How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Avengers.
Quote #1
CAPTAIN AMERICA: You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.
Cap's the master of understatement here, but linking Loki to Hitler is no joke. He knows what it means when one man tells everyone else to bow. It rarely ends well.
Quote #2
THOR: This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice.
IRON MAN: He gives up the Cube, he's all yours. Until then, stay out of the way, tourist.
The disagreement here isn't so much whether Loki should face justice, but who should do the justice-ing. It's basically a jurisdictional issue, which is why these two super-sized egos can't get out of each other's way. (At least Cap is smart enough to keep it humble.)
Quote #3
STEVE ROGERS: Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here.
THOR: I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!
STEVE ROGERS: Then prove it! Put the hammer down.
TONY STARK: Um, yeah, no! Bad call! He loves his hammer!
He really does. Again, Cap is the one calling for justice, while Thor—though his heart is in the right place—insists that only he can deliver real justice to his brother. That's the ego talking, not the need to follow a higher principle.
Quote #4
BLACK WIDOW: So, Banner... that's your play.
LOKI: ...what?
BLACK WIDOW: Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well. [to Loki.] Thank you... for your cooperation.
We really, really like this moment a lot: when Loki the player gets played by a woman he referred to as a "mewling quim." In its own way, the Black Widow's rebuke is a sharper form of justice than simply locking him up. She beat the bad guy at his own game.
Quote #5
TONY STARK: There's no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it!
Part of administering justice is knowing where responsibility for the crime lies. Iron Man took a while to get with the program, but it's pretty clear who he—and the rest of the Avengers—are pointing their fingers at for this one.
Quote #6
CAPTAIN AMERICA: You think you can hold them off?
HAWKEYE: Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure.
Hawkeye has reasons to stick it to Loki, but he sets it aside for the bigger picture. That's the difference between justice and revenge: justice is about fairness and protecting people, while revenge is all about personal satisfaction. Freed from Loki's mind-blender, Hawkeye has no doubts about where he stands.
Quote #7
THOR: I have unfinished business with Loki.
HAWKEYE: Yeah? Well, get in line.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: Save it!
Okay, so they'll all pretty cranky at this point. It's a reminder that the Avengers still haven't quite gotten their selfish notions of revenge out of their head. Luckily, Cap is there to once again set them straight.
Quote #8
BRUCE BANNER: So... this all seems horrible.
BLACK WIDOW: I've seen worse.
BRUCE BANNER: Sorry.
BLACK WIDOW: No, we could...use...a little worse.
The Hulk is a troublesome asset at best, but in this case, Dr. Banner is looking to bring a little justice to his green alter-ego: atoning for some of the damage the Hulk has done by sticking it to something much bigger and scarier.
Quote #9
LOKI: If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now.
We gotta hand it to Loki: he may be a power-mad demigod who compares humanity to ants beneath a boot, but at least he has the good sense to admit defeat graciously. There's always something to be said for a good sport…
Quote #10
COUNCILMAN: So you let him take it and the war criminal, Loki, who should be answering for his crimes?
NICK FURY: Oh, I think he will be.
Fury, it seems, doesn't much care who delivers justice to Loki, just so long as Loki gets it. No more squabbling over whether Earth of Asgard gets to lock him up. He's confident that justice will be served up hot and steaming by the space Vikings.