Summary
The Avengersare the premiere superhero league of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, each with their own unique personalities represented through dialogue. Thefilms of the MCUare known for their quippy, fast-paced lines, expertly delivered by the fantastic performances of each starring hero. From Captain America to Hawkeye, each of the most famous Avengers members can be distilled into their single greatest quotes.
Interestingly enough, many of the greatest quotes from the Avengers can be traced back to their first team-up appearances in Joss Whedon’s 2012 film of the same name, with Whedon demonstrating an uncanny ability to quickly convey the unique personalities of each member. Since then, the series has also seen a suite ofexpansive Disney+ seriesand additional crossover films that have managed to add more even depth to the Earth’s mightiest heroes.
Iron Man, Captain America & Captain Marvel Get Gritty New Costumes in the Avengers' Biggest Defeat Ever (Including Thanos)
The Avengers have lost big before, but now Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Hulk & Spider-Man face an unprecedented defeat.
15"The Living Are Not Done With You Yet."
Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Civil Warhad the Herculean task of not only following up on the powder keg of hostilities brewing within the Avengers sinceAvengers: Age of Ultron, but also had to introduce two of the most important heroes in the MCU’s lineup: Black Panther and Spider-Man. In the former’s case, T’Challa is practically cooler in the final entry of theCaptain Americatrilogy than he is in his own films, relentlessly pursuing the Winter Soldier for the perceived death of his father. When he finds out the truth of T’Chaka’s death, it results in T’Challa’s best line.
Cornering the man truly responsible for his father’s death,Black Panther finds Baron Zemo suicidal despite his plan having succeeded. Though taking revenge was all he could think about earlier, here, T’Challa sees a broken man who deserves to stand trial for his crimes. He tells Zemo as much, claiming “The living are not done with you yet”, while saving his life. This critical bit of character development marks the moment that Black Panther goes from a vengeance-fueled vigilante to a true hero and diplomat.
14"I Don’t Have To Win, We Both Just Have To Lose."
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
By all accounts,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawas a failurefor the MCU, not delivering critically or monetarily. Still, the CGI-laden sci-fi adventure contains one of Ant-Man’s best quotes, standing out in a sea of hilarious quips expertly delivered by comedy icon Paul Rudd. When face-to-face with Kang with nothing but his meager martial arts skills to protect him, Scott Lang gives up on any hope of Kang fulfilling his end of their dubious bargain, sacrificing any vain attempts to get back the time he lost with his daughter and preventing Kang from escaping.
For all the great jokes made by Ant-Man over the years that might be more indicative of his personality, this single line digs a little deeper at Scott’s true motivations. Time and time again, Scott asredeemed himself from selfishness for the greater good, particularly able to sacrifice anything for his daughter. By ultimately realizing that containing Kang was more important than getting back what he lost, Scott finally is able to turn the tables on one of the MCU’s most dangerous foes.
Another excellent superhero introduction inCaptain America: Civil War,Tom Holland quickly endeared himself to audiences as an amazing live-action Spider-Man with his delivery and charm. For all his witty retorts and mid-combat trash talking, Spider-Man’s best line is by far his profound take on Uncle Ben’s classic wisdom,“With great power comes great responsibility.“When Tony Stark asks him why he bothers with superherodom, Peter Parker gives his thoughts on why gifted people like him have a duty to act.
It helps that Tom Holland’s delivery is so earnest and genuine here
This one simple line sums up Peter Parker’s character in a more faithful way than any Spider-Man movie has done previously. For Spider-Man, being a superhero isn’t just something he chooses to do – It’s something he has a moral obligation to do, using his powers to make a difference wherever he can. It helps that Tom Holland’s delivery is so earnest and genuine here, forever exemplifying what Spider-Man should strive to be.
12"Pain’s An Old Friend.”
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange makes a case for the Avenger with hardest lines of dialogue to choose a single best entry from. From his cheeky boasts of “It’s a simple spell, but quite unbreakable” to the infamous “Dormammu! I’ve come to bargain!”, Stephen Strange has no shortage of scenery-chewing lines that enhance and give texture to his irreverent personality. But in the end, his best quote comes from within his confrontation with Dormammu.
Confused and angry after being trapped in a time loop, Dormammu tortures Doctor Strange over and over again, questioning how he can continue living out an endlessnightmare of deaths in order to prevent Dormammu’s invasionof Earth. Doctor Strange responds that pain is an old friend of his, hinting at the deep well of sorrow boiling under his cocky persona as a medical genius and master of the mystic arts. Beset with tragedy after tragedy, Doctor Strange is no stranger to pain, able to endureyears of horrific torture at Dormammu’s hands.
11"The Only Power I Have Is That I Believe That We Can Do Better.”
Episode 6, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Of all the Disney+ MCU series,The Falcon and the Winter Soldieris far from the most popular, suffering from a litany of tonal and narrative problems. However, the series still managed to make out with one of the most shockingly profound quotes courtesy of Anthony Mackie’s Falcon,now the new Captain America. Addressing the irony of being a black man proudly bearing Captain America’s shield, Sam Wilson makes a daring speech that asserts his true character underneath the jokes and cocky attitude.
As a black man, Sam Wilson is well aware of the depths of evil acts done in the name of Stars and Stripes can sink to, yet manages to make peace with being the new Captain America anyway. Alluding to his lack of powers despite being a superhero, Sam states that “The only power I have is the belief that we can do better,” emphasizing the character’s inherent hope despite all evidence to the contrary. At this moment, Sam truly evolves from Falcon to Captain America in earnest while defending his beliefs fiercely.
10"What Is Grief, If Not Love Persevering?"
Episode 8, WandaVision
One of the most profound quotes in all of the MCU, let alone uttered by a single particular hero, Vision’s ruminations on the nature of grief is easily his best quote. In a flashback,WandaVisiontreats viewers to an earlier lookat Vision and Wanda’s blossoming relationship, showing how the two fell for each other as Vision simultaneously became more human. Only a machine could surmise the human experience as distinctly as Vision does when Wanda vents to him about her overwhelming grief regarding the loss of her brother.
Vision’s quote comforting her is made all the sadder by the circumstances ofWandaVision.Being killed himself inAvengers: Infinity War, Vision’s words now posthumously apply to himself, making them all the more poignant. The writers ofWandaVisiontruly deserve credit for crafting a single line that so accurately defines Vision’s compassion while re-contextualizing human emotion itself.
9"I Cannot Control Their Fear. Only My Own."
Continuing a goldmine of MCU character quotes,Captain America: Civil Warsaw Vision and Scarlet Witch in the midst of an ideological split. On either side of the border between the Avengers' ideological schism following the Sokovia Accords, Wanda defies Vision and Tony Stark in order to join Hawkeye on Captian America’s side. Overpowering her lover in order to escape, Vision warns Wanda that she’ll continue to be feared if she goes down the path of independence.
Wanda’s response demonstrates her acceptance of herself, no longer concerned about public perceptions. This quote is great in a vacuum as a defiance of societal norms while standing up for one’s own beliefs, asScarlet Witch does when she accepts herself and Hawkeye’s proposal. Interestingly, this line also has some hints at Wanda’s eventual return to villainy, unconcerned with the opinions of others to a dangerous degree.
8"Don’t Do Anything Stupid Until I Come Back."
Captain America: The First Avenger
Few characters have gone on as harrowing a journey as Bucky Barnes, as demonstrated by his best line of dialogue in the film. After succesfully joining the war effort in the 40s, Bucky painfully leaves Steve Rogers behind, telling him not to do anything stupid until he returns, to which Steve replies,“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.“This line sums up the brotherly bond Bucky and Steve share while also serving as an ominous warning of Bucky’s future, considering just how long it would be until Bucky “comes back.”
The Winter Soldier may be an Avenger of few words, but this simple farewell is by far Bucky’s best quote in the MCU
InAvengers: Endgame, Bucky has this line thrown back at him by Captain America, as he leaves to return the Infinity Stones. As Bucky jokingly rebuts with Steve’s same response from all those years ago, the moment becomes a bittersweet goodbye, as Steve gets back irreversibly changed, much like Bucky was the first time they shared these words. The Winter Soldier may be an Avenger of few words, but this simple farewell is by farBucky’s best quote in the MCU.
7"But We Work With What We Got, Right?”
Avengers: Endgame
Don Cheadle’s War Machine is the single most criminally underrated Marvel hero in the entire series. Never getting a solo film or even a streaming series, War Machine has been a steadfast Avenger for longer than anyone outside the original six, and deserves much more recognition as one of the franchise’s most reliable faces. His personality can best be summed up with the quiet moment he shares with Nebula after stealing the Power Stone in the time heist.
After she catches him staring at her cybernetic arm,Nebula tells War Machine that she “wasn’t always like this.“Clearly relating thanks to his own cybernetics that allow him to walk, Rhodes clearly relates, responding “Me neither. But we work with what we got, right?” This casual acceptance of bad situations is what colors War Machine’s outlook in all of his movie appearances; never an idealist, but always willing to do what practically needs to be done to make the best of his circumstances.
6"I’m In The Middle Of An Interrogation. This Moron Is Giving Me Everything.”
The Avengers
Black Widow may have appeared for the first time inIron Man 2, but her re-introduction inThe Avengersmight be the perfect summation of her superhero career. Seemingly trapped by a gang of dangerous Russian terrorists, Natasha Romanoff is being interrogated, seconds away from being brutally tortured into giving up some kind of classified information. However, she’s saved by the bell when one of the Russians' phones rings, demanding to speak to her lest a fighter jet strike the entire building.
Sounding mildly annoyed at the interruption, Black Widow refers to her current situation as simply “working”, much to the disbelief of her captors. After stating that she was the one really doing the interrogating,Black Widow reveals herself to have been in control of the situationthe whole time, maintaining her fear as a farce. It’s hard to think of a better line that exemplifies her skills as a super spy.
