Original artwork, not a still
It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum... and I'm all outta gum.
— Duke Nukem 3D • 1996
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Duke Nukem was assembled from 1980s action heroes, and this line shows how: he takes Nada's tough-guy joke, tweaks it into his own catchphrase, and fires it off as a mission statement. For fans it is the purest summary of the character, a cheerfully crass, loud, self-aware parody of the macho shooter hero. It also keeps the film's joke alive for people who have never seen They Live.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Duke Nukem 3DShow the scene
Duke Nukem 3D (3D Realms, 1996) is full of one-liners from Duke, voiced by Jon St. John, and this is one of the best known. It is borrowed from John Carpenter's 1988 film They Live, in which Roddy Piper's drifter Nada says he has come to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and is all out of bubble gum. Piper improvised the line on set. The game's hero was partly modelled on Nada, sunglasses included, and Wikiquote's list of Duke's quotes marks this one as a reference to the film.
Sources (3)
- Wikipedia: They Live"Bubblegum" quote sectionReference checked
- Wikiquote: Duke NukemDuke Nukem 3D sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: Duke Nukem 3DGameplay and referencesReference checked
Context reviewed
