Superman reappears after a long absence, but is challenged by an old foe who uses Kryptonian technology for world domination.

Superman: Listen; what do you hear?
Lois Lane: Nothing.
Superman: I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one.
Superman: [to Jason asleep in his bed] You will be different, sometimes you'll feel like an outcast, but you'll never be alone. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son.
Lex Luthor: Kitty, what did my father used to say to me?
Kitty Kowalski: You're losing your hair.
Lex Luthor: Before that.
Kitty Kowalski: Get out.
Lex Luthor: He said: You can print money, manufacture diamonds, and people are a dime a dozen, but they'll always need land. It's the one thing they're not making any more of.
Jimmy Olsen: Look up in the sky, see?
[Points at a small figure of Superman in the picture]
Lois Lane: It's a bird
Perry White: It's a plane
Jimmy Olsen: No, it's...
[Is interrupted by the entrance of Clark]
Clark Kent: You wanted to see me?
Jor-El: [Superman is remembering Jor-El's last message to him from the first film] Live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. 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.
Clark Kent: Jimmy how did Lex Luthor get out of prison?
Jimmy Olsen: When his appeals came up, they called Superman as a witness, and he never showed. How much do you think that pisses off Superman?
Clark Kent: A lot.
Jimmy Olsen: A lot
Perry White: [Explaining to Lois Lane why she must write an article on the return of Superman, rather than a massive power outage] Three things sell this newspaper: Tragedy, sex, and Superman. These people have had enough tragedy, and we all know you can't write worth a damn about sex.
Perry White: [discussing headlines] Has he gained weight?
[Clark suddenly looks down]
Clark Kent: Thanks for giving me my job back.
Perry White: Don't thank me. Thank Norm Parker for dying!
Jimmy Olsen: It was his time.
[first lines]
Jor-El: You will travel far my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you. Even in the face of our deaths. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father, the - The son.
Lois Lane: But millions of people will die!
Lex Luthor: Billions! Once again, the press underestimates me.
[last lines]
Jason White: [Yells and waves from his window] GOOD NIGHT!
Lois Lane: [Lois is standing in the front yard thinking about Superman, she is then startled when she hears Jason, she sees Jason waving out to the sky, she then looks at the sky and sees Superman floating right above her] I... Will we see you... around?
Superman: I'm always around. Good night, Lois.
[Flies off]
Jason White: Who are you?
Clark Kent: I'm Clark... Kent. An old friend of your mom's from before you were born.
Jason White: Really? She never mentioned you.
Clark Kent: [shocked slightly] Really?... Never?
Lois Lane: [about Jason] He's a little fragile, but he's gonna grow up to be big and strong... just like his dad.
Perry White: Okay listen up. I wanna know it all, everything. Olsen, I wanna see photos of him everywhere. No, I want the photos. Sports, how are they going to get that plane out of the stadium? Travel, where did he go? Was he on vacation? If so, where? Gossip, has he met somebody? Fashion, is that a new suit? Uh, health, has he gained weight? What's he been eating? Business, how is this gonna effect the stock market? Long-term? Short-term? Politics, does he still stand for truth, justice, all that stuff? Lifestyle... Superman returns.
Perry White: Lois, Pulitzer Prizes are like Academy Awards, nobody remembers what you got one for, just that you got one.
[leans in to kiss Superman, but pulls back at the last moment]
Lois Lane: Richard's a good man... and you've been gone a long time.
Perry White: Great Caesar's ghost.
Kitty Kowalski: My heart, my palpitations, they're gone, what did you do?
Superman: I didn't do anything, Ma'am.
Kitty Kowalski: [breathlessly] Call me Catharine.
Lex Luthor: This ordinary crystal is a seed, and all it needs is water.
[pause]
Kitty Kowalski: Like Sea Monkeys?
Lex Luthor: [sighs] Exactly, Kitty. Like Sea Monkeys.
Jason White: Mommy, are we trespassing?
Lois Lane: No. Yes. Shh!
Kitty Kowalski: [Stomps into a room and slaps Lex across the face] I was going to pretend the brakes were out. Pretend! Like we talked about!
[Screaming]
Kitty Kowalski: You didn't actually have to cut them!
Lex Luthor: Well of course I did. A man can always tell when a woman is pretending... especially Superman.
[Lex notices Jason staring at the Kryptonite in fear]
Lex Luthor: Who is that boy's father?
Lois Lane: Richard.
[Grant's voice comes over the intercom]
Grant: Mr. Luthor, we're approaching the coordinates.
Lex Luthor: [to Lois, ignoring Grant] Are you sure?
Grant: [misunderstanding] Yes sir.
Lex Luthor: Come on, let me hear you say it, just once.
Lois Lane: You're insane.
Lex Luthor: No!
[chuckling]
Lex Luthor: Not that. The other thing. Come on, I know it's dangling on the tip of your tongue. Let me hear it just once, please?
Lois Lane: Superman will never...
Lex Luthor: WRONG!
Lex Luthor: This crystal may seem unremarkable, but then so is the seed of a redwood tree. It's how our mutual friend in tights made his Arctic getaway spot. Cute, but a little small for my taste.
Kitty Kowalski: [Looking at a dog chewing on bones surrounded by dog fur] Weren't there two of those?
Lois Lane: Well you're back and everyone seems happy about it.
Superman: Not everyone.
Jor-El: [Superman is flashing back to things his father told him] The human heart is still subject to monstrous deceits.
Lex Luthor: [pulls off wig and tosses it to little girl] You can keep that.
[referring to his newly-inherited mansion]
Lex Luthor: The rest is mine.
Kitty Kowalski: Your friends give me the creeps.
Lex Luthor: Prison is a creepy place, Kitty, and one needs to make creepy friends in order to survive. On the inside, even my talents were worth less than a carton of cigarettes and a sharp piece of metal in your pocket.
Lois Lane: [gasps after Lex comes out of the bathroom] Lex Luthor!
Lex Luthor: [toothbrush in mouth] Lois Lane?
Jason White: You're bald!
Richard White: Lois, that article you wrote.
Lois Lane: "Why the world doesn't need Superman?"
Richard White: No the other one.
Lois Lane: Which one? I wrote dozens of them, I was practically his press agent.
Richard White: The one from years ago before we met, "I spent the night with Superman".
Lois Lane: Richard it was the title of an interview plus it was your Uncle Perry's idea.
Richard White: I know.
Richard White: Were you in love with him?
Lois Lane: He was Superman. Everyone was in love with him.
Richard White: Even you?
Lois Lane: [pause] ... No.
Bo the Bartender: Must be tough coming back.
Clark Kent: Coming back?
Bo the Bartender: To work.
Lex Luthor: Turn the camera off.
Riley: But I'm getting it.
Lex Luthor: Turn it off!
Riley: [turns off the camera and the lights go out] I think I did somethin' wrong.
Lex Luthor: No... that wasn't you.
Jor-El: You will travel far, my little Kal-El, but we will never leave you-even in the face of our deaths. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father. And the father, the son.
Superman: [Screams after being savagely beaten] I'm still Superman!
Superman: [after saving Lois Lane and other members of the media from a plane crash] Well, I hope this experience hasn't put any of you off flying. Statistically speaking, it's still the safest way to travel.
Kitty Kowalski: Lex?
Lex Luthor: [lighting a cigar] Uh-huh?
Kitty Kowalski: Are billions of people really going to die?
[beat; Luthor takes a puff from the cigar]
Lex Luthor: [indifferently] Yes.
Lex Luthor: Do you know the story of Prometheus? No, of course you don't. Prometheus was a god who stole the power of fire from the other gods and gave control of it to the mortals. In essence, he gave us technology, he gave us power.
Kitty Kowalski: So we're stealing fire? In the Arctic?
Lex Luthor: Actually, sort of. You see whoever controls technology controls the world. The Roman empire ruled the world because they built roads. The British empire ruled the world because they built ships. America; the atom bomb. And so on and so forth. I just want what Prometheus wanted.
Kitty Kowalski: Sounds great Lex, but you're not a god.
Lex Luthor: [fixes Kitty with an icy stare] Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes and don't share their power with mankind. No, I don't want to be a *god*. I just want to bring fire to the people. And... I want my cut.
Lois Lane: But there are a dozen other stories out there.
Perry White: Yeah? Name one.
Lois Lane: Well, there was a museum robbery last night. Hmm? Even Superman missed that one... he was too busy saving this hooker.
[points at photo of Superman carrying Kitty]
Police Sharp Shooter: Holy Sh...
Lois Lane: How many "f's" in "catastrophic"?
Clark Kent: Swell.
Richard White: It's great to finally meet you, I've heard so much.
Clark Kent: [looks at Lois] Oh, you have?
Richard White: Yeah. Jimmy just won't shut up about you.
Lois Lane: You know my um... Richard. He's a pilot. He takes me up all the time.
Superman: Not like this.
Lex Luthor: [angrily throws coconut into the ocean]
Kitty Kowalski: Lex! We only have six of those!
Lex Luthor: Six?
[laughs maniacally]
Lex Luthor: [screaming] I would trade three hundred THOUSAND coconuts and every ounce of your blood for a QUART OF GASOLINE!
Kitty Kowalski: But what will we have to eat?
Lex Luthor: [eyes the dog in Kitty's arms maliciously]
Lois Lane: [after being locked in the pantry on Lex's yacht and discovering that her son is Superman's] Could you help mommy open this door?
Lex Luthor: But we're not really strangers, are we? This is kind of a little reunion, isn't it? Heck, I'm a fan. I love your writing... and your dress.
Lois Lane: I love your boat. How'd you get it? Swindle some old widow out of her money?
Lex Luthor: [gushes and chuckles mockingly] That's funny. Hey, didn't you win the Pulitzer Prize for my favorite article of all time, 'Why the World DOESN'T Need Superman'?
Lois Lane: Didn't you have a few more years to go on that DOUBLE life sentence?
Lex Luthor: [pause as he glares at her] Yes, well, we can thank the Man of Steel for that. I mean, he's really good at swooping in and catching the bad guys, but he's not so hot at the little things, like Miranda rights, due process,
[under his breath]
Lex Luthor: making your court date...
[Newspaper headline reads: "SUPERMAN IS DEAD"]
Richard White: It's a little morbid, Perry.
Perry White: Always be prepared.
Lois Lane: How did you get here?
Richard White: I flew.
Martha Kent: Your father used to say you were put here for a reason.
Superman: I read the article, Lois.
Lois Lane: Yeah, so did a lot of people. Tomorrow night, they're giving me the Pulitzer...
Superman: Why did you write it?
Lois Lane: How could you leave us like that? I moved on. So did the rest of us. That's why I wrote it. The world doesn't need a savior. And neither do I.
Kitty Kowalski: [while in Superman's Fortress of Solitude] You act like you've been here before.
Lois Lane: Chief, I've done Superman.
[Jimmy snickers. Lois, Clark, and Perry look at him]
Lois Lane: Covered him. You know what I mean.
Clark Kent: Yeah. Well, you know, things change. I mean, of course things change, but sometimes things that you didn't think would change
[struggles to find the right wording]
Clark Kent:
Jimmy Olsen: You know, if you ask me - 'cause she'll never tell you this - but, if you ask me, she's still in love with You-Know-Who.
[takes a swig of beer]
Clark Kent: [slowly turns to look disconcertedly at Jimmy, who burps obliviously]
Jor-El: They could be great people Kal-El if they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way, this reason above all is why I send them you, my only son.
Lex Luthor: See anything familiar?
Superman: I see an old man's sick joke.
Lex Luthor: Really? Because I see my new apartment. And a place for Kitty. One for my friends. And the place over there, I'll rent out. But, you know, maybe you're right. You know, maybe it - It is a little cold. It's, uh - Uh - What's the word I'm searching for? It's a little... alien. It lacks that human touch.
Clark Kent: [explaning to his mother about his journey to the remains of Krypton as Superman] That place was a graveyard... but I'm all that's left.
Lex Luthor: [spots the van riddled with bullet-holes] Run into trouble?
Grant: You should see the other guy.
Lex Luthor: [after stabbing Superman] Now, fly.
Lex Luthor: You took away five years of my life. I'm just returning the favor!
Kitty Kowalski: Wow, that's really something Lex.
Lex Luthor: Wait for it.
Kitty Kowalski: [long pause] Wow, that's really something Lex. It's freakin' Gone with the Wind.
Jimmy Olsen: Mr. Clark! I mean, Kent. Mr. Kent! Welcome back!
Lois Lane: Richard's an assistant editor here who's basically saved our International section. He's also a pilot and he loves horror movies.
Clark Kent: [sighs theatrically, trying to appear impressed]
Lois Lane: [to Richard] Clark is...
Clark Kent: [smirks at her expectantly]
Lois Lane: Well...
[chuckles]
Lois Lane: he's Clark.
Kitty Kowalski: [about Kryptonian technology] Sounds like a lot of hocus-pocus to me.
Lex Luthor: Well, naturally. To the primitive mind, any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic.
[Arthur C. Clarke's "Third Law" from "Profiles of the Future," 1973]
Lex Luthor: [while kicking Superman] Didn't your dad ever teach you to *walk* before you *leap*?
Jimmy Olsen: [leans over an unsuspecting Clark who is holding a family photo of Lois, Jason, and Richard] Ha, yea! He looks just like his mom. Already takes after her too, especially when it comes to getting into trouble.
Clark Kent: [obviously confused] Mother?
Jimmy Olsen: Oh yea, well I guess you've been gone. Fearless reporter Lois Lane is a mommy.
Clark Kent: [cracks the glass and winces] I'm sorry.
Jimmy Olsen: [takes the picture from Clark] It's okay. She's got plenty of them.
Clark Kent: She's married?
Jimmy Olsen: Yeah, well no, its more of a prolonged engagement, but don't ask Miss Lane when they're tying the knot because she hates that question
Grant: Brutus is... dead. He got hit with the piano.
Lex Luthor: Where's the boy?
Grant: With the mother, locked up in the pantry.
Lex Luthor: Oh, it's time for us to go
Lex Luthor: You're not seeing the big picture here.
Lex Luthor: Krrrrryptonite!
Lois Lane: I don't know if you can hear me. They say that sometimes when people are... that they can hear you.
Lex Luthor: Bring it on!
Superman: I know lots of people are asking questions now that I'm back, and I think it's only fair that I answer... those people.
Lois Lane: So... you're here for an interview?
Superman: I'm sorry I left you, Lois.
Lex Luthor: What do you know about crystals?
Lois Lane: They make great chandeliers.
[to Superman]
Lois Lane: I forgot how warm you are.
Richard White: [referring to Superman] I love that he can see through anything. I'd have fun with that.
Lois Lane: Well, you're back and everyone seems happy about it.
Superman: Not everyone.