10 Genius MCU Villain Quotes That Proved Evil Can Be Right

There are some quotes from Marvel Cinematic Universe villains that prove evil can be right about a thing or two. Throughout some of the MCU’s best movies and even some of those that did not rank as high, Marvel has included truly amazing villain lines. Ranging from Loki to Ultron to Thanos to more major MCU villains, there have been some thought-provoking quotes from villains to heroes that have led to the realization that while the MCU villains’ goals might be wrong, perhaps they are tight about one aspect of their quest.

While most MCU villains stand firmly in the “evil” role for the duration of their screen time, that does not mean that they do not offer sound advice that not only MCU heroes but also audience members can follow. Over the years, Marvel has had nuanced villains come through, and embedded in some of their major plans of world domination or burning down institutions were some intelligent quotes that offered a hard, analytical look at situations that everyone goes through. Based on that, here are 10 MCU villain quotes that prove evil can be right.

10 “You Want To Protect The World, But You Don’t Want It To Change – How Is Humanity Saved If It’s Not Allowed To Evolve?”

Ultron In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Marvel’s Avengers movies have had some of the MCU’s best villains, and Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s title foe brought along some classic lines. While the evolution that Ultron was talking about in his quote would not translate properly to how his plans would go in the movie, the core sentiment of the villain’s line still remains as sound advice. There truly is no way that humanity can figure out a way to deal with long-term problems like pollution, climate change, and more if there is not some kind of internalized evolution process throughout generations. By understanding the changes to the world, humanity can evolve and adapt to deal with them.

9 “If It Were Easy, Everyone Would Do It.”

Loki In Thor: The Dark World

While taking Thor and Jane Foster through a small secret passage in Thor: The Dark World, Loki tells his brother that, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” While specific to their predicament, the MCU villain’s quote can be applied to many situations. In life, people often feel discouraged from taking the first step on a new project because they feel the work after that is too much to handle. Loki’s line tackles that directly, with the quote advising that to get the best results, hard work is required. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, and the rewards would not be the same.

8 “The Hardest Choices Require The Strongest Wills.”

Thanos In Avengers: Infinity War

Despite the various heroes and villains in Avengers: Infinity War‘s cast, the movie was firmly Thanos’. Josh Brolin’s Mad Titan shared multiple insightful nuggets of wisdom throughout the movie, and one of them was definitive of his journey. To complete his hefty goal of erasing half of the universe’s population, Thanos had to demonstrate enormous willpower to assemble all the Infinity Stones and take on the Avengers. In the end, he was successful, proving that those who stick to a hard task when things get tough are the ones who get to reap the rewards.

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

Mysterio In Spider-Man: Far From Home

While Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck was pretending to be Peter Parker’s friend in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Mysterio left the hero with some important advice. One should never be ashamed of their intelligence, as it can be a tool used for good. Being smart is a quality that everyone should work towards, and while no one should mock someone over their intelligence being higher than that of others, the same works the other way around, as using your intelligence to intimidate others is wrong. That said, it is okay to own it to yourself that you are the smartest one in the room and can contribute more due to it.

6 “I Have Patience And Experience. A Man Can Do Anything If He Has Those”

Zemo In Captain America: Civil War

Starting with Captain America: Civil War, Daniel Brühl’s Zemo has proven himself as one of the MCU’s most intelligent antagonists. As the character said, patience and experience are needed to achieve truly impressive goals. While there are a few cases of rapid success here and there, it is normally through learning from failures that one can accomplish what they set out to do. While Zemo’s MCU story led to his goal being achieved through many people dying, the villain is one of Marvel’s best stories of how patience and experience can lead to great rewards, as a seemingly normal man managed to destroy the Avengers from within.

Alexander Pierce In Captain America: Civil War

Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce might not have had that big of a role in the MCU, but the villain left the universe with a great piece of advice in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. What the character’s quote means is that it is okay to lose sometimes, understand what led to that result, and move forward to correct that and be successful in the end. While it can be hard at times to focus on the big picture during a moment of disappointment, ultimately, it is best to pick yourself up again and maintain a path to a set goal.

4 “Don’t Get So Attached To Things. Learn To Let Go”

Justin Hammer In Iron Man 2

Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 was one of the movie’s most entertaining characters, and as a plus, he dropped some sound advice. Many people often lose sight of what is really important in life due to the difficulty of letting things go. It is for the best that one learns that while material goods can bring comfort and a sense of positivity, nothing can truly replace the real deal — other people and the emotional bond one can form with them.

Kaecilius In Doctor Strange

While Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius was far from a memorable villain in Doctor Strange, the character managed to drop an insightful quote. Kaecilius is right; while there is a constant debate on whether a person’s actions are morally good or bad — and it makes sense that the debate exists — time is the ultimate villain of everyone’s story. In the end, all things must come to an end. What one can do is make the most of the time they have been given on the Earth.

2 “Perfectly Balanced, As All Things Should Be.”

Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War

While Thanos’ quest for balance in Avengers: Infinity War resulted in genocide, the villain’s quote can be repurposed for a better reason. In life, people often try to be too much of a thing, be it to please others, because it feels safe, or for another reason. Every person has multitudes within, and the desperate pressure from society to put everyone into boxes ends up taking away from people’s individualities. Everyone should strive to be unapologetically themselves, finding balance within all aspects of who they are. Thanos’ quote also means that diversifying interests is never a bad thing.

Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming

Finally, while Michael Keaton has many famous lines as Batman over at DC, his role as Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming led to a great piece of advice. With the ever constant turn of time, the world will always evolve, and people need to be ready to adapt to the changes to not be left behind. There are many facets of the world that are relevant to Adrian Toomes’ quote, with changes always coming in relation to new technologies and as major social issues are brought to light. Based on all those quotes, MCU villains, while wrong about many things, can offer great advice.

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