Top 20 Worst Superhero Movie Lines
Top 20 Worst Lines in Superhero Movies
Top 20 Worst Superhero Movies
People were paid to write these? Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 20 Worst Lines in Superhero Movies. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most cringe-worthy, dumb, or just plain bad lines from superhero films. While some of them can be enjoyed ironically, no one’s going to argue that they're good.
#20: “WHAT ARE THOOOOSE!”
Top 10 Worst Superhero Movie Costumes
“Black Panther” (2018) This groundbreaking African superhero film took the world by storm, but even it’s not without its faults. The titular hero king, like many other supers, relies on equipment as much as his abilities, and he gets most of them from his genius of a little sister, Shuri. Despite being hilarious and one of the best parts of the film, Shuri still delivers a pretty cringey line when she sees her brother’s footwear. “What are thoooose!” The line is a reference to a meme that started from a Vine, which already made the joke dated when the movie came out, and it will only become more so over time.
#19: “You Want Forgiveness? Get Religion!”
The Worst Superhero Movies of All Time from A to Z
“Spider-Man 3” (2007) The third “Spider-Man” movie in the Sam Raimi trilogy features plenty of cheesy and questionable decisions, but this bit of dialogue is often overlooked. After Eddie Brock doctors a photo to make Spider-Man look like a criminal, Peter Parker threatens to expose his fellow photographer. This prompts Eddie to beg him not to do so, since it will cost him his livelihood. Peter replies, “You want forgiveness? Get religion.” This feels like the kind of thing a lame action movie hero says to a villain before throwing them off a cliff – not Peter Parker in the middle of an office to the guy whose career he’s about to end.
#18: “I Was Cleaning the Chimney”
Every Spider-Man Movie Ranked from Worst to Best
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014) While we’re on the subject of bad lines from “Spider-Man” films, here’s another clunker from the second “Amazing Spider-Man” movie. After Peter returns home from one of his nighttime stints as the wall crawling superhero, Aunt May insists on his getting up, but with his suit still on, Peter tries desperately to try to get it off before she can open the door. He ends up hiding in bed, but neglects to have cleaned his face, which is severely blackened. When May comments on it, Peter claims he was “cleaning the chimney,” to which May responds that they don’t have one. Isn’t Peter supposed to be smart?
#17: “Jackson Pollock Painting”
Top 10 Samuel L. Jackson Kills
“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) The first “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie was a breath of fresh air for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, blending comedy and action in new ways. That being said, not every joke is a winner. After the Guardians have escaped prison together, Quill introduces his new friends to his ship, which Gamora comments is filthy. Quill then remarks to Rocket, “Oh, she has no idea: if I had a black light, this place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting,” implying that his nighttime activities have left unseen… stains – and not the bloody kind. First off - weird flex, bro! Secondly, gross! And lastly, how is Rocket supposed to know who Jackson Pollock is? It does get a laugh, but it’s a bit of a guilty one.
#16: “I Want My Bird”
Top 10 Worst Superhero Movies
“Iron Man 2” (2010) The follow-up to “Iron Man” didn’t receive the same level of praise as the original did. Part of this was due to its rushed nature, but it also didn’t have the strongest villain. Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. Whiplash, partners up with Tony Stark’s rival weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer to get revenge on Tony. During their collaboration, Vanko demands he receive his pet bird repeatedly. The line isn’t especially funny, and his relationship with the bird doesn’t really humanize him all that much. Even more regrettably, the line is probably the most memorable part about the character. “Who was the villain in Iron Man 2?” “Uh, that bird guy. We forget his name.”
#15: “This Is Why Superman Works Alone”
Top 10 Worst Superhero Fight Scenes
“Batman & Robin” (1997) The “Batman” films went through a weird period during the ‘90s. More on that later, but for now let’s look at one of the first scenes in which the titular dynamic duo suits up to fight crime. Although the close-ups of leather clad body parts are plenty cringe-worthy, it’s the dialogue that takes the cake. After Robin asks Batman for a car to attract chicks (which is bad enough), Batman replies that “this is why Superman works alone.” So… Superman works alone because sidekicks are annoying? Seems more like a shoehorned reference to the Man of Steel.
#14: “It’s Hammer Time”
Top 10 Worst Family Movies of All Time
“Steel” (1997) Yes, youngsters, before Shaquille O’Neal became a sports commentator and during his time as a sports star, he was briefly a movie star and he starred in an ill-advised superhero film. Using a special suit, O’Neal’s character, John Henry Irons, fights criminals as Steel. One scene sees Irons say, “it’s hammer time,” before firing a sonic blast from his hammer at the car of the bad guys. Not only is it a groaner of a line, but you, Shaq, are no MC Hammer… not sure that sentence has ever been uttered by a human being before, but there’s a first time for everything!
#13: “Priceless”
“Fantastic Four” (2005) The first set of big budget “Fantastic Four” films were known for their heaping helpings of cheese and the dialogue was full of it. Prior to the fateful mission to space that would give the protagonists their superpowers, Ben Grimm expresses reservations at having to fly under Johnny Storm, whom he rightfully considers reckless and immature. Johnny confirms Ben’s doubts by getting him to snap to attention when they meet and capturing the moment on camera. Johnny then lists the price of the camera and memory card, as well as how priceless Ben’s face looks, in a manner similar to a then-contemporary Mastercard ad campaign. This one has definitely not aged well.
#12: “We Some Kinda Suicide Squad?”
Top 10 Most Rewatched Superhero Movie Trailers
“Suicide Squad” (2016) This movie is largely considered a hot mess, though with some redeeming qualities. One of those is Will Smith’s performance as Deadshot. However, even Smith’s legendary charisma can’t save a poorly written line. When Deadshot complains about Rick Flag’s pitch for their dangerous mission, Amanda Waller manages to intimidate with her blunt description of their prospects, which Deadshot summarizes with a line that’s both on the nose and beyond the fourth wall. The line is a completely transparent attempt to shoehorn the movie’s title into the dialogue and has become an internet meme in which people replicate the line using the titles of other movies.
#11: “Holy Rusted Metal, Batman”
“Batman Forever” (1995) The Joel Schumacher “Batman” films returned to the era of campiness seen in the Adam West “Batman” series, with brighter colors, over-the-top villains, and corny jokes and dialogue aplenty. “Batman Forever” sees a blatant callback to this period of the Dark Knight’s onscreen history when Robin comments upon landing on the shore, “Holy rusted metal, Batman.” It’s said in a manner similar to Burt Ward’s version of Robin’s infamous exclamations, with the “holey” being in reference to the metal ground that’s literally full of holes. While the callback is fun, the way it’s shoehorned into the movie is not. Holy awkward dialogue, Batman!
#10: “What If You Have to Pee While You're on Fire?”
“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (2011) The Nicolas Cage “Ghost Rider” films are hardly what anyone would call high art. They’re pretty shoddily written and Cage is his usual hammy self throughout. However, one of the worst lines comes from the boy he’s guarding in the second film, who pesters Johnny Blaze with the kind of questions kids would definitely ask the demonic superhero, such as whether any vehicle he rides turns all fiery. Arguably the dumbest question is what happens when he pees while he’s Ghost Rider; leading to an incredibly juvenile segment where Ghost Rider is seen urinating flames. Classy.
#9: “Don’t You Know Who I Am?”
Top 20 Worst Movie Kisses EVER
“X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006) The early 2000s saw a lot of early internet memes based on ‘90s pop culture, including cartoons like the “X-Men” animated series. One such video series featured a profane version of the Juggernaut, who became infamous for one reoccurring line in particular. So, when the Juggernaut finally made it on screen, the filmmakers decided to reference the videos by having the villain say a similar line. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!” Even when the film was released, the line was a little stale and it’s only gotten worse over time.
#8: “LAWWWW!”
“Judge Dredd” (1995) There’s a lot about this “Judge Dredd” adaptation that’s cheesy and terrible, and there were a host of bad lines to choose from, like this redundant “gem:” “I should have put you down myself… personally.” But the coup de grace of this film is indisputably the argument between Dredd and the villain, Rico, in which their back and forth argument escalates into a shouting match, culminating with Rico’s incredibly over-the-top reply to Dredd’s condemnation of him for “betraying” the law. “LAWWWW!” It’s so gloriously ridiculous that it’s become a meme, with remixes and everything.
#7: “I Will Hurt People”
Top 10 Exact Movie Moments That Caused People to Walk Out
“Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987) Like many superhero franchises, the “Superman” series started going downhill later on and it really hits a low with the heavy-handed fourth installment. The embodiment of that and the film’s shortcomings is its antagonist, Nuclear Man. Besides being essentially the same villain as Doomsday from “Batman v Superman,” the fission powered antagonist also has one of the lamest lines in a superhero movie, when he demands the location of a girl he’s fallen for from Superman: “If you will not tell me, I will hurt people.” We’ve heard more dire threats from elementary schoolers.
#6: “It’s Fantastic”
Top 10 Worst Superhero Movie CGI Effects Ever
“FANT4STIC” (2015) The latest adaptation of the “Fantastic 4” has many issues, from its lifeless script and acting, to its reportedly troubled production. The pinnacle of its bland brand of bad happens in its conclusion, which sees the young “heroes” all attempting to come up with a team name by spouting terrible idea after terrible idea, only arriving on the eponymous one after Ben and Reed reminisce on how far they’ve come from inventing in the garage, “Gotta’ say, it’s fantastic.” Though even then, they don’t say it on screen. We can tell it was meant to be clever or stylish, but it just made us groan and slap our foreheads at how poorly it’s done.
#5: “Do You Know What Happens to a Toad When It's Struck by Lightning?”
“X-Men” (2000) The original “X-Men” film is largely great and acts as a precursor to the superhero film renaissance that we’re currently enjoying. However, even good films aren’t immune to bad lines. While fighting the evil mutant Toad, Storm has him at her mercy, with him barely holding on to a rail with his tongue amid gale force winds. Before delivering a lightning strike, Storm asks rhetorically, “Do you know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else.” Besides being a riff on a dad joke, the line is actually a reference to dialogue from earlier in the movie that was cut from the final product; making for a truly nonsensical bit of dialogue.
#4: “Never Leave the Cave Without It”
Top 10 WORST Decisions Made By Movie Studios
“Batman & Robin” (1997) Yes, this is the second line from “Batman & Robin,” but a movie this bad deserves to be called out multiple times. The most awful individual line in the film is said by the Gotham’s dark hero when, in an, ahem, “pheromone” driven bidding war erupts over Poison Ivy, Batman pulls out a Bat credit card, saying, “Never leave the cave without it.” Even if it kind of makes sense that Batman might need to pay for things while in disguise, him sticking his logo on a credit card and delivering a riff on the American Express slogan reeks of product placement and corporate shilling.
#3: All of Mr. Freeze’s Puns
Top 10 Movie Villains That Are Just Plain Bad
“Batman & Robin” (1997) Yeah, okay, it’s yet another “Batman & Robin” line, or rather lines, but can you blame us? The movie is awful! One of the worst aspects of the movie is its villains, particularly Mr. Freeze, whose dialogue consists almost entirely of puns, usually related to ice, snow, or cold temperatures. While some of them transcend their stupidity to become accidentally hilarious, the sheer weight of an entire character being based around shoehorned, simple wordplay makes all of them collectively into some of the worst lines ever spoken in a superhero movie.
#2: “Guess What? It's Overtime!”
“Catwoman” (2004) This film has nine lives worth of terrible things crammed into it. From its acting, to the direction – it all fails. No wonder it “won” so many Razzies. As far as its script goes, we could have chosen nearly any scene, but the final confrontation between Catwoman and her, uh, “nemesis,” Laurel, contains a real stinker. With Catwoman at her mercy and ready to fall out a window, Laurel tells her it’s “Game over,” to which Catwoman replies, “Guess what, it’s overtime.” Ughhhhhh… this line physically hurts, it’s so bad! If not for the infamy of our next entry, the quality, or lack thereof, of this line would make it our number one.
#1: “Save Martha”
Top 10 Actors Who Always Save The Day
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) Ugh… you knew it was coming! This divisive, “epic” crossover film between Batman and Superman had a whole host of issues, but this moment and this line is arguably its most infamous. During their titular battle, Batman briefly has Superman at his mercy with a Kryptonite spear. Apparently staring death in the face, Superman tells Batman to “save Martha.” He doesn’t say, “save my mother, who has been kidnapped by Lex Luthor to coerce me into this fight.” No, he calls her “Martha,” only because Bruce Wayne’s mother was also named Martha. Brilliant screenwriting here, folks!
