Kal-El (New Earth)/Quotes
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Welcome to...well, I'm not all that certain which circle of hell this is, but I'm sure it's pretty deep. 
Not so...tough without your brother to...back you up.
No one dies today!
Do I look like a Bizarro?
We can learn if a beautiful woman can suffer.
It's not just a mindless mass of mystical forces . . . It's alive!
Lois, for the past few years, I've lived a double life...
Show yourself, you cackling weasel! Let's end this once and for all!
Gone! Rocket was a decoy! Joker must've dropped through here instead! I hate when that happens...!
Lois is so understanding. It's good to know there'll never be a conflict between what she wants and what I have to do.
Drop the Santa cap and back away from the reindeer before someone gets hurt.
Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear... until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share -- I'll never stop fighting.
I don't do 'yield,' Adam. I mostly do 'painful beatdown.' How many can I put you down for?
All right, Luthor -- let's end this!
I'll always be there. Always. It's not the powers. Not the cape. It's about standing up for justice. For truth. As long as people like you are out there, I'll be there. Always.
A young boy fell from the sky. You took him home. You forged documents. You raised him as your own. Tell me how you did it.
You've spent years trying to kill me, Luthor. You've unlocked every way to hurt me. You've built hundreds of weapons to do it. Mind if I borrow them?
See you tomorrow!
All of you must be crazy! How can you harbor Zod?! How can you treat him like a hero?!
Do your worst, Luthor. Do it forever. I won't break.
Your central node. I'll put it back-- --when we've won here. Probably.
You just killed an innocent man. Why should you be the judge of what Doomsday deserves?! He maybe a mass murderer-- --but the fact that you have achieved intelligence says he has the potential for change, for redemption. Nobody else dies today.
Don't worry about that, Mrs. N. I've waited my whole life for this. I'm going to like it just fine.
You know the deal, Metropolis. Treat people right or expect a visit from me.
He was my father's dog -- he always hated his collar. He promised to protect me. I won't just leave him here.
What do you do when faced by the impossible? You do the impossible. And that's what we're going to do.
Your prisons can't hold me. Your weapons can't hurt me.
What if this virus has been dormant in me all along? What if it mutates and becomes harmful to the public? I can't allow myself to stay here if I risk harming the people I want to protect.
I won't choose between any one life and another! All of these people are under my protection, you got that? Every living thing!
I'm here to stand up for people when they can't stand up for themselves, and I'm here to help out and make things better any way I can. I'm here to stay.
It doesn't matter who she is or what she's done. I'll do what I have to do to save her.
It's a strange feeling. The fate of the world rests on the negotiating skills of a Kansas farm-boy.
Our next lesson will have to wait, Cleric. If I don't take matters into my own hands, we'll never resolve this! I must return to Warworld!
"I always felt it was Clark Kent wearing the cape...but let's face it...Clark Kent IS Superman, and right now...Superman needs help.
Unfortunately, I'm the only one who made it out! Unfortunate... for Lex Luthor! This time I'm going to bring him down -- hard!
Um... you're under arrest, Ms. Lane.
First sign of trouble -- someone goes out on a stretcher. And it won't be me.
There was nothing. Not even remorse. I looked into the eyes of my dearest friend... and I didn't even recognize her.
We're supposed to be better than this. Treat her for shock.
Sometimes, I admit, I think of Bruce as a man in a costume. Then, with some gadget from his utility belt, he reminds me that he has an extraordinarily inventive mind. And how lucky I am to be able to call on him.
You were right. I didn't understand. They're not ready.
Maybe you don't know me so well after all. I never give up!
Whenever a story happens, the planet gets it first and has it webbed and in print while the New York Times is still fishing for sources.
My vulnerability to magic is going to get old fast...
Since I can see you, not to mention my own corpse, I guess I'm dead.
The abomination that killed me.
Use the Force, Luke. Oops, sorry! Wrong script! Use your brains!
But she was right: there's only one way to process what I'm seeing. 4-D vision upgrade. Great Krypton!
I’ve known the original Firestorm for a long time. He’s a good, solid, decent person, and I consider him my friend.
I think we deserve a little explanation.
I'm not particularly fond of Gotham. It's like someone built a nightmare out of metal and stone.
I'm wondering the same thing...how are you shielding yourself? There's weakness against yellow in all Green Lantern rings. For that matter, Mongul's pigmentation is yellow. You shouldn't be able to affect him either.
IMPERIEX! If you want war...I'll give you WAR!
"Superheroes" who don't mind killing to achieve their ends can be dangerous in the wrong hands ... these "no-nonsense" solutions of yours just don't hold water in a complex world of jet-powered apes and time travel.
Why do you keep acting as if he were some kind of homicidal maniac? He wanted to help people. But he went too far, and he knew it-- and he couldn't stand it. He wasn't a bad man. He was a good man...who did a bad thing. And if you can't tell the difference between the two--then what the hell are you doing here?
The Secret Society didn't endanger the people we love. We did. The minute we chose to spend our lives fighting for justice, we made targets out of everyone we love. And now we want to make the Society pay for the choices we've made? I don't think so. I vote no.
All you had to do was talk to us; you were a fine Leaguer, Will. You'd have been welcome anytime.
I doubt it. He just outgruffed Aquaman.
Stand firm. Right now, courage is all that can light the darkness! The Justice League of America won't let you down!
The Justice League is an organic thing. It exists to cope with the ever-changing face of terror besieging the Earth... And in that way, it too, must sometimes evolve.
That's crazy! Nobody can actually buy the Earth!
You seem like someone who wants to do the right thing, but the same can't always be said for everyone in positions of authority.
I think I was wrong about the people of this world. They can't live together in peace... So how can outsiders like us possibly help them?
Excuse me. Are you spying on my wife?
'
Look around you. Look at me... look at this world... full of superhumans, aliens and monsters! It's all changing. The world has become crazy. Science fiction is now science fact.
So, from now on, whenever there are people who need my very special kind of help, it won't be a job for plain, ordinary Clark Kent... it'll be a job for Superman.
I may have been conceived out there in the endless depths of space... but I was born when the Rocket opened, on Earth, in America. I'll cherish always the memories Jor-El and Lara gave me... but only as curious mementos of a life that might have been. Krypton bred me, but it was Earth that gave me all I am. All that matters. It was Krypton that made me Superman... but it is the Earth that makes me Human!
Wrong is wrong and , when I grow up, I'm gonna make things right!
"I can't change the color of my skin... what I try to do is something far more difficult... to be a human being. And hopefully, someday, we'll see each other only in that way."
If I must die, then I will. But I don't want to die -- gloriously or not. I have too much to live for.
I've got a little speech that I give to newly-arrived vigilantes. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not omniscient. I'm a busy guy, and I can't always give the street's the attention it needs. So, I can use the help. But I require in all instances that laws are obeyed and civil rights are observed. Anything less, and you'll be on the next train out. It's that simple.
I need a few moments of your time, Starfire.
'
How should we start? 'I hear you're feeling like a doofus...' or 'just say no to panty raids'?
I'm not trying to control you! I'm trying to help you! I had the benefit of growing up here, of learning how to use my powers, of learning how to live with the responsibility that comes with them! You haven't had that chance.
It is called Earth. The planet's yellow sun gives you and me abilities beyond those of normal Kryptonians.
I will not fight you. I cannot stop you. I can only warn you... You are not prepared for this world.
For better or worse, you're learning how to be Batman, young mister McGinnis. You have to be born to be a Superman.
When you're in a position of power -- sometimes it's not easy to remember what all this is for. People, problems, and ideas can get lost in the confusion of our world. Stay focused. Don't let a few bad apples spoil our American pie.
Darkseid...SHUT THE HELL UP!
This is Kara Zor-El... my cousin from Krypton.
Where I come from, masks tend to symbolize distrust.
When people are confronted with unexpected strength, they tend to react with fear, not reason.
...please don't let me look ridiculous...
Add it to my bill, you diseased maniac.
This is a job for Superman!
You mean... I'm adopted?
Maxima! Massacre! Grayven! Mongal! Starfire! and... Adam Strange?! What Hellish conspiracy is this?!!
"Bloodthirst....SHUT UP!!!!"
So much of Metropolis is rubble now! It's like Luthor was determined not to leave a stone on top of stone! But the real toll was in people's lives!
Old song, Brainiac... you wouldn't know it... I get by... with the help of my friends!
We'll love you forever, Dana... Till death... do... us... part....
Long live the Legion.
I'm Superman, Lois.
I had responsibilities as Superman, and I met them. Now I have responsibilities as Clark, and meet them too. And I'll tell you...I'm having a great time doing it.
My home is where I choose to make it, Commander Gor. And if I wish to dwell among my people, I'd hope I would be welcome here.
Beaten? Oh, I'm only getting started.
No, the last thing we need is "Commander Kal-El" on Earth. This is a job for Superman.
Long ago, I thought that mankind could take care of itself -- That it would resent Superman if he took too much control! But the pettiness and greed of man has proven that approach was dead wrong! Earth needs a babysitter, Lana!
Everything I've accomplished, every life I've ever saved -- what good has it all been if someone so much more powerful than I am can just come and... take it all away? The Justice League -- the Green Lantern Corps -- would any of them have made a difference?
To my friends and colleagues, I'm just a farm boy in the big city, trying to make his mark. To the rest of Metropolis, I've become a protector. A symbol of hope. Me? I just hope I don't screw up. It's been about two months now since I've started what Ma calls my "good work." Most of the time I get to help people in need. A week ago I was able to save a few hundred passengers in a crashing jet. They all think I'm indestructible. I wish that I were so sure. I've withstood bursting shells, thousands of volts of electricity, raging fires and countless other vicious acts of man and nature. I appear to be invulnerable. But am I? Or is it just a matter of time before I find the thing that can kill me? They think I'm fearless. But each new cataclysm gives me one sharp instant of mortal fear. Will this kill me? Am I dying right now?
This world and its people are under my protection.
What would you do? You have a date with a woman you're madly in love with. But if you go on that date, a village full of innocent people will die a horrible death. Could you live with making that choice?
It's like I can't win. Like I'm two people, and neither one can be himself. I either have to be the indestructible hero or the shy co-worker.
It's just like riding a bicycle... That's strapped to a military transport about to crash! But not while I'm here!
...And the Prankster's still in town, and they've apparently hired him to distract me, to cover some of their activities. And I'm on a deadline. And I missed lunch. Mondays.
One lucky punch doesn't mark the end of this. Round one is yours, maybe. This is round two!
Atlas! Hands off my dog!
When I see villainy and horror unfolding here, Earth, anywhere... I've long stopped being surprised to find you or your hand at the heart of it, Luthor.
There's too much here in Metropolis for me to leave it forever.
Over there has to stand for itself, has to speak for itself. Because it's only when over there becomes here that we can stop this once and for all. And from now on, my eye will be right here.
People always say things like that. "I designed this weapon to hurt even you!"...So the hard part isn't hurting me. The hard part is surviving me.
Okay, I don't know what this is all about but we are taking this upstairs.
There is no reason. Ever.
I don't know what I believe anymore. Everything used to be so clear. Truth. Justice. The American Way. But now? Now, I'm not sure about anything.
Perhaps. But suppose I can't? However it happened, I've lost faith in those ideals. What if I don't find faith in them again?
Well, maybe now Leslie will have a chance to find out. A second chance. That's what America is about, really. That's the American way. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness-- and second chances. None of us are forced into being anything we don't want to be. When I was young, I knew that I would be someone different when I grew up. I would leave home and make a new life for myself. A new start, a second chance. When I first went to Metropolis, it was filled with people who'd done the same thing. People from all over America-- from all over the world-- who went to the city to live the lives they wanted, to be the people they wanted to be. That's the idea America that was founded on, but it's not just for people born here. It's for everyone. And it's for people like me and Livewire, too.
Those of you in the Fortress of Solidarity, if you're listening... I know the answer to the question now. Must there be a Superman? Yes.
Hammer? You should know better, Lois! I don't need no steenking hammer!
You talk a good death scene, Metallo - but so far, its still just talk!
I have all this power... and I couldn't save them.
We're going to finish this. Once and for all. You're different now. You can think for yourself. So think about this. Before, you were a mindless thing. Nothing could hurt you. You couldn't feel pain. Much less understand it. But, once you have felt it -- it changes you forever. And you'll begin to understand something new. Fear. I've lived with it all my life. You don't want to die again, do you? The agony of what's happened to you affects your speed -- your strength -- and that little bit of doubt -- that you cannot win today -- grows. You understand now, don't you? You will never hurt me again. You will never kill me again. NEVER AGAIN!
In my time I have come to be known as one of the most powerful beings on Earth. But before the threat of what I must now face, all my power is as nothing.
You've killed my best friends... you've killed me... you will kill no more!
My sin? Was to save the world.
Is that really the way people see me, Lois? Like a disaster waiting to happen?
Another skirmish in the never-ending battle... another war... another crisis... but so different. So important. If I lose, everything dies.
I don't care what Washington wants. No one treats my city this way... no one!
Is war the only thing sentient beings have in common?
Ohh... Clark's a pretty resilient sort of guy, Lois. It was touch-and-go for a while there... but... the next time you see him, I'm sure he'll be just fine.
It's kind of a complex story, Lois. And one Superman would rather I kept to myself.
Something happening on the other side of Smallville, Ma - something that looks like a job for Superman!
Let this spire, built from the very engine that once stood here, serve as a tribute to their memory--and as a reminder that our kind shall always be needed. I swear, as long as I'm alive, there will be no more Coast Cities!
Part of me wishes I hadn't made it in time. It would have been ironic -- if Lex Luthor's twisted genius was responsible for his demise.
I am doing good, Lois-- and I don't need to be part of a dog and pony show to prove it.
You're seriously asking me that? Lois, those reports are 100% false. All they've served to do is endanger an innocent family.
Men, women, children. Everyone. Pets included. I look into every house, every business, every shed throughout town. Can't find a single heartbeat either. It killed them all.
Sometimes I think that just knowing I'm different makes me feel different. If so, I need to put that behind me. To start to live a little more. I can still be earth's protector... but it's time to get in the flow of things and have some fun.
I am not the only one who believes in the power of the press-- the fact that we need to stand up for the truth. For justice. And yeah-- I'm not ashamed to say-- the American way!
Am I hurting one-- or both? Will destroying the alien mean killing Heather as well? I can't do this. There has to be some other way... I won't kill--
I don't know who created you or why you chose my city to invade, but this nightmare is going to end here and now!
You'll do nothing, Officer! None of you will! This is my fight to finish! This is a job for Superman!
I wonder what Perry would say if he knew what a conflict of interest reporting on myself is? Not to mention how uncomfortable it makes me writing lionizing pieces about myself.
Everything I owe to them. I saw this world through their eyes. I still do. This isn't a perfect world, they never claimed it was, I've never claimed it is. But that doesn't stop me from hoping for the best. I was raised on hope, Helspont, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Sure. You hear the one about the smart-mouth vampire who got dropped onto the surface of the sun?
I connect. I find people to help. It's our choice, Alec. We're not monsters. We can be as human as we want to be.
I may have been conceived out there in the endless depths of space... but I was born when the Rocket opened, on Earth, in America. I'll cherish always the memories Jor-El and Lara gave me... but only as curious mementos of a life that might have been. Krypton bred me, but it was Earth that gave me all I am. All that matters. It was Krypton that made me Superman... but it is the Earth that makes me Human!
Stars aren't measured by how long they burn, Lar... but by how brightly. You've already accomplished more than a hundred men in a hundred lifetimes. If there's any consolation to be found... it's in that.
I just wish somebody could tell me why every "Close Encounter" has to end in a fight.
How could I think I wasn't connected to Earth and everybody here? How did I lose my way?
We won, didn't we, Lois?
Don't worry about me. They raise 'em tough in Smallville.
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