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One of the best lines in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ may have a much deeper meaning

Published May 2nd, 2019 12:30PM EDT
Avengers: Endgame Meme
Image: Marvel Studios

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We speculated well before Avengers: Endgame hit cinemas that it would be an emotional rollercoaster, and that’s precisely what Marvel’s epic conclusion of these first 11 years of films turned out to be. Though, technically, Spider-Man: Far From Home, which premieres in early July, will conclude the MCU’s Phase 3.

Endgame also brought us a bunch of epic new lines that will never be forgotten. Not only are they emotional themselves, but many of them were quickly turned into memes. If you haven’t seen the movie, you might have seen some of them without realizing they come from Endgame. That said, there is one line in particular that stands out, considering what happens in the film; one that will forever stay with fans. And it turns out it might have an even deeper meaning than we first thought. Before we proceed, you should know that a few significant spoilers follow below.

Aside from the expected “I can do this all day” line from Cap, or the surprising “I am Iron Man” callback to the film that started it all, we get plenty of great one-liners in Endgame. Steve Rogers’ “not us,” that quickly became a meme after the Endgame trailers started rolling out, and “America’s ass” are new additions to Avengers lingo. Not to mention that we finally get to hear Cap say “Avengers, Assemble!”

But maybe the most emotional line from the whole film is “I love you 3000.” That’s something Morgan H. Stark tells her dad, Tony Stark, at one point during the second act, as a reply to his “I love you tons.” When Morgan says it, it’s incredibly sweet and funny, especially once Tony turns it into a joke with Pepper.

Then Tony dies, but not before having recorded a farewell message to his friends and family, which is to be played in case of his untimely death. He ends his brief speech with a direct message to Morgan: “I love you 3000.” That explains all the “3000” memes you might have seen online since the Endgame premiere.

Is that 3000 just a random number? Or does it have a deeper meaning? After all, everything happens for a reason in MCU movies, and the details are essential. Marvel fans looking for that deeper meaning think they have figured out what it means. And according to them, it’s a reference to the MCU as a whole.

The following image lists all the Marvel movies to date, including the unreleased Far From Home, as well as their runtimes. Add those up, and you end up with a perfectly even 3,000 minutes of superhero action. The caveat here is that the runtime for Spider-Man: Far From Home hasn’t been announced. The film has to be 129 minutes long in order for the math to check out, which would be right in line with the length of Homecoming:

Collective runtime of all 22 movies in the MCU. Whole new meaning to “I love you 3000…” from marvelstudios

If that’s indeed the reason why Marvel went with “I love you 3000” instead of “I love you [insert another number],” then we’re looking at an easter egg of epic proportions. Even if it’s Morgan’s reply originally, having Tony say it at the end of Endgame qualifies as a perfect farewell to the MCU from Robert Downey Jr.

If it’s just a coincidence, then Sony and Marvel could fix it by making Far From Home precisely 129 minutes long.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.