Re: Lex Luthor
Luthor listened silently as the two men spoke, puffing from time to time on the cigar, and taking a sip in between. His expression remained much the same throughout, one eyebrow only lifting a bit at Tony's last words.
"Mmm," he contributed, finally. Setting the cigar in an ashtray, he kept the glass, slowly swirling the contents as he considered the offer. "Brilliant minds coming together to fix the world. How noble." His tone wasn't sarcastic, but it lacked enthusiasm, remaining completely neutral. "Others may protest that the world's problems should be fixed by the masses, and not the few. But then, one might argue that those with less intelligence, however smart they are, often take offense to brilliance."
"The question that now comes to my mind is what exactly would keep such protests from hindering a cause like this? Gentlemen," and a slightly bemused smile now, one that didn't reach his eyes, "I'm aware of the shared IQ in this room right now. I'm aware of the multitude of ways that we could very much alter the way that the world works along with its safety. But you have to understand that out there," and he moved the glass to wave towards the window "is a population of people who will bristle and demand to know what gives us the right to fix all of it. And they vastly outnumber us."
And his voice changed abruptly, the sneer curling at the edges of his mouth. "It's been a common response I've had to learn to expect over the years. As many times as I've tried to help, I've found my offers thrown back at me, because of my intellect. This endeavor, however noble, will only find the same." And the sneer disappeared as he shrugged, taking a small drink. "Not that you shouldn't pursue it, of course. By all means, fix the problems, save the world, put your brains to work on doing good."
"Just don't be surprised when the common man takes offense simply because he can."