Beginning in Iron Man 2 and coming to a tragic conclusion in Avengers: Endgame, Natasha Romanoff had one of the most emotionally charged character arcs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Scarlett Johansson was the perfect choice for the role, nailing all of Natasha’s nuances. As with any MCU character, she has enjoyed her fair share of quippy one-liners over the years.
She’ll finally be taking center stage later this year in a much-deserved, long-overdue solo outing set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Before then, here are Black Widow’s five funniest quotes in the MCU, as well as five that broke our hearts.
Funniest: “I’m Always Picking Up After You Boys.”
Joss Whedon’s treatment of Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron was controversial, because she’s a clichéd damsel in distress for a large chunk of it, and in one scene, she calls herself a monster for being infertile. However, as with any script by Whedon, she gets a couple of great quips throughout the movie.
In one pivotal set piece, as Captain America fights Ultron on the roof of a moving truck and Black Widow tails them on a motorcycle, Ultron knocks Cap’s shield out of his hand. Black Widow picks it up and jokes, “I’m always picking up after you boys.”
Most Heartbreaking: “I Need You To Turn This Bird Around, Okay?”
Joss Whedon’s decision to pair up Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner in a romantic relationship in Avengers: Age of Ultron was a strange one. But as long as the MCU was going down that path, this star-crossed love story took a heartbreaking turn at the end of the movie. After Natasha brought the Hulk out of Bruce for the final battle, the Hulk refused to back down and took over Bruce’s consciousness.
Natasha said, “I need you to turn this bird around, okay? We can’t track you in stealth mode, so help me out. I need you t…” before he cut her off and took the Quinjet to Sakaar, leaving her alone and heartbroken.
Funniest: “I Thought Coulson Was Gonna Swoon.”
Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff shared one of the sweetest friendships among Earth’s mightiest heroes. This was apparent from the moment they met on the Helicarrier in the first Avengers movie. Natasha greeted Steve as he arrived and showed him around.
Finding Captain America cryogenically frozen following his heroic act in 1945 was a huge deal for the U.S. government, and as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Natasha got the inside track: “It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon.”
Most Heartbreaking: “I Have No Place In The World.”
The flashbacks to Black Widow’s training in the Red Room program that Joss Whedon peppered throughout Avengers: Age of Ultron explored her backstory in more depth than any other MCU entry to date (although that’s about to change with her long-awaited solo outing this summer).
In one of these flashbacks, when her trainer Madame B. says that her graduation ceremony is “necessary for you to take your place in the world,” Nat replies, “I have no place in the world.”
Funniest: “I Get Emails From A Raccoon. Nothing Sounds Crazy Anymore.”
The MCU is filled with self-aware jokes, and this is one of the best. After the five-year time jump in Avengers: Endgame, Rocket has joined the ranks of Earth’s mightiest heroes, so he regularly checks in with Nat to update her on his missions.
When Scott Lang comes to the Avengers with his “Time Heist” idea, he warns them that it’ll sound crazy, and Natasha simply says, “Scott, I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing sounds crazy anymore.”
Most Heartbreaking: “We Owe It To Everyone Who’s Not In This Room To Try.”
Black Widow has always been one of the most unabashedly heroic Avengers in the MCU. Since she doesn’t have a personal life outside of her work with Earth’s mightiest heroes, she has never let her own self-interests get in the way of saving lives and defeating bad guys.
Five years after Thanos wiped out half of all life – and with it, half the Avengers – when a far-fetched plan to bring everybody back presented itself, Natasha said, “We owe it to everyone who’s not in this room to try.”
Funniest: “Bye-Bye, Bikinis.”
Midway through Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when a widespread conspiracy begins to reveal itself, Natasha Romanoff tells Steve Rogers about a previous encounter with the titular Hydra assassin.
She pulls up her top to reveal a scar on the side of her stomach and quips, “Bye-bye bikinis.” A deadpan Steve replies, “Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now.”
Most Heartbreaking: “We Have What We Have When We Have It.”
Steve Rogers confronts mortality yet again when an elderly Peggy Carter passes away in Captain America: Civil War amid the Avengers’ disagreement over the Sokovia Accords. As always, Nat is there to help him out.
She explains, “After everything that happened with S.H.I.E.L.D., during my little hiatus, I went back to Russia and tried to find my parents. Two little gravestones by a chain-link fence. I pulled some weeds and left some flowers. We have what we have when we have it.” It’s very poignant and moving as she comforts Steve in his time of grief.
Funniest: “I’m Sorry. Did I Step On Your Moment?”
The Russo brothers set out to helm a ‘70s-style spy thriller when Marvel recruited them to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier. One of the staples of the genre is elaborate, convincing disguises.
When Alexander Pierce turns his Hydra agents against the World Security Council and starts giving a classic bad guy speech, one of the representatives beats up all the Hydra agents and pulls a gun on Pierce. Then, she pulls off her mask to reveal that it’s Natasha. She cracks, “I’m sorry. Did I step on your moment?”
Most Heartbreaking: “Whatever It Takes.”
Due to endless reshoots at Marvel’s behest, Black Widow’s death scene in Avengers: Endgame is pretty clunkily edited. She’s deprived of the fanfare that Tony Stark got for making basically the same sacrifice but the emotion is still there.
When the Avengers set out to carry out the “Time Heist,” they agreed to do “whatever it takes” to bring everybody back and undo Thanos’ destructive finger-snap. On Vormir, when Nat realized a sacrifice was required to obtain the Soul Stone, she put the greater good ahead of herself and didn’t hesitate to give her life.
