There's nothing better than a sweet one-liner in the middle of a fight. The art of trash talking has made or broken many a hero or villain over the years. Heroes like Spider-Man use their wit to keep their foes off-kilter, constantly jabbering along and goofing on whoever they are facing off against, making us laugh and enraging their rivals.
But comics aren't the only place where the skill of trash talk continues to thrive. Movies are filled with fast-talking characters who can break a soul with a sentence just as easily as Hulk can break a skull with his fist. These are the characters who know how to use their words, much to the delight of their fans. Some of their literary barbs are legendary, while others fit for just that moment in time, but no matter what, they stood out.
10 Deadpool Loves All Forms Of Talking, Including Trash Talk
Deadpool may have learned how to trash talk in the comics, but it is in the movies where the Merc with a Mouth perfected his wit. Thanks to writers like Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick as well as actor Ryan Reynolds's snarky but lovable wit and delivery style, Deadpool has kept audiences laughing, even as he brutally slices people in half with his swords. It's hard to argue that Deadpool isn't the biggest trash talker in films today, and no one is safe from the mutant's jabs, even his own creator Rob Liefeld.
9 Apollo Creed's Mouth Was As Fast As His Fists
Created by Sylvester Stallone and perfectly played by Carl Weathers, Apollo Creed started off as the antagonist of the Rocky films before becoming the closest friend the Italian Stallion could hope for. Apollo's DNA is made up of a number of great boxers, but there is no doubt that his braggadocious style and cutting words came from the great Muhammad Ali.
Apollo Creed stands out in the Rocky films as one of the only characters who is not just a great boxer, but also highly intelligent. And as much as his fists make him a champion, his mind is what made him a fan favorite.
8 John McClane Mostly Trash Talks Himself
Most trash talkers spend their time trashing the person or people they are fighting, but John McClane does things a little differently. The famous New York cop from the Die Hard series, John McClane spends just as much time trash talking himself as he does his foes. He may save his best lines for the guys that want him dead, but that doesn't mean the always exhausted-looking hero doesn't have a few good hits against himself when the moment calls for it. That moment usually comes when John is alone and at his lowest point, which just reminds the viewer that he is very much human and filled with self-doubt, no matter how many bad guys he may have killed that day.
7 Jack Burton Talked The Talk But Had Trouble Walking The Walk
There's an old saying when it comes to mouthy fighters; all bark, no bite. Sometimes, like with a certain Green Lantern who ended up on the wrong side of Batman's fist, that can be very true, but with Jack Burton, things aren't quite as clear.
The hero of Big Trouble in Little China, Jack sure loves to talk about how tough he is as he rambles into his CB radio as he drives his truck across the country, but when the fighting breaks out, he's often out of his league. Luckily for Jack, Egg Shen's potion, along with his own amazing reflexes, gives him the needed edge to save the day.
6 Chuckie Was Pretty Much Just Trash Talk
Most trash talkers in movies are action stars, but sometimes the best trash talk comes from a Southie whose best friend happens to be a genius janitor. Chuckie, played by Ben Affleck in Good Will Hunting, is little more than a mouth that can't stop moving. You can be his best friend or his greatest enemy and you'll get the same fast and nasty responses, all that changes is the smile on his face. If that smile is a little more crooked, that means Chuckie is ready to throw down. If it's a big toothy smile, that means he'll be handing you a pint along with the crack about your mother.
5 Freddy Krueger's Wit Was As Sharp As His Razor Glove
Freddy Krueger may stand tall with silent killers like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, but unlike those two slasher icons, this fedora-wearing dream killer loves the sound of his own voice. Across the Nightmare on Elm Street films, this bastard son of a thousand maniacs kills his victims in increasingly imaginative ways while spouting out one-liners like they're going out of style.
No other killer in the slasher genre has the style and wit of Freddy Krueger. Even after all these years, the beloved murderer played by Robert Englund finds new fans, despite there not being a new movie in over a decade.
4 Regina George Was The Meanest
A lot of people can be good at trash talking, but few people can wield their tongue as well as Regina George in Mean Girls. Played by Rachel McAdams, Regina is the leader of The Plastics, a group of wealthy teenaged girls who treat everyone like trash.
To be the lead trash talker in a clique of trash talkers really shows just how strong Regina's skills are. No one, at least no one but Lindsay Lohan's Cady Heron, has even been able to stand up to Regina's deadly verbal stylings.
3 Happy Gilmore's Words Weren't As Hard As His Hits
While golf may have made Happy Gilmore famous, hockey is where his heart really lays, and like any good hockey player, Happy is always ready to fight. Happy's style of trash talking might be a little more basic than some other movie icons, but he's the kind of guy who doesn't beat around the bush. Just like his golf swing, Happy's trash talk is straight and to the point, focused more on the internal rage he has rather than trying to get under the skin of whoever or whatever has upset him at the moment.
2 Roman Keeps The Family Laughing
While the Fast and the Furious franchise isn't known for trash talking - star Vin Diesel is pretty quiet for an action hero - there is one character whose mouth is faster than Dominic Toretto’s infamous 1970 Dodge Charger R/T; Roman Pearce.
Played by Tyrese Gibson, Roman is the comic relief of the famous driving family. He's not a fan of all the craziness they get involved in, but he's always there to lend a hand and, most importantly, a quick snarky comment when the tension gets to be a little too much.
1 Jay Is The Trash Talking King Of Red Band, New Jersey
He spends his day standing between a convenience store and a video rental place with his silent pal selling drugs to anyone looking to buy them and in between sales, Jay is constantly talking smack on anyone and anything that comes to his mind. Played by Jason Mewes, one of the stars of Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, Jay has a mouth that would make a sailor blush and a speedy delivery style that can make it hard to keep up with him. Along with his hetero-lifemate Silent Bob, this comedic New Jersey mainstay has become an iconic character of independent film.