Following the tragic bombshell ending of Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame wasn’t expected to be a particularly funny movie. For the most part, Endgame is a pretty somber movie about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes dealing with the fallout of their own failure. But of course, being an MCU blockbuster, the movie does have a healthy dose of humor.
It nails Marvel’s usual tonal balance of lighthearted comedy, action-packed spectacle, and powerful character moments. From Tony mistaking Rocket for a Build-A-Bear to Thor taking on the visage of the Dude to the Hulk having to take the stairs, these are the funniest moments in Endgame.
Tony And Nebula Play Paper Football
At the end of Infinity War, after half of all life in the universe turns to dust, Tony Stark is stranded on Titan with Nebula, a part-robotic alien mercenary he’s never met before.
At the beginning of Endgame, Tony and Nebula are stranded in space, desperately trying to get back to Earth. To help them pass the time, Tony teaches Nebula how to play paper football and she takes a liking to it.
Build-A-Bear
Following Thanos’ destructive finger-snap, the surviving Avengers regroup at their headquarters and try to come up with a plan. When Rocket speaks up, Tony says, “Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.”
As with most of Quill’s insults, like “trash panda,” Rocket doesn’t get Tony’s reference, so he doesn’t get offended. He simply says, “Maybe I am.” There’s a dark undercurrent to the gag because Rocket was created in a lab like a Build-A-Bear.
Valkyrie Meets Smart Hulk
In Thor: Ragnarok, it’s revealed that the Hulk has spent a couple of years as the Grandmaster’s champion gladiator on Sakaar. He’s become close friends with Valkyrie, whom he affectionately calls “Angry Girl.” In Avengers: Endgame, the Hulk takes yet another radical step in his character arc as he fuses his Hulk and Banner personalities into one “Smart Hulk” persona.
When the Hulk and Rocket arrive in New Asgard and greet Valkyrie, the Hulk says, “Ah, Valkyrie! Great to see you, Angry Girl.” She replies, “I think I liked you better either of the other ways.”
Thor Is Reintroduced Five Years Later
The fact that Thor’s depression, alcoholism, and weight gain were played for laughs in Endgame was met with some controversy, understandably, but the initial revelation after the five-year time jump is funny to some purely because of the shock factor.
It was expected that Thor would go a little off the rails after his own personal mistake paved the way for Thanos’ success, but this specific change was completely unexpected.
The Hulk’s Failed Time Travel Experiments
After Tony Stark refuses to help with Scott Lang’s “Time Heist” idea, Steve Rogers takes the plan to the world’s second smartest superhero: the Hulk. He agrees to help, but he doesn’t figure out time travel overnight like Tony eventually does.
Hulk’s first experiments with time travel are a complete disaster, as he turns Scott into an old man and then into a baby before finally bringing back his original self.
“I Can Do This All Day.” “Yeah, I Know.”
When the Avengers travel back to New York circa 2012 to collect a couple of Infinity Stones, Steve ends up fighting himself. The 2012 version of Steve has the Mind Stone and the 2023 version has to fight him for it.
He’s annoyed by his own catchphrase as the 2012 Steve says, “I can do this all day,” and the exasperated 2023 Steve says, “Yeah, I know.”
The Hulk Takes The Stairs
When Earth’s Mightiest Heroes go back in time to 2012, audiences get to see a side of the Battle of New York that was left out of the first Avengers movie. After the Avengers cornered Loki in Stark Tower, they took him down to the lobby in the elevator.
But since the Hulk wouldn’t fit in the elevator, they made him take the stairs. As he stomps his way down the stairs, he yells out, “Hate the stairs! So many stairs! No stairs!”
Nebula And War Machine Watch Star-Lord Dance To “Come And Get Your Love”
During the “Time Heist” sequence, Nebula and War Machine head to Morag circa 2014 to grab the Power Stone from Peter Quill after he extracts it from the ancient temple in which it used to be housed.
Nebula and Rhodey watch from afar as Quill dances around the temple to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” as seen from a different perspective in Guardians of the Galaxy.
“No, No, Give Me That, You Have The Little One.”
One of the most satisfying moments in Avengers: Endgame sees Steve Rogers summoning Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, proving himself to be worthy, and using it to whoop Thanos’ butt.
In the heat of the movie’s final battle, as Thor is using Mjolnir and Cap is using Stormbreaker, the God of Thunder decides to switch weapons. He tells Cap, “Give me that, you have the little one.”
Thor Leaves Earth With The Guardians Of The Galaxy
After Thor leaves New Asgard in the hands of Valkyrie, he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy for a ride into outer space. He insinuates that he’s the team’s new leader, much to Quill’s chagrin.
The other Guardians suggest settling the question of leadership with a knife fight, but Thor says, “Not necessary. There shall be no knifing one another. Everybody knows who’s in charge.”
