It might sound easy enough to make a living from memorizing lines from a script and then reciting them verbatim, but it’s often the unique flourishes put on the words by the actors that turns dialogue into iconic soundbites, or elevates a standard performance into an iconic one. One of the most notable cases of the modern era hails from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Robert Downey Jr.’s improv-heavy stint as Tony Stark.
Anyone could read the words spouted by Iron Man throughout his decade-long tenure, but it was RDJ’s delivery that helped turn the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist into a 21st Century cinematic icon. Of course, he’s not the only MCU alumni to put some extra sizzle on their scenes, with fans on Reddit wondering which single line reading could justifiably be called the best we’ve ever seen from Kevin Feige’s outfit.
Willem Dafoe chewing on the scenery in Spider-Man: No Way Home is an obvious if worthy candidate, but a lot of commenters are opting for smaller, more intimate moments, like Steve Rogers’ interaction with Abraham Erskine in Captain America: The First Avenger, right before he becomes the super soldier we all know and love.
The Avengers‘ miscellaneous old man standing up to Loki is also showered in positivity, Samuel L. Jackson injecting Nick Fury with some sass and criticizing the council’s “stupid-ass” decision, and Obadiah Stane’s furious rant about Tony’s ability to build an armored suit in the middle of the desert “WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!!” are all definitely up there, too.
At the end of the day, though, it’s all about personal preference, and there are so many worthy contenders to choose from.
