"You'd like to quantify me, Officer Starling. You're so ambitious, aren't you? Do you know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. You're a well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Your eyes are like cheap birthstones - all surface shine when you stalk some little answer. And you're bright behind them, aren't you? Desperate not to be like your mother. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation out of the mines Officer Starling. Is it the West Virginia Starlings or the Okie Starlings, Officer? It was a toss-up between college and the opportunities in the Women's Army Corps, wasn't it? Let me tell you something specific about yourself, Student Starling. Back in your room, you have a string of gold add-a-beads and you feel an ugly little thump when you look at how tacky they are now, isn't that so? All those tedious thank-yous, permitting all that sincere fumbling, getting all sticky once for every bead. Tedious. Tedious. Bo-o-o-o-r-i-ing. Being smart spoils a lot of things, doesn't it? And taste isn't kind. When you think about this conversation, you'll remember the dumb animal hurt in his face when you got rid of him. If the add-a-beads got tacky, what else will as you go along? You wonder, don't you, at night?"
—Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs (book)
Paul Krendler: We need [Buffalo Bill's] address. And a physical description.
Hannibal Lecter: Tell me, Senator: did you nurse Catherine yourself?
Senator Martin: What?
Lecter: Did you breast feed her?
Senator Martin: *distressed* Yes. I did.
Lecter: Toughened your nipples, didn't it? Amputate a man's leg and he can still feel it tickling... tell me, Ma'am. When your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?
Hannibal Lecter: Tell me, Senator: did you nurse Catherine yourself?
Senator Martin: What?
Lecter: Did you breast feed her?
Senator Martin: *distressed* Yes. I did.
Lecter: Toughened your nipples, didn't it? Amputate a man's leg and he can still feel it tickling... tell me, Ma'am. When your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?
—Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs (film)
Jack Slash: What’s holding you back? You’re capable of so much, of changing the world, of destroying it, but you’re so very small, Amelia Claire Lavere... Imagine my surprise when I found out your relation to Marquis. In my last visit to Brockton Bay, I crossed paths with each of the major players. I met the man. I must tell you, Amelia, he was a very interesting character. Marquis was a man of honor. He decided on the rules he would play by and he stuck to them. He put his life and limb at risk to try to keep]] me from killing women and children, and I decided to see if I could use that to break him. I admit I failed... You’re your father’s daughter. Both of you are bound up in rules you’ve imposed on yourselves. His rules defined his demeanor, the boundaries he worked within, the goals he sought to achieve and how he achieved them. They were his armor as much as his power was. I would guess your rules are your weakness. Rather than focus you, they leave you in free fall, nothing to grasp on to except your sister there, and we both know how that has turned out... you could be like us. It wouldn’t even be very hard. Just let go of those rules of yours. You’d get everything you ever wanted. Amelia, when I say you could have everything you ever wanted, I’m telling you that you could live free of guilt, of shame, you could have your sister by your side, no more doubts plaguing you, no more feeling down. Haven’t you laid in bed at night, wondering, praying for a world where you could have something like that? I’m telling you that you can have those things, and I promise you that the transition from being who you are now to being who you could be would be much quicker than you suspect. Amelia, you could let yourself cut loose and love life for the first time since you were young.
Panacea: *defeated* I’ve never felt like that. Never felt carefree. Not since I could remember. Not even when I was a kid.
Jack Slash: I see. From your earliest memory, what was that? In Marquis’s home? No? Being taken home by the heroes and heroines that would become your false family? Ah, I saw that change in expression. That would be your earliest memory, and you found yourself struggling to adjust to your new home, to school and life without your supervillain daddy. By the time you did figure those things out, you had other worries. I imagine your family was distant. So you struggled to please them, to be a good girl, not that it ever mattered. There was only disappointment... I know these sorts of things and what to look for because I’ve met others like you. That’s what I’m offering you. A chance to be with similar people for the first time in your life, a chance to be yourself, to have everything you want, and to be with me. I suspect you’ve never been around someone who actually paid attention to you... I imagine they were telling you ‘No, you aren’t. You can be good'?... But you didn’t believe them, did you, Amelia? You’ve spent years telling yourself the opposite. You’re a bad person, you’re destined to be bad, by circumstance and blood. And even though you didn’t believe them, you’ll believe me when I tell you no, you aren’t a good person, but that’s okay. Isn’t it unfair? Through no fault of your own, the blood in your veins is the blood of a criminal, and that’s affected how your family looks at you. You’ve been saddled with feelings that aren’t your fault, and doomed to a life without color, enjoyment or pleasure. Don’t you deserve to follow your passions? A decade and a half of doing what others want you to do, doing what society wants you to do, haven’t you earned the right to do what you really desire, just this once? So I’ll offer you a deal. If you indulge yourself, we’ll surrender. I won’t even make you do it now. Just look me in the eye, and honestly tell me you’ll do it. Drop all of the rules you’ve set yourself. I don’t care what you do after, you can wipe your sister’s memories, you can kill yourself, you can run away or come with us. And your side wins... Three and a half words: 'I'll do it', and we leave the city.
Panacea: *defeated* I’ve never felt like that. Never felt carefree. Not since I could remember. Not even when I was a kid.
Jack Slash: I see. From your earliest memory, what was that? In Marquis’s home? No? Being taken home by the heroes and heroines that would become your false family? Ah, I saw that change in expression. That would be your earliest memory, and you found yourself struggling to adjust to your new home, to school and life without your supervillain daddy. By the time you did figure those things out, you had other worries. I imagine your family was distant. So you struggled to please them, to be a good girl, not that it ever mattered. There was only disappointment... I know these sorts of things and what to look for because I’ve met others like you. That’s what I’m offering you. A chance to be with similar people for the first time in your life, a chance to be yourself, to have everything you want, and to be with me. I suspect you’ve never been around someone who actually paid attention to you... I imagine they were telling you ‘No, you aren’t. You can be good'?... But you didn’t believe them, did you, Amelia? You’ve spent years telling yourself the opposite. You’re a bad person, you’re destined to be bad, by circumstance and blood. And even though you didn’t believe them, you’ll believe me when I tell you no, you aren’t a good person, but that’s okay. Isn’t it unfair? Through no fault of your own, the blood in your veins is the blood of a criminal, and that’s affected how your family looks at you. You’ve been saddled with feelings that aren’t your fault, and doomed to a life without color, enjoyment or pleasure. Don’t you deserve to follow your passions? A decade and a half of doing what others want you to do, doing what society wants you to do, haven’t you earned the right to do what you really desire, just this once? So I’ll offer you a deal. If you indulge yourself, we’ll surrender. I won’t even make you do it now. Just look me in the eye, and honestly tell me you’ll do it. Drop all of the rules you’ve set yourself. I don’t care what you do after, you can wipe your sister’s memories, you can kill yourself, you can run away or come with us. And your side wins... Three and a half words: 'I'll do it', and we leave the city.
— Worm
Green Goblin: Wake up, little spider. No, you're not dead yet, just paralysed. You're an amazing creature, Spider-Man. You and I are not so different.
Spider-Man: I'm not like you. You're a murderer.
Green Goblin: Well, to each his own. I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while, the people of this city. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?
Spider-Man: Because it's right.
Green Goblin: Here's the real truth. There are eight million people in this city. And those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders. You, me? We're exceptional. I could squash you like a bug right now, but I'm offering you a choice. Join me! Imagine what we could accomplish together... what we could create. Or we could destroy! Cause the deaths of countless innocents in selfish battle again and again and again until we're both dead! Is that what you want? Think about it, hero!
Spider-Man: I'm not like you. You're a murderer.
Green Goblin: Well, to each his own. I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while, the people of this city. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?
Spider-Man: Because it's right.
Green Goblin: Here's the real truth. There are eight million people in this city. And those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders. You, me? We're exceptional. I could squash you like a bug right now, but I'm offering you a choice. Join me! Imagine what we could accomplish together... what we could create. Or we could destroy! Cause the deaths of countless innocents in selfish battle again and again and again until we're both dead! Is that what you want? Think about it, hero!
Green Goblin: That's some neat trick, that sense of yours.
Doctor Octopus: Norman?
Green Goblin: Norman's on sabbatical, honey.
Electro: The hell?
Spider-Man: The Goblin.
Green Goblin: "No more darker half"? Did you really think I'd let that happen? That I'd let you take away my power just because you're blind to what true power can bring you?
Spider-Man: You don't know me.
Green Goblin: Don't I? I saw how she trapped you. Fighting her holy moral mission. We don't need you to save us. We don't need to be fixed. These are not curses. They're gifts.
Doctor Octopus: Norman, no.
Green Goblin: Quiet, lapdog!
Spider-Man: You don't know what you're talking about.
Green Goblin: I've watched you from deep behind Norman's cowardly eyes. Struggling to have everything you want while the world tries to make you choose. Gods don't have to choose. We take.
Spider-Man: May... Run.
Doctor Octopus: Norman?
Green Goblin: Norman's on sabbatical, honey.
Electro: The hell?
Spider-Man: The Goblin.
Green Goblin: "No more darker half"? Did you really think I'd let that happen? That I'd let you take away my power just because you're blind to what true power can bring you?
Spider-Man: You don't know me.
Green Goblin: Don't I? I saw how she trapped you. Fighting her holy moral mission. We don't need you to save us. We don't need to be fixed. These are not curses. They're gifts.
Doctor Octopus: Norman, no.
Green Goblin: Quiet, lapdog!
Spider-Man: You don't know what you're talking about.
Green Goblin: I've watched you from deep behind Norman's cowardly eyes. Struggling to have everything you want while the world tries to make you choose. Gods don't have to choose. We take.
Spider-Man: May... Run.
Bruce Banner: Betty once said you're my father. But, you're not now and never will be.
David Banner: Oh, is that so? Well, I got news for you. I didn't come here to see you. I came here to see my son. My real son. The one inside of you. You're nothing but a superficial shell, a husk of flimsy consciousness ready to be torn off at a moment's notice.
Bruce: You can think what you like. I don't care. Just go!
David: No, son. Listen to me. I've found a cure, for me. My cells can transform, too. Absorb enormous amounts of energy. But, unlike you, they're unstable. Son, I need your strength. I gave you life, now you must give it back to me. Only a million times more radiant, more powerful!
Bruce: Stop!
David: Stop what?! Stop what?! Think about all those men out there, in their uniforms! Barking and swallowing orders! Inflicting their petty rule over the entire globe! Think of all the harm they've done! To you! To me! To humanity! And know this, that we can make them, and their flags and their anthems and their governments dissappear! In a flash! You and me!
Bruce: I'd rather die!
David: Oh, that's your answer. And indeed you shall die. And be reborn a hero! Of the kind that walked the Earth long before the pale religions of civilization infected humanity's soul!
Bruce: Don't!
David: Stop your bawling, you weak, little speck of human trash.
David Banner: Oh, is that so? Well, I got news for you. I didn't come here to see you. I came here to see my son. My real son. The one inside of you. You're nothing but a superficial shell, a husk of flimsy consciousness ready to be torn off at a moment's notice.
Bruce: You can think what you like. I don't care. Just go!
David: No, son. Listen to me. I've found a cure, for me. My cells can transform, too. Absorb enormous amounts of energy. But, unlike you, they're unstable. Son, I need your strength. I gave you life, now you must give it back to me. Only a million times more radiant, more powerful!
Bruce: Stop!
David: Stop what?! Stop what?! Think about all those men out there, in their uniforms! Barking and swallowing orders! Inflicting their petty rule over the entire globe! Think of all the harm they've done! To you! To me! To humanity! And know this, that we can make them, and their flags and their anthems and their governments dissappear! In a flash! You and me!
Bruce: I'd rather die!
David: Oh, that's your answer. And indeed you shall die. And be reborn a hero! Of the kind that walked the Earth long before the pale religions of civilization infected humanity's soul!
Bruce: Don't!
David: Stop your bawling, you weak, little speck of human trash.
— Hulk
Don't talk like one of them, you're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak. Like me. They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out. Like a leper. Y'see, their morals, their "code"...it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these, uh, these "civilized people"? They'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
—The Joker to Batman, The Dark Knight
Why do they always talk so much?
—Bruce, Batman Beyond
The Doctor: You want voices in the dark, then listen to mine. That thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff.
Danny: But that's how the devil works!
The Doctor: Or a good psychologist.
— Doctor Who, "The Satan Pit"
"You know, I have given my life to the lost children of Gotham because I wanted to make a difference. And you know what kind of difference I made? None. Because the people running this city feed off the weak and the law protects them. And when your mayor rounded up all those children to send off to that prison upstate, I decided "no more." I would teach them there are consequences. So why don't you ask yourself, detective: Who are you fighting for? A mayor in the mob's pocket? Cops on the take? Or for the weak and the innocent? Who are you, finally?"
— Davis "The Balloonman" Lamond to Detective Jim Gordon when the latter confronts him over his vigilantism, Gotham, "The Balloonman"
Odin: MY SON, why would you lurk in your transparent prison cell and torment your visitors with predatory mind games? Why would you do such a thing?
Loki: I LEARNED IT FROM WATCHING YOU, ALLFATHER! I LEARNED IT FROM WATCHING YOU!!
Hey, policeman. How many days have you gone without? Poor thing. Don't you ever comfort yourself? I knew it! You're always wanted to be a policeman ever since you were a kid! You were always studying and never played. You didn't criticize the dirty room and went in anyway. You do lots of busy work. You're a hard-working good boy. But sometimes, you get lonely. Go ahead, hit me. Hit me, and you'll feel better. Hey, you don't have to hold back. It'll make you feel really good. Hit my face as hard as you can. Punch me in the stomach, yell at me. And then rip off my clothes. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's who you really are. And it's the most important part of your heart. You can act like a little kid, or you can be violent. You can do anything you want to me. You can use me as your outlet~
— Satou's Aunt to a police officer, Happy Sugar Life
"My, 626. You are so great. Look, I make a DNA enhancement for my finest creation! Oooh, I am sick of it! I am sick of it! Well, everything's about to change. We'll see how Jumba feels about you now that I have used the DNA on myself!"
— 621 as he attempts to transform in front of 626, Stitch: Experiment 626.
There's nowhere you can hide, Spartan. Put as much distance between you and the truth as you want. It changes nothing. Pretend to be everything you are not... Teacher. Husband. Father. But there is one unavoidable truth you will never escape: You cannot change. You will always be... a MONSTER.
— Athena to Kratos, God of War (PS4)
"You heroes pretend to be society's guardians. For generations, you pretended not to see those you couldn't protect and swept their pain under the rug. It's tainted everything you've built. That means your system's all rotten from the inside with maggots crawling out. It all builds up, little by little, over time. You've got the common trash, all too dependent on being protected. And the brave guardians who created the trash that need coddling. It's a corrupt, vicious cycle. Everything I've witnessed... this whole system you've built has always rejected me. Now I'm ready to reject it. That's why I destroy. That's why I took this power for myself. Simple enough, yeah? I don't care if you understand. That's what makes us... heroes and villains."
— Tomura Shigaraki, My Hero Academia
"There were some... you are talking to him, and he is like... if it weren't him who is in our captivity, but we who are in his captivity. To this extent, such daring behavior, he is not responding to pain... nothing. This is yes, this takes place, and this happens on the entire front."
— Russian Colonel, Russia Today interview about interrogating captured Ukrainian soldiers in 2022
"Foolish humans. You can't stop me. My mother came to this planet two thousand years ago. With a purpose… with a meaning… to end the Cetra. Because she knew… she had seen it before from the other planets she had liberated. Like the many she had encountered, she knew the Cetra would eventually turn against each other. They would become greedy… hateful… cruel. The Cetra… would become human. The Planet cried. And she answered. Jenova was not a calamity. She was a godsend. She was sealed away before her word could cleanse this filthy planet. But now I, her son, shall continue in her place, save this world from itself… and rule it… as its god."
— Sephiroth to the heroes, Final Fantasy VII: Machinabridged
Morty: So, what are you, like, the Hole? The Hole’s promoter? The Hole’s intern?
Hole’s Avatar: Is there a hole here?
Morty: Right, I’m supposed to go in there and be shocked that there’s no hole, or that there is a hole? What difference would it make?
Hole’s Avatar: Hm, you are hard to scare.
Morty: And Rick isn’t, right? The Hole’s gonna, like, suck on him forever because his big secret is that he’s got the most fear?
Hole’s Avatar: Well, we can certainly say you’re not afraid to be reductive. I doubt your grandpa has “more” fear than the average asshole in a Denny’s.
Man: HEY!
Hole’s Avatar: Sorry. If anything, he seems pretty brave. He’s certainly not afraid to die. Maybe that makes his fear extra delicious.
Morty: So, what, he’s scared of love?
Hole’s Avatar: Everyone’s scared of love, dipshit. You’ll learn that in your twenties. It takes a very rare, very powerful being to be terrified of happiness.
Morty: Dumb.
Hole’s Avatar: You’re dumb. That’s why you’re not scared to be happy. The smarter you are, the more you know. Happiness is a trap. It can’t last forever. Let’s say you meet the love of your life, well, it’s still gonna end. It’s inevitable, whether by the slow pull of a disease, or the shock of loose footing on a hiking trail, whether it be the corrosion of two personalities that reshape each other until they’re incompatible, or maybe the old stranger in a bar who says the things that need to be said, to that person, that night. The point is, happiness always ends. Best case scenario — think about this — best case is that you die at the same time. Yikes.
Morty: Can’t the Hole just let me go then? Sounds like I don’t matter.
Hole’s Avatar: You don’t. But if you go, you’ll take him away. Don’t worry. Rick will die before accepting happiness. After that, we’ll chase you with some clowns or some dumb shit like that. But Grandpa…[Chuckles] Yummy, yummy. Grandpa’s gonna die. Just like Diane.
"Mortal, you have served your purpose. Now face your End. I am the all-consuming void. What can one mote of golden light illuminate within the abyss? Countless stars. Countless worlds. Countless lives. All fell to me. All brought to nothing. All the teeming chaos of creation? Brought to order. To neutrality. To nothing. I saw your mind as you ran through my prison. You have fought machines and gods. They were mighty. They were finite. I am infinite. I am nothing. You struggle as so many have done before. You will be consumed like all those before you. I saw your mind. Your courage never wavered. Why? Arrogance? Ignorance? Stupidity? I was contained once. Once. Is that why? My captors bent time and space. My captors built a whole reality to contain me. My captors burned their souls away to fuel their engines. And you? You glitter. You fly above me like a gnat. I am inevitable. I cannot be denied. You strike this incarnation with all your might. It changes nothing. You are not brave. You are not victorious. No matter what form I take... THE END comes for you all."
