Though the series is an action-packed one, there’s an argument to be made that what makes The Avengers movies work as well as they do is the writing, particularly the banter-filled character interactions. These movies aren’t comedies, necessarily, but they can be very funny, having self-awareness about how extravagant they can get, how extreme certain characters are, and how high-stakes things typically are within such entries in the MCU.

Beyond the humor, though, there’s also a good deal of pathos to be found, with many of the most intense and emotional moments in the MCU saved for these big crossover/event movies. On the topic of Avengers films, there have been four so far, and all are filled to the brim with memorable dialogue. The following quotes might not always be the most famous, but they’re worthy of attention and worth remembering. It should be clarified that calling any quote from a series as big and popular as this “underrated” might seem like a stretch, but nevertheless, these instances of dialogue tend to be even more quotable than most give them credit for.

10 “This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice.”

‘The Avengers’ (2012)

Thor, as a movie and a character, more or less launched Chris Hemsworth’s career, though it took a little while for everyone to warm up to him, given the hammy seriousness of the character’s MCU debut wasn’t for everyone. Still, it was an important movie in the lead-up to The Avengers, introducing not just a core member of said team, but also the main villain of the first Avengers movie: Loki, Thor’s brother.

2012’s The Avengers built their dynamic well, and also did a little of the groundwork needed to humanize Thor as a character, what with him being a literal god and all. Humor was a good way to achieve this, and Thor calling Iron Man “metal man” is an underrated and amusing line, kind of getting lost within an eventful and exciting action sequence, as well as overshadowed by Tony Stark’s more memorable quip regarding “Shakespeare in the park.”

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9 “It's like a pirate had a baby with an angel.”

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War was great for many reasons, with one of them being the fact that it brought the Guardians of the Galaxy into a crossover movie for the first proper time, following their more isolated adventures in the excellent Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and the solid follow-up that was Vol. 2 (2017). Sure, that first movie in 2014 did help build Thanos – Infinity War’s villain – as a threat, but it wasn’t until 2018 that the Guardians themselves got to interact with the members of the Avengers.

The film made a wise decision to pair Thor up with the Guardians, with the squad rescuing him from space, allowing for plenty of humor and emotion (given the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor are all dealing with loss and/or heartbreak). But to focus on the comedy, Drax of course gets some of the best moments, rather accurately describing Thor, upon seeing him, as a combination of an angel and a pirate.

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8 Doctor Strange: “Is that everyone?” Wong: “What, you wanted more?”

‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)

For as monumental as Infinity War was, its follow-up, Avengers: Endgame, arguably went even bigger, having a runtime that was half an hour longer and an even more monumental box office gross (the highest of its decade). And no scene in Endgame quite demonstrated the film’s commitment to scale like the climactic battle, which brought an unprecedented number of superheroes into one huge sequence, battling against Thanos and his forces.

It's just non-stop as a scene, being perhaps the biggest (and possibly best) final act of the 2010s, at least as far as blockbusters go. There’s so much to take in visually, and so many one-liners fired out in all directions by various characters. The exchange between Doctor Strange and Wong works at emphasizing the size of the scene and stands as particularly funny… though if a future Avengers movie can top Endgame in character count and/or battle size, then perhaps Dr. Strange “wanting more” won’t seem so outrageous in hindsight.

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7 “They're gods, and they need someone to keep them down to Earth.”

‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)

Few people would call Age of Ultron their favorite Avengers movie, and indeed, it is the lowest-ranked overall from a critical perspective. Yet despite its less-than-great reputation, it’s really not a terrible superhero movie; more just an inconsistent one. It doesn’t quite have the scope of Infinity War or Endgame, nor the simplicity and charm of 2012’s The Avengers, but it has its moments and does serve certain characters well.

Case in point, it was a movie where Hawkeye really started to come into his own as a character, and overall helped establish him as a bit less of a pop-culture punching bag. He has a lot more screen time here, compared to The Avengers, and viewers even get a look at his family life. His wife, Laura Barton, also neatly summarizes his purpose within the Avengers team, emphasizing how he can help keep them – and their egos – grounded, what with the capacity for their godlike/fantastical/complex powers to lead to dysfunction and fierce rivalries.

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6 “He's never fought me twice.”

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)

Across Infinity War and Endgame, Thanos antagonizes and crushes the spirits of too many characters to count, with his actions in Infinity War’s opening scene proving particularly shattering to Thor. The hopeful ending of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarök is somewhat undone by that film’s foreboding mid-credits scene, decimated off-screen right before Infinity War starts, and then further crushed in the first 10 minutes of that movie, especially owing to the fact that Thanos kills Heimdall, a close ally of Thor’s, and Loki, his brother.

Thor discusses his quest for vengeance with Rocket Raccoon, the latter correcting him when Thor claims Thanos has never fought him before. Thor then awkwardly says, “He's never fought me twice” – a line that’s funny in the moment, but becomes heavy later in the film, when Thor does indeed clash with Thanos once again… and Thor makes a fatal mistake, neither using his head nor going for Thanos’.

5 “Apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, and don't play well with others.”

‘The Avengers’ (2012)

Iron Man (2008) kick-started the MCU with style, introducing Tony Stark/Iron Man to a bigger audience than he’d ever had before as a comic book character. It was a movie that helped usher in the superhero genre’s dominance at the box office and within pop culture, and the titular character was instantly popular, continuing to be one of the most sharp-witted and sarcastic characters in the MCU for over a decade’s worth of movies.

Tony Stark has his moments of genuine kindness, more so as the series goes along, but The Avengers allows him to be in tip-top shape sarcasm-wise for the majority of its runtime. Addressing how he apparently didn’t qualify for the Avengers initiative at first, Stark admits he’s “volatile, self-obsessed, and (doesn’t) play well with others,” which is right on the money, even if he does eventually become an essential team-player in his own way later in the film.

4 “You have my respect, Stark. When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you.”

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)

Thanos made some brief appearances throughout a handful of earlier MCU movies, but it wasn’t until Avengers: Infinity War that he emerged as arguably one of the best villains in recent movie history. He poses a genuine threat to the entire universe, given the movie sees him determined to obtain all the Infinity Stones, and use them in combination to wipe out half of all life in the universe to reduce over-population on a massive scale.

He has clear goals, is ruthlessly efficient, and has a strong moral code and even respect for those superheroes who try – in vain – to stop his plan. He makes this apparent after besting Iron Man in combat, reiterating his desire to decimate half of humanity while telling Tony Stark – who seems to be on the verge of dying himself – that he’ll hopefully be remembered by those left behind.

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3 “Actually he's the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything, make everyone look cooler.”

‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)

The ambitious Avengers: Age of Ultron continued to showcase Tony Stark at his snarkiest, and also built off the first Avengers movies by continuing to show some unease between him and Steve Rogers/Captain America. Their disagreements would boil over and become something more substantial in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, but their alliance – while shaky – still holds throughout Age of Ultron.

Nevertheless, Tony Stark doesn’t want to give Captain America any wins too easily, surprisingly conceding that Captain America’s the leader of the Avengers, but that it’s actually himself who does most of the “cool” stuff. It’s one example of banter in a film that some would feel has too much of it, but as always, Robert Downey Jr.’s line delivery is on point, further showcasing how Tony Stark was a character he more or less seemed born to play.

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2 “He's pissed. He thinks he failed. Which, of course he did, but you know, there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?”

‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)

Sure, Avengers: Endgame sees the MCU at its biggest and most epic, but the first half of the movie is surprisingly dominated by a focus on characters and some more intimate, downbeat scenes. After all, before the exciting climax that inevitably resurrects many of those lost during Infinity War, the characters all have to process their intense emotions and the fact that they comprised the losing side in the most important battle they ever fought.

Rocket Raccoon and Thor had a great dynamic when they were paired up together for much of Infinity War, both being able to discuss with each other the sorts of losses they’d faced and the grief they felt. Of course, they’re pushed even further into despair following Infinity War, with Thor failing to land a killing blow on Thanos and Rocket dealing with everyone else in his squad being killed by Thanos. Rocket highlights this general sense of failure with brutal honesty, and pins down why Thor is feeling extra rotten about it all.

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1 "I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out."

‘The Avengers’ (2012)

Sometimes, recasting a significant role works, as is demonstrated by Mark Ruffalo stepping in as the Hulk after Edward Norton played him in what was (sort of) an earlier MCU movie: 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Norton’s a great actor in the right role, but either didn’t fit the character of Bruce Banner/The Hulk ideally, or simply didn’t have as good material to work with as Ruffalo did.

Whatever the case, Mark Ruffalo slipped into the role with ease, and made a great impression in The Avengers. The film overall did the character of Bruce Banner justice in a way that 2003’s Hulk and the aforementioned The Incredible Hulk didn’t quite manage to do. The best instance of this is the surprisingly intense line Banner has about the anguish he feels, with the condition he has, and admitting he tried to take his own life is pretty grim by the MCU’s standards. Still, it’s a powerful moment, and a strong reminder of how difficult Banner’s life is, given he's torn between two very different personas/beings.

NEXT: The Best Quote From Each Spider-Man Movie