"Considering that every previous "Superman" movie put the courtship dance between men and women at the heart of its action — particularly "Superman: the Movie", "Superman II" and "Superman Returns" — the fact that "Man of Steel" has a No Girls Allowed sensibility seems like a deliberate creative choice. It's as if the filmmakers want to reassure young male viewers accustomed to the glib swagger of "Iron Man" and the dire self-pity of Nolan's Batman trilogy that Superman is in the same wheelhouse. (Zod's right-hand woman Fajora-Ul, Antje Traue, is a powerful presence, but she's even more desexualized than Lois; her character's main trait is a pathological hatred of men.)"

"I have so many questions. Where do I come from?"

"Look closely, because the closer you think you are, the less you will actually see."

"4 amazing magicians. 3 impossible heists. 1 billion dollars. This is no illusion."

"Come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier it'll be to fool you."

"Welcome to the Eye."

"So here's my new theory: the legend is that the Eye is everywhere, waiting for the truly great magicians to distinguish themselves from the mediocre ones. Maybe that was you. Deep down inside, you wanted nothing more than to be part of the Eye, but you were never invited, so you tried to destroy them, but instead, what happens? You pissed them off."

"As of this instant, we are ahead of them. We need to keep it that way, understand?"

"Let me warn you. I want you to follow. Because no matter what you think you might know, we will always be 1 step, 3 steps, 7 steps ahead of you. And just when you think you're catching up, that's when we'll be right behind you. And at no time will you be anywhere other than exactly where I want you to be. So come close, get all over me; because the closer you think you are, the less you'll actually see."

"First rule of magic: always be the smartest guy in the room."

"There is a legend of a secret order born in ancient Egypt called "the Eye". It is said that they perfected sleight of hand to steal food from the Pharaohs and give it to the slaves. Their purpose: using magic and illusion to even the scales of justice. Are the Horsemen the next in a long line of fools to believe this myth? Will they evade the rules of law and logic like they did in Las Vegas? Or will the dark mysticism of this Southern swampland get the better of them?"

"Want to know how they did it? Just say the magic word."

"Whatever this grand trick is, it was designed a long time ago, and I believe that what's about to follow, is really going to amaze. So I suggest you sit back and enjoy your front row seat. You paid quite a lot of good money for it."

"A good death is its own reward."

"Silencing me won't change anything. My son is twice the man you were, and he will finish what we started, I can promise you that."

"You can save her Kal. You can save all of them."

"Earth's sun is younger and brighter than ours was. Your cells have drunk in its radiation, strengthening your muscles, your skin, your senses. Earth's gravity is weaker, yet its atmosphere is more nourishing. You've grown stronger here than I ever could've imagined. The only way to know how strong is to keep testing your limits. You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders."

"What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society had intended? What if a child aspired to something greater?"

"His name is Kal, son of El, and he's beyond your reach."

"Make a better world than ours, Kal."

"You'll just have to decide what kind of man you'll want to grow up to be, Clark, because whoever that man is, good character or bad, he's–he's gonna change the world."

"You're not just anyone, Clark, and I have to believe that you're–that you're sent here for a reason. All these changes you're going through, one day–one day, you're goin'a think of them as a blessing, and when that day comes, you're goin'a have to make a choice: a choice of whether to stand proud in front of the human race or not."

"People are afraid of what they don't understand."

"I was bred to be a warrior, Kal-El, trained my entire life to master my senses. Where did you train? ON A FARM?"

"There is only one way this ends, Kal: either you die or I do."

"I am going to make them suffer, Kal, these humans you've adopted. I will take them all from you, one by one!"

"Look at this. We could have built a new Krypton in this squalor, but you choose the humans over us. I exist only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which I was born, and every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people. And now, I have no people. My soul... that is what you have taken from me!"

"If you destroy this ship, YOU DESTROY KRYPTON!"

"Tell me, you have Jor-El's memories, his conscience, can you experience his pain? I will harvest the Codex from your son's corpse, and I will rebuild Krypton atop his bones."

"My name is General Zod. I come from a world far from yours. I have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you. For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. I request that you return this individual to my custody. For reasons unknown, he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. He will look like you, but he is not one of you. To those of you who may know of his current location: the fate of your planet rests in your hands. To Kal-El, I say this: surrender within twenty-four hours, or watch this world suffer the consequences..."

"You won't kill us yourself! You wouldn't sully your hands, but you'll damn us to a black hole for eternity! Jor-El was right! You're a pack of fools! Every last one of you! [to Lara] And you... you believe your son is safe? I will find him. I will reclaim what you have taken from us! I will find him. I will find him, Lara. I WILL FIND HIM!"

"This council has been disbanded! [Ro-Zar: On whose authority?] Mine."

"What's the "S" stands for? .....well, here it's an S. ...well, how about "Super..."."

"Welcome to the Planet."

"How do you find someone who has spent a lifetime covering his tracks? For some, he was a guardian angel. To others, a ghost who never quite fit in."

"YOU THINK YOU CAN THREATEN MY MOTHER?"

"Let's put our cards on the table, General. You're scared of me because you can't control me. You don't, and you never will. But that doesn't mean I'm your enemy."

"My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they'd reject me…out of fear. I let my father die because I trusted him. Because he was convinced that I had to wait, that the world was not ready. What do you think?"

"[to Katherine] I’m sorry, but, I’m going to have to call you on that. It’s bullshit. That’s what everyone has been saying. “You’ll get better” and “It’ll be fine”. I don’t know why everyone is so fucking scared to say it. “You’re dying, dude”...It makes it worse."

"Seth Rogen - Kyle Hirons"

"Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Adam Lerner"

"[to Adam, the night before Adam's surgery] Driving! That’s what you want to do? That’s your “Make A Wish”? To drive? We could be having sex with hookers while skydiving, and instead you want to do something I learned to do when I was fifteen!"

"[to Adam] You’ll be fine. 50/50! If you were a casino game you’d have the best odds!"

"Philip Baker Hall - Alan Lombardo"

"Matt Frewer - Mitch Barnett"

"Andrew Airlie - Dr. Ross"

"Serge Houde - Richard Lerner"

"Anjelica Huston - Diane Lerner"

"Bryce Dallas Howard - Rachael"

"Anna Kendrick - Katherine McKay"