10+ Spine-Chilling Thanos Quotes That Prove He’s The Best MCU Villain Ever
In the Infinity Saga, Marvel has introduced to us the first ultimate villain in the expansive MCU, Thanos. It takes the Mad Titan 6 years to finally make his move ever since his debut in the post-credit scene of The Avengers (2012), but the trouble he has caused for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was well worth the wait.
Portrayed by Josh Brolin, Thanos possesses superior physical prowess that enables him to overpower even the Hulk, and an equally genius mind that makes him feared across the galaxies. Four years after Avengers: Endgame, the villain still remains to be the MCU’s greatest bad guy so far that no one can come close.
Aside from his impressive power, Thanos also makes a strong impression in the audience's heart with multiple menacing quotes throughout the franchise, all of which fully showcase his dream and ambition to make the world a better place. Let’s take a look at these 13 best Thanos quotes in the Infinity Saga, and see for yourself why he’s the best villain so far in the MCU.
#1. "Fine, I'll do it myself." (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
Source: Marvel
While Thanos was first introduced in the Avengers’ first movie, we had to wait until Avengers: Age of Ultron to hear his first line. "Fine, I'll do it myself,” is the quote he said as Ultron failed to defeat Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, forcing the Mad Titan to take matters into his own hand. And he did, spectacularly.
#2. "Perfectly balanced. As all things should be." (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
Before searching for the Infinity Stones, Thanos has done countless conquests on different planets and galaxies to reduce the population by 50%, and Gamora’s home, Zen-Whoberi, is one of them. As little Gamora stood in shock and disbelief as the Chitauri massacred her home, the Mad Titan walked up to her and show her a switchblade on his finger, implying all things should be balanced just like the blades.
With this idea in mind, Thanos wants to apply the same to the rest of the universe, á he believes as long as the population is reduced by half, the rest will thrive. This is the Mad Titan’s sense of balance.
#3. “I ignored my destiny once. I cannot do that again... Even for you. I’m sorry, little one.” (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
While his desire is twisted, at times in the Movies Thanos was portrayed as a sympathetic villain, who shows glimpses of genuine care for his adoptive daughter, Gamora. However, even if Gamora is the favorite child, the Mad Titan wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice her like a pawn to pursue his ambition. On Vormir, he threw his daughter off a cliff to gain the Soul Stone, and said these words.
We can feel Thanos’s genuine sadness for Gamora as he spoke, but we also know that the Mad Titan would have made the sacrifice again and again to achieve his goals, which shows his twisted yet incredible commitment of his.
#4. "Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now it's here. Or should I say, I am." (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
Imagine being arrogant enough to claim yourself as Destiny, but Thanos, with the power he possesses, has every right to do so. He bests all of Thor, Loki, and Hulk, at once, withstand Scarlet Witch’s magic, and easily dispatches half of the Avengers squad on Titan. No matter what the Avengers do, he indeed arrives all the same, and still manages to snap the Infinity Gauntlet according to plan.
#5. "Reality is often disappointing. Now, reality can be whatever I want." (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
With the Aether at hand, Thanos can now bend reality to his own will. He used it to trick the Guardians at the start of the movie, and then to Gamora when she tried to kill herself on Vormir. This line hits even harder after the Mad Titan gathers all six Infinity Stones, as he is the most powerful being in the universe at the time, and can change the reality of the whole universe with a snap of a finger.
#6. “They called me a madman.” (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
From a young age, Thanos witnessed with his own eyes the downfall of his home planet Titan, as the measly resources weren’t enough to feed the overpopulated people. Thanos proposed to wipe out half of the planet’s population, and of course, his plan was deemed crazy, and the villain was called a madman, and got exiled as a result.
Now, with Titan crumbled, Thanos got even more reasons to believe his extreme way of doing things is right. He even embraced his Mad Titan title, as a way to cement his unshakable resolve and to remind him of his own people’s demise.
#7. “You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.” (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
Though Thanos is superior in terms of brute strength, he still holds Tony Stark in high regard, and acknowledges his genius mind as well as creativity with the suit. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Thanos, as the Mad Titan is equally intelligent.
Gifted with the knowledge and power to change the world, however Thanos considers it as a “curse”, implying that he was born with a destiny to fulfill.
#8. “All that for a drop of blood.” (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
If the other quotes show how much of an intellect Thanos is, this particular line proves the villain’s impressive physical prowess that exceeds almost everyone in the Avengers. On Titan, it took everything the Avengers had at the time, but their relentless attack only managed to injure Thanos a little.
The scene shows how ridiculously sturdy and powerful the Mad Titan is, and it would take something way stronger from the Avengers to eventually take him down.
#9. "The hardest choices require the strongest wills." (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
Thanos isn’t your typical villain, as he has an overall good purpose, but executes a rather extreme method. He believes genocide is the only way to save the universe, and it’s the “hardest” choice to make, which implies that if there’s another way to save the world without killing anyone, he’d have done so.
However, as he believes the genocide is necessary, he doesn’t shy away from anything to achieve it, even sacrificing his own daughter. To do such a ruthless feat requires the sturdiest of will, and the Mad Titan has to make his decision.
#10. “You should’ve gone for the head.” (Avengers: Infinity War)
Source: Marvel
This spine-shivering line of the Mad Titan has haunted not only us, but also Thor for the next five years. With the Stormbreaker, Thor can finally break through Thanos’ defense, but since he was clouded with the thought of revenge, his knockout blow wasn’t efficient enough, which gave the villain enough time to snap his finger, ultimately completing his goal and slip away afterward.
And to think he still had enough composure to say the line. Epic.
#11. "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." (Avengers: Endgame)
Source: Marvel
With such a big destiny to fulfill, Thanos always works for the “better” cause and never for personal interest in his conquest to gather the Infinity Stones. However, the Avengers are probably the most persistent bunch he has faced so far, even though the Titan’s power is far superior. The team puts a halt to his efforts from time to time, and causes the ice-cold Thanos to lose his composure.
Therefore, in the final battle, Thanos no longer hides his intent to torment the Avengers in the worst way possible, as a way to ease his frustration. The line also shows that behind his calm demeanor, Thanos is actually more vicious and pettier than we thought.
#12. "You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me." (Avengers: Endgame)
Source: Marvel
In Endgame, even though the Avengers have chosen the roundabout way to travel to the past to gather the Infinity Stones, they still have to face the Mad Titan nonetheless. The way Thanos casually sat and waited for the Avengers to come and fight him again in Endgame was intimidating, to say the least, and it means that once again, the team has failed to avoid the villain, since “Destiny arrives all the same”.
#13. "I am inevitable." (Avengers: Endgame)
Source: Marvel
This is the final line of Thanos in the MCU right before snapping his finger, and a replication of what he said at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Just like one of the Mad Titan’s previous lines, “Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same,” no matter how the Avengers tried to avoid the villain, he will always be there to deliver the final blow.
“I am inevitable” is like a friendly reminder from Thanos that he will always come out on top no matter what, but thankfully, Tony Stark, with his intellect, has turned the table around at the cost of his life. The Mad Titan was erased from existence afterward, but the Avengers had to pay dearly to earn the victory.
Which Thanos’s quote above is the best in your opinion? Is the Mad Titan the best villain in the MCU? Let us know in the comment.