Top 10 Thanos Quotes from the MCU That Perfectly Sum Up His Character

Summary

• Thanos is the most iconic villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is a Titan who wants to wipe off half of the Earth’s population for the greater good.
• Some of his iconic lines perfectly sum up his character and the complex nuances of his character.

Thanos is arguably the greatest villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is one of a kind, as he’s the perfect ‘balance’ of everything (pun intended!).

While other MCU villains have had their fair share of iconic moments, no other villain was as iconic and complex as a character. Thanos has a perfect worldview, where he believes he is right. He believes what he is doing is for the good of the people. In his mind, no one understands his methods, but he is only trying to help people.

Yet, Thanos has a ruthless, dangerous side that is unleashed in various instances. At one point, he talks about maintaining balance but also hopes to enjoy destroying a planet and having fun while instigating genocide.

On that note, we’ve compiled some of Thanos’ best lines from the MCU which perfectly sum up his complex character. Some of the quotes include a tad bit of emotion, while some depict him as the creepy, ruthless villain that he is.

A close look at some of Thanos’ most important lines illustrates why he’s the most iconic MCU villain of all time.

10. “You have my respect, Stark. When I’m done, half of humanity will be alive. I hope they remember you.”

Thanos delivers these iconic lines in Avengers: Infinity War while having a face-off with Tony Stark. The words are a beautiful callback to Thanos’ original debut in the Iron Man comics. Since he was first introduced in an Iron Man comic, it is fitting how he foreshadows Tony’s death in Endgame but hopes people remember him.

Yet, Thanos never stops believing in himself. He is a perfectly written villain who believes he is right and will go to any extent to prove that. These lines by Thanos also bring out his character’s ruthless, arrogant side.

9. “As long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist.”

In a way, Thanos foreshadows his own defeat in these iconic lines. After snapping his fingers to wipe off half of humanity, the Avengers have a difficult time adjusting to the new world and processing the grief of losing their loved ones.

But Thanos’ lines foreshadow that those who will remember the world as it was will never be able to accept the new world. Thanos was right, as the Avengers overcame their grief and rose against him to bring back their loved ones and save humanity. As such, Thanos’ words talk about the inability of humanity to move on and crave past glory.

8. “I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless. It’s frightening.”

The most remarkable thing about Thanos as a character is how we loathe him while finding him relatable. The greatest MCU villain of all time tells our beloved Avengers that he knows what it is like to know that you’ve been right all along and yet lose the battle.

Thanos’ lines to the Asgardians in Infinity War are relatable because we have all felt that way at some point. In both Infinity War and Endgame, we know Thanos is wrong, but it is incredible how much faith Thanos has in his own ideas. He believes he is right and will not let anyone defeat him, even if they believe they are ethical.

7. “What did it cost? Everything.”

One of the most compelling storylines in the MCU is the story of Thanos and his adopted daughter, Gamora. The MCU villain delivers these iconic lines in Avengers: Infinity War when he sacrifices Gamora to retrieve the soul stone.

In a flashback, he sees the infant version of Gamora, who asks her father if he got what he wanted and what it cost. A teary-eyed Thanos tells her it cost “everything.” The storyline reveals Thanos’s emotional, vulnerable side and how he overcomes his emotions for the greater good (as that’s what he believes it is).

6. “The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”

Thanos is not one of those impulsive villains who kills people for fun. Everything he does has a purpose, and he believes he’s doing good to humanity by wiping off half of its population. These iconic lines by Thanos depict how he has had to make some of the most difficult decisions with his willpower.

Thanos even gives up his daughter Gamora to retrieve the soul stone, which is one of the most difficult decisions he has to make. He has always been a villain with an incredible mind and clear ideas, making him the franchise’s best villain.

5. “You were going to bed hungry, scrounging for scraps. Your planet was on the brink of collapse. I’m the one who stopped that. You know what’s happened since then? The children born have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It’s a paradise.”

Thanos says these iconic words to Gamora, reminding her of how he saved her life and her planet. Thanos became Gamora’s only guardian after destroying her native planet, Zen-Whoberi. While he destroyed one-half of the population, he tries to explain to Gamora how it was a price to pay for a better world.

Zen-Whoberi was suffering due to overpopulation and scarcity of food and other resources. Thanos wiping off half of the population led to the other half living fulfilling lives and children not going back home hungry. Overpopulation and scarcity of resources are major world problems on the Earth as well, so these lines perfectly explain Thanos’ worldview and reason for wanting to wipe off half of the Earth’s population.

4. “Reality is often disappointing. That is, it was. Now, reality can be whatever I want.”

These iconic lines sum up how ruthless and dangerous Thanos was as a villain. Thanos’ confidence in himself, his need for control, and his pessimistic view of the world make him as iconic as he is.

As Thanos did not like the old world, he decided to destroy it and create his own world. He explains that reality has never had much to offer him. It has always been disappointing for him, so he decided to make his reality instead of depending on destiny and faith.

3. “I will shred this universe down to its last atom and then, with the stones you collected for me, create a new one teeming with life that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe.”

In these lines, Thanos talks about his idea of an ideal universe. Thanos had no faith in humanity, so he wanted to destroy the Earth and start afresh. The lines reveal Thanos’s ruthlessness, making him a formidable villain to face the Avengers.

Thanos’ hatred for humanity and his need to create everything himself and, by his terms, finally led to his downfall. His ideas became tyrannical. At first, he wanted to wipe off half of the Earth’s population, but later, he decided to destroy the entire planet. His hatred makes him lose sight of his logic, leading to his defeat.

2. “Fun isn’t something one considers when balancing the universe. But this … does put a smile on my face.”

These brilliant lines by Thanos were a part of the Avengers: Infinity War trailer, but it did not make it to the film’s final cut. The lines sum up Thanos’ plan and how he wishes to execute it.

He believes it will be fun to bring about a balance in the universe. It portrays him as an unforgivable, dark villain with a unique worldview.

1. “In all my years of conquest, violence, slaughter– It was never personal. But I’ll tell you now– what I’m about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet, I’m gonna enjoy it. Very, very much.”

These lines are arguably the most bad-ass lines delivered by Thanos in the two films. Although he tries to work with logic initially, these lines mark the complete suspension of balance and logic. It brings out the sadistic side of Thanos, where he derives pleasure from destroying a planet.

It sets the tone for the final face-off between the Avengers and Thanos. It also reminds us of the good old days of the MCU when our childhood heroes fought dangerous villains without all that time-travel stuff. No matter what we say, the MCU has not had a villain like Thanos since Endgame, and I don’t think it ever will.

About Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and TV series, independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The franchise includes comic books, short films, television series, and digital series. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.