Men In Black: 20 Most Memorable Quotes In The Franchise, Ranked (2024)

In the beginning, Men In Black began as a fantastic sci-fi comedy movie based on an obscure comic that made Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones an iconic duo who had a lot of great Men In Black quotes. Smith and Jones starred as a pair of agents in the titular secret organization who helped to keep the extraterrestrial population in check on Earth and helped to protect the planet from outside threats. The duo appeared in three movies, each one expanding the lore and introducing more alien species to the movies.

Today, the MIB franchise spans four films that now include Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson and a TV series (and a Universal Studios theme park ride), and with that, comes something far better than a ton of merchandise: amazing quotes. Quotes are what make a movie go round and Men In Black has plenty of memorable quotes that fans cite on a daily basis. Of course, most of the quotes come from the first movie, but the sequels and spinoff have made for some delightful lines that have entertained generations of fans for years.

“Did You Ever Flashy Thing Me?”

Agent Jay, Men In Black

The “flashy thing” in Men In Black is what the neuralyzer is called when characters like Jay can’t or don’t know the name of it. The flashy thing is an integral part of the franchise, the item that allows the MIB to continue operating in secret. It’s what erases memories and allows the agents to provide the people they encounter with cover stories.

In the first movie, the audience knows that Jay has had his memory erased once - right before he’s recruited to become an agent. As the franchise continues, however, it becomes clear that Jay has had his memory affected in the past, long before the events of the first movie as well. The line is used for comedic effect, but it’s one that becomes prophetic.

“My Whole Life Everyone's Called Me Crazy. They Said That I Needed Therapy. Which, Okay, Admittedly, I Did - But Not For This.”

Agent M, MIB: International

Before Molly’s civilian identity is completely erased Men In Black: International, she stops at nothing to find the agency and proof that aliens exist. It’s not that Molly wants to expose the secret agents to the world either. She just wants to know that the events she witnessed as a child were real.

Molly doesn’t need any outward validation, but she’s tired of hearing that she’s crazy from others. Even when she introduces herself to agents and explains her history, she isn’t welcomed into the Men In Black organization right away. She still has to prove herself.

“... You're Above The System. Over It. Beyond It. We're ‘Them.’ We're ‘They.’ We Are The Men In Black.”

Agent Zed, Men In Black

When Agent Jay is first brought into the Men In Black, he has to learn just what the organization does. What he is told fairly quickly into his time with the agency is that the Men In Black are the people behind many of the conspiracies and the conspiracy theories that exist.

Though Agent Kay is Agent Jay’s partner, Agent Zed is their boss. He’s in charge of their office, and he’s the one responsible for really introducing Jay to the ways of the MIB before he goes out into the field with Kay.

"Oh, The Red Button There Kid. Don't Ever, Ever Touch The Red Button."

Agent Kay, Men In Black

It's always fun to see lines or bits established early on in a series come back in some way. So when Kay is showing Jay the ropes and speeding across New York, he tells Jay to never, ever touch the red button in the car.

Of course, that only piques the audience's interest as to what the red button does, and naturally, in a bid to stop the bug, the red button is finally pushed, and the car becomes a high-speed machine moving at light speed for the viewer's enjoyment. The idea returns in later movies and is the secret to getting a high score on the theme park ride.

“The Truth Of The Universe, I Want To Know Everything. I Want To Know How It All Works.”

Agent M, MIB: International

As Molly lobbies to become Agent M, she stresses that she’s not out to expose the organization. The higher-ranking agents want to know what exactly Molly’s endgame is now that she found the group. Molly wants nothing short of “the truth of the universe.”

That’s more or less what Agent Kay promises Agent Jay when he becomes an agent in the very first movie. In the world of the MIB movies, there is so much that the public doesn’t know. The origin of different inventions, the secret identities of different celebrities, and the near cataclysmic ending of the world are all things that the public doesn’t know, creating a very different picture of the universe for someone as curious as Molly.

"Jeff, I Am So Not In The Mood! Get Back In The Subway!"

Agent Jay, Men In Black II

Opening sequences, one that begins in the middle of an old adventure, is always fun to see. They don't connect to the main story in any groundbreaking way per se, but are there for enjoyment, like when Jay takes on Jeff the worm.

On a mission to push the giant worm back into his territory, J finds himself dragged all over New York by the giant worm. "Get back in the subway!" comes across like a parent scolding a child rather than a secret agent shouting at an extraterrestrial.

“Always Remember: The Universe Has A Way Of Leading You To Where You're Supposed To Be, At The Moment You're Supposed To Be There.”

Agent High T, MIB: International

Though it’s eventually revealed that High T isn’t the person the main characters think he is in MIB: International, he still has some great quotes in the Men In Black franchise. This one, in particular, speaks to the idea of fate in the Men In Black universe. It’s an idea that’s played with in earlier movies as Agent Jay goes back in time to Agent Kay’s past to get his help.

Here, however, it speaks to Molly’s childhood leading her to become Agent M and her work with Agent H. It also speaks to Agent H being meant for a role within the agency because of how much he cares, despite acting like he doesn’t.

"Is There Anyone Here Who's Not An Alien?"

Agent Jay, Men In Black 3

For a world where anyone can be an alien, it's easy to think that there's an otherworldly being hiding around every corner. Anything in MIB could be an alien: another human, a flower, even a dog.

In Men In Black 3, this was hit on the most when Jay and a younger Kay go to see Andy Warhol, one of their agents, about a disturbance. Arriving at a crazy party where everyone is dressed in bizarre clothing, Jay asks this question, driving the point home.

“You Coming? World’s Not Going To Save Itself.”

Agent H, MIB: International

When the events of MIB: International begin, it seems that Agent H is little more than a pompous glory-seeker. He’s someone who takes the credit when things go well and pretends that they go well even if they don’t. It’s enough to make the audience curious as to why he works for a secret organization that forces him to keep his identity a secret from everyone if he wants to be the hero.

As the truth behind Agent H’s time with the agency is gradually unraveled, however, it’s evident that he cares more about others than he does himself, and that he’ll do anything he has to in order to save the planet. He and Agent M have that in common, and Agent M is exactly who he directs this Men In Black quote to, urging her to come on the mission with him, though the two don’t often get along.

"Let’s Agree To Disagree."

Boris the Animal, Men In Black 3

What's better than a movie's heroes? It's villains. MIB has had some pretty intriguing foes over the years and one of the more interesting is Boris The Animal, an alien sociopath played brilliantly by Jemaine Clement who has a history with Kay and constantly says the line, "Let's agree to disagree."

As the movie and time wore on, the line grew on audiences, much like the villainous Boris. Even better, the line is used against Boris by Jay right before he knocks the alien into the path of a launching spaceship.

“...To The Extent That All Women Are, Yes. But No, I’m Not A Queen.”

Agent M, MIB: International

One of the characters that provides a lot of comic relief in MIB: International is Pawny. The small alien is a member of a species that serves a queen, and when the queen dies, they typically end their own lives as well. Pawny, however, ends up pledging himself to Agent M after his queen dies. She tries to keep him alive and Agent H manages to convince Pawny that Agent M is a queen.

Agent M tries to refute the claim, but she also is of the opinion that all women are queens. It’s one of the many lines that try to give a stronger presence to women in a male-dominated franchise. While some audience members might have found it heavy-handed, it’s a sweet moment between Agent M and Pawny that eventually leads to them being firm allies.

"Y'know, I've Noticed An Infestation Here."

The Bug, Men In Black

Alongside Boris, Edgar/The Bug is one of the more prolific and well-known villains of the MIB series. Portrayed by Vincent Donofrio, the Bug has some pretty interesting lines that he manages to grunt out, like the infestation.

Confronted by an exterminator, the Bug states that he has noticed an infestation, and just not of co*ckroaches. Instead, the Bug details his hatred for humans, showing an almost human side to the alien and his cause right before he murders a bunch of people in cold blood.

“Keep In Mind, Just Because You See A Black Man Driving A Car, Does Not Mean He Stole It!

Agent Jay, Men In Black 3

Men In Black 3 takes the movie franchise to the past. In this movie installment, Agent Jay ends up traveling to the past to find out information from Agent Kay very early in his old partner’s career. Unfortunately, that means that Agent Jay is a Black man from the modern era traveling to the South in the 1960s.

Luckily for Agent Jay, he’s incredibly intelligent and armed with some of the gadgets issued to him as an MIB agent. He’s able to use his neuralyzer on the police officers who pull him over while he’s trying to get to Kay in 1969. He tries to use the memory wipe to help provide a little progress, giving the movie a little more social commentary than it might normally have.

"There Are Things Out There You Don't Need To Know About."

Agent Kay, Men In Black

The whole point of Men In Black is that there's more to the world than one is willing to admit. The universe has still yet to be fully explored and that's something MIB takes advantage of in every single film, whether it be with its ending or its aliens.

"There are things out there you don't need to know about" is one of the scariest lines of the movie. Given everything Jay has seen, what else is out there in the big wide galaxy that he doesn't need to see? The line is only built upon in each movie as more about the universe is slowly revealed, but there's still so much more lore to explore.

“Don’t Ask Questions You Don’t Want The Answers To.”

Agent Kay, Men In Black 3

This Men In Black quote from Kay actually echoes his point in the first movie. The Men In Black are an agency of secrets. They regularly lie to the public, and as is eventually revealed in the movies, also each other. They are aided in these lies with neuralyzers and confidential and redacted files. That means when Agent Jay heads out on an investigation that includes information he isn’t privy to, things get very complicated for him.

Agent Jay is repeatedly told not to ask questions that he doesn’t want the answers to. That’s a common idea when conspiracies are in play in a movie, or in the case of MIB 3, when different timelines are in play.

"Want To Get Down On This?"

Agent Jay, Men In Black

Simple gags are always the selling point of a movie - they're a quick or long scene punctuated by a great quote that seals the deal and sets the movie on its path. For MIB, it's the table scene from the first movie.

Taking a test in order to join the agency, Jay struggles to write his answers anywhere, so he pulls a table across the room, metal screeching and disturbing the other test-takers in a highly comedic scene that's punctuated by the satisfied Jay's "Want to get down on this?" No one takes him up on his offer, but Jay proves himself repeatedly to be the most creative candidate.

"Elvis Isn’t Dead, He Just Went Home."

Agent Kay, Men In Black

Something Men In Black handled brilliantly was who the alien disguises were on Earth. There were plenty of great gags throughout, with one of the best ones belonging to Tommy Lee Jones and Elvis.

Zipping over cars upside down is one thing. Blaring Elvis and bobbing your head is another. As Jay and Kay race after the Bug, Kay puts on some tunes, and Jay remarks, "You know is Elvis is dead, right?" Kay responds, "Elvis isn't dead, he just went home" and it becomes one of the best gags of the movie. From that point on, fans were interested in who else might be an alien in disguise.

"A Person Is Smart. People Are Dumb, Panicky, Dangerous Animals And You Know It."

Agent Kay, Men In Black

Summer blockbusters aren't always meant to be deep in meaning. Many times, they're meant to be a great deal of fun that allows for the audience to turn off their brains. Quotes like this in Men In Black aren't expected.

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it" is one of the smartest lines of the series. It's a line that doesn't belong in a sci-fi comedy series and yet it says a lot about the real world. Not bad for a summer blockbuster flick.

“Imagine What You’ll Know Tomorrow.”

Agent Kay, Men In Black

Agent Jay is a headstrong person who comes into his work with Agent Kay thinking that he might know better than his new partner. As he very quickly discovers though, there’s a lot he doesn’t know about the world. Agent Kay points out that is the nature of humanity.

It’s true that human beings are always making new discoveries and dissecting new information to create new theories. As humans have evolved, so have their ideas about the universe. , and Kay is quick to point that out to Jay considering how much information is still hidden from the rest of humanity.

"I Make This Look Good."

Agent Jay, Men In Black

While Tommy Lee Jones manages to carry a decent amount of the MIB franchise, Will Smith is, without a doubt, one of the series shining characters and Jay is one of Smith's best roles. As such, he has some of the best Men In Black quotes and moments in the franchise.

After becoming an agent, Jay undergoes a process that erases him from the system. The montage ends with Jay walking out in his suit, telling Kay, "You want to know the difference between you and me? I make this look good," as he smugly puts on his sunglasses. The scene became part of Will Smith's music video for the movie and is used in countless gif responses across the internet, keeping Men In Black right in the middle of modern pop culture.

Men In Black: International

PG-13

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Starring Chris Hemsworth as Agent H and Tessa Thompson as Agent M, Men In Black: International marks a new beginning for the MiB franchise after the success of the Will Smith-led trilogy. This time, the dark-suited heroes face an infiltrated threat in the organization, which could trigger a weapon of mass destruction if they don't act fast.

Director

F. Gary Gray

Release Date

June 14, 2019

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Tessa Thompson , Jess Radomska , Liam Neeson , Emma Thompson , Les Twins , Rebecca Ferguson , Kumail Nanjiani , Rafe Spall , Stephen Wight , Viktorija Faith

Runtime

115 Minutes