Man Of Steel: The Main Characters' First And Last Lines
With Zack Snyder's Justice League continuing to be the most talked-about movie of the year, many fans are revisiting Snyder's other projects within the DCEU. It all started with Man of Steel, Snyder's somewhat controversial and epic reexamination of Superman and his origins.
The movie is filled with iconic characters from the Superman universe each with their own unique spin. Their journeys in this movie help to add to this new mythos of Superman that Snyder and his team were creating and that would be central to his DCEU universe. Looking at the dialogue of these main characters reveals a lot about Snyder's vision for each of them.
10 Lara Lor-Van
"Jor, behind you!" - "Make a better world than ours, Kal."
When Jor-El calls his wife with the hologram, Lara warns him when one of Zod's men charges him from behind. As Krypton is destroyed, Lara looks up to the skies and calls to her son Kal-El to make his next homeworld a better place than they were able to.
Her first line shows that Lara is very much like Jor-El, fast on her feet and prepared. Her final line before dying gives Superman his mission as a hero on Earth as he strives to make it a better place.
9 Jor-El
"Do you not understand? Krypton's core is collapsing, we may only have a matter of weeks." - "My son is twice the man you were, and he will finish what we started. I can promise you that."
Jor-El speaks to the council of Krypton, warning them of their planet's impending doom that they fail to address. The holographic memory of Jor-El confronts Zod, telling him that his son will stop him and that he is a stronger man than Zod.
Jor-El shows himself to be the wise and determined leader with his first line, seeing the truth that no one else was able to. His final line shows the faith he has always had in his son to make the world a better place.
8 Colonel Nathan Hardy
"Miss Lane, I'm Colonel Hardy, U.S. Northcom." - "A good death is its own reward."
When Lois Lane arrives at a remote arctic military base, she is greeted by Colonel Hardy, one of the base's commanding officers. When the Kryptonian villain Faora-Ul confronts Hardy on his plane, he repeats her line about a good death before crashing the plane into the Kryptonian ship.
His first line is a pretty standard greeting, though his refusal to shake Lois's hand sets up their antagonistic relationship. Hardy gets a great final line, throwing Faora's previous line back at her as he makes the sacrificial and heroic move to take down the enemy ship.
7 General Swanwick
"What am I looking at, doc. Comet? Asteroid?" - "Get in the car, Captain."
General Swanwick comes into the briefing room and asks about a mysterious object entering the Earth's atmosphere which turns out to be Zod's ship. Following his final meeting with Superman, Swanwick's subordinate officer comments on Superman being hot and he tells to the captain to get back in the car.
Neither of these lines is particularly significant and they simply establish Swanwick as a typical military officer. Certainly, these lines give no indication of Swanwick's eventual reveal as the Martian Manhunter.
6 Perry White
"I can't print this, Lois." - "Good luck, kid."
After Lois presents her story about meeting Superman and believing him to be from another world, Perry tells her he can't print that in their paper. At the end of the movie, Perry introduces Clark Kent as the new member of the news team and wishes him luck.
Perry's first line establishes him as a tough yet caring boss who worries about the implications of a story like this. His final line helps to set Clark up in his iconic position at the Daily Planet.
5 Jonathan Kent
"I know he did. I'm sure." - "You just have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be, Clark. Because, whoever that man is, good character or bad, he's going to change the world."
After Clark saves a school bus filled with kids, Jonathan Kent tries to downplay the incident to one of the parents whose son says he saw the whole thing. When Clark almost gets in a fight with a school bully, Jonathan tells him he will change the world no matter what kind of man he chooses to be.
His first line shows how careful and concerned Jonathan is about the truth of Clark's identity getting out in the world. His final line shows that Jonathan always knew Clark's abilities and tried to steer him in the right direction.
4 Martha Kent
"Clark, I'm here." - "What are you going to do when you’re not saving the world? Have you given any thought to that?"
When young Clark is overwhelmed by his super-hearing and locks himself in a closet at school, Martha rushes to help her son. Reuniting on the family farm, Martha asks Clark what his plans are for the future.
Immediately, Martha establishes herself as a caring mother who is always there for her son when he is in need. Her very motherly question about his future sets Clark up to become a reporter and join the Daily Planet.
3 General Zod
"This council has been disbanded." - "Never!"
As Jor-El speaks to the Kryptonian council, Zod arrives with his followers to it take over. As Zod tries to kill a group of innocent humans, Superman begs him to stop but Zod refuses.
Zod shows off his authority and mercilessness when he marches into the council and arrests all the members. After losing his hope of rebuilding Krypton, Zod only wants revenge on Superman and is willing to kill innocent people to do that. His final line gives Superman no choice but to kill his enemy to save the humans.
2 Lois Lane
"Thanks." - "Welcome to the Planet."
When Lois arrives at the arctic base, she thanks one of the men who helps her off the helicopter — who turns out to be Clark. When Clark Kent arrives as the newest reporter at the Daily Planet, she welcomes him in a bit of a knowing way.
It is funny how her first line is thanking Clark when Clark will go on to save her from countless dangerous situations. Her final line is also funny as Lois welcomes Clark in a very tongue-in-cheek way, suggesting she immediately recognizes him as Superman, unlike other versions of Lois.
1 Clark Kent / Superman
"Leave me alone!" - "Glad to be here, Lois."
As a young boy, Clark hides in the school closet when he is overcome by his powers and tells the others to leave him alone. His final line is a response to Lois welcoming him to the Daily Planet, as well as the actual planet.
Both of these lines speak to Clark's journey as an outsider in this movie. As a boy, he felt different and wanted to be left alone. In the end, especially after connecting with Lois, he finds his place in the world and is happy to finally feel welcomed on Earth.