My Marvel Catch Phrase Five

I could never be a superhero, for many reasons. I certainly don't have any powers, and outside of running on a treadmill I'm not all that athletic. I definitely can't fight. And in the real world, things like costumes aren't practical. Even if ever did break from reality and attempt it, I'd be influenced by the comic books I read in high school and college, particularly Marvel books, and trying to utter some corny catch phrase would increase my odds of getting killed. That which does not work in the real world, makes for an entertaining read, and thanks to Stan Lee, and the writers who followed his lead, there's no shortage of these lines. Here are My Five favorite Marvel catch phrases:

5) “Oh My Stars and Garters!”--Beast
Back in my collecting days, I never knew the origins of this one, and sometimes wondered why he didn't say “Stars and Stripes”. And I can't recall if Kelsey Grammer used it in X3 because I've blocked large portions of that movie from my memory to protect my brain. Whatever it means, it's a reminder that this blue and furry mutant might look like an animal, but he's way smarter than you or I.


4) “I'm the best there is at what I do.”--Wolverine
What he does isn't nice, and isn't pretty, but what sounds like boasting is a simple statement of fact, bub. ‘nuff said.


3) “Hulk SMASH!”--Hulk
It's so simple, so descriptive, and so eloquent in it's simplicity. You might not like him when he's angry if you're on the receiving end of the smashing, otherwise it's great to see the big green guy get right to the point and smash his way through any obstacle or antagonist. It's wish fulfillment, for some of us.


2) “It's CLOBBERIN' time!”--The Thing
If I got super-strength and near-invulnerability tomorrow, this is the phrase I'm most likely to adopt. (For some reason, I think “FLAME ON!”, the battle cry of The Thing's teammate Human Torch might get me beat up in real life....)


1) “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!”--Captain America(and other Avengers)
Geek-out anticipation: when this rallying cry is finally shouted in a live-action movie, I am going to go nuts.


What are your favorites?