25 quotes
Superman's Resolve Against Violence
Superman
You're right about me. I would never put civilians in harm's way. I won't kill. But you would.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Power of Dreams and Justice
Manchester Black
You... You think that's it?! It's not over, you poncey twit! If you think I'll just go to jail and rot, you're living in a dream world!
Superman
Good. Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better. And on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Desire for Leadership and Accountability
Atomic Skull
He's sending in the B team? I want the boss, not the interns.
[''the Elite arrive'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Ultimatums and Tensions in Confrontation Scene
Superman
I'm going to say this once. Surrender now, face judgment for your crimes or...
Manchester Black
Stop. There is no "or" in this conversation. Because you don't have the stones to do to us what we'd do to you in a heartbeat.
Menagerie
He might have the stones to do me.
[lecherously]
Manchester Black
Pam, I'm handing out ultimatums. Please, keep it in your pants.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Dreams Inspire Justice and Perseverance
Manchester Black
You think that's it? It's not over, you poncy twit. If you think I'll just go to jail and rot, you're living in a dream world!
Superman
Good. Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better. And on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Humanity's Sacrifice for a Saved World
Taglines
World saved. Humanity lost.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Clash of Ideals: Heroes vs. Realism
Manchester Black
You probably won't believe this, but I used to love superheroes. But masks are for hiding. Capes are for play. You were the first. The best. But you're a cliché and you don't fit in anymore. Mad scientists, idiots in underwear, bank robbers, knock yourself out with that lot. But the real work, fixing the world, is ours. Starting tomorrow with Bialya.
Superman
I'm shutting you down.
Manchester Black
Right.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Understanding the World's Needs and Leadership
Superman
I finally get it. Thank you... I made the mistake of treating you people like, people. Now, I understand better... I understand now what the world wants, what it NEEDS. The world needs people in charge, willing to put the animals DOWN!
[''raises a whirlwind on the Elite'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Psychic Barriers and Communication Challenges
Superman
Sorry. I heard your telepathic shout before. But my mind is protected from anything deeper by a series of psychic blocks.
Manchester Black
Best I've seen too. Got a few skeletons rattling around up there you don't want out? I'm not looking for you deepest, darkest. Showing is faster than telling. And I hate to hear my own voice, believe it or not.
Coldcast
Don't believe him. Only thing shuts him up is a soccer game.
Manchester Black
Football, you uneducated Yank.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Irony of Power and Vulnerability
Manchester Black
No witty retort? Oh, wait. You're in the middle of a seizure. Sorry, mate. I can't read your mind but I sure as hell can muck about with your brain. All those capillaries, like little tubes of concrete. But still vulnerable. It's funny, isn't it? A life of truth, justice and the American, military, capitalist way. In the end, you die on the moon, wondering if your bowels will let go. And tomorrow, the world will go on like nothing happened. Dragged kicking and screaming to a better day.
[''to Superman'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
New Heroes and Their Overzealous Reactions
Lois
So was it the trashy outfit, or should I start gluing slugs to my face? Maybe an iguana.
[''watches Superman being kissed by Menagerie'']
Clark
It was a moment. Pam was overexcited.
Lois
Pam? One team up and she's Pam?
Clark
We saved a few hundred people, Lois. What can I say? They're new and... excitable.
Lois
That excitability better stay one-sided... though you don't exactly sound like a fan.
Clark
Not sure I am.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Superman Uses Heat Vision for Mental Intervention
Manchester Black
You're not dying. I'm thinking it, but why can't I feel my power?
Superman
I scanned your brain for abnormalities. And when I found one, I cut it out.
Manchester Black
What?
Superman
Heat vision. Focused through your pupils like a scalpel. Instant lobotomy.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Debate on Reputation and Expectations in Smallville
Jonathan
Been a lot of talk. Not much it good. Had to put a slap on Ben Farnsworth on account of he said you looked the fool.
Clark
I did, Pa.
Jonathan
They sucker-punched you.
Clark
Sucker-teleported, technically. So even Smallville's rooting for the Elite.
Jonathan
Well, just the loud, angry and stupid.
Clark
Come on, it's not that simple. I don't think that I make them feel safe anymore. The way I do things.
Jonathan
Clark, when people are scared, they have a tendency to hop on a bandwagon before they see who's driving it. But when they wise up, and believe me, they will, what matters is that you'll be there for them. Leading by example just like always. Truth, justice and the American way. It ain't broke, so don't fix it.
Clark
Thanks, Pa.
Jonathan
Besides, if those knuckleheads don't quit tugging on your cape, you can always kick their self-righteous asses to kingdom come.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Surviving Elements Amidst Destruction
Manchester Black
How is it that no matter how badly you massacre one of these thong-and-blanket types some shred of their unmentionables still survives the blast?
[''holding a piece of Superman's cape'']
Coldcast
I did my best, boss. At least you got a trophy out of it.
Manchester Black
Strewth.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Superman Explains Speed and Distance to Black
Manchester Black
Where did he go? Where did he friggin go!?
[after Superman has carried Coldcast away]
Superman
Orbit. He went into orbit at Mach seven If you had super-hearing, any second you'd hear the... POP.
[echoing from the distance; makes an abrupt landfall in front of Manchester; smiles menacingly]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Understanding Fear and Its Impact on Humanity
Manchester Black
You don't have a clue what it means to live in fear, do you? To wonder why no one can stop the bogeymen who knock down skyscrapers or blow up schools. Well, we do. Human beings do. We understand fear all too well.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Danger of Choosing Violence Over Hope
Superman
They saw the ugliness of violence as a solution and it frightened them. It frightened me too when I decided to cross that line and do what you do. It's so easy. Anger, vengeance. Luckily, I'm not you. And I never will be.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Tracking the Elite Through Dimensions
Robot
The metahumans designated the Elite are not anywhere within the range of our scanners, Kal-El. Their message was downloaded through a post-dimensional probability channel.
Lois
I think my phone has an app for that.
Superman
It means they're hiding between dimensions. Impossible to track.
Robot
Though we are currently processing 3,500,405 Internet hits on the Elite.
Superman
How many of them are informational?
Robot
Zero.
Lois
How many of them contain the phrase: "These guys rock"?
Robot
2,800,000.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Importance of Peace in Time
Superman
It's never too late for peace, ].
[[w:Manchester Black|Black]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confrontation Between Lois and Clark
Lois
When...?
Clark
Dawn, I guess. They'll like the drama of that.
Lois
Why did you have to do this? Why can't you call someone else?
Clark
The Elite didn't take the fight to anyone else. They chose me.
Lois
No, you went after them!
Clark
They're slaughtering people and laughing about it.
Lois
Black can punch a hole through a mountain by thinking! The Hat tosses around demons like trained birds, and Pam...
Clark
They have to be stopped!
Lois
I think they can beat you! I'm sorry. But they're willing to go places you won't. And they're so damn strong...
[beat]
Clark
I heard a child say that he wanted to be in the Elite when he grows up, because it would be fun to kill bad guys. Fun to kill... People have to know that there's another way. They have to see that someone believes in humanity strongly enough to...
Lois
...to die for them?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Lois Teases Superman About His Absence
Lois
Clark. Clark. I called Kansas and Ma said you're not there. So pick up your stupid hologram thing or I'll kick your butt when you get home.
Superman
Sweet-talker.
Lois
Yeah, well. Not really.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Unexpected Revelations and Fantasies
Lois
If she knows anything, I'm the Martian Manhunter.
Superman
There go all of my fantasies.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Declaration of Authority and Accountability
Manchester Black
This is a call-out to the shadow cabinets, petty dictators and all-around tossers of the world. You're on notice. We're not bound by lines on a map or political alliances or government bodies of any kind. We are our own bosses, and we have a very simple job. There are the good guys -- namely us -- and the bad guys -- namely anyone who treats anyone else like trash to further their petty aims. We turn bad guys into memories. So mind your manners, lads and lasses or we'll blow your house down. We're the Elite. You asked for us, world. Now you got us.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Superman's Vulnerability to Magic and Environment
The Hat
Hang tight! Everyone knows Superman can't do magic! Here's a little ancient Chinese secret...
[''flies into the whirlwind''; ''starts to choke'']
Coldcast
How? He's shielded by magic...!
Manchester Black
Mate, that wind is clocking in at five hundred miles a minute! His body may not be taking any hits, but his lungs've collapsed from the vacuum!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Pitfalls of Might Makes Right Philosophy
Superman
Might makes right" has never been a productive philosophy.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.