In Superman II, during the final battle between Superman, Zod, Ursa and Non (in the Fortress of Solitude), there was a part where they were disappearing and reappearing as false images (like holograms) to fool each other. Superman says to Lois that he used to play the game as a kid and that he never was very good at it. With whom did he play that would have had those powers? He came to Earth as an infant. Furthermore I don't buy that he was simply talking about hide and seek or some Earthly game. His statement that he was never good at it would not have made sense in that context.
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I think in context it was supposed to appear as if the Kryptonians where moving so fast that all Lois and Lex where perceiving was their after-images. I took it as more of a super speed version of tag, mixed with a little hide-and-seek.– Monty129Commented Mar 3, 2014 at 23:44
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@Monty129 - The script makes it clear that it's something to do with crystals and refraction rather than super-speed– ValorumCommented Mar 4, 2014 at 0:55
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1 Answer
The canon quote from the film transcript is
"We used to play this game at school. I never was very good at it!".
I think it's pretty clear that he's referring to 'hide and seek' rather than his newfound ability to make himself appear in multiple locations since that would have obviously have raised a very considerable number of questions. Furthermore, it's very likely that he's being ironic since his x-ray vision must have given him an incomparable advantage against his schoolmates.
In the original shooting script the line is slightly different;
"How do you like these odds, General ? Or are they too odd for you?"
closely followed by
"One more mistake like that and you'll be busted to Corporal, Zod.
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Is it clear in the movie that the ability was newfound? I remember wondering the same things as the OP when i watched this but that was years ago.– terdonCommented Mar 4, 2014 at 1:14
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In the script it's not spelled out but the order of event would suggest it; They confuse him by disappearing, he thinks about it for a bit then concentrates, then he's able to do the same trick; Line 400 onwards... supermanhomepage.com/movies/superman_II_shoot.txt– ValorumCommented Mar 4, 2014 at 1:20
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Thanks, that does seem to suggest he only just thought of it.– terdonCommented Mar 4, 2014 at 1:24
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There is also the factor (based on the first movie) that he did not learn at least the power of flight until after leaving home and forming the Fortress of Solitude. This might imply that such special abilities were part of his later training (though the flight to Earth is also shown to be teaching him).– user11683Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 17:25
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2@Gelfamat ~ Early scripts and deleted scenes are an invaluable primary source of information as they often show what the writer meant.– ValorumCommented Mar 15, 2014 at 7:26