10 MCU Moments More Important Than You Realised
7. Tony And Steve Prove Each Other Wrong (The Avengers)
Though they did come to respect each other over time, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers rarely saw eye-to-eye, throwing insults (and punches) at each other whenever they got the chance.
One of their most famous bickering moments occurs during the first Avengers movie, where a heated debate results in Steve telling Tony "you're not the guy to make the sacrifice play", and Tony retorting "everything special about you came out of a bottle."
We couldn't possibly have known this at the time (and even in hindsight, it's easy to miss), but this moment works as a setup for each character's long-term story arc, hinting at where they'd ultimately end up in Avengers: Endgame.
Tony ends up sacrificing himself to save the universe, proving Steve's earlier comment wrong...
...while Steve shows that he's a kind, heroic, and worthy soul by lifting Mjolnir, demonstrating that not everything special about him "came out of a bottle."
Their Avengers argument takes on a whole other level of profound meaning when you consider the events of Endgame, and though Marvel Studios might not have intended it, this is one of the best long-term payoffs in the history of the MCU.