The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a staple in the entertainment industry, and Marvel Studios has revolutionized the action genre. With its fantastical storylines, Marvel has also popularized post-credit scenes.
Post-credit scenes have become a marketing phenomenon, contributing to Marvel’s ability to sustain interconnected storytelling across films and television series.
“Iron Man” (2008) started the Marvel tradition of post-credit scenes. In this scene, Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson, is shown hinting at the Avengers initiative, setting the platform for the introduction of the rest of the Avengers.
Phase One (2008-2012) heavily focused on building the Avengers, with scenes like the reveal of Mjölnir, Thor’s hammer, in “Iron Man 2” (2010), Tony Stark approaching General Ross about putting together a team in “The Incredible Hulk” (2008) and the Avengers gathering together in “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011).
Phase Two introduced the Collector, an antagonist in “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), in a post-credit scene for “Thor: The Dark World” (2013). In a post-credit scene for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014), Baron von Strucker introduced the twins Quicksilver, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and the Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Olsen.
The post-credit scenes have also been instrumental in setting up social problems the characters face inside the MCU. The post-credit scene in “Black Panther” (2018) shows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) opening Wakanda to the world and announcing its advanced technology. In “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022) viewers are introduced to foreign nations sending smugglers and weapons traffickers to steal Vibranium, while also trying to seize political control of Wakanda.
In a scene for “Thor Ragnarok” (2017), Thor, Loki and the remaining Asgardians come across Thanos’s ship after the destruction of Asgard. The interaction comes to a head in “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) when audiences see Thanos kill Loki, who is defending the remaining Asgardians.
Viewers have seen numerous post-credit scenes that have yet to happen in Phase Four, and some may never continue on the big screen. Other scenes haven’t had continuations in over a decade, such as Samuel Sterns’ tease in “The Incredible Hulk” (2008). The character, known as Leader, is set to finally debut in “Captain America: A Brave New World” in 2025.
Marvel has created a cultural ritual with the introductions of its post-credit scenes. Most fans now expect to see some easter egg telling the future of the MCU. However, some are starting to mistrust the post-credit scenes.
David Opie, a writer for Digital Spy, elaborated on this sentiment when talking about Kevin Feige's teasing the X-Men’s return to live action through “The Marvels” (2023) mid-credit scene. He said Marvel’s strategy of playing the “long game” with post-credit teases has left fans unenthused.
“Remember when Sharon Carter was revealed to be the Power Broker, the Big Bad who plagued Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’?” Opie said. “Don't expect to see that 2021 development addressed again until the next Captain America film arrives in 2025.”
Opie added to this point by detailing the post-credit scene of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021). Shang-Chi was needed for a team-up with some of the MCU’s characters, but the scene has yet to be revisited.
“Eternals” (2021) has left many fans in wonder as it introduced two new storylines in post-credit scenes, with news of further productions having gone virtuallysilent. Dane Whitman, Kit Harington, who eventually becomes Black Knight, is introduced in one scene after he picks up an ebony blade. He is interrupted by the voice of Blade, Mahershala Ali, but the storyline’s only continuation is assumed to be taking place in the delayed “Blade” movie.
Another scene introduced ErosHarry Styles, the brother of Thanos in the comic books. The scene hinted at the continuation of the Eternals and their impending fight with the Celestial, but the characters have not been talked about since the 2021 film.
Marvel has yet to tie up many loose ends due to post-credit scenes and project delays. Due to this, many fans wonder about the legitimacy of these scenes originally meant to garner excitement for Marvel’s future projects.
