We Rewatched All The MCU Post-Credit Scenes And They’re Completely Different Now

2008 finds many people flocking to cinemas during summer, particularly drawn to “Iron Man.” While “The Dark Knight” will eventually dominate the superhero movie scene, one element captivates everyone. As the credits roll, some viewers rush out of their seats, but others choose to linger, eager to chat with friends or simply unwilling to leave so soon. For the patient few, they are treated to a glimpse of something extraordinary – an after-credits scene featuring Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), discussing the Avengers Initiative. This moment marks the beginning of an enduring legacy that alters the course of cinema history forever.

Despite “Iron Man” not being the initial film to include a post-credits scene, it paved the way for every subsequent movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, no one dares to leave their seat before the credits roll without fearing they might miss an essential piece of universe development. These post-credit scenes could introduce new characters or contain witty jokes that become popular catchphrases later on. Although these scenes are minor parts of the movie, they have a significant impact. Upon rewatching all Marvel Cinematic Universe films, you’ll discover elements that seem unusual at first but become more intriguing when viewed in retrospect.

Iron Man – Why did the Avengers Initiative take so long?

The iconic post-credit scene from “Iron Man” is well-known now, and Nick Fury nearly didn’t mention the Avengers Initiative. Multiple lines were recorded, but they opted to hint at a superhero collaboration movie, suggesting that Fury had been planning this for some time. Interestingly, he’d actually been working on it since 1995, following the events of “Captain Marvel.” This was confirmed in “Captain Marvel,” leaving us wondering why Fury waited so long to gather superheroes together.

Carol Danvers, portrayed by Brie Larson, ventured beyond Earth, yet she might have returned under certain conditions. Hank Pym, played by Michael Douglas, was present as well, but his spirits seemed low after the disappearance of Janet van Dyne, which may have kept him from taking on any heroic roles. It’s fortunate for Fury that a team of superheroes emerged just in time before an alien force invaded New York City, offering him some timely assistance.

Another perspective on why Fury delayed his plan for such a long time is that there are certain complications associated with it. In the 2012 movie “The Avengers,” Fury explains that S.H.I.E.L.D. initially intended to utilize the Tesseract to create a weapon to safeguard the planet, but he admits, “I didn’t bet everything on that roll, though.” He expresses his desire to gather a team of super-powered individuals, describing it as “riskier.” It’s unclear why gathering heroes would be riskier than meddling with alien tech. Given the initial struggles the Avengers faced in working together, one might argue that Fury should have opted for this approach from the start instead of tinkering with glowing cubes.

The Incredible Hulk – Why is Tony Stark working for S.H.I.E.L.D.?

2008 marked a more defined layout for a shared cinematic universe as “The Incredible Hulk” unfolded. In a bar scene post-credits, Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., meets with General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt). This encounter, instead of being handled by someone from S.H.I.E.L.D., is intriguing to fans who have just watched “Iron Man.” However, upon rewatch, the scene may seem puzzling due to a few inconsistencies. For instance, since Bruce Banner (Edward Norton, later Mark Ruffalo) is on the run as the Hulk, why would Stark be the one to speak with Ross? Furthermore, given their current situations, what business do they have talking to each other at all?

The quick and rough post-credits scene in “The Incredible Hulk” appears that way because it genuinely was. Director Louis Leterrier shared with Collider that they only had five hours to film something involving Robert Downey Jr., explaining, “They allotted us about half a day, but could only give us half of that, so I directed the ‘Iron Man’ crew for one day.” Evidently, it wasn’t possible to create anything overly complex within such limited time, and any unanswered questions were later resolved by the 2011 Marvel One-Shot “The Consultant.

In this brief movie, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) discusses with Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández) the World Security Council’s plan to acquire the Abomination (Tim Roth), blamed for Harlem’s destruction in “The Incredible Hulk,” for the Avengers. Nick Fury isn’t on board with this, so they devise a strategy to derail the mission by making Stark irritate Ross, preventing him from collaborating. This subtle plot twist serves as a clever explanation for Stark’s involvement and their ongoing discussion about the Abomination.

The Avengers – Death gets mentioned

The chain of events initiated by the “Iron Man” post-credit scene culminated in 2012 with the release of “The Avengers.” This movie brought together Iron Man, Thor (portrayed by Chris Hemsworth), and Captain America (Chris Evans) on the silver screen, fulfilling years of hints. Initially, viewers had no idea that “The Avengers” was merely the start. The universe is vast, and one of the post-credit scenes from that film introduced Thanos (first played by Damion Poitier, later Josh Brolin). In this scene, known as The Other, he informs Thanos that challenging humans could lead to death, to which Thanos merely smirked in response.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the idea that Thanos sought to win Death’s affection by causing widespread destruction was left out. Instead, the filmmakers chose to portray Thanos as a character motivated by a more understandable goal: balancing resources across the universe. This decision was likely made to make his actions easier for audiences to grasp.

When Joss Whedon was writing the screenplay for “The Avengers,” he couldn’t have anticipated the later developments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). So, he drew upon Thanos’s more vague comic book motivations instead. Later on, death was depicted by Aubrey Plaza in “WandaVision” as Agatha Harkness, but this was introduced much too late to tie back to the Mad Titan. By that point, Thanos had already been vanquished by Tony Stark, who administered a fitting punishment – blipping Thanos and his troops out of existence, just as Thanos had done to half the universe.

The Avengers – The shawarma scene was filmed after the premiere

In the movie “The Avengers,” there are two standout scenes after the credits roll, similar to typical Marvel post-credit sequences. One scene foreshadows future events in the series, while the other is purely humorous. When the credits have finally finished, viewers get an additional treat – a scene where the Avengers are seen enjoying a satisfying meal of shawarma, which was suggested by Tony Stark during the film earlier. This amusing moment was something that could only be appreciated by audiences after the initial premiere.

The post-credits scene was filmed two days following the premiere since it required all six actors to gather around a table for a moment. It’s a fitting touch, as it underscores the Avengers as a well-established team. Notably, many of us have experienced awkward silence during meals with colleagues. Interestingly, Director Joss Whedon revealed that the idea for this scene originated from a similar experience he had after shooting a dramatic death scene for “Angel,” where he and the actors shared an extended silence over drinks afterward.

In a weary state, every member of The Avengers appears drained, yet none more so than Captain America, visibly struggling to maintain an upright position by leaning his head against his fist. It turned out that Steve Rogers’ somber demeanor during the shawarma scene was due to Chris Evans sporting a beard for “Snowpiercer” at that moment. Since this scene was filmed much later, Evans had undergone a significant transformation, leading to the team using makeup only partially to conceal his facial hair. To make up for the rest, they required him to keep his hand covering it. With this information in mind, you’ll find yourself unable to tear your gaze away from Captain America during this post-credits scene.

Thor: The Dark World – The emotional story ends in the post-credits scene

In Marvel films or others, the scenes that play after the credits often serve to introduce future installments or offer a brief humor injection. Usually, by this point in the movie, all the main events and themes have been addressed, allowing for an extra treat as a bonus. However, upon re-watching “Thor: The Dark World,” you might discover that its emotional essence isn’t completely resolved until after the credits have rolled.

The additional scene depicts Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) in a melancholic state on Earth. However, things change when Thor arrives, and they share an emotional reunion, culminating in a heartfelt kiss. This unfolds after Thor relinquishes his throne from Asgard, giving the impression that he might settle down on Earth with his ladylove. The scene hints that Thor is already on Earth by the time “Avengers: Age of Ultron” takes place. Yet, it seems more suitable to have been included at the end of the film itself, just before the credits roll in.

The story doesn’t conclude properly until we witness Thor and Jane reunited, giving us confidence that they will strive to reconcile on Earth. This moment signifies a progression from the typical Marvel end credits scene, where viewers must wait for the credits to finish to catch any crucial plot developments. Upon rewatching, it becomes clear how essential this end-credits scene is to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe’s chronology.

Avengers: Age of Ultron – Who is Thanos talking to?

Although Thanos made his debut in “The Avengers” in 2012, he wasn’t quite ready for center stage when “Avengers: Age of Ultron” was released in 2015. The franchise still wanted to generate excitement for the big purple villain, so they included a post-credits scene where Thanos obtained the Infinity Gauntlet from a secure safe and stated, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” This scene served as a precursor to “Avengers: Infinity War,” but it also left some questions unanswered. For example, who is Thanos addressing in this scene since no one else seems to be present?

It’s clear from this that he’s addressing the audience, signaling his intention to participate in the ensuing battle. Some viewers have been puzzled by the fact that this post-credits scene occurs after “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. When he mentions doing it himself, could this be a reference to defeating the Avengers, an action that Ultron is unable to perform? However, later movies reveal that he’s not referring to overthrowing the Avengers but rather gathering the Infinity Stones. This becomes apparent as he’s frustrated with Loki and Ronan the Accuser’s previous failures in collecting the stones.

Thanos doesn’t rush to Earth; in fact, if we consider the “Avengers” movies as happening in real-time, there’s a three-year gap between “Age of Ultron” and “Infinity War.” Interestingly, Thanos doesn’t act alone. In the beginning of “Infinity War,” he dispatches the Black Order to Earth with the task of finding both the Mind Stone and the Time Stone. Although the Black Order serves Thanos, it’s quite different from him performing all the tasks himself. After observing Earth for so long and witnessing the Avengers’ strength, he still relies on his underlings to carry out his nefarious plans for him.

Doctor Strange – Mordo gets forgotten

In simpler terms, some scenes that appear after the credits in Marvel movies can seem confusing later on, like Tony Stark appearing as Hulk or Thanos talking to himself. This might happen because the filmmakers create these scenes before they have a clear plan for future stories. They often guess and hope it all fits together eventually. For example, the post-credits scene in “Doctor Strange” where Karl Mordo steals magical powers and warns about having “too many sorcerers” is one of those instances where they were taking a risk on what would happen later.

It appears that the original storyline suggests Mordo will transition from an ally to an adversary in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, possibly involving magic theft. However, due to the release of Doctor Strange in 2016 and Benedict Cumberbatch’s subsequent involvement in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, it has taken some time for a follow-up film to materialize.

As a gamer diving into the virtual world of Marvel Cinema, I can tell you that the highly anticipated film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” isn’t set to release until 2022. When it comes to Mordo, he’s not much of a player in this particular storyline. In fact, he does make an appearance, but it’s not our usual Mordo from the Sacred Timeline – instead, he’s a variant from another reality.

The main villain in this tale is none other than Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen. The only mention we get of our Mordo is a brief line from Doctor Strange, hinting that his version of Mordo had once attempted to take him down, part of Mordo’s infamous “no more sorcerers” plan. However, it seems Strange managed to outsmart Mordo, explaining why he’s not heavily involved in the story. It’s a bit underwhelming, but then again, who needs a full-blown Mordo when we have Wanda Maximoff causing chaos?

Thunderbolts* – The Russo brothers directed the post-credits scene

One noteworthy Marvel post-credit scene to watch out for is the one featured in “Thunderbolts.” As the movie concludes, we see a group, now referred to as the New Avengers, having a conversation about Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) displeasure with their use of the Avengers name. Additionally, they receive a transmission showing a spaceship heading towards Earth, bearing the Fantastic Four emblem. This scene lays the groundwork for both “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and “Avengers: Doomsday,” with the latter being significantly more relevant to this particular sequence than initially perceived.

After the premiere of “Thunderbolts”, it emerged that the scene following the credits was in fact directed by the Russo brothers, not Jake Schreier. Previously, the Russos were responsible for “Infinity War” and “Endgame”, and they’ll be returning for the next two “Avengers” movies. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Schreier commented on the post-credits scene from “Thunderbolts” saying, “That is a sneak peek of [‘Doomsday’]”. He noted that things can change in the Marvel universe, but for now, what you saw was a small preview of that film.

It’s quite likely that when the movie “Avengers: Doomsday” releases on December 18, 2026, it might feature a similar climactic scene to what we see in “Thunderbolts.” However, it’s worth mentioning that there’s a lot of information crammed into a short period, and they might decide to spread this out more throughout the actual film. Regardless, it seems certain that the Fantastic Four will join the main MCU timeline, and there could be tension between the Avengers and New Avengers once “Doomsday” is out.

A lot of MCU post-credits scenes still haven’t paid off

Doomsday” or “Avengers: Secret Wars.” Similarly, Hercules (portrayed by Brett Goldstein), who was hinted at in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” might appear in the next Thor movie, which is said to take a darker turn. However, other post-credit scenes may not be followed up on.

Quantumania” unveiled a stadium filled with Kangs preparing to conquer the Multiverse. This was when the following “Avengers” movie was supposed to be “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” However, Marvel Studios cut ties with Majors due to his legal issues, leading to Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) confronting the superheroes in the now-named “Avengers: Doomsday.

Marvel might appreciate it if people could overlook the numerous post-credit scenes that didn’t lead to anything significant. After all, these scenes act as a testament to the complexity of mapping out an extensive film series years ahead.

2025-06-07 18:31