With the MCU pretty much just finishing their wrap up of the past 11 years of films with the release of Spider-man Far From Home, I thought I’d go back and look over the previous movies and discuss the most hard-hitting lines from the franchise.
Throughout this, I’ll be discussing the moments that impacted me the most and why they were so powerful.
There will be heavy spoilers here, so if you aren’t fully up to date with the films then there may be some things that are ruined for you here.
With that out the way I just wanna give a huge thank you for clicking this video, now let’s get into my breakdown of the Top 10 most powerful lines in the MCU.
10. I’m With You Till The End Of The Line
Captain America and Bucky’s friendship has lasted over 100 years and the story of their brotherhood has been a strong facet of all of the movies that center around the characters. The phrase I’m With You Till The End Of The Line really sums up that through good and bad, thick and thin that Cap and Bucky will always be in some form or another, tied to one another.
Captain America utters this to Bucky at the end of Winter Soldier which recounts a prior conversation that they had in which the promise was also uttered and it is pretty much the thing that brings Bucky back from the brink. It cements why Cap does the things that he does in Civil War and in as short a sentence as possible sums up the loyalty that the character possesses for his friend.
It’s literal as well as figurative too. Captain America was originally a man out of time that awoke in the future to find that he’d lost everything, however Bucky too survived and the fact that those two are still with one another come the end of Avengers Endgame shows that it was a promise that didn’t end up broken cementing it as the tenth most powerful line for me.
9. I’m Here To Talk About The Avenger Initiative
Back in 2008, the idea of Superheroes interacting with one another was a distant dream that never seemed like it would ever come to fruition. These were heroes that existed in their own universes and though they may reference one another, say as how Superman was brought up in Batman and Robin, there was no way that the heroes in superhero movies would ever meet.
That was until the post-credit scene of Iron-Man in which we saw Tony Stark discover none other than Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson in his home. This line alone would change the movie industry, not only opening the idea of shared universes but also teasing what was to come down the line for cinema’s grandest creation.
Everyone who saw this back at the time of it’s release went wild and there was an air of electricity throughout the theatre that made us audience members believe that comic books could come to life in more ways than ever before and that’s why it’s one of the most powerful lines in the MCU.
8. Bury Me In The Ocean
Black Panther was a revolutionary comic book film for several reasons. Not only did it completely crush the box office and was the first superhero centric film that was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, it also celebrated an African Aesthetic and introduced several Black role models that up until this point had been pretty vacant in Hollywood.
The film’s villain, Kilmonger was a big reason for the movie’s success and his journey throughout the movie was spellbinding. A complete outcast, he managed to climb the staircase of status until he became the King Of Wakanda, a man with a mission to free the rest of the world and his people from servitude.
This entire quest is cemented by his final few words in which he utters the following just before death:
‘Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.’
This haunting line will stay with you long after the film’s credits roll and it showcases why Kilmonger chose death rather than dishonor at the end of the film. It perfectly encapsulates his entire way of thinking and shows why in the end he did everything his own way.
7. I Don’t Feel So Good Mr. Stark
Watching half of our favorite heroes get wiped out in the wake of the snap carried out by Thanos was probably the most heartbreaking moment in the entire Marvel universe. Not only did the villain win but we also lost so many up and coming characters that the final few scenes of Infinity War felt like the lowest point in the Marvel universe. Still though, these weren’t the main names and it looked like the universe could perhaps carry on…all until Spider-man said the words ‘I don’t feel so good.’ Now at this point the line has become a meme, used in all manner of things including the recent Sony/Disney deal, however, at the time this was a shocking scene that showed Marvel were holding no punches when it came to killing off their characters.
Watching Iron-man witness the death of a boy that looked up to him was soul-destroying and it was a…god…sob…I can’t even do it..yeah this was the lowest point of the entire MCU, thank god he came back cos I can’t handle watching this anymore.
6. I Know What It’s Like To Lose
Thanos may have been teased throughout the MCU before getting a film where he was the main focus and his entrance didn’t disappoint. In his opening monologue the character says:
I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless. As lightning turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. And now, it’s here. Or should I say, I am.
This perfectly summed up just how unbeatable the character was and how in his words he is inevitable. We pretty much see throughout the film Vision tries to flee from his eventual fate, even forcing his love to kill him but Destiny still arrives and Thanos collects all stones. Throughout the movie he is an unstoppable force, besting the Avengers easily even though they feel that they’re right. Watching them fail nonetheless pretty much harkens back to his original statement and from the opening of the film, Thanos lets the audience and characters know exactly how it’s going to go.
It’s the perfect way to introduce him and it helps to push his portrayal above most, making for an outstanding entrance.
5. I had a Date
The ending of Captain America is one that really pulls at your heartstrings and is something that we wouldn’t see get closure until ten years later when Cap finally got reunited with his long lost love, Peggy Carter. At the end of his first film, Captain America finds that his sacrifice has been a costly one and that he has been catapulted into the future where he is pretty much alone and isolated.
This line perfectly sums up his disappointment over how this action has pretty much cost him his happiness and it also showcases that he is coming to grips with the fact that he has lost everything.
It’s a really powerful moment that I remember left me feeling really downtrodden upon leaving the cinema. I felt like Cap would never be able to love again and the fact that we also had no idea whether Peggy was alive or not made this really hit home. Whilst we can look back on this in hindsight, knowing that Steve did get to be with the love of his life, it’s still a brutal reminder of the cost of being a hero.
4. Perfectly Balanced As All Things Should Be
Thanos’ quest is arguably one of the most eventful in the entire Marvel Universe and his quest to balance the galaxy is almost an analysis of Yin and Yang. Everything needs balance, good and bad, light and dark and in Thanos’ mind he is just correcting the universe and putting it back on the right track after he believes that overpopulation has ruined it.
His way of thinking can be encapsulated perfectly in this quote and it shows that he truly believes that everything should be in equal proportion so as not to have chaos consume it. With the overpopulation debate currently going on on our planet, many often bring up Thanos’ idea and we’ve seen them popularised in the hashtag #ThanosWasRight. It’s clear that some people are on his side and those who are always drop this quote which shows that it’s a line that’s transcended film and is now part of the zeitgeist.
3. I Can Do This All Day
Similar to the quote we mentioned early, Captain America is a person that’s in it till the end of the line. The man is a symbol, unshakable in his beliefs that refuses to back down or compromise no matter how dire circumstances may seem. The first time we heard this line was when the character was going up against a bully twice his size and it’s pretty much been a staple of the characters vocabulary, being uttered everytime he goes head to head to head with something or someone that seems unstoppable.
Captain America is someone that will fight till the end and not back down in the face of adversity and this is a catchphrase that far extends the trappings of mere dialogue, it’s something that showcases just how unshakable the character is and how, even till the end, Captain America will still get back up on his feet and go head to head with any problem that he may come across.
2. Avengers Assemble
Avengers Assemble being said on screen by Captain America was a theatre erupting moment. After being teased throughout the entirety of the MCU even to the point that the camera cut before Cap said it in Age Of Ultron meant that when he finally did it was huge.
On-screen we finally saw all of the MCU characters at the same time, getting together as one to save the universe and at the head of this force was the man out of time, Captain America. Watching him rally the troops together and finally say the words felt like a long time coming but it was so worth it seeing it in this settings that felt like had it been dropped before, would’ve under-delivered.
This was an amazing setup to what is arguably the best action scene in the entire franchise and it hammered home, literally…cos of Mjolnir, just how worthy Captain America was at leading the Avengers into this final battle.
Honorable Mention – I Love You 3000
I love you 3000 was an incredible exchange between Tony Stark and his daughter that left the end of Avengers Endgame without a dry eye in the house, it was heartbreaking seeing this said in his finally monologue but we know that he did it because of this love for his daughter and the love that he had for everyone that he would be saving, unfortunately, it just missed out on the list because of the next entry.
1. I Am Iron-Man
And our number one entry is the infamous phrase ‘I Am Iron-Man.’ Ever since Robert Downey Junior said it at the end of the first film, Iron-Man back in 2008, it’s been pretty much engrained in the entire MCU.
Before this secret identities had been a huge part of superhero movies that pretty much always remained intact. However, this phrase threw caution to the wind and showed that Marvel was playing by different rules. It’s massively changed the scope of how comic book movies would be going forward and it pretty much created the aesthetic that those with superpowers could have their identities exposed without it being the end of the world.
The line carried through to Iron-Man 3 and was the ultimate slap in the face to Thanos in Avengers Endgame when the villain thought that he’d succeeded with his plan. Thanos had been arrogant up until this point, believing that he was inevitable however, there’s one person who had an even bigger ego than he did and that was Iron-Man, in this moment when the character said the phrase for the last time, we knew that our hero had finally saved us all and even at the cost of his life, everything was going to be ok.
I am Iron-Man is a line that will stand strong in The MCU forever and is the line that was there from the start all the way until the end.
It’s the perfect way to close our list and that’s why it sits at number one!
Your Thoughts
Obviously I’d love to hear your thoughts on the list and if there’s any lines that you think should’ve made the top spot. Comment below and let me know!
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