Luthor
So does your average cocker spaniel.
Ursa
[Non, Ursa, and Zod lounge about the Oval Office, bored.]
You're master of all you survey.
General Zod
So I was yesterday. And the day before.
Lex Luthor
[Lex Luthor waves a white handkerchief in the doorway, knocks, then enters.]
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.
Lex Luthor
[She and Non advance on Lex]
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—
General Zod
[Ursa squeezes. Lex grimaces as his bones audibly crunch.]
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.
General Zod
(Non turns to General Zod, clearly intrigued by Luthor's offer) (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)
Lex Luthor{serious tone}: 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!
Lex Luthor
[Non growls menacingly]
Or four, if you count him twice.
General Zod
We will bring him to his knees!
Ursa
Praying!
General Zod
Yes, to me!
Lex Luthor
[Zod strides toward the door, Ursa and Non following]
Wait!
Lex Luthor
[They turn back to Lex]
First you must find him. And Lex Baby is the only one who knows where he is.
General Zod
What . . . do you want?
Lex Luthor
[Lex makes himself at home in the President's chair and lights a cigar.]
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 Luthor
[Lex, feet up on the Oval Office desk, makes a Nixonian double-V sign with his fingers]
Australia!
Lex Luthor
[Lex, walking through the Daily Planet, observes the destruction wrought by Non] [muttering]
Even with all this accumulated knowledge, when will these dummies learn to use a doorknob?
Lex Luthor
[He enters Perry White's office]
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
[holds Jimmy up by the scruff of his neck]
This is the son of Jor-El?
Jimmy Olsen
No, but I'll bet you're the son of a...
Lois Lane
[cuts him off]
JIMMY!
General Zod
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.
Lex Luthor
[Luthor snickers]
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
[Superman arrives, floating just outside Perry White's office window.]
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
[Superman flies off, abandoning Metropolis to 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?
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 Luthor
[Lex finally makes his way down the crystal walls.]
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!
Lex Luthor
[Non pushes Lex, who moves off.]
Watch it! Don't touch me.
Lex Luthor
[Lex approaches Superman.] [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.
Luthor
(longer version of Luthor "confession" scene with Superman, used on ABC telecast of early Donner mix) (nervously)
Promises were made, gifts exchanged....I don't know what the think anymore.
Luthor
(Superman steps away for a moment)
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.
Lex Luthor
I've got a proposition...this is the North Pole...
Lex Luthor
[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]
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.
Eve Teschmacher
(Luthor grunts angrily at Otis)
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.
Lex Luthor
(After Miss Teschmacher rescues Lex from prison)
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.
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{sarcastic tone}: No, Jorel the baseball player... Non and Ursa move towards him to attack...
Lex Luthor{serious tone}: Yes, Jor-El, your jailor. Ah, possibly you know him better by his nom de voyage, or his... name he travels under — Superman.
Jimmy Olson
[Lex Luthor takes Jimmy Olson's cup of coffee]
Hey, that's for the chief!
Lex Luthor
The chief's got it.
General Zod
(Superman flees Metropolis; the villains return to the Daily Planet)
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?
General Zod
(Lois and Perry stare at Luthor in shock) (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.
Other characters in Superman II
More Gene Hackman characters
Royal Tenenbaum
Captain Frank Ramsey
Coach Jimmy McGinty
Coach Norman Dale
Lex Luthor
Harry Caul
Harry Moseby
General Mandible