SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses every post-credits scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, through 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” In other words: It’s all spoilers! Show
Ever since Samuel L. Jackson emerged at the end of the “Iron Man” credits in 2008 speaking ominously of “the Avenger initiative,” audiences are now conditioned to sit through the end credits of all kinds of movies on the expectation that at least one bonus scene awaits them. (In 2021 alone, films as disparate as “Cruella,” “In the Heights,” “The Green Knight” and “Tom and Jerry” featured scenes that ran after the credits.) To be sure, Marvel Studios did not invent this technique, but the company certainly has perfected it, using post-credits scenes to reinforce the central conceit that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever-expanding storytelling web that will never truly conclude or resolve. From “Iron Man” through 2022 releases like the Disney+ series “Moon Knight” and the feature film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the MCU has indulged in no less than 56 post-credits teasers to date. Some of these scenes serve as a teaser for possible sequels or future MCU installments; some resolve a dangling plot strand from the preceding movie; some are just a funny gag. The best, as this ranking will hopefully illuminate, are a mix of all three. A quick word on criteria: This ranking includes any scene that plays after the end of an MCU title, usually mid-credits scenes (which play after the main title cards but before the final credits scroll) and end-credits scenes (which play after all the credits have rolled). Occasionally, this also includes scenes that play after the movie is over but before the credits have started. For Marvel’s Disney Plus series, the list only includes post-credits scenes that play after season or series finales. All the scenes have been ranked by how well they tease an upcoming title in the MCU, how surprising or revelatory they are, and by how fun they are. And finally, yes, this whole thing is silly. Enjoy! Read More About:Movie DetailsIn Theaters: May 7, 2010 On Video: September 28, 2010 Production Co.: Marvel Studios Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures MPAA Rating: PG-13 Our Review: N/A Running Time: 125 minutes Credits Running Time: 10 minutes During the CreditsThere are no extras during the credits of Iron Man 2. After the CreditsJust like in the first Iron Man, there is an extra scene after the credits of Iron Man 2. Spoiler After the credits have finished, a black car is shown driving through the desert. The camera zooms in to reveal that the license plate on the car is from New Mexico and reads 8RE-2Z1. The car stops in front of a huge crater in the earth, and Agent Coulson gets out to look at it, which is filled with workers working on something secret. Coulson then picks up his phone and says to the person on the other line, “Sir, we’ve found it.” The camera switches to a shot inside the crater and reveals the hammer of Thor sticking out of the ground. Songs During the CreditsAC/DC – Highway to Hell Stinger information added and verified by (Pocket-lint) - There are over 45 post-credits scenes hidden like easter eggs at the end of all the films and even shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some exist to give fans one last laugh, but many of them do contain important information that bridge the 20+ movies and shows together while also giving fans something to chew on as they wonder about where the universe is headed next. You might've missed them if you ran to the bathroom or shut off the TV as soon as you saw the credits roll. Or maybe you caught them but missed the references or would like to know more. Either way, we've listed every post-credits scene below, so you can easily watch them all, complete with links to Disney+. We've also provided some context to help you make sense of the MCU timeline. squirrel_widget_187869 Every Marvel post-credits scene explainedFollow our guide below to learn about all the MCU post-credits scenes (also known as end-credits scenes). At the bottom, you'll find a spoiler-free version with links to the actual scenes if you wish to watch them. NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW. Disney Iron Man (2008)
In this scene located at the end of the Iron Man's credits, we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), who - after revealing his identity as Iron Man - returns home to find Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) waiting to admit that Iron Man isn’t the world’s only superhero. Did post-credits scenes even exist before Marvel left a preview of an entire cinematic universe at the end of 2008’s Iron Man? Disney The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Before the credits roll at the end of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Marvel gave us another peek at the Avengers' future; we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) approach General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) at a bar to inform him that a team is being assembled. This scene is particularly interesting to the future of the MCU, as Ross appears at Tony Stark’s funeral in the Avengers: Endgame film and is slated to appear in Black Widow, too. There are also circulating rumours about an appearance in the upcoming Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series and potentially even a Thunderbolts team-up at some point in the future. This film is currently not available on Disney+, but that's not surprising, given Marvel wants you to forget about it anyway. Disney Iron Man 2 (2010)
This post-credits scene is nothing but a straight-up teaser for Thor, which released a year after Iron Man 2 premiered. The scene shows Shield Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) arriving at a desert in New Mexico before the shot pans out to reveal Thor's Hammer at the center of a crater. Disney Thor (2011)
This is another post-credits scene teasing a future MCU film. It previews events in the first Avengers film; we see Nick Fury welcome Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) to a Shield facility so that he can begin to study the Tesseract. However, Selvig is under the control of Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Disney Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
In this scene at the end of the credits, we see further foreshadowing to the first Avengers film, which would come a year later. Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) is doing his usual workout of blowing up punching bags with his fists when Nick Fury appears and asks for help saving the world. Disney The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers is our first film with two scenes. We see them once the credits roll. The first scene occurs mid-way through and introduces the mad titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin). We see him learn of Loki's defeat at the hands of the Avengers. The second scene is one of Marvel's more famous post-credits scenes: The exhausted Avengers, after defending New York and defeating a gigantic invading alien army, reunite for a "Shawarma", or a bite to eat. Disney Iron Man 3 (2013)
In this scene at the end of the credits, we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) recounting the events of the film to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who has drifted off to sleep. While this is played up for laughs, Tony Stark sitting down with Bruce for an impromptu therapy session shows him struggling with the worry that he can't save everyone, which leads to him creating Ultron. Disney Thor: The Dark World (2013)
The Dark World gives us another two scenes at the end. The first connects to the future of the Infinity Stones, as we see Thor's compatriots, Sif (Jaime Alexander) and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), give the Aether to The Collector (Benicio Del Toro). The second scene, which is at the end of the credits, sees Thor (Chris Hemsworth) return to Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and the two share a loving embrace. For a while, it seemed this was the peak of the Thor/Jane Foster relationship, as Portman stopped appearing in the film, and later, in Endgame, Thor references an apparent breakup. However,Portman will return for Thor: Love and Thunder. Disney Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Another double end-scene, nice. The first foreshadows Avengers: Age of Ultron. We see Wolfgang Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) studying Loki's scepter/mind stone. He turns to two survivors of tests involving the scepter - Quiksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). The second scene is at the very end of the credits and sees the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) sneak into a Captain America-themed exhibit at a museum, where he then notices a part of the exhibit that is dedicated to his past life. Disney Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
The first Guardians of the Galaxy has two post-credits scenes, and both of them fit well with the film's funny streak. The first scene is before the credits and sees now-Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) dancing while Drax (Dave Bautista) sharpens his knives. The second scene sees The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) sitting amongst the ruins of his collection before the Russian space dog Cosmos comes and licks his face, which grosses Howard the Duck. Disney Avengers: Age of Ultron (2014)
This scene shows Thanos (Josh Brolin) putting on the Infinity Gauntlet before declaring, "Fine, I'll do it myself," as he then sets off to obtain all the Infinity stones and to do a final confrontation with the Avengers. This moment pivots Thanos to be the universe's primary antagonist. Disney Ant-Man (2015)
Here's another double post-credits sequence from Marvel at the conclusion of Ant-Man, with each scene foreshadowing a future MCU film. The first scene sees Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) reveal a prototype Wasp suit to his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), alluding to the Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel. The second scene shows a snippet from Captain America: Civil War, where we see Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) and Sam "The Falcon" Wilson (Anthony Mackie) have captured Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and are discussing what to do with him. Sam then says that he knows a guy who might be able to help, alluding to his encounter with Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). Disney Captain America: Civil War (2016)
There are two end scenes in Captain America: Civil War. The first sees Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) in Wakanda, where he witnesses Bucky (Sebastian Stan) go into cryogenic sleep while the Wakandans discover a way to undo his mental programming. He then meets with T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who informs him he can stay in Wakanda as long as he needs. The second scene shows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returning home to Queens. His Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) inquires about a fresh black eye from his time with Tony Stark. At the end, he inspects his web-slinger and discovers Tony modified it so it emits a Spider-Man symbol. Disney Doctor Strange (2016)
Doctor Strange also has two post-credits scenes. The first is a scene from Thor: Ragnarok; Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) asks why Thor has brought Loki to Earth, before the two come to an agreement that Doctor Strange will help them if they return to Asgard immediately. The second scene sees Strange's former ally Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) attack Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), who had previously helped Strange. Mordo makes clear he'sa future threat when he describes sorcerers like Doctor Strange as the main problem with the world. Disney Guardians of the Galaxy (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol II set the standard for post-credits scenes with five - three more than any other MCU film. Of course, most of them are just humourous little skits, like Stan Lee talking to the Watchers, Starlord (Chris Pratt) dealing with a teenage Groot, and Kraglin (Sean Gunn) accidentally stabbing Drax with Yondu's arrow. The other two scenes are teases that haven't been paid off yet. Yondu's sacrifice, Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone) reassembles his old team that Yondu was part of in the past. Whether this team reemerges in the next Guardians of the Galaxy or ends up in a Disney+ spin-off, we'll have to wait. The other scene shows Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), leader of the Sovereign, revealing that she is creating a creature capable of killing the Guardians of the Galaxy. She has named him Adam, which is a reference to the Marvel Comics character Adam Warlock. Disney Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
There are two scenes in Homecoming. The first shows Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) approached in prison about the identity of Spider-Man, but Toomes refuses to reveal what he knows. The second scene comes at the end of the credits; Chris Evan's Captain America films a PSA on the importance of patience before letting you and the audience know that you've all waited for nothing. Disney Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
The first extra scene in Thor: Ragnarok shows the reconciled Thor and Loki discussing plans for the future of the Asgardian people when a large spaceship appears just outside of their own. We, of course, later learn in Avengers: Infinity War that the ship belongs to Thanos. The second scene comes at the end of the credits and sees the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) dealing with the fallout of the revolution on Sakaar. Disney Black Panther (2018)
The first of two extra scenes in Black Panther show T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) revealing to the UN that Wakanda is a technological superpower and pledging to help the world. The second scene shows Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) has awoken and appears to be recovered from his mental programming. He's visited by Shuri (Letitia Wright), who tells him he has a lot of catching up to do. Disney Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War only has one extra scene, and it foreshadows Nick Fury's relationship with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and her eventual return to Earth following the Snap. As the effects of the Snap unfold around him, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) sends a communication to an unknown person via a super-charged beeper. And then, he fades to dust. Disney Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
Here's another double post-credits sequence from Marvel at the conclusion of Ant-Man, with each scene foreshadowing a future MCU film. The first scene sees Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) reveal a prototype Wasp suit to his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), alluding to the Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel. The second scene shows a snippet from Captain America: Civil War, where we see Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) and Sam "The Falcon" Wilson (Anthony Mackie) have captured Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and are discussing what to do with him. Sam then says that he knows a guy who might be able to help, alluding to his encounter with Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). Disney Captain Marvel (2019)
There are two post-credits scenes in 2019's Captain Marvel, one of which previews Avengers: Endgame. As a group of Avengers discuss the pager found where Fury disintegrated, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) shows up in the room and demands to know what happened to Fury. The other scene explains how Fury got the Tesseract back from Goose the Cat. Disney Avengers: Endgame (2019)
So, the biggest MCU movie of them all didn't include a post-credits scene, but there is a tiny callback diehard fans might've picked up on as they waited through the credits. As the credits begin to wind down, you can hear the sound of Tony Stark beating iron into shape for his first suit. Marvel Studios/Sony Spider-Man: Homecoming (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home had two of the most consequential post-credits scenes yet. In the first scene, we see Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and MJ (Zendaya) finishing up web-slinging around the city when news breaks on a nearby TV. J Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons) airs a doctored video with Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) pinning his own actions on Spider-Man and revealing the hero's true identity. In the final extra scene, we see Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) were actually the shape-shifting Skrulls, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and Soren (Sharon Blynn), and they call the real Nick Fury, who's currently aboard a Skrull vessel in deep space. Disney WandaVision (2020)
There are two post-credits scenes in the season finale of WandaVision. The first sees Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Paris) in the aftermath of Wanda leaving Westview, where she is approached by a Skrull who says she was sent by her old friend, Carol Danvers. The other sees Wanda Maximoff living a reclusive life in a wooded location as she studies Agatha Harkness' books of magic and she begins to hear her children cry out. Marvel updated this ending after the finale aired, and you can now see an astral form of Doctor Strange approaching Wanda's cabin, teasing both characters' future in The Multiverse of Madness. Disney The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's season finale features only one post-credits scene. It sees Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) receiving a pardon from the US government and the opportunity to return to her old job. As she leaves the courthouse, she calls one of her former contacts and says that she now has direct access to US technology and weapons. Disney Loki (2021)
The Loki season finale features a very small post-credits scene that sees a TVA file stamped with the message, "Loki will return in Season 2." Disney Black Widow (2021)
The post-credits scene of Black Widow sees Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova at the grave of her sister, Natasha Romanoff following her death in Avengers: Endgame. While there, she's approached by Julia Louis-Dreyfus's Valentina Allegra de Fontaine with a proposition to go after the person responsible for Natasha's death, and then Valentina shows her a picture of Hawkeye. Disney What If... (2021)
The season finale of What If featured a post-credits scene that sees Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) return to her own timeline. Once there, Black Widow defeats Batroc, and then Peggy arrives and they discover the Hydra Stomper armour that Steve Rogers used to fight alongside Peggy. Before the scene ends, Natasha reveals that there's someone inside the armour. Disney Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang Chi features two post-credits scenes. The first shows Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) meeting with Wong, Bruce Banner, and Carol Danvers. It's revealed that Shang Chi's 10 rings are sending some type of message out. The second scene reveals Shang Chi's sister Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) has become the new leader of their father's criminal organization, the Ten Rings, as she's flanked by Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) and Jon-Jon (Ronny Chieng). Disney Eternals (2021)
Eternals also features two post-credits scenes. The first sees Makari (Lauren Ridloff), Druig (Barry Keoghan), and Thena (Angelina Jolie) drifting through space before they are found by Eros (Harry Styles), the brother of Thanos, and his friend Pip (Patton Oswalt). Eros then reveals that he knows where the Eternals' other friends are. The other scene sees Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington) discover the ancient sword that will turn him into the Black Knight. Disney Venom (2018)
Venom’s post-credits scene sees Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock venture to a prison in order to conduct an interview with a serial killer named Cletus Kassidy, who comic book fans will recognize as the villain Carnage. Disney Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
The Venom sequel has a post-credits scene that sees Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock on vacation with the Venom symbiote when a gold light passes over them leaving them in a totally new room. Then a news bulletin appears on the TV covering the revelation of Spider-Man’s identity from the Spider-Man: Far From Home post-credits scene. Spoiler-free version: Every MCU post-credits scene at a glanceHere's a compilation of all the Marvel movie end scenes, but spoiler-free:
Did you like this?Then maybe you'll like our other movie order viewing guides:
We also have these rumour round-ups on upcoming movies:
Writing by Maggie Tillman. Is there a postThen, in Iron Man 2's post-credits scene, Coulson is seen in the southwest region, telling Fury on the phone that they've found it. The "it" was Mjolnir, thus teasing Thor's solo film in 2011. It was subtle, yet effective, and it was the first time that a post-credits scene teased a future movie, not a future team-up.
Is there an Iron Man postThe first Marvel post-credits scene was attached to Iron Man, the studio's first movie. After watching Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) become a hero, audiences were treated to a 36-second tease. Tony walks into his home and is greeted by a voice in the shadows telling him he's part of a bigger world.
Does Iron Man 3 have a postThe only post-credits scene for “Iron Man 3” is a fun, weightless gag: It turns out that Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) narration was an ad hoc therapy session with Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who slept through almost the whole thing.
Who was the guy at the end of Iron Man 2?The film's villain, Ivan Vanko (aka Whiplash, aka Mickey Rourke) is the son of Howard Stark's ex-business partner.
|