The MCU’s villains have had some memorable last remarks over the course of the franchise’s movies, from sympathetic to simply pathetic.
Across the many movies taking place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many of the most memorable lines have come from the franchise’s many villains. Beyond the MCU, other Marvel-branded movies from earlier years have also carried this distinction, with unforgettable villains who leave a chilling final impact with their last words. From sympathetic souls driven forced into villainy like Norman Osborn and Otto Octavius to the unrelenting evil of cosmic villains like Ego and Thanos, Marvel’s most powerful villains make some intense last impressions.
When the time comes for the antagonists of Marvel properties to be defeated or otherwise bid the audience farewell, there are a few categories their final words tend to fall in to. Some double down on their villainous pursuits taking their final moments to express disbelief with their defeat or reiterate their warped perspective. Others take a more sympathetic approach, pleading with their respective heroes for some final moment of understanding or gesture of good faith, despite their actions. Whatever the case, Marvel’s villains frequently don’t survive their final words.
10Doc Ock Refuses To Go Out A Villain
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
One of the most sympathetic villains in Marvel movie history, Otto Octavius was just a hopeful scientist genuinely looking to better humanity. Tragically, the latent artificial intelligence housed within his mechanical arms got the better of him, compelling him into a life of crime. When Spider-Man manages to convince him to snap out of it, he finds the willpower to control his arms and finally stop his destructive experiments, even though it costs him his life to do so. Asserting “I will not die a monster”, Doc Ock redeems himself at the very end.
9Sebastian Shaw Tries To Appeal To Magneto
X-Men: First Class (2011)
“I don’t want to hurt you, Erik. I never did. I want to help you. This is our time. We are the future of the human race. You and me, son. This world could be ours.”
The film that kickstarted the first branching timeline of the X-Men, X-Men: First Class pitted the nascent superhero team of mutants against Sebastian Shaw, leader of the Hellfire Club who sought to embroil the world in nuclear war in order for mutants to inherit the Earth. The chilling thing about his final appeal to Magneto is the fact that his words actually worked. Though he didn’t come to the same conclusions as Shaw right away, history would reveal the villain’s last words had a profound effect on Erik’s philosophy and eventual resentment of humanity.
8Thanos Prematurely Celebrates His Victory
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
By far the most successful villain of the MCU, Thanos nearly succeeded in his plan to re-shape all life in the universe not once, but twice. When his second incarnation comes rampaging out of the past to get a hold of the Infinity Stones once again, he arrogantly gloats in the face of the Avengers, proudly declaring “I am inevitable.“, before snapping his fingers ineffectually, not noticing that the Stones had alreayd left his grasp. The best part of this line, other than demonstrating Thanos’ arrogance, is how it sets up Tony Stark’s final words in the series: “I am Iron Man.“.
7Killmonger Makes A Final Request From T’Challa
Black Panther (2018)
“Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.”
Famous for being one of the most morally justified Marvel villains, Killmonger’s methods might not have been the most ethically sound, but he raised some valuable questions over to Wakanda’s isolationism in the wake of racial injustice across the world. Defeated by T’Challa, the Wakandan king feels sympathy for his estranged cousin, allowing him to see the Wakandan sunset promised to him by his late father with his dying vision as he bleeds out. The poignant scene is marked by Killmonger’s spiteful request for his last rites, accepting his fate while ravaging against an unjust system to the very end.
6Ultron Dryly Insults Vision
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Tragically, James Spader’s excellent performance as Ultron was only given a single movie to shine in, being defeated by the combined efforts of the Avengers, Scarlet Witch, and the newly-constructed Vision. The polar opposite of Ultron, despite having such similar origins, Vision is, fittingly enough, the one to deliver the killing blow on Ultron’s final drone, containing the last of his consciousness. Expressing his frustration at his robotic sibling’s diametrically-opposed disposition, he fires off a final jab – “You’re unbearably naive.” – before being blown to bits by Vision.
5Mysterio Alludes To Ruining Spider-Man’s Life
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
“People need to believe, and nowadays … they’ll believe anything.”
Of all the final words of Marvel villains on screen, perhaps none were as destructive as Mysterio’s final jab from beyond the grave. Mysterio’s last line Darkly alludes to his framing of Spider-Man for being behind the Elemental’s attacks, a devastating consequence of the battle Spider-Man doesn’t see until almost the end of the movie. While Peter is able to eventually clear himself of these accusations, Quentin Beck manages to utterly ruin Peter Parker’s life, completely post-mortem, when he also makes his secret identity as Spider-Man public for all to see.
4Norman Osborn Pleads With Spider-Man To Keep Green Goblin A Secret
Spider-Man (2002)
Constantly oscillating between the submissive personality of Norman Osborn and the domineering persona of the Green Goblin, it was anyone’s guess as to which identity would get the final line before the character’s demise. Ultimately, Norman manages to be the one to eke out a plea to Spider-Man as he dies, begging him “Peter…don’t tell Harry“. This just goes to show how, despite everything, Norman truly did care about his son, thinking of him in his dying moments and not wanting his legacy as a villain to negatively impact Harry’s life.
3Ego Begs Star-Lord Not To Become Mortal
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
“You are a god! If you kill me, you’ll be just like everybody else!”
Truly living up to his name, Ego’s self-aggrandizing sense of importance as a mighty Celestial was so powerful that he assumed it would transfer to his newly-found son, Star-Lord, whose half-Celestial powers could only manifest in the presence of Ego’s planet. Knowing this, as he’s about to die, he pleads with his son to reconsider, only for the ironically down-to-Earth Peter to reply “What’s so wrong with that?“. Though Star-Lord may have lost his Celestial connection with the death of his father, he managed to retain his humanity, what he deemed to be the more important half of his makeup.
2The Vulture Protects Spider-Man’s Secret Identity
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Adrian Toomes served as a menacing, yet sympathetic villain for Spider-Man to contend with in his first MCU solo film, requiring Peter to muster every ounce of his willpower in order to overcome him. Despite being imprisoned by him at the end of the film, Adrian Toomes refuses to divulge the identity of Spider-Man, lying to fellow prisoner Mac Gargan, also known as The Scorpion, “If I knew who he was, he’d already be dead.“. This strange moment of honor between hero and villain demonstrates that while Toomes may be a hardened killer, he has at least some respect or admiration for Peter Parker.
1The High Evolutionary Refuses To Admit He Was In The Wrong
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
While having a sympathetic villain is all fine and good, at the end of the day, sometimes an unforgivable, irredeemable, nasty villain can be just as compelling at the end of the day, if not more so. The High Evolutionary’s delusions of grandeur go uncompromised to the bitter end, gurgling out “All I wanted to do was to make things perfect!” after his defeat. Rocket’s perfectly-phrased response and willingness to spare the villains life in the ugly face of his unrepentant attitude was a great way to sum up the end of his character arc, one of the best in the MCU.
