In Superman vs Batman, Lex Luthor says, “Martha, Martha, Martha” — was that improvised?

Question

The line (taunting Superman, iirc) is a play on an old Brady Bunch where someone says, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" but Lex according to the movie grew up in East Germany and even if he had some access to western TV he sure does not seem like the kind of guy who would have watched insipid sitcoms as a kid.

So I am guessing the writers, who had the character's bio/backstory firmly in mind, would not have had him saying this.

So did the actor come up with the line himself?

Is there any evidence one way or the other?

Answer 1

he sure does not seem like the kind of guy who would have watched insipid sitcoms as a kid

1. So you are telling me that you are able to divine exactly which shows and movies I have watched in the 31 years of my life by meeting me today? Without fail?

2. I know quotes from movies I don't like, or movies I never watched. I could quote half of The Princess Bride before I had ever seen the movie. Why would Lex Luthor, a genius with broad knowledge, not be able to do the same?

3. On top of that, repeating a name in this context (pointing out a mistake someone made) is common. I never watched the Brady Bunch and "Martha, Martha, Martha" still made sense to me even without the context of the scene. Why do you assume it must invariably be in reference to the Brady Bunch?

4. Even if the above points were somehow wrong, ever heard of out-of-universe easter eggs? (Not that the Marcia line is particularly known by audiences, but suppose it was)

5. How would you be able to discern the improvised from the scripted, if not by being told that it was improvised/scripted by someone who worked on the movie's production?

Your question is an assumption based on a phrasing that is more common than you are suggesting just because it vaguely sounds like something else you've heard in another movie/show. This is wild conjecture to an extreme degree.