Highlights
- Captain America's iconic catchphrase, "I can do this all day," reflects his unwavering determination and resilience in the face of adversity.
- The catchphrase was first said by Steve Rogers when he was still a scrawny kid from Brooklyn, standing up to a bully and refusing to back down.
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America only says his catchphrase four times throughout his eight appearances, each time reaffirming his indomitable spirit and refusal to give up.
Any superhero is incomplete without an iconic catchphrase. Some classics include: "I'm Batman", "Flame on", and of course, "SMASH!". Oftentimes, these catchphrases come about organically before being used again and again at times when the hero needed that extra boost of strength and confidence. While there were many punchlines used throughout the MCU, one of the most memorable came from Captain America: "I can do this all day." Cap's catchphrase came up several times, both as Captain America and Steve Rogers, and every time it held the same meaning, no matter the scenario.
Captain America is one of the most resilient heroes of the MCU, and so it only makes sense that his catchphrase refers to his refusal to quit or turn down a fight. And even when he's taking a harsh beating and is knocked down over and over again just to get right back up, even if he doesn't say it, viewers know the only thing going through his mind is: "I can do this all day."
When Did Cap First Say 'I Can Do This All Day'?
For many superheroes, their catchphrase comes out for the first time close to when they first put on their mask and decide to fight crime. But for Cap, his catchphrase came out when he was still just a kid from Brooklyn.
Scrawny little Steve Rogers was the first one to say, "I can do this all day." The line was first said in the original Captain America movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, right after audiences first meet the future Avengers hero. While sitting in the movie theater, an army campaign ad plays before a cartoon, showing people eager to serve their country during World War II and informing the audience what they can do to help.
Impatient, a man in the theater chirps the screen, yelling, "Who cares?" and demanding they play the cartoon, already. Even as a tiny guy with little physical strength, Steve was always willing to speak his mind, telling the heckler to shut up and show some respect. Naturally, as was the way of overly masculine men in the 1940s, the heckler took Steve outside to an alleyway and started mercilessly pummeling him.
But every time Steve went down, he got right back up, even grabbing a trash can lid as a shield (little did he know). The man, slowly tiring himself out, says, "You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Steve puts his fists up, looks back at the guy with a swollen eye and a busted lip and says, "I can do this all day." Thus, the catchphrase is born, and there's no doubt that that guy would think twice to pick a fight with Steve a couple of weeks later, because there's a good chance Steve wouldn't be the one hitting the floor in that scenario.
How Many Times Does Cap Say 'I Can Do This All Day'?
Usually, a superhero will say their catchphrase at the peak of their final fight in a movie or comic strip. Cap, however, in his eight appearances throughout the Infinity Saga, only said his iconic line four times. And the first two are in his debut film.
Much later on in Captain America: The First Avenger, when Cap is being held by the Red Skull in his fortress, he conveys his jealousy towards the Avenger for being a successful experiment in ingesting the super-soldier serum. The Red Skull beats Cap to his knees and stares him down. Cap simply looks up at him with a smile and says, "I can do this all day." The next two uses, strangely enough, weren't used against an enemy, per se.
The catchphrase wouldn't come up again until Captain America: Civil War. As the tensions grow higher and higher throughout the film, and Cap and Iron Man see no other option but to recruit rivaling Avenger teams against each other, they finally battle one-on-one, in which Iron Man starts to run away with the fight. Stark throws Cap into a wall and tells him to stay down. Much like the catchphrase's first use, Cap shakily stands up, puts up the dukes, and with a busted lip says, "I can do this all day."
The last time it's used is in Avengers: Endgame, when the crew travel back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones. It's not until Captain America encounters his past self, who thinks the future Cap is actually Loki in disguise, and begins to fight him. This time however, even though it's the future Cap that goes down, past Cap proudly states the catchphrase, to which future Cap frustratingly says, "Yeah, I know." In a more comedic sense, the catchphrase is used here to kind of stab at superhero catchphrases in general, with future Cap acknowledging that a superhero's go-to line can get repetitive as he literally witnesses himself say it to...himself.
The 'I Can Do This All Day' Song, Explained
The phrase wouldn't be used again until the Disney+ series Hawkeye (although, in Endgame, when Cap is knocked down by Thanos, he stands up and unstraps his shield before charging at Thanos, and all anyone can think in the audience is: he can do this all day), after Cap's retirement from the Avengers. In Hawkeye, the phrase comes up when Clint is attending the Rogers: The Musical, a musical play about the life and triumphs of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America.
During the chorus of the song "Save the City", they sing, "Avengers unite, 'cause we've got to hear you say: I can do this all day." This particular song is about the alien invasion in New York from the first Avengers film. They make references to everyone involved, including the Avengers and Loki and his army.
Although the catchphrase belongs to Captain America, when it's used in this song, it's sung by the citizens of New York, asking Cap and the rest of the Avengers to save them. And they know they'll be saved because as the iconic catchphrase insinuates, the Avengers can fight off whichever enemy they have to, and they can do it all day long.