Supergirl (TV Series)

Man of Steel (2018)

Sam Witwer: Ben Lockwood, Agent Liberty

Photos 

Quotes 

• Ben Lockwood : Nativist. A term often used in a derogatory fashion to describe those who fear the other. Question for you. What's wrong with those who wish to protect their homes from the outsiders?

  Alien Student : Well, America is a country of immigrants.

  Ben Lockwood : Yes, but that's always been controversial. You see, in 1775, Benjamin Franklin himself writes of his own fears of immigrants, whom he warned "The immigrant will never adopt our language or customs any more than he can acquire our complexion."

  Alien Student : Franklin was talking about German immigrants back when America was still a British colony. I don't see how it applies to anything.

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, I can see why this, uh, point of view would be problematic, especially since we are talking about human immigrants; human immigrants who, in the past 200 years, made America great no matter what their complexion. But now, we welcome immigrants not only from outside our borders, but from beyond our atmosphere, so let me just ask you, how does the human worker compete? Anyone? How does the human worker compete against an alien who could lift two tons of steel over its head without even breaking a sweat? How does the human worker compete against an alien that can fly goods from one coast to the other, leaving our trucks to rust away in the sand?

  Another Student : [confused]  Sorry, professor, what page are we on?

  Ben Lockwood : Ben Franklin's fears have come to pass. The modern immigrant cannot assimilate, and it's not a question of desire, it's not a question of culture. It is a question of biology, and from that context...

  [an alien student, insulted, stands and leaves] 

  Ben Lockwood : From that context, I should be proud if you were to call me a nativist.

  Alien Student : This... isn't nativism. It's xenophobia.

  Ben Lockwood : Well, I can't say I'm surprised to hear that from someone with your complexion.

• Ben Lockwood : Sometimes things happen in life that we can't explain. Like a good man being sent to an early grave. And when, not if, these things happen, it can make us feel like we want to give up. So, I'm very happy to, uh, read to you my father's favorite quote. Well, it's the only quote he knew. Winston Churchill. "Never give in."

  [momentarily taken aback seeing Lena] 

  Ben Lockwood : "Never give in. Never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty, except in considerations of honor and good sense. Never yield to force, or the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy that confronts you. Never. Never, ever, give in."

• Ben Lockwood : Manifest Destiny. That was the name of America's unstoppable push west during the mid-1800s. It's, quote, "progress"...

  [noticing a magnet with the Nth metal logo] 

  Ben Lockwood : Ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna go off script a little bit. Progress. What do we think of progress? Without continual growth and progress, notions such as improvement, achievement, and success, have no meaning. That's not me; that's Ben Franklin. But my point is, ever since the beginning, our leaders had been obsessed with progress. But can you tell me what's so great about it? Well, the discovery of the New World, that's progress, right? For Spain and Columbus. Not so much for the Native Americans. President Marsdin's Alien Amnesty Act. Is that progress? I think it's progress, right? Of course it is. But I know some Americans who don't think so. In fact, I know some Americans who are worse off for it. So, what's my point? The next time someone tells you how great progress is, I want you to stop for a moment, I want you to think about who paid the price for it.

• Lydia Lockwood : You're a good man, Ben Lockwood.

  Ben Lockwood : You're not so bad yourself.

• Peter Lockwood : Remember how I raised you, kid. And you raise Georgie the same way.

  Ben Lockwood : Yes, sir.

  Peter Lockwood : All right? You stand tall. Stand proud. You're a Lockwood. You're human. This planet belongs to you. Stand up and fight for what's yours.

  Ben Lockwood : [crying]  Dad!

  [with a rumble, a steel beam falls down nearby] 

  Ben Lockwood : I love you, dad.

  Peter Lockwood : Love you, too. Now, go. Go be the man I raised you to be.

• Peter Lockwood : [watching Supergirl on TV]  Yeah, sure. We can all leap tall buildings in a single bound. And we can punch him into the middle of next week.

  [Ben turns the television off] 

  Peter Lockwood : I was watching that.

  George Lockwood : More like hate-watching it.

  Ben Lockwood : George. Uh, dad, I think it's quite enough.

• Peter Lockwood : Show that speech over and over again like it was the Gettysburg Address. Project Maniac was weeks ago.

  Lydia Lockwood : It's "Myriad".

  Peter Lockwood : Oh, that's right. Project Myriad. Stupid name. And who was responsible? Other roaches from her home planet.

  Lydia Lockwood : Pete, we don't talk like that in this house.

  George Lockwood : No, it-it's fine. I hear it at school sometimes.

  Peter Lockwood : W-w-what's the problem? Just saying that, you know, aliens are resilient like cockroaches. You know, a planet may die, but they survive and infest someone else's.

  Ben Lockwood : Dad!

  Peter Lockwood : What? Supergirl's family invades our planet with the power of gods. And all us little people are just supposed to sit back, relax, and have hope? Is that it? Meanwhile, our president offers them all amnesty? Amnesty. So, you tell me, Georgie, how deep does this conspiracy go?

• Peter Lockwood : Firing up that alien factory across the street today.

  Ben Lockwood : Two dozen known alien worlds, and Nth metal is just the strongest material brought to Earth by any one of them, by far. It's... you gotta think of the good it can do. Cars, skyscrapers.

  Peter Lockwood : It doesn't even have a vowel. It's supposed to hold up skyscrapers?

• Ben Lockwood : [hearing a commotion at the alien factory]  Thack, what the hell is going on here?

  Thack : We're not gonna let them kill this town, Ben.

  Ben Lockwood : What? No!

  Thack : We won't let them.

• Ben Lockwood : [groggy after getting injured]  Is it Supergirl?

  Alex Danvers : No. Agent Alex Danvers, FBI. Supergirl got called away. Afraid you're stuck with me.

  Ben Lockwood : Is it... is it bad?

  Alex Danvers : Not half as bad as what you and your friends did to that Bravik.

  Ben Lockwood : What? No, no, no. No, I was just... I was trying to help, but our guys are just angry. They are scared that they're...

  Alex Danvers : Your guys?

  Ben Lockwood : My family, we own the steel factory across the way. The workers, they're very good people.

  Alex Danvers : Oh, they are lucky people. Because Supergirl went very, very easy on them.

  [indicating his wound dressing] 

  Alex Danvers : Keep it clean, change the bandage often, and stay out of trouble.

• Ben Lockwood : Why in the world is the FBI working with Supergirl?

  Peter Lockwood : The real question is why are they working against us?

• Ben Lockwood : I am so sorry to ambush you like this. You're not exactly an easy person to reach.

  Lena Luthor : Well, that's by design, but...

• Ben Lockwood : For twenty years, Lockwood Steel has been used in some of Luthor Corp's most successful products.

  Lena Luthor : Well, yeah, that is true, but in case you weren't aware, we are re-branding. And in order for L-Corp to remain successful, it has to stay current. Steel made with Nth metal is the future.

  Ben Lockwood : Shouldn't the past matter, too?

  Lena Luthor : Look at it this way. This is an opportunity for your father to modernize the plant, and his work force.

  Ben Lockwood : Well, yeah, but those machines cost millions of dollars.

  Lena Luthor : Your father is a businessman, and a good one. Just because it's the march of progress doesn't mean he has to be left behind.

• Ben Lockwood : What are you doing home?

  Peter Lockwood : I shut it down.

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, not another blaster.

  George Lockwood : Whole factory.

  Ben Lockwood : What?

  Lydia Lockwood : He went to the bank for the loan. They said no.

  Peter Lockwood : Hell with them and everyone else.

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, god, dad, uh... I am so sorry.

  Peter Lockwood : Spare me. This is what happens when you're too soft, when you don't stand up and fight.

  Ben Lockwood : Fight... dad, fight who?

  Peter Lockwood : You know who.

  George Lockwood : The roaches.

  Ben Lockwood , Lydia Lockwood : George!

  George Lockwood : Sorry.

• Ben Lockwood : [learning his father closed his steel mill]  Okay, we might not have much, but we still have the house. We can... we can get a second mortgage. I'm gonna go talk to the bank.

  Peter Lockwood : Talk. That's mostly what you do, right? Talk, talk, talk. When what you should be doing is go out there...

  Ben Lockwood : Hey.

  Peter Lockwood : ...and be a man.

  Ben Lockwood : Dad, calm down, all right? You're drunk.

  Rhea : [they hear static on the television, and Rhea appears]  People of Earth, do not be afraid. We come in peace. We have crossed a sea of stars in order to bring you a new way.

  Peter Lockwood : You were saying?

• Ben Lockwood : Okay, so what have we got? This is maybe a week of food, maybe two if we ration it.

  Lydia Lockwood : Yeah, but we're running out of water. We have three, maybe four days.

  Ben Lockwood : Didn't we fill the tub?

  Lydia Lockwood : Yes.

• Ben Lockwood : I think maybe we should leave.

  Lydia Lockwood : Leave? This is our home.

  Ben Lockwood : Yeah, it is, but it's quickly running out of food and water.

  Lydia Lockwood : There is nowhere for us to go. The Daxamites have set up checkpoints.

  Ben Lockwood : Okay, well, then we drive as far as we can, maybe we can sneak around the checkpoints, get to Coast City, but we have to try something.

  Peter Lockwood : [entering]  Try something? Yeah. No, how about we try this? How about we... we stay and we fight for what's ours? This is our home, Ben. We're not refugees.

  George Lockwood : [entering behind Peter]  Dad, just wait here. Supergirl will come and save us.

  Ben Lockwood : No. No, she won't, because Supergirl is an alien just like the invaders. And fight, dad? Fight with what? Because all we have is right here, but you know what? That's okay, because we are a family. And we can come together as a family. So, dad, you and Georgie get the bags. Lydia, ready the car. I'll get the supplies.

  [seeing his father is reluctant] 

  Ben Lockwood : Hey, listen. We can do this.

• James Olsen : What can I help you with?

  Ben Lockwood : Well... uh, I'll just ask you. Why doesn't CatCo cover the impact of extraterrestrial attacks on your average citizen?

  James Olsen : I'm surprised to hear you say that, because we make our best effort to cover every side of every story, and our coverage on the Daxamite invasion and its aftermath did win us a Pulitzer.

  Ben Lockwood : I'm aware of that; it's a very beautifully written article, but it treats the story like it's over and done with. Uh, in my neighborhood, people have lost their jobs, people have lost possessions, people have lost... people have lost their homes. Um... I'm sorry, it's been a hell of a week. Let me just blow your mind here, okay? Home owner's insurance. Did you know that it doesn't actually cover alien invasion? Who knew?

  James Olsen : We did, because we covered that in our Business section.

  Ben Lockwood : Right, and that's all the way in the back, and it turns the common person into numbers and statistics. I am here to tell you there are people behind these numbers. People who are hurting, and it would be so very helpful if you would just tell their stories, too.

  James Olsen : Professor Lockwood, I appreciate your position, and I'm very sorry for what you've been going through.

  Ben Lockwood : Did you hear anything that I... this isn't about just me.

  Eve Teschmacher : [entering]  Uh, Mr. Olsen, I have Lena Luthor on the line for you.

  James Olsen : I have to cut this short, but, um, you make some valid points, and I'll bring them up to Ms. Luthor.

  Ben Lockwood : Lena Luthor... what the hell does she have to do with any of this?

  James Olsen : I'm not sure if you've heard, but she runs this place now.

• Dean Warren : We've had another complaint about your class, Ben.

  Ben Lockwood : Uh-oh. Millennials.

  Dean Warren : Still. It sounds like your lectures are extreme.

  Ben Lockwood : My own history is extreme. Truth is extreme. The classroom isn't a safe space where everyone gets to hear a fairy tale version of the facts, and if students can't handle perspectives that are different than their own, I don't know. Maybe they don't belong here.

  Dean Warren : The tenure board would disagree.

  Ben Lockwood : Uh... wh-what are you saying?

  Dean Warren : You've been warned multiple times about the rhetoric in your class. Now we think you should take a leave of absence without pay.

  Ben Lockwood : You know what my family's going through. I can't lose this job.

  Dean Warren : You're passing on your own prejudice to our students, Ben. We're a university, a diverse one. Look, I'm sorry. I've always liked you. But you brought this on yourself.

• Alien Student : Professor Lockwood? Did you follow me here?

  Ben Lockwood : Did you tattle on me, snowflake?

  Alien Student : What are you talking about?

  Ben Lockwood : What am I talking about? Okay, look, the complexion thing, I'm sorry. I apologize, but you had to get me fired? This is my job. This is my livelihood. I have a family!

  Alien Student : I didn't say anything. But I'm not surprised someone did.

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, "someone"! Oh, absolutely, because I was *so* out of line!

  Alien Student : Look at you. You're not okay.

  Ben Lockwood : Okay, I don't need your pity.

  Kara Danvers : [intervening]  Hey. Everything okay here?

• Ben Lockwood : You're not an alien. What are you doing here?

  Kara Danvers : What am I...? It's karaoke night. Let me ask you something. Should I do, uh... Beastie Boys? Do you think I could pull that off? It's either that or "Africa" by Toto.

  Ben Lockwood : That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about you're human and they are not, and they are dangerous.

  Kara Danvers : What do you mean by "they"?

  Ben Lockwood : The roaches. Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about? She does.

  Kara Danvers : We don't touch aliens. Actually, you know what? We don't touch anyone, so why don't you keep your hands to yourself and, uh, watch that mouth?

  Ben Lockwood : [sarcastic, as he leaves]  Got it, yeah. Earth traitor.

  Alien Student : Thanks for the backup.

  Kara Danvers : Yeah. Anytime.

  Alien Student : And for the record, definitely Beastie Boys.

  Kara Danvers : [through gritted teeth]  I knew it.

• Otis Graves : I'll take one of those.

  [Ben hands him an anti-alien leaflet] 

  Otis Graves : Keep spreading the good word, brother.

  Ben Lockwood : Thank you.

  [Supergirl and Alura land nearby as Selena's terraforming begins] 

  Ben Lockwood : Not again.

• Ben Lockwood : Are you safe?

  Lydia Lockwood : We're fine, but your dad.

  Ben Lockwood : Why? What about him?

  Lydia Lockwood : I can't reach him. I don't know where he is.

  Ben Lockwood : I think I have an idea.

• Ben Lockwood : I'm gonna get us out of here.

  Peter Lockwood : You can't.

  Ben Lockwood : Okay. You're right. You're right. I'm gonna lift this up, and you just slide out from under it, okay? One, two, three!

  Peter Lockwood : [Ben strains to lift a steel beam]  You're not Supergirl.

• Ben Lockwood : [his father is trapped in his steel plant]  I can do this, dad. I can get you out of here.

  Peter Lockwood : I don't want you to.

  Ben Lockwood : What? Dad, what did you just say?

  Peter Lockwood : I came here on purpose, Ben. This is my home. And this steel... it's my life. Always has been. Now its time is over, and so is mine.

  Ben Lockwood : Hey, hey, no. Don't talk like that. You've got a lot of years left.

  Peter Lockwood : Maybe, but all the good ones are long behind me.

• Ben Lockwood : [after his father's funeral]  Well, you certainly have some nerve coming here.

  Lena Luthor : I just wanted to pay my respects.

  Ben Lockwood : You had the chance to give respect when I asked for help. But now my dad's gone, so we don't need it.

  Lena Luthor : Okay, Ben, listen, this isn't about your factory. This is about you and your family and your father's workers. Times are tough, and I wanted to set up a fund in your father's name...

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, absolutely not.

  Lena Luthor : I'm just trying to help.

  Ben Lockwood : You work with the things that killed him. Nth metal, alien technology? Oh, I hear you've got some new image device, lets them hide what they are. It makes me sick.

  Lena Luthor : I understand that you're angry, okay? But you can't go down this path. Blaming other people for your problems, you will end up just like my brother.

  Ben Lockwood : They're not people.

• Earl : Hey, thanks for hiring us to patch up your place, Ben. Jobs have been scarce since the factory shut.

  Frank : Jobs are scarce 'cause of the roaches.

  Thack : Damn right. Remember what your old man said, Ben? "Never give up."

  Frank : The fact that monstrosity is still standing while this place has been left to rot, it's an insult to us all.

  Ben Lockwood : What if we did something? Seriously, what if we did something? I mean, it's like dad always said, "You can talk, talk, talk. Sooner or later, a man's gotta stand up and be a man! And he's gotta fight."

  Earl : That's all well and good, but what can we do?

  Ben Lockwood : I don't know.

  [thinking for a moment, an idea comes to him] 

  Ben Lockwood : What if we burn it down?

• Dean Warren : How are you?

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, I'm good. I-I'm... I'm very good. Um... how are you?

  Dean Warren : Wish I could say the same. Classes are overcrowded, budget's being cut. Minnie and I lost the house, too.

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, no. No.

  Dean Warren : That genesis event.

  Ben Lockwood : Terraforming.

  Dean Warren : Right. We're in student housing now.

  Ben Lockwood : Oh, I'm sure Minnie loves that.

• Dean Warren : Look, Ben, I'm sorry for what happened with you and the university.

  Ben Lockwood : Oh! No...

  Dean Warren : It was wrong throwing you out on the street like that. I don't think any of us understood what you were going through, but now...

  Ben Lockwood : Now a lot of people are going through the same thing. Well, what's happening is happening to us, and that gives us power. That means that we can fight back. As a matter of fact, me and some friends, we are, uh, putting together something like a support group, and I would like very much for you to join us.

• Mercy Graves : Professor Lockwood.

  Ben Lockwood : Well, that depends on who's asking.

  Mercy Graves : Someone who knows that you and your friends have been harassing alien immigrants for the last couple of months. Hurting them, killing them. Get in.

• Mercy Graves : So, you're the thing that goes bump in the night.

  Ben Lockwood : Okay, listen, I don't really know what you're talking about.

  Mercy Graves : You boys are good. But you're sloppy. We found a partial fingerprint in the pipe you used to beat over the head of that Bravik. And we found your DNA in the dirt next to the bodies of those Maaldorian twins. They got you good, huh? But you got them better.

  [offering him a duffel bag] 

  Mercy Graves : This should help for next time.

  Ben Lockwood : [seeing the contents]  Why would I need body armor if you're gonna arrest me?

  Mercy Graves : I'm not gonna arrest you. You've done such great work. I'm here to tell you that we need to work together.

• Mercy Graves : People love you, Ben. You have a rare gift of communication, like Franklin Roosevelt or Mussolini. The people I work with, they don't have such gifts. But I think if we could all work together, we could make this country a much better place.

  Ben Lockwood : [confused]  How?

  Mercy Graves : We're gonna expose the president as a liar, a fraud, and an alien.

  Ben Lockwood : Read a little 4chan, do ya?

  Mercy Graves : I can understand why you wouldn't believe me. But can you imagine if we proved it was true? How that would change the world?

  Ben Lockwood : Well, that's a nice dream, but, um, I don't even know who you are.

  Mercy Graves : Mercy Graves. And that's my brother, Otis.

  Otis Graves : [rolling down the limo's driver partition]  What's up?

  Mercy Graves : [offering Ben a folder]  And most importantly, this is Fiona. Part-time bartender, full-time alien rights activist. Don't be fooled by the lipstick. Beneath the disguise, she's a monster. One who is organizing other monsters to defend themselves against us. But that's okay. Because some of these creatures have skills we can use. So what do you say? Besties?

• Ben Lockwood : Is Supergirl dead?

  Otis Graves : Well, it's nothing official yet, but it looks scary.

  Mercy Graves : Just one more thing.

  [she grabs Jensen and holds a knife to his throat] 

  Ben Lockwood : Hey, hey! Stop! What are you doing?

  Mercy Graves : Tying up loose ends.

  Otis Graves : It happens.

  Ben Lockwood : No! No, not here. We do not kill our own.

  Mercy Graves : Oh, please. He's a nobody.

  Ben Lockwood : Are you sure? All right. You're from the DEO, right? You got these fine people out.

  Jensen : [weakly]  Yeah.

  Ben Lockwood : Good. Well, then I'm gonna assume that you can get us all back in.

• Peter Lockwood : We lost the Luthor Corporation contract last week.

  Ben Lockwood : What?

  Peter Lockwood : I had to shutter two blast furnaces. Takin' on statue commissions just to make ends meet.

  Ben Lockwood : What if you retrofitted the factory to process Nth metal? You could re-train your employees.

  Peter Lockwood : This town was built on steel. American steel. You rip out that foundation, and everything will crumble around it. You mark my words.

  Ben Lockwood : People thought textiles would be the end of modern society, but the Industrial Revolution, it created unprecedented opportunities...

  Peter Lockwood : I'm not one of your students, Ben. And I'll remind you, it was called a revolution for a reason. And I'll also remind you that steel is what paid for that fancy college education of yours that you only wanna use when you wanna condescend to your old man.

  Ben Lockwood : Worth every penny. Right, dad?

  Peter Lockwood : Not so much.