Superman delivers one of these to Lana Lang after she detonated a thousand kryptonite bombs around the world, an action that nearly made the planet uninhabitable not only to Superman, but to anyone with Kryptonian DNA, including Power Girl, Supergirl, Superboy, and Krypto. After the radioactive mess is cleaned up, Supes has a chat with Lana.
Superman: You might wonder sometimes — I know I have — what life would have been like had we... had you and I... Had it been you instead of Lois. And you might have wondered why it wasn't you instead of Lois... Lois would never have pushed that button.
Superman: You once said that you could perform miracles — transform the world — if only you didn't have to deal with me. Well, you didn't, not for a year. And what did youdo? Found yourself a big, destructive machine so you could break things. What have you ever done but destroy, Luthor? But enrich yourself, and pretend to be doing good?
In Krypton No More, Superman gives the speech to a corrupt businessman who is more concerned with making a profit than his employees' health:
Superman: Hold it! Men are dying, Kalmbach — getting cancer from working in your vats — and you say that risk is acceptable? NO! People like you are destroying this planet, killing its people, ruining its future — and for WHAT? Profit — Greed — and some sick illusion called "Progress"!
Superman: Forgive me, J'onn... Looks like I failed you! Martian Manhunter: No, not me, Superman —It's the entire universe that will have to pay the price of your failure! I warned you that you were dealing with forces beyond your comprehension — but you were just too overconfident — too egotistical — to listen!
Morgan Edge tries to bully Clark Kent into compliance, but for once Clark isn't getting it:
Morgan Edge: No backtalk, Kent! I call the shots around here and when I decide I need a man to do a report from Chile that man goes to Chile— hear me talking, Kent? Clark Kent: But, Mr.Edge, I... Morgan Edge: I don't care what you've got going next week— Clark Kent: But... Morgan Edge: I suggest you travel light! Clark Kent: Hold your flapping mouth, you barrel of overpriced lard! You might treat your other employees like cattle... But the cattle train stops right here!
Superman delivers one to Xviar after foiling his scheme to destroy Earth:
Superman: The instant I defeated Amalak and Brainiac, you switched bodies with Amalak, knowing I would imprison him far from Earth... where your superiors would soon release you! Only they won't bother freeing a failure! You'll stay here... along with the real Amalak!
In A Mind-Switch in Time, Superman finally reaches his rage-breaking point and beats Lex Luthor up while pointing how stupid and short-sighted Lex really is.
Superman: No, we can't have trash like you cluttering the streets— or wouldn't you love to have someone trip over you and get hurt? Isn't that what you live for... Menacing innocent people with your insane gimmicks? Face it, Lex Luthor... The future would be better off without you! You're a menace! Look at your latest trick! Or did you ever stop and think what would happen to the world without a Superman to protect it? All the disasters the future holds that only I could handle? I'd be doing the world a favor by putting an end to you right now... Before you grow up to be an even greater menace!
World of Krypton (2021): During an argument, General Zod complains that Jor-El regards soldiers as savages, despite them using his science to protect Krypton.
Dru-Zod: All that science. All that progress. Where do you think it ends up? I've fired your science from the barrel of a weapon more times than I can remember. Than I want to remember! I know what I've done and to whom! Do you? Jor-El: ... Dru-Zod: You love to lecture. To drown others in words. Two years ago, I saved your life. Today I saved your name. You know what two words I've never heard from you? 'Thank you.'
Superman: And you say that I've learned nothing? I've never seen such blindness. Such arrogance. You think caring for others is a weakness, but underestimating them is yours. That's why we'll win.
Issue 27 of The Superman Adventures has Superman give Luthor a scathing rebuke on how Luthor could have used his genius to help people, but instead insists on wasting it on schemes to kill Superman. Of course, Luthor's ego means that he doesn't take what Superman tells him to heart and instead doubles down on the path he's already headed.
Superman: I saw a man so consumed by his own madness that he almost killed himself this time! How many fiendish plots and death-rays are there going to be, Luthor? How many billions of dollars are you going to waste? You were blessed with a brilliant mind. You could make the world such a wonderful place. Stop wasting your life trying to destroy it.
Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl: Supergirl gave a short and blunt speech to Batgirl after the latter insulted her family and her idealistic mindset:
Supergirl: They mean the world to me: Lex... my family... Batgirl: Spare me! The Society's not a family. It's the gods of Olympus looking down on the little people below. You have no clue what real life is! Supergirl: And you do? Living like a worm underground?
Superman: Of course, none of what I've said has any meaning to you. You only know death. A blackness that has brought you nothing. Darkseid: It has made me a god. Superman: No. It has made you vulnerable.
In Supergirl (2005), Lois Lane gives Catherine Grant a very scathing - and very accurate - speech, calling Cat out on having become a war-mongering tool.
Lois Lane: Are you even a reporter, Cat? Don't you have a shred of integrity? Or is pandering with lies and innuendo just that much easier for you? This isn't journalism! It's PROPAGANDA! And that makes you a tool. How you can stand to look at yourself in the mirror, Cat?
In Red Daughter of Krypton, Superman gives one to his cousin after Supergirl went off on him, pointing out that she's clung to her anger for so long that she can't get rid of it now, and she always pushes him away even though she constantly complains that she's alone:
Superman: You know what, Kara? Ever since you showed up on Earth, you've been trying to get me to do one thing — leave you alone to let you live your own life. You've been so focused on just being angry — yes, you lost your home, and that's terrible, but you can't bring it back. Supergirl: What are you saying? Superman: You've been choosing anger instead of acceptance for so long that you've become anger. You want to be your own person? Good. Be your own person. I just hope you like who you turn out to be.
Supergirl: You're asking for mercy? Like Agent Liberty got?! Like poor Mister Henderson!? Like my father!? You don't deserve mercy, you deserve a beating!
The Killers of Krypton: Kara cuts off Empress Gandelo's self-righteous rant by stating she is one of the worst monsters she has ever met.
Supergirl: I've fought my fair share of monsters in my time— But you are neck and neck with Darkseid on the pure evil scale. Tell me, Gandelo, how do you drown out the screams of your victims? Do they haunt you? Because the voices of Krypton— of Kandor— I hear them always. And I do this for them! They demand justice.
In Strangers at the Heart's Core, Klax-Ar -a Kryptonian criminal who attempted to blow Krypton up but failed and lost his natural powers in the process-, demands Supergirl transfers her powers to him on grounds of being worthier of them than her. Supergirl rapidly fires back he is not entitled to have powers, no matter how big his delusions are.
Klax-Ar: You have no right to Kryptonian powers! But I— I am a native-born Kryptonian! Power is mine by inheritance! Supergirl: Bunk! You sold your birthright when you turned against your home planet!
In The Hunt for Reactron, the eponymous and usually smug villain begs for mercy when he is being beaten up by Flamebird. Flamebird mercilessly denounces him as a coward, unrepentant bully who preys on the weak mercilessly and grovels when he is facing a superior foe.
Reactron: Stop... Please... Flamebird: No. Murderer of my people. You deserve no mercy. You show no remorse, no pity. The sincerity of your words is birthed of cowardice and hatred, nothing more. And I shall not suffer you to exist.
In The Girl with the X-Ray Mind, the Phantom Zone criminals give Lex Luthor powers and talk him into allying himself with them to take Superman and Supergirl down. Of course, they fully intend to betray him before long. Nonetheless, Lex Luthor anticipates and ruins their plans, calling them out on being foolish enough to talk about doble-crossing him where he could hear them.
Kru-El: But I thought the Gold Kryptonite had taken away their super-powers! Lex Luthor: Fools! Did you really think I'd bring you Gold Kryptonite after my Super-Hearing detected you plotting against me? You tried to double-cross me, so I decided to work with Supergirl against you!
Supergirl:"You're too busy trying to conquer all of reality to know what kind of a lousy dad you are, that you should treasure every moment with your kid because you don't know how many moments you'll have...! Well, let me knock some sense into you!"
Other Spin-off Comics
In issue #26 of her book from the 2000s, Power Girl faces a villain named Rana whose planet Aranta was enslaved by warlords. She fled to Earth and drains the abilities of Power Girl whom she had concluded was the most powerful female hero of Earth. Rana claims that her actions are for her people but Power Girl doesn't buy it:
In the "Superboy: The Boy of Steel" arc of the 2009 edition of Adventure Comics, Superboy goes on a quest to come to terms with his nature as a hybrid clone of Superman and Lex Luthor by determining whether he's more like Superman or Luthor. After he befriends Luthor's niece Lori, Luthor holds his own niece hostage and agrees to cure her mother of her paralysis only if Superboy follows his instructions. Luthor does follow through in curing his sister, but then undoes the cure just to be an asshole and refuses to reveal how he made the cure until Superman dies. Disgusted by Luthor's duplicity and selfishness, Superboy gives him a vicious beating and chews him out for being so cruel to his own relatives.
Luthor: You're—pttt—you're not much like Superman at all, are you? Superboy: And I'm not like you. I'll never be like you. To do that to someone. To crush their hopes. To ruin lives. That's evil. That's true evil.
