The Avengers is not only one of the most popular Marvel IPs but one of the most popular franchises in cinema, full stop. Two of The Avengers films are in the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time, with Avengers: Infinity War sitting in the 6th spot with $2,048359,754 and Avengers: Endgame in the 2nd spot with $2,797,501,328. So much love, money, and care go into these films and with such effort comes quality that translates into some amazing quotes.
The movies have a great balance, juggling astoundingly high stakes while still finding time and space to include lighthearted moments of comedy. The Avengers films have a great combo of serious, moving, and inspirational quotes, along with some super funny ones. Whether Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is quipping his way through a fight or Captain America (Chris Evans) is providing his team with an inspirational speech, the great Avengers quotes are endless, and these are the best and most memorable.
10 “Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?”
Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) – ‘The Avengers’ (2012)
Easily one of the most popular and funny lines of the franchise, Iron Man egging on Thor (Chris Hemsworth) during their first meeting had theaters erupting with chuckles and smiles. It’s no secret that Thor’s Shakespearean and Asgardian vibes don’t exactly “fit in” with the modern world, and who better to represent the modern world than the world’s greatest innovator himself? Some could consider this line a way for the movie to poke fun at audiences being thrown off by Thor’s demeanor compared to the rest of the Avengers.
This line early in the film helped set the definition of Tony’s type of humor. It also served as a misdirect to enhance the sheer force of Thor’s powers. With Tony poking fun at him, it temporarily puts Thor on a smaller social pedestal to the audience, so when his awesome power is unleashed against Iron Man and Captain America, it hits way harder.
9 “No amount of money ever bought a second of time.”
Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)
Tony Stark’s moment to reunite with his father via time travel in Avengers: Endgame initially served as a funny happenstance to shake up Tony, but soon turned into a huge character moment that would give him some seriously needed closure. While the Howard Stark (John Slattery) that Tony knew was hard on him, it’s different to meet him as a grown man and thus an equal. Tony finds a Howard who is scared and unsure of his future, as baby Tony is soon to be born.
In a full-circle moment, Tony gives his father parenting advice, allowing both to empathize with each other through common ground. Tony got some of his closure regarding his father in Iron Man 2, but this scene is the cherry on top of the cake, one final goodbye to his old man that allows him to find solace and forgive Howard and thus, himself. Considering how Tony’s storyline ends in this very movie, it’s great he received this chance.
8 “The city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense. But I’m going out there because it’s my job.”
Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) – ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
The final battle of Avengers: Age of Ultron is one for the books. Ultron (James Spader) rips the city of Sokovia straight out of the ground and sends out an army of mini-versions of himself. As things get intense, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) seeks refuge in an abandoned home and runs into Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). In an attempt to motivate her to get out and fight, he acknowledges the fantastical nature of the situation at hand and how out of place he is.
Hawkeye has always been the sort of everyman of the Avengers. He’s just a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who shoots arrows, making him relatable to the audience and arguably the most underrated member of the Avengers. More than a comedic moment, this self-aware quote is quite inspirational. In a dark moment of the fight, Hawkeye brings the tone back up and gets things moving once again.
7 “If you get hurt, hurt ’em back. If you get killed… walk it off.”
Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) – ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
No one knows how to inspire people while sounding badass like the one and only Captain America. As the climax closes in on the final battle of Avengers: Age of Ultron and the stakes are raised, the Avengers find themselves in some tough spots. As things get tough, Captain America comes over to the team radio and lets them know that while this may be getting tough, they have to keep fighting. No matter the cost, they must save the people of Sokovia.
Chris Evans’ delivery makes the line even better. By the time Avengers: Age of Ultron came out, he had truly and fully settled into his role as a leader, enough to be blunt with the team without seeming bleak or totalitarian. It’s inspirational but also acknowledges that the Avengers will not come out of this battle unscathed, raising the stakes even more. The quote is funny but strangely haunting, much like the later Avengers adventures.
6 “I recognize the council has made a decision. But given that it’s a stupid-ass decision, I have elected to ignore it.”
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – ‘The Avengers’ (2012)
If there’s a man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who knows how to lay down the law and get serious, it’s the one and only Nick Fury. But that seriousness also comes with a tinge of sass at times. When all hope seems to be lost in Marvel’s The Avengers, Nick Fury is put between a rock and a hard place when the World Security Council tells Fury that they’re sending a nuclear bomb to drop on New York City in hopes it will kill all the invading Chitauri.
Being the man with the morals he has, Fury pushes back against the World Security Council regarding their decision, calling it a “stupid-ass decision,” which is not only funny but also a noble move on Fury’s part. This standout line shows that Fury doesn’t just bow down to the powers that be, cementing his place as one of the MCU’s most badass figures. It’s a big character moment for him where the audience gets to see how good a hero he really is, despite what his cold and stoic exterior might suggest.
5 “I love you 3,000.”
Morgan Stark (Lexi Rabe) & Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)
The line said by Morgan Stark (Lexi Rabe) to her father in the first act of Avengers: Endgame is one of the emotional cornerstones of the film. Not only does it represent the love that Tony has for his daughter, but also how important this mission is for Tony: he wants to recover what he lost but preserve what he’s gotten. Tony wants the best of both worlds; it’s what pushes him on his journey into the past to gather the Infinity Stones and bring back half of the universe.
At its core, that’s what Avengers: Endgame is really about: love can inspire people to do incredible things. It pushes people forward and keeps them going when nothing else will. “I love you 3,000” is a clear representation of that message, the cornerstone of the entire journey. It’s easy to forget how emotional the MCU movies are, but lines like this one make it easier to remember.
4 “That’s my secret, Captain… I’m always angry.”
Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – ‘The Avengers’ (2012)
The Avengers does an honestly impeccable job at making the Hulk feel scary and building suspense toward his eventual transformation at the end of Act Two. His first transformation goes terribly wrong, and he goes berserk on the Helicarrier, almost taking out Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). After he falls from the Helicarrier down to New York, it seems like he may be out for the count or, at least, too unpredictable and uncontrollable to help in the final battle.
Mark Ruffalo’s defeated delivery makes this line all the more powerful, emphasizing the character’s constant struggle.
Thus, seeing his return during the final hour is both triumphant and nerve-wracking. This quote serves as a great, cheer-worthy moment and character moment for Bruce Banner, showing that he’s on his way to accepting his alter-ego. Upon doing so, Bruce flexes that he can indeed control when he transforms by embracing the ugly side of his condition, thus keeping the Hulk in check. It’s one of the most epic scenes in the entire film, and Mark Ruffalo’s defeated delivery makes this line all the more powerful, emphasizing the character’s constant struggle.
3 “Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we’ll avenge it.”
Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) – ‘The Avengers’ (2012)
This line is obviously where the Avengers get their name from, and that alone makes it important. It’s the defining line that declares to not only Loki (Tom Hiddleston) but the audience exactly what the Avengers stand for; even if they lose, they will always continue to fight after the people they’ve tried to save are lost. It’s a statement that the Avengers live by, proving their resilient and outright unstoppable nature.
Everything the Avengers are and everything they stand for is defined in this line.
Surprisingly, this quote is also dark and harrowing, unintentionally foreshadowing what is to come in the future films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In these iconic adventures, the Avengers do, in fact, lose and continue to fight even after their first mission fails. Unlike other superhero teams, the Avengers aren’t always after one goal; instead, they operate on different levels, knowing quite well that losing is a very real possibility because some things are simply out of their control. Everything the Avengers are and everything they stand for is defined in this line.
2 “The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people and see if they could become something more.”
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – ‘The Avengers’ (2012)
Aside from one that upstages it, this is THE Avengers line used in fan edits, official trailers, merchandising, and so much more. After the untimely and heroic death of Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), the Avengers are at their lowest, dealing with their first big loss at the hands of an enemy. At the end of the day, it’s the entire idea behind their existence: to protect those who can’t protect themselves, and they seemingly failed.
This line is the right amount of sentimental and expository while still being memorable and easily quotable.
This line brings them together as a team to gear up and stop Loki, who is already carrying out his invasion of Earth. Like other quotes that surpassed their original movie, this one now exists far beyond the Avengers films and has been the mantra of the team since the early days of Marvel Comics. If someone were to ask, “Tell me about the Avengers,” this is the perfect line to do so. It’s the right amount of sentimental and expository while still being memorable and easily quotable. Doesn’t get much more iconic than that, does it?
1 “Avengers, assemble!”
Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) – ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
There’s no line more iconic than the one that is their calling card. Since the beginning of the Avengers as a team in the comics, this is the line chanted by whoever is the leader before charging into battle. It’s such an important line that fans had been expecting it and asking for it since the very first film. With every film that passed, the hope increased until they finally heard these iconic words.
This quote was a perfect representation of the MCU as a whole and the journey the characters had been through over the past decade.
Fans would finally get their wish with Avengers: Endgame. It quickly became clear that it was only right that the line be saved for the final standoff against Thanos (Josh Brolin), when all the Avengers are finally brought back (along with half of the universe) and have a giant lineup of quite literally every single hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers had finally assembled in all their glory, and it was worth the wait. In a way, this quote was a perfect representation of the MCU as a whole and the journey the characters had been through over the past decade. No line in the MCU has even been more impactful.
