Every time a new MCU movie comes out, dedicated fans sit through ten minutes of credits, eagerly awaiting the short teaser they will get for the next movie. It could be a cut-down version of a scene from another movie or new footage entirely, but it almost always stirs up a lot of debate and speculation among the fan base.
Thor: The Dark World #2 - Jane in London
It makes sense that the worst post-credits scene in the MCU would come from the worst movie in the MCU. After Thor: The Dark World’s credits have rolled, Thor comes to visit Jane Foster in London. It’s a pretty lame scene that sets up nothing, because Jane hasn’t been in the franchise since then.
Plus, it revolves around one of the least interesting characters ever put on screen. As great as Natalie Portman is, Jane Porter is the MCU’s Bella Swan.
Black Widow #1 - Natasha On The Run
The MCU flashback adventure Black Widow filled in some gaps in Natasha Romanoff’s journey. The first post-credit scene finds her with her new blonde hair as she talks about freeing some of her friends from prison. The credit scene functions little more than to bridge the gap between the events of this movie and Avengers: Infinity War.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness #2 – Pizza Poppa Is Free
There were a lot of reasons why fans were excited to see Sam Raimi return to the comic book world for the Doctor Strange sequel. Among those reasons, they knew it likely meant that Bruce Campbell was coming to the MCU as well. Sure enough, the iconic actor appears in a cameo as Pizza Poppa, a street vendor who tries to pick a fight with Strange only to be cursed with hitting himself over and over. After the final credits role, Pizza Poppa is shown still hitting himself until it finally stops and he excitedly exclaims that it’s over. A goofy yet charming scene.
Doctor Strange #1 - Thor visits
In the mid-credits scene of Doctor Strange, fans just get a glimpse at Strange’s cameo from Thor: Ragnarok, neither of which really needed to be there. There must’ve been another way for Thor to find Odin – he’s a god! This was just here to introduce Strange as part of the wider universe that had already been established because he was late to the party.
Captain Marvel #2 - Goose Throws Up The Tesseract
Of all the Avengers pets in the MCU, Goose is one of the cutest even if he might be more dangerous than he seems. Goose helps explain a few mysteries in the MCU, from how Fury lost his eye to how the Tesseract was found. The second post-credit scene in Captain Marvel follows through on that second mystery as Goose is seen vomiting the Tesseract onto Fury’s desk after eating it earlier.
Ant-Man #2 - The Falcon Knows A Guy
In a reused scene from Captain America: Civil War, the Falcon recommends “a guy” to help Captain America in his crusade against Iron Man.
Despite this being an unoriginal scene, it is enticing, because fans just got to know this Scott Lang guy and get excited to see him join the Avengers, and here the Falcon is, telling fans he’ll be joining them in the next movie.
Iron Man 2 - Coulson Finds Thor’s Hammer
Phil Coulson discovers an immovable hammer in the New Mexico desert at the end of Iron Man 2, which sets up 2011’s Thor in an exciting way. But the scene is actually in Thor, so it’s not as intriguing as brand new material.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier #2 - Bucky Remembers
Bucky takes a look at the Smithsonian’s Captain America exhibit and finds a memorial to himself, which is certainly trippy. This scene works as a sign that the Winter Soldier will soon be de-brainwashed and fighting alongside his pal Steve as Bucky once again.
Captain America: Civil War #2 - Peter Gets A Spider-Signal
After returning from his battle with half the Avengers, Peter Parker discovers the Spider-Signal in his web-shooters. This was a great setup for Spider-Man: Homecoming, the movie that would expand Tom Holland’s Peter Parker into a fully fleshed MCU hero, because it showed fans he wouldn’t just be a kid from Queens with magical powers and a costume like before. Instead, he would have all kinds of Batman-like gadgets courtesy of his new friend Tony Stark.
Ant-Man and the Wasp #2 - Emergency Alert System
Scott’s giant ant plays his electric drums while an Emergency Alert System blares throughout the house, indicating Thanos’ snap has happened. This is a perfect blending of a wacky Ant-Man sight gag and the darker, heavier themes of the Avengers movies, making it the perfect bridge between the comedy of Ant-Man and the Wasp and the post-apocalyptic doom of Avengers: Endgame.
Iron Man 3 - Tony Tells Bruce A Story
Tony Stark is lying on Bruce Banner’s couch like he’s a psychiatrist, telling him the whole story of the movie, and he realizes Bruce has slept through most of it.
This would probably be funnier and work better if it wasn’t out of character for Bruce – instead of being himself, he’s merely a pastiche of Richard Jenkins’ bit part in There’s Something About Mary – and if it didn’t reflect the response that most fans had to the story when they saw it on the big screen.
Captain America: The First Avenger - A Tease From The Avengers
Nick Fury tells Steve Rogers about the assignment he’ll take in The Avengers. This isn’t new material – it’s a scene from The Avengers that’s been cut down to act as sort of a teaser trailer. It got audiences excited for the team-up back in 2011, but the MCU has done better post-credits teases since.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings #2 – The Ten Rings Lives On
Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing are another dysfunctional pair of MCU siblings, but they seem to patch things up by the end of the movie. However, the second credit scene suggests that Xialing might have some troubling ambitions of her own. Following the death of their father, Xialing is seen heading the Ten Rings and making some notable changes. Time will tell if her intentions are good or not.
Thor: The Dark World #1 - Added To The Collection
This scene introduces the Collector, as Sif and Volstagg give him the Aether, unaware that he plans on tracking down the rest of the Infinity Stones. This scene sets up Guardians of the Galaxy, but it doesn’t introduce anyone that exciting. If Peter Quill or Groot had been in this mid-credits scene, that would be a different story.
Black Panther #2 - Bucky As The White Wolf
As amazing as Black Panther was, its final tease is just Shuri speaking to Bucky. It’s just a conversation, nothing too big or flashy, and it doesn’t set up anything particularly great about the following movie – just that Bucky will be Bucky in it and not the Winter Soldier.
Doctor Strange #2 - Too Many Sorcerers
Karl Mordo strips Jonathan Pangborn of his magical powers, saying there are “too many sorcerers” out there. It sets the stage for Doctor Strange’s friend to become his enemy, fulfilling Mordo’s villainous origins from the comics. It makes for an exciting promise, but as of Doctor Strange 2, it has yet to really pay off.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings #1 - The Mystery Of The Ten Rings
Shang-Chi was a terrific solo adventure that allowed the new MCU hero to thrive on his own. However, the first post-credit scene of the movie welcomes into “the circus” with some fun cameos and an intriguing tease.
After being summoned by Wong, Shang-Chi and Katy are shown meeting with Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers who discuss the mysterious origins of the Ten Rings and the signal it seems to be setting off. While there are a lot of theories about what this could build to, the scene ends on a fun note as Wong joins Shang and Katy at karaoke.
The Incredible Hulk - Tony Meets With Ross
Tony Stark tells a drunken Thaddeus Ross that a superhero team is being assembled. This introduced that Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk took place in the same universe, but it didn’t bring them together in some grand way. Ross wouldn’t reappear in the MCU for another eight years when he returned to grill the Avengers about the Sokovia Accords. He wasn’t instrumental in their assembly like this scene suggests.
Guardians of the Galaxy #2 - Howard the Duck
The second tag scene in Guardians of the Galaxy’s end credits sequence is less exciting than the first. The first showed fans that Groot was regrowing, while the second introduced a CGI Howard the Duck into the MCU. While that one scene is undeniably better than the entire Howard the Duck movie George Lucas gave us, it’s still pretty pedestrian.
Black Widow #2 – Yelena Gets An Assignment
The second scene in the Black Widow credits takes place after Natasha’s death with her little sister Yelena visiting her grave. Her mourning is then interrupted by Valentina deFontaine who tells Yelena Clint Barton is the man responsible for killing Natasha. It teases a fun conflict to come in Hawkeye while also hinting at Yelena as a member of the Thunderbolts team.
