Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Jesse Eisenberg: Lex Luthor

Photos 

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Quotes 

• Lex Luthor : [looks at a picture of angels vs demons]  That should be upside down. We know better now, don't we? Devils don't come from hell beneath us. No, they come from the sky.

• Superman : You think I'll fight him for you?

  Lex Luthor : Mm, yes, I do. I think you will fight, fight, fight for that special lady in your life!

  Superman : She's safe on the ground. How about you?

  Lex Luthor : Close, but I am not talking about Lois. No. Every boy's special lady is his mother... Martha, Martha, Martha... Now, the mother of a flying demon must be a witch. The punishment for witches, what is that? That's right. Death by fire.

• Lois Lane : You're psychotic.

  Lex Luthor : That is a three syllable word for any thought too big for little minds.

• Lex Luthor : See, what we call God depends upon our tribe, Clark Jo, 'cause God is tribal. God takes sides. No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from Daddy's fist and abominations. I figured out way back if God is all-powerful, He cannot be all good. And if He is all good, then He cannot be all-powerful. And neither can you be.

• Lex Luthor : Boys! Mm, Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent. Ah, I love it! I love bringing people together! How are we?

  [shakes Bruce's hand] 

  Bruce Wayne : Lex.

  Lex Luthor : Hello. Good.

  [turns to Clark] 

  Lex Luthor : Hi, hello.

  [shakes Clark's hand] 

  Lex Luthor : Lex. It is a pleasure... Ow! Wow, that is a good grip! You should not pick a fight with this person.

• Lex Luthor : Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? It's that power can be innocent.

• Lex Luthor : [to General Zod]  You flew too close to the sun. Now look at you.

• Lex Luthor : And now you will fly to him, and you will battle him to the death. Black and blue. Fight night. The greatest gladiator match in the history of the world: God versus man; day versus night; Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham!

• Lex Luthor : You don't need to use a silver bullet. But if you forge one, you don't need to depend on the kindness of monsters.

• Batman : Whatever you do, wherever you go, I will be watching you.

  Lex Luthor : But the bell's already been rung.

• Lex Luthor : An ancient Kryptonian deformity; blood of my blood, born to destroy you!... Your Doomsday.

• Lex Luthor : The Red Capes are coming! The Red Capes are coming!

• Lex Luthor : If man won't kill God, the Devil will do it!

• Lex Luthor : And now God bends to my will.

• Lex Luthor : [giving speech]  Books are knowledge and knowledge is power, and I am... no. Um, no. What am I? What was I saying? The bittersweet pain among men is having knowledge with no power because... because that is *paradoxical* and, um... thank you for coming.

• Batman : Whatever you do, wherever you go, I'll be watching you!

  [holds his bat-brand up to Luthor's face] 

  Lex Luthor : Oh, look at us. This is how it all caves in, civilization on the Wayne Manor's out the window. But who would believe me, I... I'm insane. I'm not even fit to stand trial.

  Batman : That's right. We have hospitals who treat the mentally ill with compassion.

  [Lex chuckles nervously] 

  Batman : But, that's not where you're going. I've arranged for you to get a transfer to Arkham Asylum in Gotham. I still have some friends there. They're expecting you.

  Lex Luthor : But, the bell's already been rung... and they've heard it. Out in the dark, among the stars... Ding-dong, the god is dead.

  [Batman punches his wall with a bat-brand mark] 

• Lex Luthor : Boy, do we have problems up here!

  [sets timer and stands up] 

  Lex Luthor : The problem of evil in the world. The problem of absolute virtue.

  Superman : I'll take you in without breaking you, which is more than you deserve.

  Lex Luthor : The problem of you on top of everything else. You above all. Ah. 'Cause that's what God is. Horus. Apollo. Jehovah. Kal-El. Clark Joseph Kent. See, what we call God depends upon our tribe, Clark Jo, because God is tribal. God take sides. No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from Daddy's fist and abominations. Mm-mm. I've figured it out way back, if God is all powerful, He cannot be all good. And if He's all good then He cannot be all powerful. And neither can you be. They need to see the fraud you are. With their eyes. The blood on your hands.

  Superman : What have you done?

  Lex Luthor : And tonight they will. Yes. Because you, my friend, have a date! Across the bay. Ripe fruit, his hate. Two years growing. But it did not take much to push him over actually. Little red notes, big bang, you let your family die! And now, you will fly to him, and you will battle him, to the death. Black and blue. Fight night! The greatest gladiator match in the history of the the world: God versus man...

  [thunders in the background] 

  Lex Luthor : Day versus night. Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham!

  Superman : You think I'll fight him for you?

  Lex Luthor : Mm, yes, I do. I think you'll fight, fight, fight for that special lady in your life.

  Superman : She's safe on the ground. How about you?

  Lex Luthor : Close, but I'm not talking about Lois. No. Every boy's special lady is his mother.

  [walks around Superman and shows him photos of Martha being muzzled] 

  Lex Luthor : Huh! Martha, Martha, Martha. The mother of a flying demon must be a witch. The punishment for witches, what is that? That's right. Death by fire.

  [throws the photos one by one at Superman] 

  Superman : [angrily readies heat vision]  Where is she?

  Lex Luthor : I don't know! I wouldn't let them tell me! If you kill me, Martha dies. And if you fly away, Martha also dies. But if you kill the Bat, Martha lives.

  [Superman calms down and Lex approaches his hand] 

  Lex Luthor : There we go. There we go. And now God bends to my will. Now, the cameras are waiting at your ship for the world to see the holes in the holy. Yes, the all mighty comes clean about how dirty he is when it counts. To save Martha, bring me the head of the Bat.

  [helicopter arrives; Lex looks at his timer] 

  Lex Luthor : Mother of God, would you look at the time. When you came here, you had an hour. Now it's less.

• Lex Luthor : He is coming! And he is hungry!

• Lex Luthor : The night is here.

• Lex Luthor : Now God is good as dead.

• Lex Luthor : The bell's already been rung. They heard it; the creatures among the stars. They'll come... He'll come. He's angry... Ding-dong... Ding-dong... Ding-dong...

• Lex Luthor : The bell cannot be unrung.

• Lex Luthor : Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? Can I call you June?

  Senator Finch : You can call me whatever you like. Take a bucket of piss and call it Granny's Peach Tea; take a weapon of assassination and call it deterrence. You won't fool a fly or me. I'm not gonna drink it.

• Lex Luthor : [last lines, in a prison cell]  Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, the bells are ringing. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

• Lex Luthor : Ding-dong, the god is dead.

• Lex Luthor : [to Superman]  I don't hate the sinner. I hate the sin. And yours, my friend, is existing.

• Lex Luthor : The metahuman thesis!

• Wallace Keefe : Who the hell are you?

  Lex Luthor : Just a man.

  Wallace Keefe : Yeah? Well, what the fuck do you want?

  Lex Luthor : To help you stand for something.

• Lex Luthor : Martha, Martha, Martha!

• Lex Luthor : See, what we call God depends upon our tribe, Clark Jo, 'cause God is tribal. God takes sides. No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from Daddy's fist and abominations. I figured out way back if God is all-powerful, He cannot be all good. And if He is all good, then He cannot be all-powerful.