The Marvel Cinematic Universe has contributed a metric ton of customs to cinema-going. MCU Easter Eggs are one, but another big one has to be sitting for a teaser at the end of the credits.
It’s not a new invention to have something related to the movie going on during that time like fun snippets, bloopers, or ‘what happened after’ sequences. But Marvel made it popular to wait for something at the very end.
One thing that has threaded these MCU movies throughout is that the teaser likely has a snippet for the next movie to come, and like all things, sometimes you have to be a bit of a buff to understand what you just saw.
Grab some popcorn, True Believers, for we are going to run through, explain and rank all 47 Marvel post-credit scenes we have so far.
47. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
Teasing: The Grandmaster
Korg’s revolution was clearly a success, as the Grandmaster is forced to hide in the wastes of Sakaar. Admitting defeat and ever the showman, he congratulates himself, giving himself a big pat on the back for being such a great target for a revolution. He calls it “a tie”. We’re not sure the rebels are convinced though. It may be Jeff Goldblum, but we can’t call this the greatest post-credit scene from Marvel.
46. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Teasing: Bucky’s Future
We see that Bucky survived the ordeal in Washington, taking a detour to read about and understand the man he was before Hydra changed him via an exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum. Kind of like how Fury took time to look at his own gravestone. A scene that leads up to the Civil War plotline, but is generally skippable.
45. Thor: The Dark World
Teasing: Thor and Jane’s Reunion
In the last post-credit scene of Thor, we see Jane Foster in her apartment when a portal opens outside her window. Overjoyed that her beloved has finally returned, she embraces Thor in a passionate kiss, pleased that the link between Asgard and Earth has been restored. Also, one of those giant monsters from Jotunheim chases some pigeons in a disused yard not too far away. A sweet moment, but nonetheless boring.
44. Thor
Teasing: The Avengers
We get a glimpse of the first of the Infinity Stones, recovered from the bottom of the ocean, and we see that Loki makes a return, one that includes mind-controlling Dr. Selvig. Although quite an intriguing scene at the time, it only makes sense once we watch The Avengers and learn that Loki controls Selvig’s brain.
43. Avengers: Endgame
Teasing: A Tribute to Tony Stark
Although there were several awesome Easter Eggs in Endgame, much to our disappointment, there was no end-credits scene. But fans who stuck around did get a small treat just for staying in theatres for an extra few minutes – closing off the credits was the sound of a hammer hitting against metal. Devoted fans will recall this sound from Iron Man when Tony Stark was making his first ever suit. Goodbye Mr. Stark!
42. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Teasing: Infinity War
Most Marvel post-credit sequences link to the movie we just watched. Age of Ultron’s however does not, but might have mirrored how the Avengers moved to a tailor-made facility upstate after the battle for Sokovia. Thanos, tired of relying on other people to do stuff for him (like Loki and Ronan), takes the fabled Infinity Gauntlet out of a vault, letting us know that an all-out battle for the Infinity Stones is soon to come.
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41. Captain America: Civil War
Teasing: Spider-Man: Homecoming
On the other side of the world, Peter Parker enters his room from a long journey and mockingly talks to Aunt May about the fight he had (phrasing it to sound like he got hit by bullies at school). Exploring his suit, he activates a projector that tells the audience that Spidey has officially come home and is about to get yet another solo Spider-Man movie.
40. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Teasing: Not much
There isn’t much to this post-credit scene, but some fun old humor. We see Bruce Campbell return at the Pizza Papa from the ‘Red Means Go’ universe, punching himself, as the effects of Strange’s spell wears off. The movie comes to a close as Campbell looks to the screen and shouts, “It’s over!”
39. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Teasing: Kraglin
Yondu’s gone, so Peter could live. Kraglin has taken up his signature fin and arrows and seems to try getting the hang of it. Until he stabs Drax in the neck, much to Drax’s annoyance. This was in no doubt a whimsical scene, but that’s all it remains – an extra touch for laughs. No complaining, though, since we got a total of five end-credit scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2.
38. Black Panther
Teasing: The White Wolf
We discover that Bucky appears to have recovered from his period as an ice-soldier, hopefully with his brain all fixed. He has gained the moniker “White Wolf,” the name of the head of Wakanda’s secret police Special Forces unit and one that he’s referred to as in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Not too exciting, but at least we learnt that Bucky is well enough to take on Thanos in Infinity War.
37. Captain Marvel
Teasing: Some humor
The final end-credit scene in Captain Marvel was simply added for extra laughs. We see Carol’s cat (AKA a Flerken) spit out the Tesseract that she swallowed earlier on in the movie to hide it from Star Force. A great tip finishing off the movie with more giggles, as this movie had us in stitches, but also a way to clear up how Fury got the Tesseract back in the first place.
36. Iron Man 3
Teasing: Tony and Bruce’s relationship
Iron Man 3 continues the tradition of adding a little twist to MCU post-credits. As the movie’s end credits roll, Tony talks reflectively about the final battle against Aldritch Killian/Mandarin. When he finishes, a dozing Bruce Banner wakes up and admits he’s “not that kind of a doctor.” Not such an important scene, but a funny surprise seeing Bruce cameo.
35. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Teasing: The new Ten Rings organization
Xialing is under the spotlight in this after-credits scene, showing her taking her father’s throne and running the newly refurbished Ten Rings organization. This time, the group has a punk-graffiti look with female martial arts trainees. The scene cuts with the the caption, “The Ten Rings will return.” Cool stuff…
34. Eternals
Teasing: Eros
The big character reveal in this mid-credits scene was interesting to say the least, it’s just who plays him that underwhelmed us. Indeed, singer and ex-One Direction member, Harry Styles shows up as Eros, an Eternal who has the power to control emotions. What makes him beautiful cool? Urm, he’s Thanos’ (nicer) brother, has a thing with She-Hulk, and is also known as Starfox.
33. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Teasing: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Just another marketing tactic, the entire trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is handed straight to us at the end of No Way Home as a post-credits scene. It’s as exciting as expected, since it had been almost six years since we saw Stephen Strange in a solo movie – plus, we get to see what Wanda has been up to since the end of WandaVision!
32. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Teasing: Scorpion, The Sinister Six
As he’s settling in for a long stint in prison (possibly Ryker’s Island), Toomes comes across Mac Gargan, who he met earlier on the ferry. Those in the know might know Gargan as the iconic Spider-Man villain, Scorpion and it seems he’s already crazy. His scorpion neck tattoo says it all. His friends on the outside? They’re quite possibly the Sinister Six, real pains for our web-headed hero.
31. Captain America: Civil War
Teasing: Black Panther
Now reunited with Steve and possessing his own mind, Bucky Barnes wants to rid his head of the codewords that turned him into a single-minded killing machine. On the run from the United States, an unexpected ally in the form of T’Challa offers both sanctuary and a solution. Bucky is put into cryosleep in the hopes that Wakanda’s advanced science can fix his brain. Not a completely wowing scene, but at least we got our very first glimpse at Wakanda.
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30. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Teasing: A Stan Lee cameo
Not the greatest of Stan Lee’s cameos, but essentially his only appearance in a post-credit scene. After hearing everything they need, the Watchers leave poor Stan as he mumbles on about his many “stories to tell”. Although it’s not a meaningful moment in the MCU, it does however allude to the theory that the Marvel creator was playing a Watcher throughout all the Marvel films.
29. Thor: Ragnarok
Teasing: Infinity War
So, your old home has just been blown up by a gigantic fire god, your dad’s dead, you’ve lost your hammer and now have the weight of a king on your shoulder. At least Thor has his brother to comfort him, until their view of the stars is blocked by a very angry and hostile-looking dreadnought. No doubt this colossus belongs to Thanos, triggering the events of Infinity War.
28. Thor: The Dark World
Teasing: Guardians of the Galaxy
What do you do when you have a dangerous alien thingamajig capable of mass destruction to which you know there are more out there? Perhaps hand it to one of the foremost experts in keeping an exotic collection, as Sif and Volstagg do with the Aether (AKA an Infinity Stone). They hand it over to none other than The Collector, looking for the other five alongside the Aether.
27. Ant-Man
Teasing: Captain America: Civil War
In a clip from Civil War, Steve and Falcon discuss their circumstances and realize they need a team. Falcon remembers a guy who might help – specifically the tiny guy who grounded him. Said tiny guy, Scott Lang, who would later appear in the back of a van in Civil War.
26. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Teasing: Doctor Strange 3
We may have a while to wait until Doctor Strange 3, but at least we get a little teaser of what’s to come in Multiverse of Madness! As the credits roll, the scene is interrupted by Stephen Strange walking down the street, only to be stopped by a powerful looking woman named Clea (Charlize Theron) who invites him into a dimension. “You caused an incursion and we’re gonna fix it,” she tells him.
25. Ant-Man
Teasing: Ant-Man and The Wasp
After the flashy credits roll, the lights focus on a superhero suit built for a woman complete with dragonfly wings, with Henry Pym’s daughter Hope van Dyne learning about it from her father, who took a movie to realize she is a perfect fit for it. What a way to tease Hope’s debut as the Wasp in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
24. Black Widow
Teasing: Hawkeye
A more somber post-credit scene that ends up paving the way for the Disney Plus series, Hawkeye. Picking up after the events of Endgame, we see Yelena visiting Natasha’s gravestone. She’s soon interrupted by Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine who presents her with Yelena’s next target – Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, whom she believes is responsible for Natasha’s death. Interesting!
23. Eternals
Teasing: Blade
Right when we thought Dane Whitman was your regular boy next door, we learn in this post-credit scene that there is more than meets the eye to this young lad. Faced with an ancient weapon, Dane fights against taking hold of it as he hears a voice telling him, “Are you sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?”. Loyal fans will know that Dane is set to become the Black Knight, a warrior whose history contains a cursed weapon known as the Ebony Blade. And that voice he heard? Yes, it’s Blade himself.
22. Captain America: The First Avenger
Teasing: The Avengers
Fury appears yet again to an awakened and frustrated Captain America. As a soldier, Steve can tell what Fury is visiting him for and that’s a mission. The mission? We get a 30-second trailer for The Avengers. That’s quite the briefing, Captain. And quite the marketing gag, Marvel!
21. Doctor Strange
Teasing: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
In one of the two Doctor Strange post-credit scenes, we return to Pangborn’s workshop to see a hooded figure pay interest to the man who gave Strange the first breadcrumb. When asked how he can help, the figure reveals himself to be Mordo, who’s got an idea how to fix the world for it to make sense – “too many sorcerers” before stealing the magic keeping Pangborn’s legs working. A dark and menacing teaser for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
20. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Teasing: Venom vs. Spider-Man
We enjoyed this mid-credits scene after No Way Home simply because it links Eddie Brock (AKA Venom) to the MCU. Spidey’s epic comic-book villain is seen being briefed in a bar about all the goings-on in the MCU including Iron Man, Thanos, and Spider-Man. Just when he shows interest in Spidey, the villain gets zapped back into his universe, leaving a drop of Venom symbiote goo behind. Will we get a showdown between these two arch-enemies?
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19. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Teasing: Adam Warlock
A defeated Ayesha, her pride beyond recovery, is staring at her finest work. When an assistant asks her what it is, we discover her focus to be on a really fancy looking cocoon. One word of a name tells us a lot – Adam, as in Adam Warlock, a really powerful evil guy who’s about to make an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s been a long time coming since we got a Guardians movie, so this scene remains a real treat.
18. The Incredible Hulk
Teasing: The Avengers
Tony visits a beaten and defeated General Ross, who has been pursuing the Hulk. He comes in like the showman that is Anthony Edward Stark and goes on to tell Ross that “we’re putting a team together”, hence the Avengers. Only it’s not Ross that Tony wants, it’s the thing Ross is after. This scene also acts as the seed for the connection the two have in Civil War. Back in 2008, it was thrilling for fans to see a direct connection between two Marvel movies.
17. Guardians of the Galaxy
Teasing: Howard the Duck
In another great post-credit scene after GotG, the Collector gets a friendly greeting by Cosmo the Space Dog and the voice of none other than Howard the Duck finds it gross. This is serious guts for Marvel, as Howard’s last foray into the world of cinema was something of a Clone Saga-sized train wreck. So suggesting “yes, we’re bringing him in” is a big bold move for Marvel, but a hilarious one, too.
16. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Teasing: Nick Fury reveal
Spoiler alert! Turns out, Nick Fury and Maria Hill were Skrulls the whole time in Far From Home! And well, the real Fury is somewhere on a beach, sipping out of a coconut. This was the post-credit twist we didn’t see coming at all and it sort of paves way for the Disney Plus series Secret Invasion.
15. Black Panther
Teasing: Future prospects
The first Black Panther mid-credits scene has T’Challa arrive in style at the UN offices in New York. He gives a very heartfelt speech about how it is time for Wakanda to end its tradition of isolation and share its wonders. Because the best way to solve problems is to build bridges rather than raise them. Bravo on your words, your majesty!
14. Captain Marvel
Teasing: Avengers: Endgame
The end of Captain Marvel saw Steve Rogers and Black Widow checking out the infamous pager we saw at the end of Infinity War – finally a glimpse at what happened following the dreaded events of that film. Just when Black Widow asks, “I want to know who’s on the end of that thing,” Captain Marvel appears, looking pretty annoyed. “Where’s Fury?” she asks and the scene cuts off. At the time, it was pretty much confirmed that Carol survived Thanos’ snap, and ready to help defeat the purple titan in Endgame.
13. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Teasing: Nothing really
After seeing them teased as PSAs for high school kids throughout Homecoming, Marvel audiences were treated to their own Captain America Motivational Video about having “patience”. A hilarious one at that which congratulates and makes fun of fans who “patiently” anticipate the MCU’s tradition of mid-credit and after-credit scenes. Also despite how close to his old work the videos may be, it seems clear Steve isn’t enjoying them.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Teasing: Teen Groot
As if we didn’t get enough of Vin Diesel’s Groot-ism in the movie, the fourth sequence after the credits treats us to more with Groot as a bratty game-obsessed teenager. A really troublesome one too, who complains to his ‘dad’, Star Lord. He doesn’t divert from his usual vocabulary, but Peter can tell that Groot is calling him boring. Any scene containing the iconic tree is marked as a fave by us.
11. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Teasing: The original Guardians
Remember that Stallone cameo in GotG Vol.2? He plays Starhawk and as his ship flies though space, he says he loves getting the old team back together – Charlie-27 (a really tall guy), Martinex (a crystal guy), Mainframe (a robot head), Aleta Ogord (Starhawk’s wife, the long haired girl) and Krugarr (a lobster-red naga alien with magic) – this is an Easter Egg for none other than the original Guardians of the Galaxy from the comics.
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10. Doctor Strange
Teasing: Thor: Ragnarok
Like Civil War before it, we get a tease of what is to come via a snippet from the coming film. This time, it is Thor filling Doctor Strange in on recent goings on. We don’t get the full gist other than involving space, but Strange seems willing to help. He even refills Thor’s magically transformed tankard of beer, which was originally a cup of tea. Classic, funny Marvel.
9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Teasing: The Ten Rings
Like we said, we didn’t get many MCU connections in Shang-Chi, so this post-credit scene made up for it in a big way. Shang-Chi and Katy meet the Avengers! Specifically, Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner as holograms. They meet to examine the Ten Rings, to which they discover are sending out some kind of signal. Mysterious, mysterious, indeed.
8. Ant-Man and the Wasp
Teasing: Avengers: Infinity War
Ant-Man and the Wasp’s mid-credits scene was a delightful connection to none other than Infinity War. Just as Scott, Hope, Janet, and Hank are messing around with the quantum tunnel, Scott shrinks himself only to lose contact with the others. We then see his point of view where Hope, Janet, and Hank are turned into nothing but ashes. It turns out this was the very moment Thanos clicked his fingers, decimating everyone into dust.
7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Teasing: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Although Hydra may be exposed as a parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D., this after-credits scene tells us it’s not over. It is here where the narrative builds up Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, who in the comics was Hydra’s real creator. With Loki’s scepter in his possession, we’re also introduced to the next movie’s antagonists, twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. S.H.I.E.L.D. is no longer a concern, the Avengers on the other hand…
6. The Avengers
Teasing: Nothing really
If you stuck around after The Avengers, there was one more after-credit scene, but his one doesn’t need much explanation. When Tony is revived, he mentions that he saw a Shawarma parlor during the battle. Wait until the end of the credits to witness the whole superhero team eating shawarma in a ruined diner. That’s honestly it really – six heroes having a celebratory dinner. But there’s something so refreshing and memorable about that.
5. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Teasing: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Picking up where Far From Home ended, we see Spider-Man watching a news clip depicting him as the city’s villain and even worse, his true identity being revealed – Peter Parker’s worst nightmare. Fans can’t help but wonder where things will go for Peter from here, as they would have to wait another few years to find out in No Way Home. This was a post-credit scene that certainly left viewers itching for more…
4. Avengers: Infinity War
Teasing: Captain Marvel
Witnessing our favorite heroes vanish following Thanos’ snap was heartbreaking enough, but this post-credit scene clarified the real chaos when Nick Fury gets caught up. It’s panic. Nick is only able to start sending a message when he disappears with a “mother-” (great cut-off, Disney). But give it some time and the message is sent, revealing the star and two-tone field of Captain Marvel on the pager – an exciting teaser for the superhero’s solo movie.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
Teasing: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
Groot was such a fun character in Guardians of the Galaxy, it broke hearts to see him sacrifice himself. But it did give us the adorable joy that is Baby Groot, who dances secretly to The Jackson 5’s I Want You Back in this legendary after-credits scene. Something that turned dancing Groot into a commercial, merchandised and memorable hero.
2. The Avengers
Teasing: Thanos
This was the first of mid-credit scenes in the MCU and the very first time we got introduced to Marvel’s big bad purple titan. After the invasion of New York failed, a mysterious alien, known as ‘The Other’, tells his leader (Thanos) that Loki failed and “to face [The Avengers] is to court Death.” Back then, you had to be a real comic-buff to recognize or even know Thanos. Either way, this was a tantalizing way to get the ball rolling.
1. Iron Man
Teasing: The entire MCU
The sequence that started it all, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tony Stark meets Nick Fury who tells him, “You’ve become part of a bigger universe.” Normally its Deadpool collapsing the Fourth Wall, because “you” could also mean the fans or the audience, who were about to genuinely discover something much, much bigger than a standalone movie.
That was some list! Are there anymore MCU end-credit scenes you think we might have missed? And how would you rank these clips? Let us know in the comments!
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This post was originally published in May 2018.
