Supergirl · Season 1
All right. Private security cameras everywhere, power-dampening clubs. They're guarding something important.
I have an idea to get us in. We do a Wookiee Gambit.
Absolutely not.
A Wookiee what?
You haven't seen Star Wars?
I believe I've been adequately shamed for that in the past, thank you.
Basically, J'onn shapeshifts as a guard and pretends to bring us in as prisoners. It's the best way to get in.
Why does everyone always think getting captured is the best plan?
Why don't we have a cup of tea while Lex tells us why he summoned us here?
He summoned us here to gloat.
You think so little of me, Lena. It hurts. I'm a sentimental guy. I didn't do all of this for me, I did it for us. I mean, look, we all know if I wanted you two dead, you wouldn't be treading on the presidential seal having a tea party. Everything I've done has been strategic to lead up to this very moment. The Luthor name cleared. Our family poised to take its rightful place in history.
And what exactly are we poised to do?
Revolutionize energy worldwide. I'm rounding up aliens and harnessing their power to be used and sold; sort of like supercharged disposable batteries.
That's vile!
Vile and viable. As another world leader once said, "I don't see why men shouldn't be as cruel as nature."
Try not to quote Hitler in public, dear. It'll hurt the brand.
How are you alive? How did you do it?
How do you think I did it? I'm Supergirl.
Just like your cousin. No matter how many times I stamp you out, you miraculously resurface with your glossy cape and your perfect hair.
Let me let you in on a little secret, Lex. Truth and justice always prevail.
[laughs] You and your cousin are such saps.
I trusted you, Alex.
You're either dumb or staggeringly naive. You had my history at your disposal. Internet accessible. If you had bothered to look, you'd have realized two things. Defending poor, broken Kaznia is a little small potatoes for Lex Luthor. But, perhaps more significantly, I hate Kryptonians. And what are you? A Kryptonian.
Turning against each other has only led to more division, more hate, and more violence. There must be a better way. [he's asked if his perspective has changed because of what happened to Ben] Yes. I've seen firsthand how that kind of anger can tear a family apart. I've lived that heartbreak. And I wanna make sure nobody else has to. If humans and aliens can just listen to each other, then we can stand up, united, against those who seek to divide us.
If you do this, it's genocide. The public will find out the truth, and when they do...
The truth is meaningless. The people of Earth believe I am their savior. They needed a human hero, and I fulfill that need. Nothing will ever change their minds. Facts are irrelevant. All that matters is spin. People are so stupid, they don't even read. And even when they do, they certainly don't think. I am the leader of this nation now, and nothing can stop me.
May I ask you something, Ms. Luthor?
Yes, Hope.
These simulations you've been running in virtual reality. My calculations show it is possible they can be achieved in the real world.
Are you offering to help me kill Supergirl?
Yes. Would you like me to facilitate?
I appreciate the offer, Hope. You grow more intelligent and capable by the day. And your assistance comes without ambition, drama, or ego.
That's why you built me.
Precisely. Because I trust in technology, not people. People are governed by feelings; anger hurt, sadness. And I'm guilty of that, too. That's why I engage in these simulations, to excise these emotions. I'm not a villain. I don't wanna kill Supergirl; I just want her to experience the same hurt she inflicted on me. And soon enough, she will.
No, Hannibal Lecter. He eats people.
Miranda Priestly.
Miranda Priestly? Are you serious?
I'm as serious as the pursed lips of Miranda Priestly.
[seeing Alex and Kara] Okay, good, you guys can help me prove a point. Who is the greatest movie villain of all time?
Voldemort.
Hans Gruber.
Impressively unhelpful. Well, I guess you'll just have to accept that I'm right.
Hmm. This Earth custom that the girlfriend is always right is illogical and-and frustrating, but I can assimilate.
When Ms. Danvers won the Pulitzer, readership tanked. It gives a certain kind of impression that the paper is pedantic; it's heavy, it's dull, like homework.
That's insane.
No, Kara, what's insane is branding a company in a way that causes people to click away from the site.
The news is not about clicks.
Everything is about clicks. From Fortune 500 companies selling their wares to a new mom posting her child's birthday, today the measure of worth is on a click. To survive, CatCo needs to pivot. Attention spans have plummeted along with revenues. Readers want watercooler news that's just fun to read and just as easy to digest.
That, um... I'm pretty sure I can speak for everybody in the room when I say that if that is the kind of content that you wanna create here, we will walk. This is not what we signed up for.
This is nice, you in my office.
Well, I'm not so sure if I actually have an office anymore.
Yeah, I, uh, ran into Kara in the elevator, and I had to tell her that I couldn't join her crusade against my new boss on my... second day?
Yeah.
I'll support whatever you guys decide to do. Just mostly in the abstract.
I'm just really proud of the company that we built over the last few years. It's a strong, serious, hard-hitting news organization that actually affects people's lives. Whatever this vision Andrea has for CatCo, I don't recognize it. And I don't think I can play that game.
Then don't.
What do you mean?
CatCo and journalism isn't all that you are. You started helping people long before dad put that camera in your hand. And, look, I know that you think that you have to muscle your way through everything. But, for once, just take a step back and ask... what does James Olsen want?
You can't just take over a storied news outlet and turn it into a... a pandering clickbait tabloid.
Actually, I can.
And here's where you threaten me if I quit, you'll block me from the whole profession.
Correct.
Mm-hmm.
And I'm not gonna fire you.
Well, I'm not leaving journalism, so if I stay here, you should get used to the fact that I will be reporting what I want and writing it the way I want to. I will try to be shorter, because I am flexible. But I will fight you every time on every story to make sure it is told the way it deserves to be told. I will not tolerate being re-written by him, and I will not allow my voice to be silenced.
I never had any intention of silencing you, Kara. I'm glad we worked that out.
Good morning, Ms. Luthor.
Is it morning? I lost track of time. I had an epiphany last night. There's something in these lenses of the Obsidian technology that's going to allow me to change the course of humanity.
That is an exciting agenda. What is your scientific hypothesis?
Hope, could you hurt someone?
I am incapable of causing pain. It is against my prime directive.
Exactly. Because you were built in the very image of perfection. You have no selfish inclinations. Your base code is morality, empathy, and logic. Humans and aliens, however, are flawed. They are driven by their emotions. They lie, cheat, and hurt each other to protect themselves. But it's not their fault, it's just how they're programmed. I am going to make them better with Project Non Nocere.
Do no harm.
Whoa! You have a bento box fort.
Yup. Yeah, I do.
Can I have some?
Yes.
I'm starving.
Yes, please, take them all. I'm still stuffed from breakfast.
Well, let me guess, is this Brainy?
This morning, he brought me my favorite breakfast, and it was perfect, but I don't know. Isn't this... a little excessive?
Um, maybe giving food is Brainy's language of love, I don't know.
Well, I think I just need to tell him in plain English that this is 35 boxes of sushi too much love.
Yeah, that sounds like a very healthy and mature thing to do, but I'm gonna enjoy this while it lasts.
Well, this should help take away the pain temporarily.
I don't understand. You think that whoever did this to you was also the person that released Midnight?
Yes. He said he was my brother. At first, I didn't believe him, but now I know it must be true.
How do you know?
This is specifically a Martian form of agony. In the early days of Mars, there were two brothers, Phobos and Deimos. Their rivaly and bloodshed was the reason for the split of the Green and White Martians. To prevent this ever happening again, a curse was placed on the Green Martians. We call it Fa'ra'too'rik. It is the punishment for brother attacking brother.
You're here late. Working on a new extracurricular story?
No. Actually, I'm just here to do my job.
That's a nice change.
You know what? I see you. You're a saboteur. You bring other people down to make you look better. And maybe that's how you've made it this far, but that's a rotten way of making it to the top. So you can try to get me in trouble and steal my stories, but while you're busy plotting and undermining me, I'm gonna be doing my job, with heart and integrity, and I'm gonna be doing it well.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Supergirl pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
