Do you ever find yourself using quotes from Marvel's Avengers: Endgame in common conversation? Perhaps calling out “On your left!” as you pass up your teammate during track practice? Or using a certain Tony Stark sentiment to share the extent of your admiration for a loved one?
Well, I think you will be relieved to know that you are not the only one. People like us don’t move on from the emotional wreckage or invigoration that comes from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s dialogue, now immortalized in the hearts, the within the vocabulary, and on the blogs of countless Marvel fans everywhere.
Because we cannot get these chilling quotes out of our heads almost a year after Avengers: Endgame ripped the box office a new one, we have decided to make a celebration out of it. These are just 12 of the most iconic verbal moments in the epic MCU hit that we will never forget and why.
“I know I said no more surprises, but I gotta say, I was really hoping to pull off one last one” - Tony Stark
Feeling the weight of his mortality after three weeks stranded with Nebula (Karen Gillan) in the deep void of space following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) uses his Iron Man helmet to record a final message to his lover, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). He recalls the last moment they spent together, in which he assured her that his crimefighting days were done, right before getting pulled back out of retirement. Admitting that he hoped he could pull off this one last surprise is not a justification of his broken promise and not an admission of guilt either, but a sorrowful reflection of his failure: a crucial theme, and driving force, of the film.
“Let’s go get this son of a bitch” - Steve Rogers
That driving force to redemption after failure first comes to fruition in Avengers: Endgame when the heroes, joined by a new friend named Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), come together to form a plan bred out of vengeance against Thanos. After learning the Titan’s location by tracking an energy surge caused by the Infinity Stones, the Avengers contemplate heading to the planet referred to as “the Garden” and forcing their enemy to reverse his cataclysmic snap. The plan is officially set in motion by Captain America’s (Chris Evans) order, made especially memorable by breaking his own rule to abstain from using “language.”
“I love you 3000” - Morgan Stark/Tony Stark
As the reformed stay-at-home dad Tony Stark is attempting to put his daughter, Morgan (Lexi Rabe), to bed, he tells her he loves her, to which she replies that she loves him 3000. Flattered, he uses it as a joking way to assert his daughter’s favoritism toward him over Pepper. By the film’s conclusion (more on that later), the sweet declaration becomes all the more heartbreaking.
“Whatever it takes” - Steve Rogers
With their time travel device perfected and their target timelines to retrieve the Infinity Stones confirmed, Cap decides to give his teammates one last motivational talk before carrying out their mission. Steve Rogers reminds the Avengers of why they are risking their lives on the singular chance that they can to bring their loved ones and the loved ones of the strangers they have sworn to protect back into existence, holding them to the promise that they will go to any means necessary to succeed. It is no wonder why Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) are so impressed by his knack for speeches.
"I'm still worthy" - Thor
The God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) is not the man he used to be in Avengers: Endgame, having lost his motivation for heroism and his jacked physique after failing to “properly” defeat Thanos. Yet, when he and Rocket must return to Asgard (circa Thor: The Dark World) to retrieve the Aether from Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), which must have been quite awkward, Thor is also given a second chance to speak to his mother (Rene Russo), who gives him a much-needed pep talk. What officially reinvigorates his drive is his reunion with yet another fallen friend, Mjolnir, his trusty hammer that he successfully summons, proving his worthiness has not run out.
"I don't judge people by their worst mistakes" - Natasha Romanoff
After learning they can only acquire the Soul Stone by way of human sacrifice at Vormir, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) debate over who between these two longtime friends should be the one to make the jump. Hawkeye argues that the bitter, murderous vigilante he has become after losing his family to the Decimation makes him more deserving, to which Black Widow retorts that his faults, or anyone’s for that matter, do not affect her opinion. This is more than just Nat bargaining for Barton to spare himself, but a reflection of her own struggles with her dark past as an assassin before finding a family in the Avengers, which she believes justifies her decision to be the one left behind.
"No amount of money ever bought a second of time" - Tony Stark
Tony Stark and Steve Rogers use the one Pym Particle they have left to visit the 1970s headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. in hopes to find more, but what Stark does not expect to find is his late father, Howard (John Slattery). Unwise to the fact that he is chatting with his grown-up, soon-to-be-born son, Howard asks Tony for parental advice, which prompts memories of how his father “did his best” to raise him, including dropping an inspirational saying about the value of time over wealth. In addition to being a great rule of thumb for life, it also seals this otherwise impossible reunion as truly priceless moment.
"I knew it!" - Thor
In one of the more lighthearted scenes from 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, the heroes engage in some post-party shenanigans by testing their own worthiness in a competition to see who can lift Mjolnir. The one who comes the closest to achieving this is the golden boy Steve Rogers, which led many to theorize that Cap only faked his inability to wield the hammer out of respect for Thor. It seems that the Asgardian shared that mindset as well, which is made evident by a surprisingly giddy, self-validating reaction to the jolting reveal that his mortal comrade is, indeed, worthy.
"Avengers! Assemble" - Steve Rogers
Just when it appears that the Avengers are at debilitating odds with Thanos’ army, hope is restored by the confirmation that their efforts to reverse the snap were successful. Through a myriad of portals projected by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) every heroic personality with whom they have become acquainted returns for the final battle, set off by Captain America uttering the iconic decree Marvel fans have waited to hear him say since the beginning of the MCU.
“I am… inevitable” - Thanos
When Thanos first conveys this self-righteous sentiment early in Avengers: Endgame, the vengeful heroes are dismayed to learn that the Mad Titan has already destroyed the Infinity Stones, rendering his “dusting” of half the universe’s living creatures irreversible. Despite its despicable nature, his words do make for a frightening realization of the lasting effect of his power, even if from beyond the gave. Of course, it takes on a whole new meaning in its second mention…
"And I… am… Iron Man" - Tony Stark
Boasting the Avengers’ home-made Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos prepares to end their quarrel with the full-destruction of their “stubborn, annoying little planet,” only to be disappointed by the discovery that the Stones are suddenly missing. He glances at Tony Stark to see his nano technology creating a makeshift, freshly bejeweled gauntlet out of his Iron Man armor right before his eyes. Stark then responds to Thanos’ declaration of inevitability with a reprisal of the words that kick-started the MCU which, with one climactic snap that turns the Titan and his army to dust, also become his last… technically speaking.
"Part of the journey is the end" - Tony Stark
The saddening utterance of “I am Iron Man” were the final words spoken by Tony Stark while he was alive, but not before giving one last sign-off to the MCU. In a message recorded in case of his “untimely death,” he voices a hope that the Avengers’ mission proved successful - not just specifically in reference to their “Time Heist,” but in the collective “journey” these heroes have taken together in pursuit of a safe and optimistic future. After 11 years, this journey has ended for Iron Man and many of the original Avengers, but a fulfilling destination it has proved to be.
What do you think? Are these truly the most chilling words of dialogue immortalized in Avengers: Endgame, or do you think I should reconsider my choices and do this list “properly this time”? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for more information and updates on, arguably, the MCU’s magnum opus here on CinemaBlend.
