Michael Rosenbaum: Lex Luthor

Tempest

Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor: Any relationship founded on lies is destined to fail. It's a good thing we don't have that problem.
Clark Kent: Lucky us.

Lionel Luthor: When Alexander the Great was dying his generals asked him who he would leave his armies to and his answer was "I leave it to the strongest."
Lex Luthor: I believe the term is "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!"
Lionel Luthor: You're not my enemy. You're my son!
Lex Luthor: Funny, I never saw the distinction.

Lionel Luthor: You're not in a hurry to pack.
Lex Luthor: That's because I'm not leaving.
Lionel Luthor: Accept your fate, Lex. It's time to move on.
Lex Luthor: I'm forcing a vote of the board of directors to accept an employee buyout of the plant.
Lionel Luthor: [laughs] What are you gonna do? Convince the employees to take out a second mortgage? Cash in their IRAs?
Lex Luthor: Something like that.
Lionel Luthor: Even if you sell all your stock, and drain your trust fund, you still come up short, Lex. What are you going to do about the rest of the money, hmm?
Lex Luthor: Take the buyout now and you can keep your dignity. It's more than you left me.
Lionel Luthor: That's very gracious of you, son. You might wanna look at this first.
Lex Luthor: You've bought the Smallville Savings and Loan.
Lionel Luthor: Go ahead, lead your buyout. But remember I own your employees' mortgages. As soon as they begin missing payments, I won't hesitate to foreclose on each and every one of them. They'll be homeless, and it'll be your fault. You ready to accept that kind of responsibility? You're gonna take me on, son, you're gonna have to bring your game up to a whole different level.

Lex Luthor: You just fired 2,500 people and blamed it on me.
Lionel Luthor: Monday, you'll thank me, Lex. Smallville isn't in your future; it's just a brief chapter in your biography.

Lex Luthor: You sure you can afford being seen with the town pariah?
Clark Kent: I'll take my chances. What happened, Lex?
Lex Luthor: The two theories seem to be I either ran the plant into the ground through incompetence or did it deliberately so I can go back to Metropolis.
Clark Kent: Your dad already offered you a job in Metropolis; just tell people the truth.
Lex Luthor: Then I get stuck with the incompetence rap. Being reviled is the lesser evil.
Clark Kent: I guess you're going back to Metropolis, then.
Lex Luthor: That's why my father orchestrated his coup, but... this isn't over.
Clark Kent: You have a plan?
Lex Luthor: Maybe.
Clark Kent: [standing up to leave] You have a lot of work to do.
Lex Luthor: Clark. Thanks for stopping by. It means a lot.
Clark Kent: What are friends for?

Clark Kent: Why would your father be against the plant?
Lex Luthor: We have a complicated relationship, Clark. My father wants me to believe it's built on trust, but it's not. It's built on lies and deceit. Any relationship with that foundation is destined to fail. Lucky we don't have that problem.
Clark Kent: Lucky us.