Post-credits scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have mostly been used to set up future Marvel Studios projects, but some have had an even larger impact on the shape of the franchise. Since 2008’s Iron Man, Marvel Studios has used post-credits scenes to feature Easter eggs, tease upcoming films and Disney+ shows, and sometimes as light-hearted and entertaining moments to breathe. The promise of extra content keeps MCU theater audiences in their seats until the very last moment, and sometimes, these scenes make huge strides to flesh out the world of the MCU.
Post-credits scenes such as Phil Coulson finding Thor’s hammer in Iron Man 2, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff being introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Nick Fury sending a signal to Captain Marvel in Avengers: Infinity War have all set up incredible moments in subsequent projects and boosted excitement for the MCU’s future. On the flip-side, watching the Avengers eat shawarma after the Battle of New York, or waiting through the credits to hear Captain America talk about patience have provided some brilliant moments of entertainment. A select few, however, have had a major impact on the MCU, and make waiting through the credits worth it.
Nick Fury In Iron Man’s Post-Credits Scene
The MCU kicked off in 2008 with the release of Iron Man, introducing the world to Tony Stark, the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist who became the MCU’s first superhero, Iron Man. This film set the standard for Marvel Studios’ projects going forward, and that includes featuring the MCU’s first post-credits scene. After declaring to the world that he was, in fact, Iron Man, Stark returns home to find Nick Fury waiting in the shadows. Fury notes to Stark that he’s become “part of a bigger universe,” before identifying himself as the Director of SHIELD, and revealing he came to discuss the mysterious Avenger Initiative.
Samuel L. Jackson’s debut as Nick Fury in Iron Man’s post-credits scene set the stage for the development of Marvel Studios’ shared universe, particularly since Fury and SHIELD would initially be the glue that stuck the formerly-solo heroes together in 2012’s The Avengers. In the original drafts of Iron Man’s script, Fury would also tease Spider-Man and mutants in this scene, though rights issues meant these details were omitted. That became inconsequential, however, as Iron Man‘s post-credits scene set up the entire future of the MCU by introducing one of the franchise’s most important characters, and providing the first mention of the Avengers.
Thanos In The Avengers’ End-Credits Scene
2012’s The Avengers marked the first crossover event for Marvel Studios, bringing together Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye as the MCU’s original Avengers team. Throughout the film, it was made clear that an unseen force had been controlling Loki’s actions, leading to his attack on Earth and the Avengers’ premiere battle as a team, though the man behind the curtain wasn’t revealed until The Avengers’ mid-credits scene. Fans of Marvel Comics would have been very familiar with Thanos, and his debut at the very end of The Avengers meant that he now posed a significant threat to the live-action franchise.
While Josh Brolin would assume the role of Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, it was Damion Poitier who originated the role in The Avengers’ mid-credits scene. The slight turn of Thanos’ head and menacing grin to the camera made it clear that he had evil intentions, especially after being warned that battling Earth’s Mightiest Heroes would be “to court death.” This moment set up the epic events of Infinity War and Endgame, which would see Thanos finally become the primary antagonist after being teased for years, and the effects of his Infinity Saga quest are still felt in the MCU.
J. Jonah Jameson In Spider-Man: Far From Home’s Mid-Credits Scene
In the wake of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home acted as the epilogue to the MCU’s Infinity Saga, focusing on Peter Parker’s grief over losing his mentor, Tony Stark. However, it would be Spider-Man: Far From Home’s mid-credits scene that would have the most impact on the landscape of the MCU, as J. K. Simmons reprised his role of J. Jonah Jameson from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films to reveal Parker’s identity to the world. Not only was this one of the MCU’s first cases of introducing a multiversal variant, but it also opened the door for Marvel Studios to tell a Spider-Man story that had never been touched in live-action.
The reveal that Spider-Man was actually the teenage Peter Parker meant that the MCU’s version of the web-slinger could be even more differentiated from Sony’s previous incarnations, portrayed by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. This also acted as set up for Tom Holland’s next adventure as Spider-Man in the MCU, as Spider-Man: No Way Home picked up immediately following Far From Home’s mid-credits scene, and saw Parker dealing with the after-effects of his identity being revealed. This made for a much darker Spider-Man flick in the MCU, and has ended up with Parker being completely alone, with nobody remembering who he is.
Scarlet Witch In WandaVision’s Post-Credits Scene
Marvel Studios’ premiere Disney+ series, WandaVision, marked the first installment in the MCU’s Phase 4, and centered around Wanda Maximoff in the weeks following Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Elizabeth Olsen debuted as Wanda in the mid-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and became a short-lived member of the Avengers in Age of Ultron. However, Infinity War and Endgame saw the Sokovian hero lose everything, and this story continued into WandaVision, and eventually led to Wanda unlocking her true potential as the MCU’s Scarlet Witch, though this would have a catastrophic effect on the MCU’s future.
WandaVision’s series finale ended with a scene which saw the Scarlet Witch perusing the pages of the Darkhold, the MCU’s Book of the Damned, searching for a way to travel the multiverse and find her sons Billy and Tommy, who had been constructs of her Westview Hex. WandaVision’s post-credits scene marked the transition of the Scarlet Witch into a full-on MCU villain, setting up the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which pitted Doctor Strange and MCU newcomer America Chavez against the Darkhold-corrupted Wanda. This also led to the debut and massacre of Earth-838’s Illuminati, and the apparent sacrifice of the Scarlet Witch herself.
Clea In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ Mid-Credits Scene
While the majority of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dealt with the Scarlet Witch’s rampage across realities, the Phase 4 film also introduced several concepts that are set to become crucial to the MCU’s future. Among these is incursions, first mentioned by John Krasinski’s Reed Richards. An incursion is an event that occurs when universes collide, destroying one or more in the process, and while it seemed as though these were a distant threat in the MCU, Multiverse of Madness’ mid-credits scene suggested otherwise. Charlize Theron debuted as Clea, and brought a warning that Doctor Strange had already caused an incursion in the MCU, which could be catastrophic.
Although Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ mid-credits scene hasn’t yet been paid off, the warning of incursions will become hugely important as Marvel Studios heads into Phase 6 and Avengers: Secret Wars. In Marvel Comics, an epic incursion destroys the Marvel Universe and leads to 2015’s Secret Wars event, so the prospect of this occurring in the live-action MCU is both exciting and terrifying. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ post-credits scene marked the first serious mention of incursions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which could potentially change the shape of the franchise drastically, and irreversibly.
