Original artwork, not a still
Why make trillions when we could make... billions?
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Dr. Evil prices the world in the one number he understands and delivers it with the right sinister pause. The gag is that the smaller figure gets treated as the more menacing one, which is the series' running joke about villains stuck in the past. Fans use it for any needlessly timid ask, and Scott's flat correction is as quoted as the line itself.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeShow the scene
In The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Dr. Evil, Scott and the rest of the organisation meet in the lair, and Number Two suggests using their knowledge of the future to play the stock market and make trillions. Dr. Evil gives it a long, sinister pause and answers: why make trillions when they could make billions? Scott points out that a trillion is more than a billion. Dr. Evil, who has no reply, answers with a long run of "zip it" and finishes by ordering the Time Portal unveiled.
Sources (2)
- Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, WikiquoteDr. Evil, Number Two and Scott in the lairReference checked
- Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, film scriptscene before the Time PortalReference checked
Context reviewed
