Most Memorable Black Widow Quotes In The MCU

Unless you were already an avid comic book enthusiast, there's a good chance that you didn't know much about the character of Black Widow prior to her MCU debut in 2010's "Iron Man 2." Natasha makes a big splash right from her first scene, wherein she gives an unsuspecting Happy Hogan a taste of her top-notch combat skills while going undercover as Tony Stark's new assistant. ScarJo's performance throughout the film makes it undeniably clear that she was going to be around for a long time.

Although the hyper-sexualization of her character in "Iron Man 2" has been highly criticized in recent years, there's one scene in particular that still proves that Widow has always been much more than a pretty face. In the film's finale, Happy Hogan hastily escorts the stealthy SHIELD agent over to Hammer Industries to end the ongoing drone attack at the Stark Expo. While exiting the car, Happy pesters Widow with questions about what the plan is and how he can be of assistance. "You wanna help?" Widow replies. "Keep the car running." She then proceeds to kick the crap out of all the henchmen inside the building, thus solidifying her rightful place amongst Earth's mightiest heroes.

Perhaps Widow's most significant line in all of the MCU is a bit of dialogue she delivers later in "The Avengers." After the team captures Loki and returns him to the Helicarrier, Romanoff attempts to get him to spill his strategy. Loki, ever the silver-tongued manipulator, briefly gets Widow to open up about her past before asking her what makes her tick now. "It's really not that complicated," she responds. "I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."

This line is something that director Joss Whedon wanted audiences to understand about Widow because she repeats it when Hawkeye asks her why she's willing to put her life on the line to fight an alien army in New York City. It's an incredibly well-written quote that reveals the driving force behind Natasha's character. She isn't in the hero game for fame or notoriety. For her, it's a way to try and make good on the bad things she's done in her past — it's redemption. Honestly, this is perhaps what makes Black Widow such a resonating character for the audience. At the end of the day, there's nothing more heroic, or universally human, than trying to become a better person.

Although it's a facet that's received a good bit of criticism over the years, Natasha's relationship with Bruce Banner, everyone's favorite enormous green rage monster, has had its fair share of bizarre moments throughout the MCU. In 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," fans learned that the Avengers teammates had become more than just super friends, one of the more surprising romances in the franchise's history to date.

While their relationship may, in theory, seem like an all too obvious Marvel take on Beauty and the Beast, it didn't portray Widow as a damsel in distress. In fact, one could argue that it did the opposite, displaying Natasha as the only Avenger capable of safely transforming Hulk back into Banner. "Hey, big guy," she tells him after the team defeats HYDRA in the film's opening sequence. "Sun's getting real low." These words and a gentle touch are all it takes to turn the monster back into a man. Talk about the power of words!

As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, this particular phrase also makes an unforgettably hilarious reemergence in "Thor: Ragnarok." After finding himself up against Hulk in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions on Sakaar, Thor attempts to replicate Widow's "lullaby," mustering his most comforting tone and repeating the line. Unfortunately for Thor, there's only one Black Widow, and Hulk is utterly unfazed by the Thunder God's attempt at peace.

After years of saving the world together, the Avengers family hits a major speed bump in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War." In that film, the team is divided over the controversial Sokovia Accords, essentially a government mandate that would determine when the heroes could and could not intervene. Iron Man sees the accords as a necessary means of accountability, whereas Captain America believes it will only shift the blame and lead to serving hidden agendas. Conflict ensues.

While she technically sides with Stark, Black Widow is far more torn than the other heroes seemed to be. She even attends Peggy Carter's funeral so she can be there for Steve Rogers in his time of need. While in the church, she makes one final plea that Steve sign the accords. "Just because it's the path of least resistance doesn't mean it's the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together."

This is another line that illustrates just how much the Avengers means to Natasha. She would do anything to keep the team together, even signing off on something she's not fully on board with. This is obviously not the way Captain America sees things, but when he yet again rejects her offer, Natasha is unsurprised. "Well then, what are you doing here?" he asks her. Nat replies, "I didn't want you to be alone." Black Widow is a true teammate through and through.

In many ways, Natasha Romanoff is the driving heart behind the events of 2019's record-breaking "Avengers: Endgame." After Thanos dusts away half of the universe in "Infinity War," the remaining heroes all kind of go their own ways. Tony starts a family with Pepper, Steve leads group therapy sessions, and Clint Barton becomes a mob-murdering vigilante. But Black Widow remained at Avengers HQ, still trying to do her part to help save the world, leading what was left of the scattered team. This is part of the reason why her ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure the time heist was successful makes so much sense.

Knowing that Black Widow isn't going to make it back from Vormir makes one scene in particular especially heartbreaking on rewatch. As the surviving Avengers suit up and gather around the time machine, Captain America gives a rousing pep talk, as he is wont to do. "This is the fight of our lives. And we're gonna win. Whatever it takes." As the machine whirs into action, Natasha looks over at Steve and smiles. "See you in a minute," she jokes, not knowing that those are the last words she'll ever say to her old friend. It's a foreshadowing line that hits you right in the feels no matter how many times you watch it.

Although she officially met her end in "Avengers: Endgame," Natasha was metaphorically reincarnated for one more ride in 2021's "Black Widow," the character's long anticipated solo outing. As it turns out, the prequel film also revived perhaps Widow's most notorious quote along with the super spy.

In the intense third act of the fierce action flick, Natasha comes face to face with the nefarious General Dreykov, one of the many ghosts of her past. Seemingly granted safety thanks to a scent-restricting pheromonal lock, the Red Room overseer begins boasting, outlining his evil plan. Unfortunately for him, Natasha is not your average assassin, and she realizes that there's a pretty simple way to free herself from her old foe's pheromonal protection. "Don't take it personal," she begins, smiling as she approaches Dreykov's desk. "But ... Thank you for your cooperation." She then slams her face against the desk, breaking her nose and leaving Dreykov unprotected.

The line is a classic callback to the very first "Avengers" movie. As vigilant MCU fans will recall, Widow tells Loki the same little cocky brag after she plays him into unveiling his plan, too. Natasha is obviously an extremely skilled fighter, but scenes like this show that her true superpower is the art of manipulation. Will Yelena Belova be able to fill this role as the Avengers' new Black Widow at some point down the line? Only time will tell.