The villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may do some terrible things, but their most quotable lines make it hard not to root for them at times. Obviously, the heroes of the MCU are the series’ primary appeal, with well-known actors harnessing their charisma as famous comic book characters. But the villains are an undersung aspect of the franchise’s staying power, thanks in no small part to some utterly devious quotes.

There are a lot of reasons to love the best villain quotes in the MCU. Some of them exemplify how, despite having detestable methods, MCU antagonists often have a point, with some kernel of truth to be found in their self-aggrandizing monologues. Other times, they’re simply so ruthlessly evil and entertainingly smug that one can’t help but root for them over the hero, with some lines being enjoyable enough to almost make the viewer hope they win in the end.

10

“Don’t Ever Apologize For Being The Smartest One In The Room.”

Mysterio, Spider-Man: Far From Home

Mysterio just might be the best twist villain the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever managed to create, despite his comic status as a villain making the heel-turn obvious for those going in with any knowledge of the character. Masquerading as a hero, it’s easy to see how the experienced Mysterio becomes a friend of Peter Parker, giving him these encouraging words at a time when he’s doubting himself the most. For what it’s worth, this statement is essentially right, reminding Spider-Man just how special he truly is.

However, this line is also deeply manipulative, playing on Peter’s insecurities in order for him to hand over the valuable Stark tech in his possession to Mysterio. It’s clear that this line is a reflection of Quentin Beck’s own thoughts about himself, seeing himself as a diamond in the rough whose genius went unrecognized in his time. It’s this intelligence and arrogance that made Mysterio so fun to watch despite the horrific damage he ended up wreaking on Spider-Man’s life.

9

“You Could Not Live With Your Own Failure, And Where Did That Bring You? Back To Me.”

Thanos, Avengers: Endgame

It’s no secret that Thanos is one of the most well-recieved and powerful MCU villains ever created. Part of what made him so compelling was his finely-tuned dialogue, charismatic enough to make him easy to cheer for even as he committed atrocities at a galactic scale. Thanos utters this particular line when confronted by the time-traveling Avengers in an alternate reality, learning that a past version of himself succeeded in his plan.

This line is so significant for two reasons. For one, it allows Thanos a moment to gloat on his victory, something he didn’t get much of a chance to do before being unceremoniously killed on his modest farm planet. Secondly, it asserts just how “inevitable” he is. Even when the Avengers do everything in their power to undo their loss, they’re still led right back into Thanos’ open arms.

8

“An Empire Toppled By Its Enemies Can Rise Again. But One That Crumbles From Within, That’s Dead. Forever.”

Baron Zemo, Captain America: Civil War

Baron Zemo was quietly one of the most successful Avengers villains that ever graced the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From his evil grin to his appreciation for Marvin Gaye to his excellent dance moves, the mastermind only became more likable in his later appearances in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But even as early as Captain America: Civil War, Baron Zemo had plenty of phenomenal quotes that made him incredibly fun to watch.

One of his best lines is his musings on his methods of crumbling the Avengers, getting revenge for the collateral deaths of his family in the wake of their battles. Acknowledging that the only ones strong enough to defeat the Avengers are themselves, he orchestrates the entire events of Captain America: Civil War, a brilliant stroke of strategic genius on his part. Hopefully, MCU audiences haven’t seen the last of Baron Zemo, having finally acquired his iconic purple mask from the comics.

7

“Perfectly Balanced, As All Things Should Be.”

Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War

The great quotes of Thanos could fill an entire list of their own, with the Mad Titan being surprisingly sharp of tongue for a ruthless alien tyrant. By laying out his “selfless” plan to balance the universe, Thanos displays a raw conviction that acknowledges the horrible acts he commits while nonetheless justifying them. This is shown off the best in his flashback with a young Gamora, wherein Thanos takes in the young girl after ruthlessly slaughtering half of her people.

Keeping her distracted with a nifty double-edged knife, something of a gentle side to Thanos is shown off in this quote. Still, he even takes this time to impart his beliefs on the young, impressionable Gamora, indoctrinating her at an early age into buying into his theories on resource management. Such an eloquent speaker, it’s no wonder that most of Thanos’ lines in the Marvel Cinematic Unvierse are endlessly quotable.

6

“I Am Loki Of Asgard, And I Am Burdened With Glorious Purpose.”

Loki, The Avengers

It’s easy to forget that before Loki chilled out and became an invaluable member of the TVA, he was once one of the MCU’s most fearsome villains, necessitating the first assembly of the Avengers in the first place. Spurned from ruling in Asgard, Loki attempts to stake a claim on Earth instead, using powers beyond his comprehension to take control of what he views as rightfully his. Asserting his divine right to rule over humanity, Loki makes the above declaration.

Interestingly, the final episode of Loki played on these words, titling itself Glorious Purpose. Here, Loki finally does find the glory that was promised to him as a child, only in an unexpected sacrifice for the greater good. This satisfying hero’s journey all began with Loki’s early days as a megalomaniac villain, and is made all the more satisfying by this original line.

5

“Strong Enough To Have It All, Too Weak To Take It!”

The Green Goblin, Spider-Man: No Way Home

Willem Dafoe’s performance as the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was one of the best choices the MCU could’ve ever made in bringing back a villain from a previous continuity. After so many years, Dafoe’s flawless split-performance hadn’t missed a beat, as exemplified by the raw delivery of lines like “Strong enough to have it all, too weak to take it!” In the film, the Green Goblin says these words to Spider-Man while beating him up in the movie’s tear-down condo fight.

Cartoonishly evil as he is, it’s hard not to smile when Green Goblin belts out lines like this. His motivations for harassing Spider-Man are refreshingly simple, fostering a petty vendetta that fundamentally disagrees with Spider-Man’s premise. Rather than using his immense power to help others, the Green Goblin is obsessed with selfish gain, making him the ultimate antithesis to Spider-Man as a character.

4

“Are You Gonna Be Noble, Like Your Brother? Or Take Care Of Business, Like Me?”

Killmonger, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Erik Killmonger is one of the best villains when it comes to convincing the audience to be on his side, making some very valid points about Wakanda’s role in the suffering of the African diaspora all over the world. He’s so convincing as a villain that he even manages to briefly sway the opinion of Shuri in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, shocking her when he shows up in her ancestral plane vision rather than her brother, mother or father. Once again, Killmonger makes a convincing argument.

After the death of Shuri’s Queen mother at the hands of Namor, she’s desperate for the power to fight back against him, and Killmonger’s spirit recognizes that. He lays out how Shuri must be different from those who came before her, ruthless enough to secure Wakanda’s safety. His words are so effective that he almost causes Shuri to kill Namor in retaliation, something most viewers would vehemently disagree with thanks in no small part to Killmonger’s influence.

3

“The World’s Changing. It’s Time We Change Too.”

The Vulture, Spider-Man: Homecoming

Like Killmonger, Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, is one of the more sympathetic villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Once a simple contractor, the Vulture forcibly lost a valuable job cleaning up the Battle of New York to Stark Industries, leaving him and his men high and dry. Getting fed up with his inability to make a living in a rigged system, Adrian Toomes says the above quote to his fellow blue-collar employees, beginning an underground ring of black market alien technology.

Toomes recognizes just how dramatically different the MCU became after the Battle of New York, with the existence of aliens and gods officially becoming public knowledge. He isn’t wrong that to survive in this new world, adaptation is necessary. It’s hard to fault the Vulture for simply trying to do right by his family, even if he goes to dramatic means to do so.

2

“Everyone Creates The Thing They Dread.”

Ultron, Avengers: Age of Ultron

By far the most underrated of the major Avengers villains, James Spader’s calm and collected demeanor as Ultron was responsible for some phenomenal line reads. Among them is his first conversation with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who join forces in order to fulfill their desire for revenge against Tony Stark and the Avengers. Here, Ultron muses on the fact that Tony was the one to create him, only to be feared, relating his position in the world to other concepts.

Even if this quote is a little marred by Ultron’s quirky loss of a word courtesy of Joss Whedon’s quippy writing, it’s a fascinating rumination on the nature of replacement. Just as children eventually replace their parents, so too does Ultron aim to replace the age of man with one of machines. Even though his vision excludes all of humanity, it’s hard not to become enraptured with Ultron’s words, somehow hoping that he’ll make some exceptions in his new rule.

1

“I Don’t Recall Killing Your Family. I Doubt I’ll Remember Killing You.”

Ronan the Accuser, Guardians of the Galaxy

In many ways, Ronan the Accuser was sort of a proto-Thanos tested out in the MCU before the full release of its most famous villain. Wielding the Power Stone, Ronan was a ruthless despot and servant of Thanos willing to zealously kill anyone in the name of his goals. This made him all sorts of enemies, including the Guardians of the Galaxy member Drax the Destroyer.

With just one simple line, Ronan devastates Drax, invalidating his reason for revenge as another unnamed victim of his callousness. The line is so good that the series uses a version of it again later with Thanos, who claims to not even know who Scarlet Witch is upon meeting her in battle, despite killing her lover. For the rest of the MCU, the day Ronan arrived at their planet was the worst and most significant day of their entire lives, but to him, it was merely Tuesday.