Welcome to MTV News' search for the Greatest Badasses of All Time. All this month, we'll be asking celebrities (and you) to help us decide which 10 movie characters should make our list. Submit your own pick at the MTV Movies Blog, and check back in with MTV.com as we unveil the final selections, beginning January 26.
In one of the most badass movies of its decade, "The Last Boy Scout," star Bruce Willis defined a key tenet of the new generation of butt-kickers. "This is the '90s," he explained. "You don't just go around punching people. You have to say something cool first."
A decade later, the words of Willis' Joe Hallenbeck remain true. Although we occasionally get a fully muted badass like Jason Voorhees, even short-on-words guys like Anton Chigurh and the Man With No Name have proven that if you want to be remembered, you need to have a few quotable lines with as much potency as your knuckle sandwich.
Accordingly, as we continue wrestling with the question of which character is the best movie badass of all time, we move past the '80s and into a key component of any aspiring ass-kicker: The ability to spout a no-nonsense tagline.
Here's a list of our all-time favorite badass quotes. Give 'em a read, try not to wet your pants in fear, and then weigh in with any we may have missed below.
» "Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?" -- Mr. Blonde, "Reservoir Dogs"
» "What is your major malfunction, numbn--s? Didn't Mommy and Daddy show you enough attention when you were a child?" -- Drill Sergeant Hartman, "Full Metal Jacket"
» "I'm your huckleberry." -- Doc Holliday, "Tombstone"
» "Up yours, baby." -- John Shaft, "Shaft"
» "Say hello to my little friend." -- Tony Montana, "Scarface"
» "I find your lack of faith disturbing." -- Darth Vader, "Star Wars: Episode IV"
» "Why would I try and cheat you out of anything, now? I need you to get the piece so I can steal it from you later." -- Lara Croft, "Tomb Raider"
» "At my signal ... unleash hell!" -- Maximus, "Gladiator"
» "The name's Bond ... James Bond." -- James Bond, various films
» "Don't push it, or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. Let it go." -- John Rambo, "First Blood"
» "Yippee-ki-yay, mother----er." -- John McClane, "Die Hard"
» "That there is one damn fine coat you're wearing." -- Marv, "Sin City"
» "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty ... for tonight, we dine in hell!" -- King Leonidas, "300"
» "Sorry about the mess." -- Han Solo, "Star Wars: Episode IV"
» "Hasta la vista, baby." -- The Terminator, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"
» "Get away from her, you bi---!" -- Ripley, "Aliens"
» "I know what you're thinking. 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" -- Harry Callahan, "Dirty Harry"
» "We deal in lead, friend." -- Vin, "The Magnificent Seven."
» "AK-47, the very best there is. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every mother----er in the room, accept no substitutes." -- Ordell Robbie, "Jackie Brown"
» "Dodge this." -- Trinity, "The Matrix"
» "Swallow this." -- Ash, "Evil Dead II"
» "I ain't got time to bleed." -- Blain, "Predator"
» "What about the old American social custom of self-defense? If the police don't defend us, maybe we ought to do it ourselves." -- Paul Kersey, "Death Wish"
» "Kneel before Zod!" -- General Zod, "Superman II"
» "And you will know my name is the lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee." -- Jules Winnfield, "Pulp Fiction"
» "You see, in this world, there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig." -- The Man With No Name, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"
» "Call it, friendo." -- Anton Chigurh, "No Country for Old Men"
» "Why so serious?" -- The Joker, "The Dark Knight"
» "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" -- The Joker, "Batman"
» "Ten-thousand dollars for me, by myself. For that, you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing." -- Quint, "Jaws"
» "You are in a position to demand nothing. I, on the other hand, am in a position to grant nothing." -- Khan, "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan"
» "I'm gonna ask you some simple questions. You're gonna tell me the truth, or I swear to God, I'm gonna kill ya." -- Jason Bourne, "The Bourne Supremacy"
» "If they move ... kill 'em!" -- Pike Bishop, "The Wild Bunch"
» "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." -- Dr. Hannibal Lecter, "The Silence of the Lambs"
From James Bond and Darth Vader to Lara Croft and Ellen Ripley, we need your help determining which movie characters should be called the Greatest Badasses of All Time. Head over to the MTV Movies Blog to submit your own pick, and stay tuned to MTV.com as celebrities weigh in with their own lists. We'll begin unveiling the top 10 on January 26, so check back to see if your pick made the cut!
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