Superman (1978) Movie Script
"In the decade of the 1930s
even the great city of Metropolis...
"...was not spared the ravages
of the world-wide depression.
"In the times of fear and confusion...
"...the job of informing the public
was the responsibility...
"...of the Daily Planet.
"A great metropolitan newspaper...
"...whose reputation for clarity and truth
had become a symbol of hope...
"...for the city of Metropolis."
This is no fantasy.
No careless product of wild imagination.
No, my good friends...
...these indictments...
...I've brought you today...
...specific charges listed herein
against the individuals...
...their acts of treason.
Their ultimate aim of sedition.
These...
...are matters of undeniable fact.
I ask you now to pronounce judgment...
...on those accused.
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.
Once trusted by this Council...
...charged with maintaining the defense
of the Planet Krypton itself.
Chief Architect of this intended revolution
and author of this insidious plot...
...to establish a new order amongst us...
...with himself as absolute ruler.
You have heard the evidence.
The decision of the Council
will now be heard.
Guilty!
Guilty!
Guilty!
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!
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!
Forgive me, forgive me...
An unpleasant duty
has been masterly performed, Jor-El.
They have received the fate they deserved.
Isolation in the Phantom Zone...
...an eternal living death.
A chance for life, nonetheless.
As opposed to us.
It's suicide.
No, it's worse, it's genocide.
Be warned, Jor-El.
The Council has already evaluated
this outlandish theory of yours.
My friends, you know me
to be neither rash nor impulsive.
I am not given
to wild unsupported statements...
...and I tell you that we must evacuate
this planet immediately.
Jor-El, you are one
of Krypton's greatest scientists.
Yes, but so is Vond-Ah.
I don't question your data.
The facts are undeniable.
It's your conclusions
we find unsupportable.
This planet will explode within 30 days.
If not sooner.
I tell you Krypton
is simply shifting its orbit.
Jor-El...
...be reasonable.
My friend...
...I have never been otherwise.
This madness is yours.
This discussion is terminated.
The decision of the Council is final.
Any attempt by you to create...
...a climate of fear and panic
among the populace...
...must be deemed by us
an act of insurrection.
You would accuse me of insurrection?
Has it now become a crime to cherish life?
You would be banished
to endless imprisonment...
...in the Phantom Zone:
The eternal void...
...which you, yourself discovered.
Will you abide by the Council's decision?
I will remain silent.
Neither I...
...nor my wife, will leave Krypton.
Have you finished?
Nearly.
It's the only answer, Lara.
If he remains here with us...
...he will die as surely as we will.
But why Earth, Jor-El?
They're primitives,
thousands of years behind us.
He will need that advantage to survive.
Their atmosphere will...
...sustain him.
He will defy their gravity.
He will look like one of them.
He won't be one of them.
No.
His dense molecular structure
will make him strong.
He'll be odd. Different.
He'll be fast. Virtually invulnerable.
Isolated. Alone.
He will not be alone.
He will never be alone.
The energy input to Jor-El's quarters
is now in excess.
Our data indicates the loss
is due to a misuse of energy.
Investigate.
And if the investigation proves correct?
He knew the penalty he faced.
He even is a member of this Council.
The law will be upheld.
You will travel far, my little Kal-El.
But we will never leave you.
Even in the face of our death...
...the richness of our lives...
...shall be yours.
All that I have, all that I've learned,
everything I feel...
...all this and more, I...
...I bequeath you, my son.
You will carry me inside you...
...all the days of your life.
You will make my strength your own...
...see my life through your eyes...
...as your life will be seen through mine.
The son becomes the father,
and the father...
...the son.
This is all I...
...all I can send you, Kal-El.
... which Einstein called his theory
of relativity.
Embedded in the crystals before you...
... is the total accumulation of all literature
and scientific fact...
... from dozens of other worlds...
... spanning the 28 known galaxies.
Early Chinese writings point out
the complex relationship between...
By carrying this complex equation
to its ultimate power, my son...
Chief among these powers
will be your sight...
... your strength, your hearing...
... your ability to propel yourself
at almost limitless speed.
The early history of our universe was
a bloody mosaic of interplanetary war.
Each of the six galaxies
which you will pass through...
... contain their own individual law
of space and time.
It is forbidden for you to interfere
with human history.
- What!
- What was that?
Now wouldn't that beat all get out.
Well, you...
Oh, Pa!
Oh, my.
All these years, as happy as we've been...
...how I've prayed the good Lord
would see fit to give us a child.
Honey, will you hand me that rag up there.
You take things easy now.
Remember what Doc Frye said
about that heart of yours.
Now the first thing we've got to do
when we get home is find out...
...who that boy's proper family is.
He hasn't got any.
Not around here, anyway.
Are you thinking
what I think you are thinking?
We could say he's the child of my cousin
in North Dakota...
...and just now orphaned.
Jonathan, he's only a baby.
Martha, now you saw how we found him.
Martha Clark Kent,
are you listening to what I'm saying?
Come on, gang.
That was a great game.
All right.
Come on, hustle. Let's go.
Stack your helmets neatly.
Remember about those uniforms,
cleaned and washed by tomorrow...
...and looking like a football team.
Clark, let's have those clothes washed
and ready for tomorrow's game.
Got to beat Mount Vernon High.
Can you give me a lift?
Lana?
Don't bother with these.
I'll take them in with the other equipment.
- Thank you, Clark.
- Sure.
Listen, a whole bunch of us are going up
to Mary Ellen's.
Play some records.
Would you like to come?
Sure.
Sounds like it could be a lot of fun.
Kent can't make it.
Still got a lot of work to do.
What are you talking about?
I've just finished stacking...
All that?
Oh, Brad!
Hey, come on, Lana.
Let's go.
- He has to clean up.
- 'Bye, Clark.
- 'Bye, Lana.
- Clean this up, Clark.
'Bye, Clark.
'Bye, Clark.
See you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
Mommy, I saw a boy out there
run as fast as the train!
Faster even!
Lois Lane,
you have a writer's gift for invention.
- I'll say that for you.
- But...
Lois, please read your book.
No one ever believes me.
Hey, look, there's Clark!
Clark?
How did you get here so fast?
I ran.
Ran, huh?
Told you he was an oddball.
Let's get out of here.
Been showing off a bit, haven't you, Son?
I didn't mean to show off, Pa.
It's just that guys like that Brad,
I just want to tear them apart.
Yeah, I know.
Yeah, I know I shouldn't.
Yeah, I know you can do
all these amazing things...
...and sometimes you think
that you will just go bust...
...unless you can tell people about it.
- Yeah.
- That's right.
I mean, every time I get the football
I can make a touchdown.
- That's for sure.
- Every time.
Is it showing off when somebody's doing
the things he's capable of doing?
Is a bird showing off when it flies?
No, no. Now, you listen to me.
When you came to us, we thought
people would take you away...
...when they found out
the things that you do.
It worried us a lot.
Then when a man gets older
and he thinks very differently.
And things get very clear.
And there's one thing I do know, Son,
and that is you are here for a reason.
I don't know whose reason,
or whatever the reason is...
...maybe it's because...
I don't know.
But I do know one thing.
It's not to score touchdowns.
Thanks, Dad.
I'll race you to it. Yeah.
You will?
Come on, Papa. Run. Come on. Move.
Go, go. Come on. Hey, Baron.
Jonathan!
Dad.
All those things I can do...
...all those powers...
...and I couldn't even save him.
Clark, get up.
Good morning, Smiley.
Clark, breakfast.
Are you going to sleep all day?
Clark, come on. Get up.
I have to leave.
I knew this time would come.
We both knew it
from the day we found you.
I talked to Ben Hubbard yesterday.
He said that he'd be happy
to help out from now on.
Mother!
I know, Son.
I know.
Do you know where you're headed?
North.
Remember us, Son.
Always remember us.
My son...
... you do not remember me.
I am Jor-El.
I am your father.
By now you will have reached
your eighteenth year...
... as it is measured on Earth.
By that reckoning...
... I will have been dead
for many thousands of your years.
The knowledge...
... that I have of matters,
physical and historical...
... I have given you fully on your voyage
to your new home.
These are important matters to be sure...
... but still matters of mere fact.
There are questions to be asked...
... and it is time for you to do so.
Here, in this...
... this fortress of solitude...
... we shall try to find the answers together.
So, my son...
... speak.
Who am I?
Your name is Kal-El.
You are the only survivor
of the Planet Krypton.
Even though you were raised
as a human, you are not one of them.
You have great powers,
only some of which you have...
... as yet discovered.
Come with me now, my son...
... as we break through the bars
of your earthly confinement.
Traveling through time and space.
Your powers will far exceed
those of mortal men.
It is forbidden for you to interfere
with human history.
Rather let your leadership stir others to.
In the next year,
we shall examine the human heart.
It is more fragile than your own.
As we pass through the flaming turmoil
which is the edge of your own galaxy...
... we will enter the realm
of the red Krypton sun...
... source of your strength
and nourishment...
... and cause of our eventual destruction.
The Planet Krypton, my son...
... your home as it was.
This year we shall examine
the various concepts of immortality...
... and their basis in actual fact.
The total accumulation of all knowledge
spanning the 28 known galaxies...
... is embedded in the crystals
which I have sent along with you.
Study them well, my son.
By the time you return to the confines
of your galaxy...
... twelve of your years will have passed.
For this reason, among others...
... I have chosen Earth for you.
It is now time for you to rejoin
your new world...
... and to serve its collective humanity.
Live as one of them, Kal-El...
... and discover where your strength
and your power are needed.
But always hold in your heart the pride
of your special heritage.
They can be a great people, Kal-El,
they wish to be.
They only lack the light to show the way.
For this reason, above all,
their capacity for good...
... I have sent them you...
... my only son.
Okay, this is it, mac, the Daily Planet.
Fresh fruit!
Hey, how about a tomato, lady?
Hey, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Smile.
How many "T's" in "bloodletting"?
Two.
What are you writing?
An ode to spring.
How do you spell "massacre"?
M-a-s-s-a-c-r-e.
Thanks.
Golly, how come you get
all the great stories?
A good reporter doesn't get great stories.
A good reporter makes them great.
Chief, here's that story on the murder case.
The way I see it, it's a headline
on the front page with my picture...
There's only one "P" in "rapist."
Lois Lane, say hello to Clark Kent.
Hello, Miss Lane, how are...
How are you doing?
Jimmy Olsen, photographer.
Hi. Clark Kent. Nice to meet you.
It's got everything:
Sex, violence, the ethnic angle.
So does a lady wrestler
with a foreign accent.
- Kent, can you open this?
- Sure, Mr. White.
This could be the basis
for a series of articles:
"Making Sense of Senseless Killings"
by Lois Lane.
We get psychologists,
sociologists, interviews...
Lois, you're pushing a bunch
of rinky-dink tabloid garbage.
The Daily Planet has a tradition...
Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to shake it up like that.
Of course not, Lois.
Why would any one want to make
a total stranger look like a fool?
I'll take that.
Thanks. I'm sorry, Mr. White.
Why do I pay you $40 a week when
I should have you arrested for loitering?
- Go get Mr... a towel.
- Kent.
- Move, kid, move.
- Right, Chief.
- Make mine black, no sugar.
- Right, Chief.
And don't call me sugar.
Right... Sugar.
Chief wants coffee, no sugar.
I'll take tea with lemon.
Lois, why don't you take Kent out
to meet everybody, huh?
Just introduce him around.
He's starting on the paper today.
I'm giving him the City beat.
Chief!
That's my beat!
Lois, Clark Kent may seem like
just a mild-mannered reporter...
...but not only does he know how to treat
his Chief with the proper respect...
...not only does he have a snappy,
punchy prose style...
...but he is, in my 40 years in this business,
the fastest typist I have ever seen.
That's great.
Here, you forgot my article.
Excuse me, Mr. White. I was wondering...
...if you could arrange for half my salary...
...to be sent to this address
on a weekly basis.
Your bookie, right?
My what?
Don't tell me!
He sends a check every week
to his sweet, gray-haired mother.
Actually, she's silver-haired.
I'll see what I can do.
Thank you very much, Mr. White.
Well?
Any more at home like you?
Not really, no.
I didn't think so.
Well, get yourself a desk over here.
Over here?
Here, there's some paper
and a file right there.
Sorry.
- Hi, Bill Breesen.
- Hi, Clark Kent.
- Nice to meet you.
- Welcome aboard.
- Here's your towel, Mr. Clark.
- Kent.
- What?
- Kent.
- Clark Kent.
- Jimmy Olsen.
- I met this really great guy, you know.
- Hey, fabulous.
We had this fabulous weekend.
I met him at this dude ranch.
I haven't been since I was seven.
- I got to mail these letters.
- Good luck tonight.
- Hi, Clark.
- Hi, Lois.
How did you like your first day on the job?
The hours were sort of longer
than I expected...
...but on the whole, meeting you
and Jimmy Olsen and Mr. White...
Gosh, on a whole, I'd say it's been swell.
- "Swell"?
- Yup.
You know, Clark...
...there are very few people left
in the world...
...who feel comfortable saying that word.
- What word?
- Swell.
Really? I always thought
it was kind of natural.
- Sorry.
- Clark.
- Sorry, Lois.
- Hi, Rex.
- Did you see anything good today?
- Not until you came along.
Rex, this is...
- Clark Kent. How do...
- See you around.
Lois?
Hey, where you going?
Can I help you with your coat?
- Thanks. Can you get that?
- Sure.
Did you like Mr. White?
He was a nice guy
and Jimmy was fantastic.
Come here. Come on.
Get in here, hurry up. Come on.
- We'd better get out of here.
- We'd better do what he says, Lois.
Come on, get in here, quick.
Don't, don't do anything.
It's all right, I'm coming.
We're coming.
Excuse me.
- Here?
- Yeah, yeah.
Don't point that at me, sir.
You could hurt somebody with that.
Okay, okay. Hold it there.
Just a minute.
Now I realize that...
...times are tough for some these days,
but this isn't the answer.
You can't solve society's problems
with a gun.
You know, buddy, you're right.
- I'm going to turn over a new leaf.
- Good for you, sir. That's the spirit.
He doesn't really want to hurt anyone.
Right after I rip off this lady's purse.
Of course!
Now come on, lady, hand it over.
Lois, I think you'd better...
Lois! What are you doing?
Are you all right?
What happened?
- Golly, I guess I must have fainted.
- Fainted?
- You fainted!
- I'm sorry.
Really, Lois,
supposing that man had shot you?
Is it worth risking your life over $10...
...two credit cards,
a hairbrush and a lipstick?
- How did you know that?
- Know what?
You described the exact contents
of my purse.
Wild guess.
Taxi!
- Hey!
- Hi, Otis.
So, what's happening, partner?
Look what we got.
Let's take him.
Wait a minute.
Maybe he'll lead us to the big man himself.
Lex Luthor?
You got it, Aramus.
We'll make Captain by midnight.
Hey, what do you read?
XK-101 rocket to be used.
Hey, what do you read?
- Hey, Matt.
- Hi, Otis.
Just getting a Daily Planet here.
Okay. All right.
See, I'm paying him,
and I got a pretzel, too.
Thanks, Otis.
How many bags, Shutzy?
This is Metropolis 46. We're on foot.
Over and out.
Let's go.
Your attention, please.
Your attention, please.
The Metropolis Flyer is now ready
for departure...
... on the upper level. Track 6.
He's going down on a train platform.
I'm going after him.
Okay, I'll call for backup.
Be careful now, will you?
All right, Aramus. All right.
Now boarding on the lower level...
Now 10 minutes, air-conditioned cars,
Mount Vernon, Poughkeepsie...
Board now. All aboard.
Metropolis Transportation
to Buffalo, Syracuse...
Smoking cars are forward,
move along now.
Luggage at the top.
Smoking cars are forward.
All aboard, boarding.
Aramus, Aramus, make it Track 22.
I've seen him and I'm right on him.
Lower level, Track 22.
So that's it!
It's amazing that brain can generate
enough power to keep those legs moving.
Harry...
Harry, where are you? Harry?
Sick!
Sick, you're really sick!
I'm sick, Ms. Teschmacher?
Sick when we're days
from executing the crime of the century?
No, no, no. Step away from that, please.
How do you choose to congratulate
the greatest criminal mind of our time?
Do you tell me that I'm brilliant?
Oh, no, that would be too obvious,
I grant you.
Charismatic?
Fiendishly gifted?
Try twisted!
Get away from that, get away!
Tell me, Lex.
Why do so many people have to die
for the crime of the century?
Why? You ask why?
Why does the phone always ring
when you're in the bathtub?
Why is the most brilliantly diabolical leader
of our time...
...surrounding himself
with total nincompoops?
I'm back, Mr. Luthor.
I was just talking about you.
You were followed again.
In spite of those cat-like reflexes.
Mr. Luthor, I'm sorry.
Is that the newspaper
I asked you to get me?
Yes.
Then why am I not reading it?
Because I haven't given it to you yet?
Right.
At last it's official.
Thanks to the help of the US Government...
...we are about to be involved in
the greatest real-estate swindle of all time.
Lex, what is this...
...obsession with real estate?
All the time, "land, land, land."
When I was 6 years old,
my father said to me...
"Get out!"
Before that, he said,
"Son, stocks may rise and fall...
"...utilities and transportation systems
may collapse...
"...people are no damn good,
but they'll always need land...
"...they'll pay through the nose to get it."
- "Remember," my father said...
- "Land."
It's a pity that he didn't see...
...from such humble beginnings
how I've created this empire.
An empire. This?
How many girls do you know
have a Park Avenue address like this?
Park Avenue address, 200 feet below?
Do you realize
what people are shelling out up there...
...for a few miserable rooms
off a common elevator.
What more could anyone ask?
Get this Loch Ness update
right into composing.
Yeah. No, that's it, Roth.
Put it to bed. Right.
- Why are you standing here for?
- I'm not.
- I wasn't going to say it.
- Go.
The sex maniac profile.
Right. Nine to five it's
a Pulitzer Prize winner. What do you bet?
There's no "Z" in "brassiere."
Nice job on that union scandal, Kent.
Gosh, thanks, Mr. White.
Hi, Clark. Good night.
- Here, let me carry that for you.
- Thanks a lot.
Lois, have you got a minute?
Excuse me, please.
And these two go to the addresses
on the envelope, okay?
I was wondering
if you'd have dinner with me?
I'm sorry, I'm booked.
Air Force One is landing at the airport.
This kid'll be there to make sure...
...you-know-who answers the questions
he would rather duck.
Don't you ever let up?
What for? I mean I've seen
how the other half lives.
My sister, for instance.
Three kids, two cats, and one mortgage.
I would go bananas in a week.
- Can I take you to the airport?
- Not unless you can fly.
"Ladies." I have to change, thank you.
Goodbye.
Maybe we could...
- Would you mail that for me? Thanks.
- Sure.
Good night.
Going down, please, going down.
Going down?
Going up. Up, up.
Good night.
Daily Planet, Copter One. This is ground.
Planet One, go ahead.
Miss Lane is here for a ride to the airport
to meet Air Force One. It's a hurry flight.
We're on our way over the river.
Have one aboard for transfer. Over.
Roger, Planet One. You're clear to land.
Wind 0-2-0-1-5. Altimeter 2-9-8-9.
Roger, Over and out.
A malfunction, can't get lift off.
- You've hooked a cable.
- What's happening?
Set it down.
My God, we've lost motor control.
I can't hold it.
I can't hold it.
He's lost it.
Wake up.
Help!
Step back, folks.
Get back. Move over
to the other side of the street.
Bring the canvas here. Get it up there.
There's helicopter up there.
Help me.
All right, folks. Let's move back.
Let these firemen get in here.
Help me!
Hold it. Get back.
Get off the street, folks.
All right, get along there.
Get away from the side of the building.
Hold these crowds back. Move.
Help!
Say, Jim...
Excuse me.
That's a bad outfit.
Okay, move these people.
Oh, my God! Look up there.
What the hell's that?
Easy, miss. I've got you.
You've got me? Who's got you?
I can't believe it, I just cannot believe it.
He got her.
Gentlemen, this man needs help.
I hope this little incident
hasn't put you off flying, miss.
Statistically speaking, of course,
it's still the safest way to travel.
Right.
Wait!
Who are you?
A friend.
'Bye.
Something wrong with the elevator?
Going down?
Officer.
Good evening, Officer Mooney.
They say confession is good for the soul.
I'd listen to this man. Take him away.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Move your ass! Come on!
Okay, let's go. Let's go.
Drop your weapons. Drop your weapons.
Bullshit! Come on, let's get out of here.
Okay, hold it. Hold it right there.
Okay, freeze, you turkeys.
- Don't shoot!
- Keep your cool. You got us.
Bad vibrations?
Sergeant, you don't believe me.
I swear it, flying.
With a big red cape
and bright red boots as well.
Quick as a wink he was gone. He flew up
in the air again, he did, like a big blue bird.
- A big blue bird?
- You don't believe me!
With bright red boots?
Take the night off.
Go back to Murphy's bar
and continue what you started.
I'll be off in a few minutes
and I'll meet you there.
The first bottle's on me.
Let me get my hat.
Frisky, will you come down from there.
Hi. I'll get him.
Come on, it's all right.
- Here you go, miss.
- Gee, thanks, mister.
Goodbye, Frisky. So long now.
'Bye.
Mommy, Mommy,
Frisky was stuck in the tree.
Then this man swooped out of the sky
and gave him to me.
Haven't I told you to stop telling lies.
Metropolis Airport, this is Air Force One.
Could we have the latest weather report?
Metropolis currently ceiling 500,
overcast 700 broken...
... visibility one half in showers.
Wind 2-4-0-2-5. Altimeter 9-0-9-8.
Roger.
Doesn't look good. What do you think?
- What the hell was that?
- You've lost power in number one.
Lost power? We've lost the whole engine.
- Pressure's going.
- Shut down number one.
Bring up two and three.
We haven't got enough pressure
to keep going.
Mayday, mayday. Metropolis tower.
Air Force One.
We have lost port outboard engine
and part of wing.
Request emergency landing.
What's the position?
Ten miles southwest of Metropolis Airport.
Notify them the President's on board.
Present position 10 miles, that's 10 miles
southwest of Metropolis Airport.
Heading: 3-0-5, height: 6,000 feet.
What the hell happened?
We got our engine back?
What the hell's going on out there?
Fly, don't look, just fly.
We got something.
I'm not saying what it is, just trust me.
You enjoyed it.
I don't know what to say, Father.
I am afraid just got carried away.
- I anticipated this, my son.
- You couldn't have.
You couldn't have imagined...
How good it felt?
You are revealed to the world.
Very well.
So be it.
But you still must keep
your secret identity.
Why?
The reasons are two.
First: You cannot serve humanity
28 hours a day.
As it is, it won't happen.
Your help will be called for endlessly.
Even for those tasks that human beings
can solve themselves.
They're happy to abuse the resources
of the world.
And secondly?
Secondly:
Your enemies will discover...
... their only way to hurt you...
... by hurting the people you care for.
Thank you, Father.
Lastly:
Do not punish yourself
with your feelings of vanity.
Simply learn to control them.
It is an affliction common to all,
even on Krypton.
Our destruction could have been avoided
but for the vanity of some...
... who considered us indestructible.
Were it not for vanity...
... at this very moment...
... I could embrace you in my arms...
... my son.
Reports are coming in
of a miraculous saving of Air Force One...
... from almost certain destruction.
Rescuing Miss Lois Lane, reporter
from the Daily Planet, with one hand...
... and a crashed helicopter with the other.
That'll be the day.
That'll be the day when a guy could fly.
I don't know. You would be surprised.
Some sort of fantastic hoax.
Your guess is as good as anybody's.
True or false?
Miracle or fraud? The answer...
- Miss Teschmacher!
- Man or myth?
Turn it off.
What's the story on this guy?
Do you think it's the genuine article?
If he is, he's not from this world.
Why?
If any human being was gonna perpetrate
such a hoax, it would have been me!
My robe.
Right away, Mr. Luthor.
It all fits somehow,
this coming here to Metropolis...
...and at this particular time.
There's a kind of cruel justice about it.
To commit the crime of the century, a man
wants to face the challenge of the century.
Listen, maybe this guy that flies
is just sort of passing through.
Passing through?
Not on your life, Otis...
...which I would gladly sacrifice
by the way...
...for the opportunity of destroying
everything that he represents.
And, Otis, by the way, next time
put my robe on after I'm out of the pool.
Now look.
The Post, "It Flies."
The News, "Look, Ma, No Wires."
The Times,
"Blue Bomb Buzzes Metropolis."
The Planet. We're sitting on top
of the story of the century here.
I want the name
of this flying whatchamacallit...
...to go with the Daily Planet
like bacon and eggs...
...franks and beans, death and taxes,
politics and corruption.
I don't think that he'd...
...lend himself
to any cheap promotion schemes.
Exactly how would you know that?
Just first impression.
Who's talking cheap?
I'll make him a partner if I have to.
- Right?
- Right, Chief.
I want the real story.
I want the inside dope on this guy.
Has he got a family? Where does he live?
What does the "S" stand for?
Tonight at 8:00. Your place.
Hopefully - A friend.
Tony, who is he? Mike, what's his name?
What's he got hidden under that cape?
Batteries?
Why did he show up last night?
Where does he come from?
Does he have a girlfriend?
What's his favorite ball team, Kent?
Now listen to me, I tell you,
boys and girls...
...whichever one of you gets it out of him...
...is going to wind up with the single,
most important interview since...
...God talked to Moses!
What are you standing around about for?
Move!
Get on that story.
"8:00," he said. Some friend!
That's the story of my life,
"Cinderella Bites The Dust!"
Good evening, Miss Lane.
Did you have plans this evening?
This old thing? No.
- I could come back later.
- No!
Don't move.
Sure you can move.
Just don't fly away, all right?
Sorry to drop in on you like this,
but I've been thinking.
There must be some questions
people'd like to know the answers to.
Yes.
You really shouldn't smoke.
Don't tell me. Lung cancer, right?
Well, not yet, thank goodness.
Would you like a glass of wine?
No, thanks. I never drink when I fly.
Nice place.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Shall we get started with the interview?
Let's start with your vital statistics.
Are you married?
No, I'm not.
Do you have a girlfriend?
No, I don't. But...
If I did, you'd be the first to know about it.
- How old are you?
- Over 21.
I get it. You don't want anyone to know.
And how big are you? How tall are you?
About 6' 4".
Around 225.
I assume then that...
...the rest of your bodily functions
are normal?
I beg your pardon?
Well, putting it delicately...
...do you...
...eat?
Yes, I do, when I'm hungry.
You do. Of course, you do.
Well, then is it true...
...that you can see through anything?
Yes, I can, pretty much.
And that you're totally impervious to pain?
Well, so far.
What color underwear am I wearing?
Did I embarrass you?
- No.
- I did.
No, it's just that
this planter must be made of lead.
Yes, it is. So?
I sort of have a problem
seeing through lead.
That's interesting.
Problems with lead.
- Do you have a first name?
- Like Ralph, or something?
- No, I mean like...
- Pink.
Pink!
Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you.
You didn't embarrass me.
What's your background?
Where are you from?
It's kind of hard to explain, actually.
You see, I'm from...
Well, from pretty far away.
Another galaxy, as a matter of fact.
I come from a planet called Krypton.
Krypton.
Cripton! With a C-r-i...
No, actually it's Krypton,
with a K-R-Y-P-T-O-N.
Do you like pink?
I like pink very much.
Why are you?
Sorry?
I mean, why are you here?
There must be a reason for you to be here.
Yes, I'm here to fight for truth and justice
and the American way.
You'll end up fighting every official
in this country.
You don't really mean that.
- I don't believe this.
- Lois?
I never lie.
How fast do you fly, by the way?
I don't know. I've never actually bothered
to time myself.
Say?
Why don't we find out?
And how do you propose we do that?
- Take a ride with me.
- You mean I could fly?
I'd be handling the flying, if that's okay.
- This is utterly fantastic.
- Wait a minute. Where are you going?
- Are you serious?
- Sure.
Don't you want to go?
You won't need these.
- I need a sweater. It must be kind of...
- No, you'll be warm enough.
Ready?
Clark said that you were just a figment
of somebody's imagination.
Like Peter Pan.
Clark, who's that? Your boyfriend?
- Clark? No, he's nothing.
- Peter Pan?
Peter Pan flew with children, Lois.
In a fairy tale.
Can you read my mind?
Do you know what it is that you do to me?
I don't know who you are.
Just a friend from another star.
Here I am, like a kid out of school.
Holding hands with a god.
I'm a fool.
Will you look at me?
Quivering.
Like a little girl shivering.
You can see right through me.
Can you read my mind?
Can you picture the things I'm thinking of?
Wondering why you are...
... all the wonderful things you are.
You can fly.
You belong in the sky.
You and I...
... could belong to each other.
If you need a friend...
... I'm the one to fly to.
If you need to be loved...
... here I am.
Read my mind.
We forgot to time ourselves.
Maybe next time.
You okay?
Good night.
Good night.
What a super man!
Superman!
Anybody home?
- Hi. Can I come in?
- Oh, yeah.
For goodness' sake,
didn't you hear me knocking?
We did have a date tonight, remember?
You haven't been?
I should certainly hope not.
Well, let's push off, shall we?
I'd better get a coat. It might be cold out.
I mean, I need a purse,
and I have to fix my hair...
...put some blusher on.
There's something I have to tell you.
I'm really...
I was at first really nervous about tonight.
But then I decided, darn it, I was going
to show you the time of your life.
That's Clark nice.
We could go for a hamburger
or whatever you want to do.
Now then...
...given the exact location
of the galaxy that he mentions...
...and the proximity
to our own solar system...
It's amazing. Amazing!
Too good to be true.
It's too good to be true.
...doesn't drink or smoke
and tells the truth.
Some people can read War and Peace...
...and think it was an adventure story.
Others can read the ingredients
on a gum wrapper...
...and unlock the secrets of the universe.
Lex, what has chewing gum got to do
with the secrets of the universe?
Right, Miss Teschmacher.
"N."
"M"? You want "M," Mr. Luthor?
Coming right up.
So there you go, "M."
"M" as in "moron," Otis? No.
It's "N" as in "Neanderthal"...
..."nincompoop," "nitwit,"
and "L" as in "ladder."
Here's a ladder, coming right up.
I didn't see...
I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor.
In the interview he says
that the Planet Krypton...
...exploded in 1948.
That ridiculous little freak...
...took three years in a rocket
to get to earth.
- Ergo...
- Ergo.
Ergo 1948, that's three years on.
He's 6' 4", you know that?
Do you know why the number 200 is
so vitally descriptive to both you and me?
It's your weight and my I.Q.
Think, people, think.
Deductive reasoning.
That's the name of the game.
Fragments from the Planet Krypton...
...exploded and went into outer space.
It is reasonable to assume...
...that some of those particles of debris
drifted to Earth.
Meteorites!
Jawohl.
Voil!
Voil!
A meteorite found in Addis Ababa?
I know I'll get rapped
in the mouth for this, but...
...so what?
So what? You mean to us
they're just meteorites.
Fair enough.
But the level of specific radioactivity...
...is so high to anyone
from the Planet Krypton...
...this substance is lethal.
Wait a minute, Mr. Luthor.
Fire and bullets can't hurt this guy...
...but this stuff here...
...will kill him.
Doesn't it give you a kind of...
...a shudder of electricity through you
to be in the same room with me?
Not like the shudder you'll get
when you lay that rock on him.
He can see you coming for miles
with those super peepers of his.
O Lord, you gave them eyes,
but they cannot see...
...nor can Superman, through lead.
He can't see through lead?
And Kryptonite will destroy him.
Any questions, class?
I wonder what they're wearing
in Addis Ababa?
Looks like a burnoose.
It's just a wraparound.
Are we going to Addis Ababa, Mr. Luthor?
Mother Bird to Missile Convoy, over.
Missile Convoy to Mother Bird, go ahead.
Everything looks good,
see you at the base. Over and out.
Roger, Mother Bird. Over and out.
Look at this!
Looks pretty bad.
Take her pulse.
Get an ambulance down here.
I don't want to hold this convoy up
more than I have to.
She's having trouble breathing.
What do you think?
I suggest a vigorous chest massage.
If that doesn't work, mouth-to-mouth.
Yes, sir!
I won't have my men do anything
I wouldn't be prepared to do myself.
Get an ambulance.
Gather around.
Turn around!
Hi.
Somebody hurt?
I did it, Mr. Luthor.
Miss Teschmacher, I did it.
- Just like you told me.
- All right, Otis.
It isn't that I don't trust you, but...
I don't trust you, Otis. What did you do?
I set the first directional vector...
...to 38.
The second one to 67.
And the third one to 117.
What about the fourth one?
What fourth one?
Wait a minute. The third one to 117?
- Yes. See, I wrote it down, Mr. Luthor.
- Otis!
The third one was supposed to be 11,
and the fourth one, 7.
Oh, gee, Mr. Luthor.
I guess my arm wasn't long enough, see.
Would you like to see a long arm?
Otis, would you like to see
a very, very, long arm?
No, Mr. Luthor.
- All right. Get it right.
- Yes, Mr. Luthor.
MacDonald, I thought you told me
this road would be blocked off?
- Jablowsky, didn't I tell you...
- I didn't asked him, I asked you.
All right. Follow me, men.
Back that thing off the road.
Back it off the road.
You'll have to circle back.
I don't have time to argue.
It's a heck of a day, isn't it?
- Route 12? That's back there.
- No, sir, it's up there.
- Sergeant, we took the wrong road.
- I'm a Lieutenant. A Naval Officer.
Shut up! Now Route 12 is back that way.
This man is a diabetic, you see.
As you know, the Daily Planet
is very interested in that dam...
...but what I don't understand...
...is why you'd sell out to a faceless person
you've never met?
You don't know his name.
At the stupid high price he offered...
...for this worthless piece of desert...
...I hope it's Custer!
Perfect, just what I need. Thank you.
Reporting live from the launch site,
ground zero.
Today marks a historic occasion since...
... two XK-101 rockets will be
launched simultaneously.
One by the Army, and one by the Navy.
Hi, everybody.
Has anybody seen Lois today?
No, but the Chief wants to see you.
You're blocking the set, Clark.
Sorry, Gil. How's Judy today? Okay?
Good.
Excuse me, Mr. White.
You wanted to see me, sir?
Have you seen Lois today?
She's out West,
looking into a land-fraud deal.
I sent young Olsen with her
on his first assignment.
Some unidentified clown
is buying thousands of acres...
...of worthless desert at incredible prices.
That doesn't seem to make sense.
The world doesn't make sense.
You ought to know that.
Look at this dispatch from Addis Ababa.
People break into a museum at night,
kill two people, and what do they take?
A worthless piece of meteorite.
How do you figure that?
I've never been able
to understand violence.
I know that about you.
That's why I wanted to talk to you.
I've been in this news game
...and I got where I am
with guts, compassion...
...elbow grease and something
you're sadly lacking in, son.
Humility?
Not humility, you've got bags of humility.
Aggression, confidence, that's the ticket.
Take charge.
Let people know who you are.
This is Lex Luthor.
Only one thing alive with less than
four legs can hear this frequency.
That's you.
In five minutes, a poisoned gas pellet
containing propane lithium compound...
... will be released through thousands
of air ducts in this city...
... effectively annihilating
half the population of Metropolis.
I was a reporter before most of my friends
were copy boys.
I want you to get Lois
to introduce you to Superman.
Find out who he is.
Where did he get that blue suit?
Did he have it made?
Is it silk? Is it plastic?
I know it all seems a bit much...
... but how else was I going to meet you,
Superman?
I knew you'd never accept
an invitation to tea.
But a disaster, with people in danger,
people who need help...
I just knew you couldn't resist
that chance to sort of pitch in.
You know what I mean?
There's a strong streak of good in you,
Superman.
But then nobody's perfect.
Almost nobody.
- Oh, Superman!
- Gee!
Stand back, please.
Nothing to get worried about.
Don't sit there like a numskull, get out!
Look at that overgrown boy scout,
Miss Teschmacher.
Tell me what you see?
Cuteness, dimples.
You like cuteness?
Dimples.
I'll give you dimples.
The pressure is still on you.
You know they say:
If you can't stand the heat...
...get out of the tunnel.
It's your last chance, Superman.
Why don't you do yourself a favor
and freeze.
I think he's coming, Mr. Luthor.
He's definitely coming.
It's open, come in.
My attorney will be in touch with you
about the damage to the door.
Otis, take the gentleman's cape.
I don't think he wants me to.
Where's the gas pellet?
Somewhere.
It's in the back of my mind, actually.
It's a little idea I was toying with.
Is that how a warped brain like yours
gets its kicks?
By planning the death of innocent people?
No. By causing the death
of innocent people.
Fire!
Navy Bird, we have a good launch.
As you may or may not know,
I am, as they say...
...very heavy into real estate.
To make money, you have to buy
for a little and sell for a lot, right?
Right.
So, the problem?
How to make the land more valuable
between the time you buy it...
...and the time you sell it?
Now this is California.
The richest, most populous state
in the Union.
I don't need a geography lesson from you.
Of course, you've been there.
I do forget, you get around, don't you?
Where was I?
- California.
- California, right.
The San Andreas Fault,
maybe you've heard of it?
Yes. It's the joining together
of two land masses.
The fault line is shifting, which is why
you get earthquakes in California.
Wonderful!
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Everything west of this line is the richest,
most expensive real estate in the world.
San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco.
Everything on this side of the line...
...is just hundreds of miles
of worthless desert land...
...which just happens to be owned by...
Lex Luthor Incorporated.
Now, call me foolish, call me irresponsible.
It occurs to me that a 500-megaton bomb...
...planted at just the proper point would...
Would destroy most of California.
Millions of people would be killed
and the West Coast as we know it would...
Fall into the sea. Bye-bye, California.
Hello, new West Coast. My West Coast.
Costa Del Lex, Luthorville.
Marina Del Lex, Otisburg.
"Otisburg"?
Miss Teschmacher,
she's got her own place.
"Otisburg"?
It's a little bitty place.
Otisburg?
I'll just wipe it off, that's all.
You're a dreamer, Lex Luthor.
A sick, twisted dreamer.
Your plan couldn't possibly work.
I'll admit there were a few problems.
Adjusting the precise trajectory
of the missile.
Finding the optimum stress point
for the fault line itself...
...which, by the way, is target zero.
Right...
...here.
That's impossible!
What's happening, Lieutenant?
Trajectory malfunction, sir.
Abort.
All counter control units...
... remove vacuum pressure to maximum.
Function negative, sir.
Can't you knock them down?
Absolutely impossible, sir. They have
the new P-20 low-level avoidance systems.
Get me the Pentagon.
What do you think, super baby?
Interesting?
Your theory's quite impressive, Luthor.
Would you go to the viewing room, please?
But as for the rest,
it's nothing but a sick fantasy.
Fantasy?
No.
It's history. It's happening, Superman.
Miss Teschmacher!
Yes, Lex?
Where's the rocket now?
It's going like a bat over the Grand Canyon,
so is the other one.
The other one?
There are two of them?
Yes, Superman, double jeopardy.
Even you, with your great speed,
couldn't stop both of them.
While I, on the other hand,
could stop them with my detonator.
All right, Luthor, where is it?
Where's the detonator?
Diseased maniac!
Do you think you could hide it from me
by encasing it in lead?
I'll mold this box into your prison bars.
Don't touch that.
I told you.
It's Kryptonite.
A little souvenir from your hometown.
I've spared no expense
to make you feel at home.
You were great in your day.
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.
You don't even care
where the other missile's headed, do you?
Certainly I do.
I know exactly where it's headed.
Hackensack, New Jersey.
I have to leave you now. No hard feelings.
We all have our little faults.
Mine's in California.
Lex, my mother lives in Hackensack.
Please, you can't...
...you can't just stand there.
You can't just stand
and let millions of innocent people die.
Maybe.
Please. Please, help me to save them.
Would you promise
to save my mother first?
But, Lois, and Jimmy...
But my mother comes first.
If you promise, I'll believe you
because you always tell the truth.
I promise, I promise.
Why did you kiss me first?
I didn't think you'd let me later.
Thank you, Miss Teschmacher.
Why is it I can't get it on
with the good guys?
Stand aside now.
I wouldn't stay here, either.
Army Bird still heading due east.
Navy Bird still heading due west.
Losing radar contact.
Next radar contact after three seconds.
Army Bird still headed east, sir.
Army Bird gaining altitude.
Miss Teschmacher!
Radar contact strong.
Miss Teschmacher!
Radar report Navy Bird. San Andreas area.
Navy Bird heading down,
15 seconds to impact.
15 seconds and counting.
A military missile has exploded
in the Southern California desert.
The force of the explosion has activated
the San Andreas fault.
California is suffering a major earthquake.
What's going on?
It's a quake! Look!
Okay, kids, it's all right now.
Hey, it's Superman!
Holy mackerel!
We're going off the tracks.
All personnel evacuate dam.
Watch that cable!
Someone try and pull the main.
It's impossible. It's red hot!
Is that man all right?
Yeah.
Hang on, Jim.
The dam broke.
You're safe here, son.
That's okay. Miss Lane
will be driving by any minute.
- Come on!
- Make it to the hill.
There has been major quake damage
to Southern California.
The San Andreas fault has miraculously
sealed itself.
Yet Southern California is suffering
an aftershock of a major earthquake.
The population is still warned
to be aware...
Please, come on, turn over.
Come on!
Help me. Help me, please.
It is forbidden for you to interfere...
There's one thing I do know, Son,
and that is you are here for a reason.
It is forbidden.
All those things I can do,
all those powers...
... but I couldn't even save him.
It is forbidden.
Hi.
Don't bother, it's dead.
Sure it's dead.
The problem with men of steel is
they're never around when you want one.
Do you know what happened
while you were off flying around?
I was almost in an earthquake.
A gas station blew up beside my car.
Telephone poles falling all over the road.
I was almost killed.
To top the whole thing off,
this stupid car runs out of gas.
I'm sorry about that, Lois.
But I've been kind of busy for a while.
I'm sorry, that's all right.
Thanks a lot, Superman.
Put me in the middle of nowhere
during an earthquake.
No food, no water, snakes everywhere.
I had no idea if you were coming back.
There's something I have to do.
I'll see you later.
He can't stay still for a second.
Golly, Miss Lane, it's too bad
Mr. Kent wasn't here to see all this.
Yeah, poor Clark.
He's never around when...
Clark... Wait a minute.
What?
Lois Lane, that is the silliest idea.
I'll tell you something, Miss Lane.
I think he really cares about you.
- Clark? Of course, he does.
- No, not Clark.
Superman cares about everybody, Jimmy.
But who knows. Someday, if he's lucky...
You're messing up my suit!
Otis! Watch the ground, you...
Good evening, Warden.
These two men should be safe here
'til they can get a fair trial.
Who is it, Superman?
Lex Luthor.
- The greatest criminal mind of our time.
- Of our time.
- I hereby serve notice...
- He's serving notice to you.
...that these walls...
Will you shut up, you fat little fool!
You, you nitwit!
Nincompoop!
This country...
...is safe again, Superman, thanks to you.
No, sir.
Don't thank me, Warden.
We're all part of the same team.
Good night.
even the great city of Metropolis...
"...was not spared the ravages
of the world-wide depression.
"In the times of fear and confusion...
"...the job of informing the public
was the responsibility...
"...of the Daily Planet.
"A great metropolitan newspaper...
"...whose reputation for clarity and truth
had become a symbol of hope...
"...for the city of Metropolis."
This is no fantasy.
No careless product of wild imagination.
No, my good friends...
...these indictments...
...I've brought you today...
...specific charges listed herein
against the individuals...
...their acts of treason.
Their ultimate aim of sedition.
These...
...are matters of undeniable fact.
I ask you now to pronounce judgment...
...on those accused.
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.
Once trusted by this Council...
...charged with maintaining the defense
of the Planet Krypton itself.
Chief Architect of this intended revolution
and author of this insidious plot...
...to establish a new order amongst us...
...with himself as absolute ruler.
You have heard the evidence.
The decision of the Council
will now be heard.
Guilty!
Guilty!
Guilty!
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!
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!
Forgive me, forgive me...
An unpleasant duty
has been masterly performed, Jor-El.
They have received the fate they deserved.
Isolation in the Phantom Zone...
...an eternal living death.
A chance for life, nonetheless.
As opposed to us.
It's suicide.
No, it's worse, it's genocide.
Be warned, Jor-El.
The Council has already evaluated
this outlandish theory of yours.
My friends, you know me
to be neither rash nor impulsive.
I am not given
to wild unsupported statements...
...and I tell you that we must evacuate
this planet immediately.
Jor-El, you are one
of Krypton's greatest scientists.
Yes, but so is Vond-Ah.
I don't question your data.
The facts are undeniable.
It's your conclusions
we find unsupportable.
This planet will explode within 30 days.
If not sooner.
I tell you Krypton
is simply shifting its orbit.
Jor-El...
...be reasonable.
My friend...
...I have never been otherwise.
This madness is yours.
This discussion is terminated.
The decision of the Council is final.
Any attempt by you to create...
...a climate of fear and panic
among the populace...
...must be deemed by us
an act of insurrection.
You would accuse me of insurrection?
Has it now become a crime to cherish life?
You would be banished
to endless imprisonment...
...in the Phantom Zone:
The eternal void...
...which you, yourself discovered.
Will you abide by the Council's decision?
I will remain silent.
Neither I...
...nor my wife, will leave Krypton.
Have you finished?
Nearly.
It's the only answer, Lara.
If he remains here with us...
...he will die as surely as we will.
But why Earth, Jor-El?
They're primitives,
thousands of years behind us.
He will need that advantage to survive.
Their atmosphere will...
...sustain him.
He will defy their gravity.
He will look like one of them.
He won't be one of them.
No.
His dense molecular structure
will make him strong.
He'll be odd. Different.
He'll be fast. Virtually invulnerable.
Isolated. Alone.
He will not be alone.
He will never be alone.
The energy input to Jor-El's quarters
is now in excess.
Our data indicates the loss
is due to a misuse of energy.
Investigate.
And if the investigation proves correct?
He knew the penalty he faced.
He even is a member of this Council.
The law will be upheld.
You will travel far, my little Kal-El.
But we will never leave you.
Even in the face of our death...
...the richness of our lives...
...shall be yours.
All that I have, all that I've learned,
everything I feel...
...all this and more, I...
...I bequeath you, my son.
You will carry me inside you...
...all the days of your life.
You will make my strength your own...
...see my life through your eyes...
...as your life will be seen through mine.
The son becomes the father,
and the father...
...the son.
This is all I...
...all I can send you, Kal-El.
... which Einstein called his theory
of relativity.
Embedded in the crystals before you...
... is the total accumulation of all literature
and scientific fact...
... from dozens of other worlds...
... spanning the 28 known galaxies.
Early Chinese writings point out
the complex relationship between...
By carrying this complex equation
to its ultimate power, my son...
Chief among these powers
will be your sight...
... your strength, your hearing...
... your ability to propel yourself
at almost limitless speed.
The early history of our universe was
a bloody mosaic of interplanetary war.
Each of the six galaxies
which you will pass through...
... contain their own individual law
of space and time.
It is forbidden for you to interfere
with human history.
- What!
- What was that?
Now wouldn't that beat all get out.
Well, you...
Oh, Pa!
Oh, my.
All these years, as happy as we've been...
...how I've prayed the good Lord
would see fit to give us a child.
Honey, will you hand me that rag up there.
You take things easy now.
Remember what Doc Frye said
about that heart of yours.
Now the first thing we've got to do
when we get home is find out...
...who that boy's proper family is.
He hasn't got any.
Not around here, anyway.
Are you thinking
what I think you are thinking?
We could say he's the child of my cousin
in North Dakota...
...and just now orphaned.
Jonathan, he's only a baby.
Martha, now you saw how we found him.
Martha Clark Kent,
are you listening to what I'm saying?
Come on, gang.
That was a great game.
All right.
Come on, hustle. Let's go.
Stack your helmets neatly.
Remember about those uniforms,
cleaned and washed by tomorrow...
...and looking like a football team.
Clark, let's have those clothes washed
and ready for tomorrow's game.
Got to beat Mount Vernon High.
Can you give me a lift?
Lana?
Don't bother with these.
I'll take them in with the other equipment.
- Thank you, Clark.
- Sure.
Listen, a whole bunch of us are going up
to Mary Ellen's.
Play some records.
Would you like to come?
Sure.
Sounds like it could be a lot of fun.
Kent can't make it.
Still got a lot of work to do.
What are you talking about?
I've just finished stacking...
All that?
Oh, Brad!
Hey, come on, Lana.
Let's go.
- He has to clean up.
- 'Bye, Clark.
- 'Bye, Lana.
- Clean this up, Clark.
'Bye, Clark.
'Bye, Clark.
See you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
Mommy, I saw a boy out there
run as fast as the train!
Faster even!
Lois Lane,
you have a writer's gift for invention.
- I'll say that for you.
- But...
Lois, please read your book.
No one ever believes me.
Hey, look, there's Clark!
Clark?
How did you get here so fast?
I ran.
Ran, huh?
Told you he was an oddball.
Let's get out of here.
Been showing off a bit, haven't you, Son?
I didn't mean to show off, Pa.
It's just that guys like that Brad,
I just want to tear them apart.
Yeah, I know.
Yeah, I know I shouldn't.
Yeah, I know you can do
all these amazing things...
...and sometimes you think
that you will just go bust...
...unless you can tell people about it.
- Yeah.
- That's right.
I mean, every time I get the football
I can make a touchdown.
- That's for sure.
- Every time.
Is it showing off when somebody's doing
the things he's capable of doing?
Is a bird showing off when it flies?
No, no. Now, you listen to me.
When you came to us, we thought
people would take you away...
...when they found out
the things that you do.
It worried us a lot.
Then when a man gets older
and he thinks very differently.
And things get very clear.
And there's one thing I do know, Son,
and that is you are here for a reason.
I don't know whose reason,
or whatever the reason is...
...maybe it's because...
I don't know.
But I do know one thing.
It's not to score touchdowns.
Thanks, Dad.
I'll race you to it. Yeah.
You will?
Come on, Papa. Run. Come on. Move.
Go, go. Come on. Hey, Baron.
Jonathan!
Dad.
All those things I can do...
...all those powers...
...and I couldn't even save him.
Clark, get up.
Good morning, Smiley.
Clark, breakfast.
Are you going to sleep all day?
Clark, come on. Get up.
I have to leave.
I knew this time would come.
We both knew it
from the day we found you.
I talked to Ben Hubbard yesterday.
He said that he'd be happy
to help out from now on.
Mother!
I know, Son.
I know.
Do you know where you're headed?
North.
Remember us, Son.
Always remember us.
My son...
... you do not remember me.
I am Jor-El.
I am your father.
By now you will have reached
your eighteenth year...
... as it is measured on Earth.
By that reckoning...
... I will have been dead
for many thousands of your years.
The knowledge...
... that I have of matters,
physical and historical...
... I have given you fully on your voyage
to your new home.
These are important matters to be sure...
... but still matters of mere fact.
There are questions to be asked...
... and it is time for you to do so.
Here, in this...
... this fortress of solitude...
... we shall try to find the answers together.
So, my son...
... speak.
Who am I?
Your name is Kal-El.
You are the only survivor
of the Planet Krypton.
Even though you were raised
as a human, you are not one of them.
You have great powers,
only some of which you have...
... as yet discovered.
Come with me now, my son...
... as we break through the bars
of your earthly confinement.
Traveling through time and space.
Your powers will far exceed
those of mortal men.
It is forbidden for you to interfere
with human history.
Rather let your leadership stir others to.
In the next year,
we shall examine the human heart.
It is more fragile than your own.
As we pass through the flaming turmoil
which is the edge of your own galaxy...
... we will enter the realm
of the red Krypton sun...
... source of your strength
and nourishment...
... and cause of our eventual destruction.
The Planet Krypton, my son...
... your home as it was.
This year we shall examine
the various concepts of immortality...
... and their basis in actual fact.
The total accumulation of all knowledge
spanning the 28 known galaxies...
... is embedded in the crystals
which I have sent along with you.
Study them well, my son.
By the time you return to the confines
of your galaxy...
... twelve of your years will have passed.
For this reason, among others...
... I have chosen Earth for you.
It is now time for you to rejoin
your new world...
... and to serve its collective humanity.
Live as one of them, Kal-El...
... and discover where your strength
and your power are needed.
But always hold in your heart the pride
of your special heritage.
They can be a great people, Kal-El,
they wish to be.
They only lack the light to show the way.
For this reason, above all,
their capacity for good...
... I have sent them you...
... my only son.
Okay, this is it, mac, the Daily Planet.
Fresh fruit!
Hey, how about a tomato, lady?
Hey, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Smile.
How many "T's" in "bloodletting"?
Two.
What are you writing?
An ode to spring.
How do you spell "massacre"?
M-a-s-s-a-c-r-e.
Thanks.
Golly, how come you get
all the great stories?
A good reporter doesn't get great stories.
A good reporter makes them great.
Chief, here's that story on the murder case.
The way I see it, it's a headline
on the front page with my picture...
There's only one "P" in "rapist."
Lois Lane, say hello to Clark Kent.
Hello, Miss Lane, how are...
How are you doing?
Jimmy Olsen, photographer.
Hi. Clark Kent. Nice to meet you.
It's got everything:
Sex, violence, the ethnic angle.
So does a lady wrestler
with a foreign accent.
- Kent, can you open this?
- Sure, Mr. White.
This could be the basis
for a series of articles:
"Making Sense of Senseless Killings"
by Lois Lane.
We get psychologists,
sociologists, interviews...
Lois, you're pushing a bunch
of rinky-dink tabloid garbage.
The Daily Planet has a tradition...
Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to shake it up like that.
Of course not, Lois.
Why would any one want to make
a total stranger look like a fool?
I'll take that.
Thanks. I'm sorry, Mr. White.
Why do I pay you $40 a week when
I should have you arrested for loitering?
- Go get Mr... a towel.
- Kent.
- Move, kid, move.
- Right, Chief.
- Make mine black, no sugar.
- Right, Chief.
And don't call me sugar.
Right... Sugar.
Chief wants coffee, no sugar.
I'll take tea with lemon.
Lois, why don't you take Kent out
to meet everybody, huh?
Just introduce him around.
He's starting on the paper today.
I'm giving him the City beat.
Chief!
That's my beat!
Lois, Clark Kent may seem like
just a mild-mannered reporter...
...but not only does he know how to treat
his Chief with the proper respect...
...not only does he have a snappy,
punchy prose style...
...but he is, in my 40 years in this business,
the fastest typist I have ever seen.
That's great.
Here, you forgot my article.
Excuse me, Mr. White. I was wondering...
...if you could arrange for half my salary...
...to be sent to this address
on a weekly basis.
Your bookie, right?
My what?
Don't tell me!
He sends a check every week
to his sweet, gray-haired mother.
Actually, she's silver-haired.
I'll see what I can do.
Thank you very much, Mr. White.
Well?
Any more at home like you?
Not really, no.
I didn't think so.
Well, get yourself a desk over here.
Over here?
Here, there's some paper
and a file right there.
Sorry.
- Hi, Bill Breesen.
- Hi, Clark Kent.
- Nice to meet you.
- Welcome aboard.
- Here's your towel, Mr. Clark.
- Kent.
- What?
- Kent.
- Clark Kent.
- Jimmy Olsen.
- I met this really great guy, you know.
- Hey, fabulous.
We had this fabulous weekend.
I met him at this dude ranch.
I haven't been since I was seven.
- I got to mail these letters.
- Good luck tonight.
- Hi, Clark.
- Hi, Lois.
How did you like your first day on the job?
The hours were sort of longer
than I expected...
...but on the whole, meeting you
and Jimmy Olsen and Mr. White...
Gosh, on a whole, I'd say it's been swell.
- "Swell"?
- Yup.
You know, Clark...
...there are very few people left
in the world...
...who feel comfortable saying that word.
- What word?
- Swell.
Really? I always thought
it was kind of natural.
- Sorry.
- Clark.
- Sorry, Lois.
- Hi, Rex.
- Did you see anything good today?
- Not until you came along.
Rex, this is...
- Clark Kent. How do...
- See you around.
Lois?
Hey, where you going?
Can I help you with your coat?
- Thanks. Can you get that?
- Sure.
Did you like Mr. White?
He was a nice guy
and Jimmy was fantastic.
Come here. Come on.
Get in here, hurry up. Come on.
- We'd better get out of here.
- We'd better do what he says, Lois.
Come on, get in here, quick.
Don't, don't do anything.
It's all right, I'm coming.
We're coming.
Excuse me.
- Here?
- Yeah, yeah.
Don't point that at me, sir.
You could hurt somebody with that.
Okay, okay. Hold it there.
Just a minute.
Now I realize that...
...times are tough for some these days,
but this isn't the answer.
You can't solve society's problems
with a gun.
You know, buddy, you're right.
- I'm going to turn over a new leaf.
- Good for you, sir. That's the spirit.
He doesn't really want to hurt anyone.
Right after I rip off this lady's purse.
Of course!
Now come on, lady, hand it over.
Lois, I think you'd better...
Lois! What are you doing?
Are you all right?
What happened?
- Golly, I guess I must have fainted.
- Fainted?
- You fainted!
- I'm sorry.
Really, Lois,
supposing that man had shot you?
Is it worth risking your life over $10...
...two credit cards,
a hairbrush and a lipstick?
- How did you know that?
- Know what?
You described the exact contents
of my purse.
Wild guess.
Taxi!
- Hey!
- Hi, Otis.
So, what's happening, partner?
Look what we got.
Let's take him.
Wait a minute.
Maybe he'll lead us to the big man himself.
Lex Luthor?
You got it, Aramus.
We'll make Captain by midnight.
Hey, what do you read?
XK-101 rocket to be used.
Hey, what do you read?
- Hey, Matt.
- Hi, Otis.
Just getting a Daily Planet here.
Okay. All right.
See, I'm paying him,
and I got a pretzel, too.
Thanks, Otis.
How many bags, Shutzy?
This is Metropolis 46. We're on foot.
Over and out.
Let's go.
Your attention, please.
Your attention, please.
The Metropolis Flyer is now ready
for departure...
... on the upper level. Track 6.
He's going down on a train platform.
I'm going after him.
Okay, I'll call for backup.
Be careful now, will you?
All right, Aramus. All right.
Now boarding on the lower level...
Now 10 minutes, air-conditioned cars,
Mount Vernon, Poughkeepsie...
Board now. All aboard.
Metropolis Transportation
to Buffalo, Syracuse...
Smoking cars are forward,
move along now.
Luggage at the top.
Smoking cars are forward.
All aboard, boarding.
Aramus, Aramus, make it Track 22.
I've seen him and I'm right on him.
Lower level, Track 22.
So that's it!
It's amazing that brain can generate
enough power to keep those legs moving.
Harry...
Harry, where are you? Harry?
Sick!
Sick, you're really sick!
I'm sick, Ms. Teschmacher?
Sick when we're days
from executing the crime of the century?
No, no, no. Step away from that, please.
How do you choose to congratulate
the greatest criminal mind of our time?
Do you tell me that I'm brilliant?
Oh, no, that would be too obvious,
I grant you.
Charismatic?
Fiendishly gifted?
Try twisted!
Get away from that, get away!
Tell me, Lex.
Why do so many people have to die
for the crime of the century?
Why? You ask why?
Why does the phone always ring
when you're in the bathtub?
Why is the most brilliantly diabolical leader
of our time...
...surrounding himself
with total nincompoops?
I'm back, Mr. Luthor.
I was just talking about you.
You were followed again.
In spite of those cat-like reflexes.
Mr. Luthor, I'm sorry.
Is that the newspaper
I asked you to get me?
Yes.
Then why am I not reading it?
Because I haven't given it to you yet?
Right.
At last it's official.
Thanks to the help of the US Government...
...we are about to be involved in
the greatest real-estate swindle of all time.
Lex, what is this...
...obsession with real estate?
All the time, "land, land, land."
When I was 6 years old,
my father said to me...
"Get out!"
Before that, he said,
"Son, stocks may rise and fall...
"...utilities and transportation systems
may collapse...
"...people are no damn good,
but they'll always need land...
"...they'll pay through the nose to get it."
- "Remember," my father said...
- "Land."
It's a pity that he didn't see...
...from such humble beginnings
how I've created this empire.
An empire. This?
How many girls do you know
have a Park Avenue address like this?
Park Avenue address, 200 feet below?
Do you realize
what people are shelling out up there...
...for a few miserable rooms
off a common elevator.
What more could anyone ask?
Get this Loch Ness update
right into composing.
Yeah. No, that's it, Roth.
Put it to bed. Right.
- Why are you standing here for?
- I'm not.
- I wasn't going to say it.
- Go.
The sex maniac profile.
Right. Nine to five it's
a Pulitzer Prize winner. What do you bet?
There's no "Z" in "brassiere."
Nice job on that union scandal, Kent.
Gosh, thanks, Mr. White.
Hi, Clark. Good night.
- Here, let me carry that for you.
- Thanks a lot.
Lois, have you got a minute?
Excuse me, please.
And these two go to the addresses
on the envelope, okay?
I was wondering
if you'd have dinner with me?
I'm sorry, I'm booked.
Air Force One is landing at the airport.
This kid'll be there to make sure...
...you-know-who answers the questions
he would rather duck.
Don't you ever let up?
What for? I mean I've seen
how the other half lives.
My sister, for instance.
Three kids, two cats, and one mortgage.
I would go bananas in a week.
- Can I take you to the airport?
- Not unless you can fly.
"Ladies." I have to change, thank you.
Goodbye.
Maybe we could...
- Would you mail that for me? Thanks.
- Sure.
Good night.
Going down, please, going down.
Going down?
Going up. Up, up.
Good night.
Daily Planet, Copter One. This is ground.
Planet One, go ahead.
Miss Lane is here for a ride to the airport
to meet Air Force One. It's a hurry flight.
We're on our way over the river.
Have one aboard for transfer. Over.
Roger, Planet One. You're clear to land.
Wind 0-2-0-1-5. Altimeter 2-9-8-9.
Roger, Over and out.
A malfunction, can't get lift off.
- You've hooked a cable.
- What's happening?
Set it down.
My God, we've lost motor control.
I can't hold it.
I can't hold it.
He's lost it.
Wake up.
Help!
Step back, folks.
Get back. Move over
to the other side of the street.
Bring the canvas here. Get it up there.
There's helicopter up there.
Help me.
All right, folks. Let's move back.
Let these firemen get in here.
Help me!
Hold it. Get back.
Get off the street, folks.
All right, get along there.
Get away from the side of the building.
Hold these crowds back. Move.
Help!
Say, Jim...
Excuse me.
That's a bad outfit.
Okay, move these people.
Oh, my God! Look up there.
What the hell's that?
Easy, miss. I've got you.
You've got me? Who's got you?
I can't believe it, I just cannot believe it.
He got her.
Gentlemen, this man needs help.
I hope this little incident
hasn't put you off flying, miss.
Statistically speaking, of course,
it's still the safest way to travel.
Right.
Wait!
Who are you?
A friend.
'Bye.
Something wrong with the elevator?
Going down?
Officer.
Good evening, Officer Mooney.
They say confession is good for the soul.
I'd listen to this man. Take him away.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Move your ass! Come on!
Okay, let's go. Let's go.
Drop your weapons. Drop your weapons.
Bullshit! Come on, let's get out of here.
Okay, hold it. Hold it right there.
Okay, freeze, you turkeys.
- Don't shoot!
- Keep your cool. You got us.
Bad vibrations?
Sergeant, you don't believe me.
I swear it, flying.
With a big red cape
and bright red boots as well.
Quick as a wink he was gone. He flew up
in the air again, he did, like a big blue bird.
- A big blue bird?
- You don't believe me!
With bright red boots?
Take the night off.
Go back to Murphy's bar
and continue what you started.
I'll be off in a few minutes
and I'll meet you there.
The first bottle's on me.
Let me get my hat.
Frisky, will you come down from there.
Hi. I'll get him.
Come on, it's all right.
- Here you go, miss.
- Gee, thanks, mister.
Goodbye, Frisky. So long now.
'Bye.
Mommy, Mommy,
Frisky was stuck in the tree.
Then this man swooped out of the sky
and gave him to me.
Haven't I told you to stop telling lies.
Metropolis Airport, this is Air Force One.
Could we have the latest weather report?
Metropolis currently ceiling 500,
overcast 700 broken...
... visibility one half in showers.
Wind 2-4-0-2-5. Altimeter 9-0-9-8.
Roger.
Doesn't look good. What do you think?
- What the hell was that?
- You've lost power in number one.
Lost power? We've lost the whole engine.
- Pressure's going.
- Shut down number one.
Bring up two and three.
We haven't got enough pressure
to keep going.
Mayday, mayday. Metropolis tower.
Air Force One.
We have lost port outboard engine
and part of wing.
Request emergency landing.
What's the position?
Ten miles southwest of Metropolis Airport.
Notify them the President's on board.
Present position 10 miles, that's 10 miles
southwest of Metropolis Airport.
Heading: 3-0-5, height: 6,000 feet.
What the hell happened?
We got our engine back?
What the hell's going on out there?
Fly, don't look, just fly.
We got something.
I'm not saying what it is, just trust me.
You enjoyed it.
I don't know what to say, Father.
I am afraid just got carried away.
- I anticipated this, my son.
- You couldn't have.
You couldn't have imagined...
How good it felt?
You are revealed to the world.
Very well.
So be it.
But you still must keep
your secret identity.
Why?
The reasons are two.
First: You cannot serve humanity
28 hours a day.
As it is, it won't happen.
Your help will be called for endlessly.
Even for those tasks that human beings
can solve themselves.
They're happy to abuse the resources
of the world.
And secondly?
Secondly:
Your enemies will discover...
... their only way to hurt you...
... by hurting the people you care for.
Thank you, Father.
Lastly:
Do not punish yourself
with your feelings of vanity.
Simply learn to control them.
It is an affliction common to all,
even on Krypton.
Our destruction could have been avoided
but for the vanity of some...
... who considered us indestructible.
Were it not for vanity...
... at this very moment...
... I could embrace you in my arms...
... my son.
Reports are coming in
of a miraculous saving of Air Force One...
... from almost certain destruction.
Rescuing Miss Lois Lane, reporter
from the Daily Planet, with one hand...
... and a crashed helicopter with the other.
That'll be the day.
That'll be the day when a guy could fly.
I don't know. You would be surprised.
Some sort of fantastic hoax.
Your guess is as good as anybody's.
True or false?
Miracle or fraud? The answer...
- Miss Teschmacher!
- Man or myth?
Turn it off.
What's the story on this guy?
Do you think it's the genuine article?
If he is, he's not from this world.
Why?
If any human being was gonna perpetrate
such a hoax, it would have been me!
My robe.
Right away, Mr. Luthor.
It all fits somehow,
this coming here to Metropolis...
...and at this particular time.
There's a kind of cruel justice about it.
To commit the crime of the century, a man
wants to face the challenge of the century.
Listen, maybe this guy that flies
is just sort of passing through.
Passing through?
Not on your life, Otis...
...which I would gladly sacrifice
by the way...
...for the opportunity of destroying
everything that he represents.
And, Otis, by the way, next time
put my robe on after I'm out of the pool.
Now look.
The Post, "It Flies."
The News, "Look, Ma, No Wires."
The Times,
"Blue Bomb Buzzes Metropolis."
The Planet. We're sitting on top
of the story of the century here.
I want the name
of this flying whatchamacallit...
...to go with the Daily Planet
like bacon and eggs...
...franks and beans, death and taxes,
politics and corruption.
I don't think that he'd...
...lend himself
to any cheap promotion schemes.
Exactly how would you know that?
Just first impression.
Who's talking cheap?
I'll make him a partner if I have to.
- Right?
- Right, Chief.
I want the real story.
I want the inside dope on this guy.
Has he got a family? Where does he live?
What does the "S" stand for?
Tonight at 8:00. Your place.
Hopefully - A friend.
Tony, who is he? Mike, what's his name?
What's he got hidden under that cape?
Batteries?
Why did he show up last night?
Where does he come from?
Does he have a girlfriend?
What's his favorite ball team, Kent?
Now listen to me, I tell you,
boys and girls...
...whichever one of you gets it out of him...
...is going to wind up with the single,
most important interview since...
...God talked to Moses!
What are you standing around about for?
Move!
Get on that story.
"8:00," he said. Some friend!
That's the story of my life,
"Cinderella Bites The Dust!"
Good evening, Miss Lane.
Did you have plans this evening?
This old thing? No.
- I could come back later.
- No!
Don't move.
Sure you can move.
Just don't fly away, all right?
Sorry to drop in on you like this,
but I've been thinking.
There must be some questions
people'd like to know the answers to.
Yes.
You really shouldn't smoke.
Don't tell me. Lung cancer, right?
Well, not yet, thank goodness.
Would you like a glass of wine?
No, thanks. I never drink when I fly.
Nice place.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Shall we get started with the interview?
Let's start with your vital statistics.
Are you married?
No, I'm not.
Do you have a girlfriend?
No, I don't. But...
If I did, you'd be the first to know about it.
- How old are you?
- Over 21.
I get it. You don't want anyone to know.
And how big are you? How tall are you?
About 6' 4".
Around 225.
I assume then that...
...the rest of your bodily functions
are normal?
I beg your pardon?
Well, putting it delicately...
...do you...
...eat?
Yes, I do, when I'm hungry.
You do. Of course, you do.
Well, then is it true...
...that you can see through anything?
Yes, I can, pretty much.
And that you're totally impervious to pain?
Well, so far.
What color underwear am I wearing?
Did I embarrass you?
- No.
- I did.
No, it's just that
this planter must be made of lead.
Yes, it is. So?
I sort of have a problem
seeing through lead.
That's interesting.
Problems with lead.
- Do you have a first name?
- Like Ralph, or something?
- No, I mean like...
- Pink.
Pink!
Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you.
You didn't embarrass me.
What's your background?
Where are you from?
It's kind of hard to explain, actually.
You see, I'm from...
Well, from pretty far away.
Another galaxy, as a matter of fact.
I come from a planet called Krypton.
Krypton.
Cripton! With a C-r-i...
No, actually it's Krypton,
with a K-R-Y-P-T-O-N.
Do you like pink?
I like pink very much.
Why are you?
Sorry?
I mean, why are you here?
There must be a reason for you to be here.
Yes, I'm here to fight for truth and justice
and the American way.
You'll end up fighting every official
in this country.
You don't really mean that.
- I don't believe this.
- Lois?
I never lie.
How fast do you fly, by the way?
I don't know. I've never actually bothered
to time myself.
Say?
Why don't we find out?
And how do you propose we do that?
- Take a ride with me.
- You mean I could fly?
I'd be handling the flying, if that's okay.
- This is utterly fantastic.
- Wait a minute. Where are you going?
- Are you serious?
- Sure.
Don't you want to go?
You won't need these.
- I need a sweater. It must be kind of...
- No, you'll be warm enough.
Ready?
Clark said that you were just a figment
of somebody's imagination.
Like Peter Pan.
Clark, who's that? Your boyfriend?
- Clark? No, he's nothing.
- Peter Pan?
Peter Pan flew with children, Lois.
In a fairy tale.
Can you read my mind?
Do you know what it is that you do to me?
I don't know who you are.
Just a friend from another star.
Here I am, like a kid out of school.
Holding hands with a god.
I'm a fool.
Will you look at me?
Quivering.
Like a little girl shivering.
You can see right through me.
Can you read my mind?
Can you picture the things I'm thinking of?
Wondering why you are...
... all the wonderful things you are.
You can fly.
You belong in the sky.
You and I...
... could belong to each other.
If you need a friend...
... I'm the one to fly to.
If you need to be loved...
... here I am.
Read my mind.
We forgot to time ourselves.
Maybe next time.
You okay?
Good night.
Good night.
What a super man!
Superman!
Anybody home?
- Hi. Can I come in?
- Oh, yeah.
For goodness' sake,
didn't you hear me knocking?
We did have a date tonight, remember?
You haven't been?
I should certainly hope not.
Well, let's push off, shall we?
I'd better get a coat. It might be cold out.
I mean, I need a purse,
and I have to fix my hair...
...put some blusher on.
There's something I have to tell you.
I'm really...
I was at first really nervous about tonight.
But then I decided, darn it, I was going
to show you the time of your life.
That's Clark nice.
We could go for a hamburger
or whatever you want to do.
Now then...
...given the exact location
of the galaxy that he mentions...
...and the proximity
to our own solar system...
It's amazing. Amazing!
Too good to be true.
It's too good to be true.
...doesn't drink or smoke
and tells the truth.
Some people can read War and Peace...
...and think it was an adventure story.
Others can read the ingredients
on a gum wrapper...
...and unlock the secrets of the universe.
Lex, what has chewing gum got to do
with the secrets of the universe?
Right, Miss Teschmacher.
"N."
"M"? You want "M," Mr. Luthor?
Coming right up.
So there you go, "M."
"M" as in "moron," Otis? No.
It's "N" as in "Neanderthal"...
..."nincompoop," "nitwit,"
and "L" as in "ladder."
Here's a ladder, coming right up.
I didn't see...
I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor.
In the interview he says
that the Planet Krypton...
...exploded in 1948.
That ridiculous little freak...
...took three years in a rocket
to get to earth.
- Ergo...
- Ergo.
Ergo 1948, that's three years on.
He's 6' 4", you know that?
Do you know why the number 200 is
so vitally descriptive to both you and me?
It's your weight and my I.Q.
Think, people, think.
Deductive reasoning.
That's the name of the game.
Fragments from the Planet Krypton...
...exploded and went into outer space.
It is reasonable to assume...
...that some of those particles of debris
drifted to Earth.
Meteorites!
Jawohl.
Voil!
Voil!
A meteorite found in Addis Ababa?
I know I'll get rapped
in the mouth for this, but...
...so what?
So what? You mean to us
they're just meteorites.
Fair enough.
But the level of specific radioactivity...
...is so high to anyone
from the Planet Krypton...
...this substance is lethal.
Wait a minute, Mr. Luthor.
Fire and bullets can't hurt this guy...
...but this stuff here...
...will kill him.
Doesn't it give you a kind of...
...a shudder of electricity through you
to be in the same room with me?
Not like the shudder you'll get
when you lay that rock on him.
He can see you coming for miles
with those super peepers of his.
O Lord, you gave them eyes,
but they cannot see...
...nor can Superman, through lead.
He can't see through lead?
And Kryptonite will destroy him.
Any questions, class?
I wonder what they're wearing
in Addis Ababa?
Looks like a burnoose.
It's just a wraparound.
Are we going to Addis Ababa, Mr. Luthor?
Mother Bird to Missile Convoy, over.
Missile Convoy to Mother Bird, go ahead.
Everything looks good,
see you at the base. Over and out.
Roger, Mother Bird. Over and out.
Look at this!
Looks pretty bad.
Take her pulse.
Get an ambulance down here.
I don't want to hold this convoy up
more than I have to.
She's having trouble breathing.
What do you think?
I suggest a vigorous chest massage.
If that doesn't work, mouth-to-mouth.
Yes, sir!
I won't have my men do anything
I wouldn't be prepared to do myself.
Get an ambulance.
Gather around.
Turn around!
Hi.
Somebody hurt?
I did it, Mr. Luthor.
Miss Teschmacher, I did it.
- Just like you told me.
- All right, Otis.
It isn't that I don't trust you, but...
I don't trust you, Otis. What did you do?
I set the first directional vector...
...to 38.
The second one to 67.
And the third one to 117.
What about the fourth one?
What fourth one?
Wait a minute. The third one to 117?
- Yes. See, I wrote it down, Mr. Luthor.
- Otis!
The third one was supposed to be 11,
and the fourth one, 7.
Oh, gee, Mr. Luthor.
I guess my arm wasn't long enough, see.
Would you like to see a long arm?
Otis, would you like to see
a very, very, long arm?
No, Mr. Luthor.
- All right. Get it right.
- Yes, Mr. Luthor.
MacDonald, I thought you told me
this road would be blocked off?
- Jablowsky, didn't I tell you...
- I didn't asked him, I asked you.
All right. Follow me, men.
Back that thing off the road.
Back it off the road.
You'll have to circle back.
I don't have time to argue.
It's a heck of a day, isn't it?
- Route 12? That's back there.
- No, sir, it's up there.
- Sergeant, we took the wrong road.
- I'm a Lieutenant. A Naval Officer.
Shut up! Now Route 12 is back that way.
This man is a diabetic, you see.
As you know, the Daily Planet
is very interested in that dam...
...but what I don't understand...
...is why you'd sell out to a faceless person
you've never met?
You don't know his name.
At the stupid high price he offered...
...for this worthless piece of desert...
...I hope it's Custer!
Perfect, just what I need. Thank you.
Reporting live from the launch site,
ground zero.
Today marks a historic occasion since...
... two XK-101 rockets will be
launched simultaneously.
One by the Army, and one by the Navy.
Hi, everybody.
Has anybody seen Lois today?
No, but the Chief wants to see you.
You're blocking the set, Clark.
Sorry, Gil. How's Judy today? Okay?
Good.
Excuse me, Mr. White.
You wanted to see me, sir?
Have you seen Lois today?
She's out West,
looking into a land-fraud deal.
I sent young Olsen with her
on his first assignment.
Some unidentified clown
is buying thousands of acres...
...of worthless desert at incredible prices.
That doesn't seem to make sense.
The world doesn't make sense.
You ought to know that.
Look at this dispatch from Addis Ababa.
People break into a museum at night,
kill two people, and what do they take?
A worthless piece of meteorite.
How do you figure that?
I've never been able
to understand violence.
I know that about you.
That's why I wanted to talk to you.
I've been in this news game
...and I got where I am
with guts, compassion...
...elbow grease and something
you're sadly lacking in, son.
Humility?
Not humility, you've got bags of humility.
Aggression, confidence, that's the ticket.
Take charge.
Let people know who you are.
This is Lex Luthor.
Only one thing alive with less than
four legs can hear this frequency.
That's you.
In five minutes, a poisoned gas pellet
containing propane lithium compound...
... will be released through thousands
of air ducts in this city...
... effectively annihilating
half the population of Metropolis.
I was a reporter before most of my friends
were copy boys.
I want you to get Lois
to introduce you to Superman.
Find out who he is.
Where did he get that blue suit?
Did he have it made?
Is it silk? Is it plastic?
I know it all seems a bit much...
... but how else was I going to meet you,
Superman?
I knew you'd never accept
an invitation to tea.
But a disaster, with people in danger,
people who need help...
I just knew you couldn't resist
that chance to sort of pitch in.
You know what I mean?
There's a strong streak of good in you,
Superman.
But then nobody's perfect.
Almost nobody.
- Oh, Superman!
- Gee!
Stand back, please.
Nothing to get worried about.
Don't sit there like a numskull, get out!
Look at that overgrown boy scout,
Miss Teschmacher.
Tell me what you see?
Cuteness, dimples.
You like cuteness?
Dimples.
I'll give you dimples.
The pressure is still on you.
You know they say:
If you can't stand the heat...
...get out of the tunnel.
It's your last chance, Superman.
Why don't you do yourself a favor
and freeze.
I think he's coming, Mr. Luthor.
He's definitely coming.
It's open, come in.
My attorney will be in touch with you
about the damage to the door.
Otis, take the gentleman's cape.
I don't think he wants me to.
Where's the gas pellet?
Somewhere.
It's in the back of my mind, actually.
It's a little idea I was toying with.
Is that how a warped brain like yours
gets its kicks?
By planning the death of innocent people?
No. By causing the death
of innocent people.
Fire!
Navy Bird, we have a good launch.
As you may or may not know,
I am, as they say...
...very heavy into real estate.
To make money, you have to buy
for a little and sell for a lot, right?
Right.
So, the problem?
How to make the land more valuable
between the time you buy it...
...and the time you sell it?
Now this is California.
The richest, most populous state
in the Union.
I don't need a geography lesson from you.
Of course, you've been there.
I do forget, you get around, don't you?
Where was I?
- California.
- California, right.
The San Andreas Fault,
maybe you've heard of it?
Yes. It's the joining together
of two land masses.
The fault line is shifting, which is why
you get earthquakes in California.
Wonderful!
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Everything west of this line is the richest,
most expensive real estate in the world.
San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco.
Everything on this side of the line...
...is just hundreds of miles
of worthless desert land...
...which just happens to be owned by...
Lex Luthor Incorporated.
Now, call me foolish, call me irresponsible.
It occurs to me that a 500-megaton bomb...
...planted at just the proper point would...
Would destroy most of California.
Millions of people would be killed
and the West Coast as we know it would...
Fall into the sea. Bye-bye, California.
Hello, new West Coast. My West Coast.
Costa Del Lex, Luthorville.
Marina Del Lex, Otisburg.
"Otisburg"?
Miss Teschmacher,
she's got her own place.
"Otisburg"?
It's a little bitty place.
Otisburg?
I'll just wipe it off, that's all.
You're a dreamer, Lex Luthor.
A sick, twisted dreamer.
Your plan couldn't possibly work.
I'll admit there were a few problems.
Adjusting the precise trajectory
of the missile.
Finding the optimum stress point
for the fault line itself...
...which, by the way, is target zero.
Right...
...here.
That's impossible!
What's happening, Lieutenant?
Trajectory malfunction, sir.
Abort.
All counter control units...
... remove vacuum pressure to maximum.
Function negative, sir.
Can't you knock them down?
Absolutely impossible, sir. They have
the new P-20 low-level avoidance systems.
Get me the Pentagon.
What do you think, super baby?
Interesting?
Your theory's quite impressive, Luthor.
Would you go to the viewing room, please?
But as for the rest,
it's nothing but a sick fantasy.
Fantasy?
No.
It's history. It's happening, Superman.
Miss Teschmacher!
Yes, Lex?
Where's the rocket now?
It's going like a bat over the Grand Canyon,
so is the other one.
The other one?
There are two of them?
Yes, Superman, double jeopardy.
Even you, with your great speed,
couldn't stop both of them.
While I, on the other hand,
could stop them with my detonator.
All right, Luthor, where is it?
Where's the detonator?
Diseased maniac!
Do you think you could hide it from me
by encasing it in lead?
I'll mold this box into your prison bars.
Don't touch that.
I told you.
It's Kryptonite.
A little souvenir from your hometown.
I've spared no expense
to make you feel at home.
You were great in your day.
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.
You don't even care
where the other missile's headed, do you?
Certainly I do.
I know exactly where it's headed.
Hackensack, New Jersey.
I have to leave you now. No hard feelings.
We all have our little faults.
Mine's in California.
Lex, my mother lives in Hackensack.
Please, you can't...
...you can't just stand there.
You can't just stand
and let millions of innocent people die.
Maybe.
Please. Please, help me to save them.
Would you promise
to save my mother first?
But, Lois, and Jimmy...
But my mother comes first.
If you promise, I'll believe you
because you always tell the truth.
I promise, I promise.
Why did you kiss me first?
I didn't think you'd let me later.
Thank you, Miss Teschmacher.
Why is it I can't get it on
with the good guys?
Stand aside now.
I wouldn't stay here, either.
Army Bird still heading due east.
Navy Bird still heading due west.
Losing radar contact.
Next radar contact after three seconds.
Army Bird still headed east, sir.
Army Bird gaining altitude.
Miss Teschmacher!
Radar contact strong.
Miss Teschmacher!
Radar report Navy Bird. San Andreas area.
Navy Bird heading down,
15 seconds to impact.
15 seconds and counting.
A military missile has exploded
in the Southern California desert.
The force of the explosion has activated
the San Andreas fault.
California is suffering a major earthquake.
What's going on?
It's a quake! Look!
Okay, kids, it's all right now.
Hey, it's Superman!
Holy mackerel!
We're going off the tracks.
All personnel evacuate dam.
Watch that cable!
Someone try and pull the main.
It's impossible. It's red hot!
Is that man all right?
Yeah.
Hang on, Jim.
The dam broke.
You're safe here, son.
That's okay. Miss Lane
will be driving by any minute.
- Come on!
- Make it to the hill.
There has been major quake damage
to Southern California.
The San Andreas fault has miraculously
sealed itself.
Yet Southern California is suffering
an aftershock of a major earthquake.
The population is still warned
to be aware...
Please, come on, turn over.
Come on!
Help me. Help me, please.
It is forbidden for you to interfere...
There's one thing I do know, Son,
and that is you are here for a reason.
It is forbidden.
All those things I can do,
all those powers...
... but I couldn't even save him.
It is forbidden.
Hi.
Don't bother, it's dead.
Sure it's dead.
The problem with men of steel is
they're never around when you want one.
Do you know what happened
while you were off flying around?
I was almost in an earthquake.
A gas station blew up beside my car.
Telephone poles falling all over the road.
I was almost killed.
To top the whole thing off,
this stupid car runs out of gas.
I'm sorry about that, Lois.
But I've been kind of busy for a while.
I'm sorry, that's all right.
Thanks a lot, Superman.
Put me in the middle of nowhere
during an earthquake.
No food, no water, snakes everywhere.
I had no idea if you were coming back.
There's something I have to do.
I'll see you later.
He can't stay still for a second.
Golly, Miss Lane, it's too bad
Mr. Kent wasn't here to see all this.
Yeah, poor Clark.
He's never around when...
Clark... Wait a minute.
What?
Lois Lane, that is the silliest idea.
I'll tell you something, Miss Lane.
I think he really cares about you.
- Clark? Of course, he does.
- No, not Clark.
Superman cares about everybody, Jimmy.
But who knows. Someday, if he's lucky...
You're messing up my suit!
Otis! Watch the ground, you...
Good evening, Warden.
These two men should be safe here
'til they can get a fair trial.
Who is it, Superman?
Lex Luthor.
- The greatest criminal mind of our time.
- Of our time.
- I hereby serve notice...
- He's serving notice to you.
...that these walls...
Will you shut up, you fat little fool!
You, you nitwit!
Nincompoop!
This country...
...is safe again, Superman, thanks to you.
No, sir.
Don't thank me, Warden.
We're all part of the same team.
Good night.