- "You will bow down before me, Jor-El! Both you, and then one day, your heirs!!"
- And, it's better when the film cuts to the primary crystal with Jor-El and Kal-El's answer against that threat with an unspoken, "Never!"
- The Four Star General being interrogated by Zod. Despite being outmatch by him, he doesn't even flinch when Zod strips him of his stars and proudly says he only answers to the president.
- Superman being able to save Lois from drowning, not only without revealing his secret identity but also convincing her she was an utter idiot for thinking Clark and Superman were the same person.
- Not to mention the glory of seeing the first live-action depiction of Superman's heat vision!
- The whole Zod vs. President scene. For both of them."I will kneel to you if it will save lives.""It will. Starting with your own."
- Zod's got a nice ego."Oh, God...""Zod."
- The entire final battle in Metroplis. Where do we begin?
- This was the very first superhero/supervillain fight ever filmed in live action. To this day, it's still an awesome spectacle that shines in both cuts, even with the comedy bits from director Richard Lester. Mind you, this was well before CGI was even a glimmer in a programmer's eye. Practical effects, breakaway props, and camera tricks convince you that these really are incredibly strong, indestructible people having a knock-down drag-out in the middle of a city.
- The buildup. Zod, Ursa, and Non have terrorized the United States (and by extension the world) unopposed, first because Superman was devoting his attention to Lois, and then because he'd depowered himself. We last leave Clark in the Fortress, where all seems lost, save for the glowing green crystal that raised the Fortress, an almost-literal sliver of hope. Zod and crew trash the Daily Planet, have Lois captive, and are prepared to continue their reign of terror. Outside, we see a newstand bearing headlines of "White House Surrenders!" Then we hear a rush of wind, the papers start scattering across the street, a familiar fanfare begins to build, and the people of Metropolis look up, in the sky—Citizen: Superman!
- "General, would you care to step outside?"
- "Come to me, son of Jor-El... KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!"
- A stand-out is when Ursa throws a manhole cover at Superman. Superman goes flying (unwillingly, this time) down the street, doubled over the 100-pound metal disc in his stomach, crushes a car as he lands. . . and gets right back up, completely unharmed. Brutal Kryptonian power against indestructible Kryptonian body.
- Doubling as a Heartwarming Moment, throughout all the madness, Superman takes all the initiative he can to protect the human bystanders. From catching a radio tower from falling on people to deflecting Zod's heat vision from nearly blowing up a Big Rig truck, and then cooling it down with the live-action debut of his Super-Breath.
- Another stand-out, again doubling as a Heartwarming Moment is when the people of Metropolis, thinking Superman is dead, decide to charge three super-powered aliens that have pretty much trashed the city. For a split-second, Zod, Ursa and Non have no idea how to react, as up til then, people have fled in terror of them. The awesome can be seen here.
- As bizarre as it is, with the Kryptonians suddenly gaining teleportation and illusion powers, the climactic battle in the Fortress of Solitude manages to be tense and suspenseful, with favor moving to and fro between Superman and Zod, despite this weirdness.
- Superman. Zod's hand. 'Nuff said. When you're a young kid watching this for the first time, there's a glorious feeling after hoping for a miracle at this, only to see Superman turn the tables and making Zod realize in the worse way possible that he had been played all this time by Kal-El.
- The icing on the cake: Supes holds the utterly helpless Zod aloft, looks him in the eye, and gives him his silent response to Zod demanding his eternal fealty... a derisive smile and quick head shake... Nope, I don't think so.
- Lois to Ursa: "Hey, you know something? You're a real pain in the neck!" *KAPOW!*
- When a bully hurts Clark in a diner, what does Lois do? Jump on the bully's back and starts hitting him. She wouldn't realistically have a chance against him, but she doesn't let that stop her.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut:
- Lois tricking Clark into revealing his secret identity, by shooting him. With a blank.
- This, in turn, puts on another show that Christopher Reeve really can act. His astonishing ability to make Clark Kent and Superman look noticeably different becomes visible in this scene, as when Lois fires her gun, there is a very quick transition between "Clark Kent" and "Superman wearing glasses and a tuxedo" as another proof of how Clark Kenting really works.
- Jor-El sacrificing himself to restore Clark's powers. This scene alone proves why Marlon Brando was worth every penny he demanded.
