The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a complicated place where just about everything is way more
important than it initially seems — including dialogue.
These are some of the most significant exchanges that slipped by audiences at the time, only
to leave a major impact on them later on.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Tony Stark confronts Thanos on Titan, only to be addressed by name.
When he asks if the Mad Titan knows him, Thanos responds:
"I do.
You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."
The line is clearly dripping with deeper meaning, but the obvious question is, how does Thanos
know Tony Stark?
The commentary track for the movie answered that question when screenwriter Christopher
Markus explained:
"You realize this interesting parallel between Thanos and Tony.
They're both aware of something from an early point and constantly having to deal with being
smarter.
Thanos is a futurist as much as Tony Stark."
The connection between the two, while it has its limits, certainly explains why the Mad
Titan would gravitate toward Stark as a fellow being that struggles with the "big issues."
But what about the fact that he addressed him by name?
Co-director Joe Russo cleared that one up by explaining that Thanos is, quote, "aware
of Stark from the original Battle of New York as the person who undid the plan."
This double whammy of Stark initially getting Thanos' attention with a nuke and then connecting
with him as a fellow genius certainly goes a long way in explaining why the Mad Titan
would have such respect for his opponent.
Phase one of the MCU was a formative time as many of the basic elements and unofficial
laws of how things work were established and fleshed out.
One of those "unofficial laws" has to do with the difference between magic and science,
and it's initially laid out by Thor during his first solo outing.
At one point in the movie, the God of Thunder and Jane Foster have a conversation in which
Thor explains that …
"Your ancestors called it magic, and you call it science.
Well, I come from a place where they are one and the same thing."
The line, uttered while the two characters are making eyes at one another, is deceptively
important under the surface and ends up being a huge mantra going forward.
It doesn't matter if you're dealing with Infinity Stones, vibranium from Wakanda, or pretty
much anything Doctor Strange does most "magical" moments are eventually explained away in scientific
terms at some point or another.
Whatever the situation, there's no doubt at this point that the overlap between science
and magic has firmly embedded itself as one of the MCU's guiding principles.
At one point in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are seen discussing
a new form of artificial intelligence recovered from Von Strucker's HYDRA-backed research.
The two debate as Stark insists that he wants to harness the potential power of the AI in
order to run his Iron Legion as a form of protection for the world.
Remember, this all takes place after the group defends Earth from an invasion of Chitauri
aliens in Avengers.
It also comes after Stark is given a disturbing vision by Scarlet Witch in which he sees death
and destruction brought on by another galactic attack.
At one point in the conversation, Stark says:
"I see a suit of armor around the world."
The line slips by fairly quickly and is mostly forgotten after Ultron emerges and becomes
a threat.
But the idea of a global "suit of armor" as protection against extraterrestrial threats
never quite disappears.
In fact, Stark's dream of defending the Earth becomes a primary theme in his gradually unfolding
showdown with Thanos, as the Iron Avenger attempts to do everything in his power to
stop the Mad Titan.
The relationship between Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton is legendary at this point.
But it's never on better display than it was during the airport fight scene in Captain
America: Civil War.
As all the heroes split off and fight each other, who should find themselves face to
face but the pair of ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
They engage in a pleasantly entertaining, comparatively low-energy duel that's interrupted
when Scarlet Witch tosses Black Widow aside and calls out Barton for, quote, "pulling
his punches."
Initially, Barton gains the upper hand and pins his opponent to the ground, at which
point this exchange goes down:
"We're still friends, right?"
"Depends on how hard you hit me."
The scene is a lighthearted break from the serious events of the film and showcases the
enduring friendship of the duo.
However, it isn't until Avengers: Endgame that the gravity of those lines really hits
home.
When Romanoff and Barton head to Vormir, it turns out that their love for each other is
exactly what is needed in order for Black Widow to give her life in order to gain the
Soul Stone an event that also involves some hard hitting as they fight over who will make
the sacrifice.
One of the best sequences in the entire MCU takes place during Thor's time on Sakaar in
Thor: Ragnarok.
Each scene is filled with tongue-in-cheek slapstick humor as Thor, a.k.a. Sparkles,
finds himself trapped by the Grandmaster and forced to fight his champion.
Fortunately, that champion ends up being none other than Thor's old friend and co-Avenger,
Hulk.
Thor's reaction, when he sees the Jade Giant enter the arena, is priceless.
His look of concern melts away as he cheers, adding …
"Hey!
Hey!
We know each other!
He's a friend from work!"
It's already one of the funniest lines in the entire movie, which is saying something.
But the background behind how it came into being makes it even better.
It turns out the line wasn't invented by the writers, director, or even Thor star Chris
Hemsworth.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hemsworth explained that what is arguably
the most iconic line from the entire movie was actually thought up by a child from the
Make-A-Wish Foundation, who was on the set when they filmed the scene.
Priceless.
When Thanos plucks the Mind Stone out of Vision's head in the waning moments of Infinity War,
his victory seems both imminent and inevitable.
That is, until Thor suddenly arrives, hurling Stormbreaker at the unsuspecting villain and
catching him off guard.
The weapon strikes him in the chest, and Thor drops down in its wake in order to gloat in
his apparent victory.
But of course, we all know what happens next:
"You should have gone for the head."
"NOOO—"
While the repercussions of that line are pretty obvious, there's one hidden side effect that
isn't quite so easy to spot.
Obviously, Thor's choice to prioritize his own gloating over simply killing Thanos on
sight meant half of the universe perished and all of the pain and loss of Avengers:
Endgame had to follow.
But another unexpected result came in the form of Thor's physical appearance and dejected
condition in the fourth Avengers film.
In the beginning of the movie, Thor ends up "going for the head," decapitating a helpless
Thanos in a fit of angry vengeance.
But, as writers Markus and McFeely pointed out, that very action turns out to be a failure
that breaks his will completely.
"Are you crying?"
"No…….
yes."
One of the most iconic lines from Marvel Comics is "Avengers assemble!"
The phrase was anxiously anticipated throughout the first Avengers film but never surfaced.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, it became clear that director Joss Whedon was playfully avoiding
the line.
After all, how can we forget that ending?
"Avengers…"
All of which serves to underscore why it was a pretty big deal when, at the climax of his
Avenging career, Captain America finally, at long last, uttered those two words before
the decisive battle at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
Surrounded by a host of heroes who had just joined him at the last second via a myriad
of sling rings, it was the absolute perfect time for the phrase to finally find its way
onto the big screen.
"Avengers… assemble."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a fun trip that follows the Guardians team as they grow
closer as a family.
It also introduces Mantis, reboots Groot as Baby Groot, and sees Yondu pull a Mary Poppins.
It also ALSO has an important teaser at the very end of it all in the form of a new character.
One of the film's end credits scenes shows Ayesha, the High Priestess of the Sovereign,
as she is about to be held accountable by the Sovereign Council for wasting resources.
She has one last trick up her sleeve as she admires an elaborate golden birthing pod that
rests before her.
What's inside?
According to Ayesha:
" … the next step in our evolution.
More powerful, more beautiful, more capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy."
She goes on to come up with a name for this new being...
"I think I shall call him…
'Adam.'"
The person being referenced is the powerful Adam Warlock, a comic book character that
Marvel fans have been hoping to see for quite a while now.
Chances are we'll see Warlock sooner rather than later, as Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is
officially on the docket.
Not only that, but James Gunn is back to helm the project, giving Warlock an even greater
likelihood of getting in on the action he's a favorite character of the director.
"I am Iron Man."
Four simple words.
At this point, we've got pretty used to hearing them, but when one stops to think about their
impact on Tony Stark's storyline, not to mention the MCU as a whole, it's a bit staggering.
Right from the get-go, Tony Stark was drawn toward the phrase, uttering it during his
first solo outing to the amazement of a room full of reporters.
The line shows up again in Iron Man 3, this time expanded:
"You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys.
One thing you can't take away?
I am Iron Man."
The words are a rallying point for Stark's identity.
They're a way to sum up his entire persona.
It's also a concept that comes to its ultimate fruition at the very end of the Infinity Saga.
After all the dramatic events in the war with Thanos, as he kneels, with the Infinity Stones
in hand and his fingers ready to snap away the Mad Titan's entire existence, what four
words does Stark choose to use?
You've heard 'em before:
"I am Iron Man."
In the early moments of Captain America: The First Avenger, the Red Skull is shown leading
a raid on a Norwegian village in search of the Tesseract.
The cube, secretly containing an Infinity Stone, ultimately ends up going on to play
a key role in Captain Marvel's origin story before it's used by both Thanos and the Avengers
during the events of Infinity War and Endgame.
But it doesn't take those world-shaking events for the Nazi villain to understand what he
has in his possession.
As he stands looking at the stone in amazement, Red Skull simply utters:
"And the Fuhrer digs for trinkets in the desert."
The line could very well be a reference not only to Hitler's fascination with the occult
but it could also be an homage to the Indiana Jones movies, which feature Nazis searching
for both the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail in the desert.
Do Indy's adventures secretly take place within the MCU?
Well no.
Duh.
But either way, referring to an artifact that can obliterate your enemies as a "trinket"
is a pretty bold way to let savvy audience members who picked up on the line know that
they're dealing with some pretty powerful stuff.
Captain America: The First Avenger ended up being a critical part of the MCU, as it set
in motion one of the most important storylines of the entire Infinity Saga.
The story traced Steve Rogers on his path from a physically weak, morally strong young
man to a full-blown super-soldier with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
But, for all of the heroics, one of the best lines in the entire film wasn't about Rogers
the superhero as much as Rogers the romantic.
As the film's World War II action wraps up, Rogers wakes up nearly 70 years in the future,
having spent the last several decades in an ice-induced coma.
Bewildered, the hero runs out into a bustling city street and is confronted by none other
than Nick Fury, who informs him of how long he's been asleep.
He looks around, taking in the shocking news that everything he ever knew lies three-quarters
of a century in the past.
Fury asks Steve is he's OK to which Rogers responds:
"Yeah.
Yeah, I just…
I had a date."
This, of course, is a reference to his romantic relationship with Peggy Carter, which had
so suddenly been cut off.
While the line was moving on its own, it ultimately meant quite a bit more when Avengers: Endgame
rolled around.
At the end of that film, Rogers heads back in time, blowing past his timestamp in order
to finally, at long last, fulfill that date with Agent Carter.
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