Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame BELOW:

Avengers: Endgame brought 11 years of storytelling to a close with a bang... and a snap that was heard around the world. Between the trips down memory lane and the heartwarming character reunions, Marvel's grand finale was an ode to superhero films, a celebration of everything fans have loved about the franchise throughout the years. Dozens of characters introduced over the course of 21 films united during the film's third act, assembling to battle Thanos and demonstrate the full extent of the awe-inspiring universe Marvel created during the past decade.

But at its core, Avengers: Endgame was a farewell. Since it began, the MCU has expanded to unprecedented proportions, but it all started back in 2008 with the sound of clanging metal. In Marvel's epic conclusion, we had to say goodbye to the original six Avengers who laid the groundwork for what Marvel has become— and Tony Stark, the man at the heart of it all. Here are the best quotes from Avengers: Endgame.

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Updated By Amanda Bruce On March 18, 2020: Avengers: Endgame was the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans can relive that ending with its inclusion on streaming platforms like Disney+ over and over again, picking up on things they missed the first time around, or just enjoying their favorite characters one last time - as well as these additional quotes.

“I Used To Have Nothing. And Then I Got This - This Job, This Family - And I Was Better Because Of It. Even Though They’re Gone, I’m Still Trying To Be Better.”

Natasha Romanoff In Avengers Endgame

Fans are a whole lot closer to getting more of Black Widow’s story with her solo movie on the horizon. This line from her, however, reminds the audience that, though they haven’t seen all of her history just yet, her life is vastly changed.

Once upon a time, Natasha was a spy looking out for her bosses and herself. As an Avenger, she found a very different life to live and built lasting friendships that she wouldn’t have had otherwise. Of the group of heroes who survived the first snap, Natasha takes it the hardest, clinging to the heroes she still had left to make sure the Avengers never ended, even if being the leader and receiving transmissions from outer space wasn’t what she thought she would be doing. Her need to be “better” only foreshadows her ultimate decision.

“Hail Hydra.”

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in elevator with Hydra agents Captain America The Winter Soldier

When Captain America was revealed as a member of Hydra in the comics, fans were rabid - and upset. Many cried foul, not wanting to watch a story play out where the Marvel paragon of virtue could be a member of such a duplicitous group. Seeing Captain America masquerade as a member of Hydra in Endgame was a whole other story.

Not only does the scene give fans a nice callback to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it allows Steve Rogers to finally one-up the people who had made his life what it was from the very beginning of his superhero days. Steve’s smirk after uttering “Hail Hydra” to an elevator full of bad guys and walking away with the scepter made audiences applaud in glee.

“I Know I’m Way Outside My Pay Grade Here…”

Hawkeye In Avengers Endgame

Of the original Avengers team, and even with the newer additions, Hawkeye always felt like the odd man out. He’s been a guy with a bow and arrow while fighting alongside actual gods, aliens, and super soldiers.

Some fans have thought that Hawkeye got the short end of the stick in terms of screen time and storylines, but that will change with his Disney+ series. His survival definitely seemed odd considering the immense power of the team members around him. Even Hawkeye himself knew that a trip to space to save the entire universe was something that he shouldn’t be able to do. 

”Don’t Worry… She’s Got Help.”

Okoye Scarlet Witch Black Widow And Captain Marvel In The MCU

When the movie first hit theaters, some fans lauded the team up of female heroes in the middle of the climactic fight scene. Others didn’t think the moment was earned, but it’s actually a callback to a fight scene in Avengers: Infinity War cementing the legacy of Natasha Romanoff.

In that movie, it was Black Widow who came to the aid of Scarlet Witch in the middle of the fight, bringing Okoye with her. In Endgame, Scarlet Witch and Okoye take up her efforts to have the back of the other women in the fight by sharing this quote and leading the charge to protect Captain Marvel in battle. It's a way for Natasha’s presence to still be felt in the final battle.

“I Get Emails From A Raccoon, So Nothing Sounds Crazy Anymore.”

Avengers Endgame Holograms

When the MCU began, it was focused on a man in an iron suit just trying to do the right thing by the world. Sure, there was a secret government organization of spies, but the movies were pretty well-grounded in reality.

As the universe expanded, more magic and alien beings became the norm. The universe in which Natasha leads a team of beings as they traveled through space to help other planets would seem very far from her original role of monitoring Iron Man in secret. The Marvel Cinematic Universe expanded in an epic way in a decade, to the point that regular updates about missions from a raccoon are just business as usual.

"This is the fight of our lives. We are going to win. Whatever it takes."

Avengers Endgame Team Hands Together

 

Steve Rogers had some words for the Avengers right before they went back in time to get the Infinity Stones, and they perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the team. Back in 2012, the Avengers were willing to fight until the very end to prevent Loki's alien army from invading the Earth, and in 2015, they almost died atop a floating city trying to defeat Ultron.

Although going back in time meant risking their lives and the everything they'd gained after the Snap, the Avengers were willing to to do whatever it took to put an end to Thanos's dark legacy.

"Part of the journey is the end."

We all heard this line in the trailer, but most of us thought Iron Man was talking about the proverbial end of an era— not the end of his life. A pre-recorded Tony Stark giving the keynote speech at his own funeral was: a) a very Tony Stark thing to do, and b) the perfect way to say goodbye to a character beloved by millions.

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As images of other heroes reuniting with their families play onscreen, Tony talks about happy endings, accepting that he might not get one. Throughout his MCU journey, his entire story arc centered around self-improvement— he eschewed the narcissistic tendencies of his past, striving to become a man who readily put the greater good ahead of his own self-interest. In the end, he sacrificed his own happy ending to save trillions, proving with utter finality that it wasn't the Iron Man suit that made him a hero, but the man underneath. It was the perfect ending for Tony Stark— no matter how many tissues I had to steal from the lady sitting next to me.

"No amount of money ever bought a second of time."

 

In an interesting twist of fate, Tony Stark runs into his father during his visit to the 1970s, and, given that Howard Stark has no idea he's talking to his own future son, the two exchange tidbits of wisdom on parenting.

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Despite the difficult relationship he had with his father, Tony accepts that Howard did the best he could and is able to finally tell him this, something he never got to do in his own timeline because of Howard's premature death. To close the heartwarming interaction, Tony shares a pearl of wisdom with his father—one shared with him by the future Howard Stark— no amount of money ever bought a second of time.

"I don't judge people by their worst mistakes."

In her final moments, Black Widow offers one last pearl of wisdom before she makes the ultimate sacrifice to secure the Soul Stone. Throughout her MCU journey, she has been haunted by the mistakes of her past, but dealing with this shame bred a unique type of empathy within her.

More than familiar with the weight of a guilty conscience, she is quick to forgive others for their missteps. Even when Hawkeye becomes a violent vigilante in Avengers: Endgame, she refuses to judge him by his worst mistakes, because she knows its not our failures that define us, but how we choose to learn from them.

"Some people move on. But not us."

 

And that's what makes them the Avengers. Within every member of the team is an intrinsic drive to help others no matter the personal risk. That's why Black Widow sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone, why Captain America fought Thanos until he could barely stand, why Thor wanted to wear the Infinity Gauntlet despite the likelihood of death.

It's why Hawkeye offered to be the time travel guinea pug, why Bruce Banner risked his life to use the Infinity Stones, why Tony Stark gave up everything to defeat Thanos. The Avengers are unable to rest, unable to move on, until they've done everything in their power to protect the Earth— or avenge it.

"Everyone fails at who they're supposed to be, Thor. A measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are."

Frigga Thor: The Dark World

 

In life, we often strive to be a version of ourselves that others want us to be. For Thor, people always expected him to lead his people— to be a King like his father— so he begrudgingly took the throne in Thor: Ragnarok after Odin died.

But Thor never wanted this for himself, and after consulting with his mother in Endgame— the self-proclaimed wisest person in Asgard— he realizes that it's no sin to fail at being someone you're not. True success is embracing who you are and doing what you want to do, which, in Thor's case, is apparently joining the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

"Turns out, resentment is corrosive and I hate it."

At the start of Endgame, it becomes obvious that Tony Stark still houses deep anger towards Steve Rogers. But five years later, having been humbled by fatherhood, Tony comes to realize how toxic resentment is, for both those it's directed at and those who feel it.

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When an opportunity arises that could bring back the fallen, Tony quickly repairs his relationship with Steve Rogers, building him a new shield as a peace offering. The two then pair off to go back in time together and we get to watch their friendship thrive one last time before the end. #StonyForever.

"Avengers! Assemble!"

This moment was 11 years in the making. During the climax of the film, with the assistance of Doctor Strange's portals, every hero introduced over the course of the past decade joins the original six Avengers in the battle against Thanos.

But before the action starts, we get to see Steve Rogers show the world exactly why he's Captain America. With every hero lined up alongside him, from Shuri to Mantis to Spider-Man, from Doctor Strange to Ant-Man to Falcon, Steve Rogers puts his arm to the sky and shouts for everyone to hear, "Avengers! Assemble!" Then, he leads all the characters we've come to love over the past years into battle one last time.

"And I am Iron Man."

From the very beginning, it was clear that Tony Stark was a superhero unlike any other. While most heroes keep their identities a secret, Tony declared his for the world to hear at the end of Iron Man, owning his actions and wearing the badge of superhero with pride. And at the close of Iron Man 3, he says it again: "I am Iron Man." But this time, it's to himself rather than the press, as he reflects on the fact that it's the man beneath the suit not his tech, not his money— that makes him a hero.

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So it's fitting that Tony Stark's journey in the MCU should end the way it began. Believing himself to be wielding the Infinity Stones, Thanos confronts Tony and declares, "I am inevitable." But when his snap fails to bring about universal destruction as planned, Thanos realizes that he, just like so many villains before, has been bested by Tony Stark. Revealing an Iron Man gauntlet studded with the Stones he swiped from Thanos, Tony utters the phrase that has defined his time as a superhero one last time before he snaps his fingers and sacrifices himself to save everyone else: "I am Iron Man." 

"I love you 3000."

Tony Stark's daughter says this to him near the beginning of the film, and although it's spoken with levity, it symbolizes just how far Tony has come since Iron Man— not just as a hero, but as a man. When he was being held that cave so many years ago, Tony was told by Yinsen not to waste his life, but Yinsen meant this in more ways than one. Not only did he want Tony to start using his talents for good, but he also hoped that Tony would build something more meaningful than any Iron Man suit could ever be— a family.

In Avengers: Endgame, Tony does just this, becoming a husband and a father— a man with a lot to live for. So when this line returns at the end of the film after he's died, with a prerecorded Tony Stark telling his daughter he loves her one last time, it reminds us just how much Tony sacrificed when he snapped his fingers. A rich future awaited him, one filled with a family and love, but gave up his happy ending for the greater good.  And for that, we love you 3000, Tony Stark. We always will. 

NEXT: Every Marvel Movie Releasing After Avengers: Endgame