
Marvel quotes that’ll remind you why you love the franchise
From the hilarious to the heartbreaking, Marvel quotes aren’t hard to come by. Since 2007, when Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man first quipped his way into our hearts, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown to include 32 films—and counting. On popularity alone, these are among some of the best movies of the past two decades, grossing a record-breaking $30 billion at the box office. These films aren’t just action flicks, though. They’re a global phenomenon, and that’s thanks to the way their comic book source material has been combined with humor and heart as the Avengers and their colleagues save the world over and over again.
What’s also important is that the films allow every character to have a rich backstory. Marvel heroes are funny and vulnerable and inspiring, which is why our favorite Marvel movie quotes range from silly one-liners to stirring speeches about saving the world. In fact, some of the best quotes from the films come during emotional, gut-wrenching moments where the superheroes set their differences aside to defeat the villain.
In talking about the comic book characters he created, Stan Lee is quoted as saying, “I don’t think superpowers automatically means there won’t be any personality problems, family problems or even money problems. I just tried to write characters who are human beings who also have superpowers.” And that’s it right there: It’s the human stories at the heart of these films that resonate with us and keep us watching again and again.
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Funniest Marvel quotes
1. “I told you, I don’t want to join your super-secret boy band.” —Tony Stark to Nick Fury when asked to join the Avengers in Iron Man 2
2. “Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it.” —Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy
3. “Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?” —Tony Stark, upon meeting Thor in The Avengers
4. “I’m made of rocks, as you can see, but don’t let that intimidate you. You don’t need to be afraid unless you’re made of scissors! Just a little rock-paper-scissors joke for you!” —Korg in Thor: Ragnarok
5. “Don’t scare me like that, colonizer.” —Shuri to Everett Ross in Black Panther
6. “Just Wong? Like Adele? Or Aristotle? Drake. Bono. Eminem.” —Stephen Strange when introduced to Wong in Doctor Strange
7. “This is a man. … It’s like a pirate had a baby with an angel.” —Drax describing Thor in Avengers: Infinity War
8. “Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-a-Bear.” —Tony Stark to Rocket Raccoon in Avengers: Endgame
9. “What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say? Jesus?” —Peter Quill in Avengers: Infinity War
10. “Dude, you’re embarrassing me in front of the wizards.” —Tony Stark to Hulk in Avengers: Infinity War
11. “Mew-mew? What’s mew-mew?” —Darcy Lewis, trying to pronounce “Mjolnir” in Thor
12. “Someone peed my pants! Not sure if it was the baby me or the old me. Or was it just me-me?” —Ant-Man in Avengers: Endgame
13. “It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.” —Tony Stark in The Avengers
14. “You call me ‘young lady’ again, I’ll shove my foot up somewhere it’s not supposed to be.” —Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel
15. “Have you ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here.” —Tony Stark in The Avengers
Humor is a hallmark of Marvel films—most feature characters lobbing good-natured insults at one another—and some of the best-received Marvel movies bring the biggest laughs. Characters like Tony Stark, Ant-Man, Peter Quill and Shuri have legendary wit and pop-culture references, which help to temper the life-or-death situations these superheroes often find themselves in. You might come to these films for the action, but you’ll stay for the funny quotes and belly laughs. And the shawarma.

Inspirational Marvel quotes
16. “I choose to run toward my problems and not away from them. Because’s that … because that’s what heroes do.” —Thor in Thor: Ragnarok
17. “It’s not enough to be against something. You have to be for something better.” —Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War
18. “Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all. —King T’Chaka in Captain America: Civil War
19. “No man can win every battle, but no man should fall without a struggle.” —Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming
20. “Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.” —Shuri in Black Panther
21. “If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it.” —Tony Stark to Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming
22. “Everyone fails at who they’re supposed to be, Thor. The measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are.” —Frigga to her son Thor in Avengers: Endgame
23. “I would rather be a good man than a great king.” —Thor in Thor: The Dark World
24. “I know you were only doing what you believe in, and that’s all any of us can do. It’s all any of us should.” —Captain America in Captain America: Civil War
25. “No amount of money ever bought a second of time.” —Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
26. “We never lose our demons, Mordo. We only learn to live above them.” —The Ancient One in Doctor Strange
27. “Today we don’t fight for one life. We fight for all of them.” —T‘Challa in Avengers: Infinity War
28. “All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best that we can do is to start over.” —Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger
29. “In times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe.” —T‘Challa in Black Panther
30. “You hope for the best and make do with what you get.” —Nick Fury in Avengers: Age of Ultron
Whether you want teamwork quotes or uplifting quotes that will inspire, the Marvel movies have them in spades. Despite Tony Stark’s incessant sarcasm and the goofy gags in every film, there’s a lot of heart to these action movies. They’re about more than a group of heroes in capes; they’re about finding a sense of purpose, restoring the good in the world and keeping the universe in balance. These Marvel movie quotes remind us that good can triumph over evil, even when it doesn’t seem possible.

Thanos quotes
31. “The hardest choices require the strongest wills.” —Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War
32. “Reality is often disappointing. Now, reality can be whatever I want.” —Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War
33. “You should have gone for the head.” —Thanos to Thor in Avengers: Infinity War
34. “I am inevitable.” —Thanos in Avengers: Endgame
35. “You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.” —Thanos to Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War
36. “You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.” —Thanos in Avengers: Endgame
37. “It’s a simple calculus. This universe is finite, its resources finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correcting. ” —Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War
38. “With all the six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that mercy. ” —Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War
39. “No resurrections this time.” —Thanos to Loki in Avengers: Infinity War
40. “I will shred this universe down to its last atom and then, with the stones you’ve collected for me, create a new one, teeming with life that knows not what it is lost but only what it is been given … a grateful universe.” —Thanos in Avengers: Endgame
41. “What I’m about to do to your stubborn, annoying, little planet… I’m gonna enjoy it very, very much.” —Thanos in Avengers: Endgame
42. “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.” —Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War
43. “I ignored my destiny once. I cannot do that again. Not even for you. I’m sorry, little one.” —Thanos to Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War
44. “Destiny arrives all the same. And now it’s here. Or should I say, I am.” —Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War
Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) lingered in the background of earlier Marvel movies like Avengers: Age of Ultron. But in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, he became the big bad after collecting all six of the Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet. With the power to fulfill his dream of destroying half of all life in the universe, he gave fans a villain for the ages with the snap of a finger. Avengers: Endgame, which is essentially a time-travel movie, sees the Avengers going back in time to reverse this incident (known as the Blip) but not without another major battle with Thanos.

Captain America quotes
45. “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.” —Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger
46. “You get hurt, hurt ’em back. You get killed, walk it off.” —Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron
47. “I’m gonna need a rain check on that dance.” —Captain America to Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger
48. “You know, for the longest time, I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines. Serving my country. I finally get everything I wanted, and I’m wearing tights.” —Captain America to Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger
49. “This job… We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody. But if we can’t find a way to live with that, next time … maybe nobody gets saved.” —Captain America to the rest of the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War
50. “Well, things aren’t so bad. Food’s a lot better; we used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet: so helpful. I’ve been reading that a lot, trying to catch up.” —Captain America to Sam Wilson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
51. “When I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we won. They didn’t say what we lost.” —Captain America in The Avengers
52. “No mistakes. No do-overs. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives.” —Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
53. “You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and grow. Some do. But not us.” —Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
54. “I can do this all day.” —Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
55. “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from.” —Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger
56. “There’s only one God, ma’am. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.” —Captain America on Loki in The Avengers
57. “I’m with you ’til the end of the line.” —Captain America to Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) started out as a scrawny kid from Brooklyn and, thanks to a super serum, turned into one of the most elite soldiers the world has ever seen. But becoming Captain America didn’t change who Steve was at his core: a loyal friend, a man devoted to doing the right thing and a team member with a stockpile of leadership quotes to inspire the other Avengers. Cap was known throughout the Marvel movies for sticking to his principles, and while that led to the occasional conflict with people like Tony Stark and his friend Bucky Barnes, his unwillingness to compromise his morals always worked out for him.

Tony Stark quotes
58. “Don’t do anything I would do, and definitely don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. There’s a little gray area there, and that’s where you operate.” —Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming
59. “If we can’t accept limitations, then we’re no better than the bad guys.” —Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War
60. “You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys, but one thing you can’t take away: I am Iron Man.” —Tony Stark in Iron Man 3
61. “It’s not about how much we lost. It’s about how much we have left.” —Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
62. “Iron Man. That’s kind of catchy. It’s got a nice ring to it. I mean, it’s not technically accurate. The suit’s a gold titanium alloy, but it’s kind of provocative, the imagery anyway.” —Tony Stark in Iron Man
63. “I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I had more to offer this world than just making things that blow up.” —Tony Stark in Iron Man
64. “I love you 3,000.” —Tony Stark to his daughter, Morgan, in Avengers: Endgame
65. “No hard feelings, Point Break. You’ve got a mean swing.” —Tony Stark to Thor in The Avengers
66. “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” —Tony Stark describing himself in The Avengers
67. “Part of the journey is the end.” —Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
68. “There’s no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes, and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it.” —Tony Stark in The Avengers
69. “The Avengers. That’s what we call ourselves; we’re sort of like a team. ‘Earth’s mightiest heroes’-type thing.” —Tony Stark in The Avengers
70. “I’m sorry, Earth is closed today. You better pack it up and get outta here.” —Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War
71. “Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?” —Tony Stark in Iron Man
72. “Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future?” —Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
You can always count on Tony Stark for a good laugh or a good cry: Robert Downey Jr.’s Marvel character was the backbone of the Avengers films. He wasn’t just good for a sarcastic quip; he served up some of the most emotional moments of the film franchise. (He was also the king of funny inspirational quotes.) The character of Iron Man appeared in 11 Marvel films, including the Iron Man trilogy, Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, not to mention all the Avengers films.

Thor quotes
73. “I went for the head.” —Thor, after killing Thanos in Avengers: Endgame
74. “This drink, I like it! Another!” —Thor after trying coffee in Thor
75. “You seek love. It’s all any of us want.” —Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder
76. “I know him! He’s a friend from work!” —Thor, referring to Hulk, in Thor: Ragnarok
77. “I make grave mistakes all the time. Everything seems to work out.” —Thor in Thor: Ragnarok
78. “Brother, how ever I have wronged you, whatever I have done that has led you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent, taking their lives will gain you nothing. So take mine, and end this.” —Thor to Loki in Thor
79. “These hands were once used for battle, now they’re but humble tools for peace.” —Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder
80. “There was one time when we were children. He transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. So I went to pick up the snake to admire it, and he transformed back into himself and he was like, ‘Blech, it’s me!’ And he stabbed me. We were 8 at the time.” —Thor on Loki in Thor: Ragnarok
81. “You people are so petty. And tiny.” —Thor to his fellow Avengers in The Avengers
82. “Thank you, sweet rabbit.” —Thor to Rocket Raccoon in Avengers: Infinity War
83. “Oh, by the way, this is a friend of mine, the tree.” —Thor, introducing Groot to Captain America in Avengers: Infinity War
84. “Your ancestors called it magic, and you call it science. Well, I come from a place where they’re one and the same thing.” —Thor to scientist Jane Foster in Thor
85. “I used to want to be a Valkyrie when I was younger, until I found out you were all women. There’s nothing wrong with women, of course. I love women. Sometimes a little too much. Not in a creepy way, just more like a respectful appreciation.” —Thor in Thor: Ragnarok
Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) has had quite the evolution as a character: Though he began his Marvel journey as a self-serious warrior from Asgard, he eventually became one of the most beloved Avengers, thanks to his goofy sense of humor. He brings the laughs, whether he’s butting heads with his volatile brother, Loki, or hamming it up alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Here’s some Marvel trivia that proves comedic Thor is the best Thor: In one of the most iconic moments of the series, Thor strikes a nonfatal blow to Thanos, prompting the villain to say, “You should have gone for the head,” before snapping his fingers and killing half the population. Later, when given the chance to reverse the situation in Avengers: Endgame, Thor takes Thanos’s advice, killing the villain and later saying one of the most famous Marvel quotes of any movie: “I went for the head.”

Avengers quotes
86. “Avengers, assemble!” —Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
87. “I recognize that the council has made a decision, but given that it’s a stupid-ass decision, I’ve elected to ignore it.” —Nick Fury in The Avengers
88. “I can’t control their fear, only my own.” —Wanda Maximoff in Captain America: Civil War
89. “That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.” —Bruce Banner in The Avengers
90. “The city is flying. We’re fighting an army of robots. And I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense.” —Clint Barton in Avengers: Age of Ultron
91. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” —Ant-Man in Ant-Man
92. “Puny god.” —Hulk to Loki in The Avengers
93. “At some point, we all have to choose between what the world wants you to be and who you are.” —Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) in Black Widow
94. “You shouldn’t have killed my mom and squished my Walkman.” —Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
95. “If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.” —Doctor Strange to Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
96. “Tony, trying to get you to stop has been one of the few failures of my entire life.” —Pepper Potts to Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
97. “The truth is a matter of circumstances; it’s not all things to all people all the time. And neither am I.” —Natasha Romanoff in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
98. “I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.” —Loki in The Avengers
99. “Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke … Harlem.” —Bruce Banner to Tony Stark in The Avengers
100. “Just a typical homecoming, on the outside of an invisible jet, fighting my girlfriend’s dad.” —Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming
We all have our favorite superhero, but as this roundup of Marvel quotes from the Avengers crew proves, they’re better together. After all, at their core, Marvel films are family movies that you can count on for pure entertainment. So it’s no wonder one of the most famous Marvel quotes of the entire cinematic universe centers on the team: “Avengers, assemble!”
Source:
- Statista: “Highest-grossing movie franchises and series worldwide as of July 2023”