With the iconic post-credits scene found at the end of 2008's Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe cemented themselves as the franchise who popularized end-credits teases, setting up plot threads for future films. However, over the almost 17 years of Marvel Studios' reign over Hollywood, not every post-credits scene is considered to have much impact or meaning compared to the rest.
Sometimes, at the end of the film, if Marvel seemingly doesn't have something to tease,they'll throw in a more jokey after-credits gag, that really, at the end of the day, adds nothing to the overarching story. At times, they're actually quite funny, regardless of having no meaning, but other times they can just simply feel useless and like a waste of the studio's money.
10 The Grandmaster's Announcement
'Thor: Ragnarok' (2017)
Image via Marvel Studios
Thor: Ragnarok was a huge success for Marvel Studios. Some claim that the new direction for Thor (Chris Hemsworth) saved the character, but regardless of opinion, it killed it in reviews and at the box office. However, unfortunately, for those who stuck around the after-credits scenes, they were met with one that had no impact on anything.
As The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) crashes into the junkyards of Sakaar, he's met with the scavengers and goes on a short monologue, attempting to treat the revolution as nothing and calls it a "draw". Although everyone loves some good Jeff Goldblum, this scene is pointless, especially since The Grandmaster has yet to be seen again.
Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
Release Date November 3, 2017
Runtime 130 minutes
Writers Eric Pearson , Craig Kyle , Christopher L. Yost
9 Rogers: The Musical
'Hawkeye' (2021)
Image via Marvel Studios
Just because a post-credits scene is meaningless doesn't mean it's not fun. It's established in Hawkeye that after the Avengers' success against Thanos (Josh Brolin), Broadway decided to put on a musical adaption of the final battle from The Avengers. While Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) finds it off-putting, it's a pretty funny concept.
When Hawkeye wrapped up its first season, Marvel Studios treated audiences to a full, choreographed musical number for Rogers: The Musical. It's a hilarious after-credits bit, but, at the end of the day, it, unfortunately, doesn't add much to the Marvel Cinematic Universe besides a few laughs. Not to say that it shouldn't have been made, though, because it's still as fun as ever.
Your changes have been saved
Hawkeye
Series based on the Marvel Comics superhero Hawkeye, centering on the adventures of Young Avenger, Kate Bishop, who took on the role after the original Avenger, Clint Barton.
Release Date November 24, 2021
Creator Jonathan Igla
Seasons 1
Franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe
Characters By Stan Lee, Don Heck
Cinematographer James Whitaker, Eric Steelberg
Distributor Disney Platform Distribution
Main Characters Jack Duquesne, Yelena Belova, Kazy, Maya Lopez, Eleanor Bishop, William Lopez, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Kate Bishop
Production Company Marvel Studios
Sfx Supervisor Marc Banich
Writers Don Heck , Jonathan Igla
Number of Episodes 6
Streaming Service(s) Disney+
8 Antony Plays the Drums
'Ant-Man and the Wasp' (2018)
Image via Marvel Studios
After the success of Ant-Man, Marvel Studios decided to go bigger and funnier with the sequel's writing. Unfortunately for them, the sequel wasn't received nearly as well as the first. Ss audiences sat with a bad taste in their mouths as they watched through the credits, they were treated with an after-credits scene that simply featured Antony the Ant playing Scott Lang's (Paul Rudd) drum set.
While it's a fun reference to a joke made earlier in the film, it's a lot less funny than expected. The fact that the joke was already made earlier in the film makes it far less effective after the credits have rolled. All it did was leave audiences wondering exactly what the point was.
As Scott Lang balances being both a superhero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.
Writers Gabriel Ferrari , Erik Sommers , Andrew Barrer , Chris McKenna
Budget $130-195 Million
Studio(s) Marvel Studios
Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
7 Mac Gargan's Inquiry
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017)
Image via Marvel Studios
The post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming is a special case, given the fact that it's a scene that sets up a plot thread and, in theory, could have been meaningful. But, to many fans' dismay, Marvel Studios simply dropped it. They set up one of the biggest and best Spider-Man villains from the source material and decided never to follow up on it.
At this point, fans have been begging for years for Mac Gargan (Michael Mando) to make his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Scorpion. They've had almost eight years to do so, and it's yet to happen. It has left many wondering what the point of the scene was– introducing a whole new character only to never do anything with them.
Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.
Sequel(s) Spider-Man: Far from Home , Spider-Man: No Way Home
6 Peter's New Gadgets
'Captain America: Civil War' (2016)
Image via Marvel Studios
Captain America: Civil War had one after-credits scene that set a plot thread up for the future; Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) agreed to keep Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) hidden in Wakanda. The second one, however, while cool, doesn't do much for the character it features, Spider-Man (Tom Holland) at all. The scene depicts Peter Parker playing with his new gadgets from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), showcasing some new tech for the Wall-Crawler to use in the future.
Most notably, the fan favorite Spider-Signal is featured,which never makes a return afterward and, outside of that, just shows Peter being excited about his adventure. It's cute and harmless, but the tech he uses doesn't ever come back and, if it was never going to be used, why feature it? It's not that serious at the end of the day, though, as it's a simple piece of tech that's not super important.
Political involvement in the Avengers' affairs causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man.
Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Franchise(s) Marvel
5 Tony Stark Approaches Thunderbolt Ross
'The Incredible Hulk' (2008)
Image via Marvel Studios
The end of The Incredible Hulk initially had meaning, before said meaning was taken away by future films. The scene in which Tony Stark approaches Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) implies that he's part of recruiting and the founding of the Avengers Initiative. However, this is later disproven by future films that indicate that Stark had little-to-no part in the creation.
There's a very good chance that Marvel redirected their intentions with Stark's involvement in the future initiative. Regardless, it still makes the post-credits scene for Hulk (Edward Norton & Mark Ruffalo) feel pretty unnecessary in the grand scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government, must find a cure for the monster he turns into whenever he loses his temper.
Release Date June 13, 2008
Runtime 112 minutes
Writers Zak Penn , Stan Lee , Jack Kirby
Studio Universal Pictures, Marvel Studios
Tagline You'll like him when he's angry.
Franchise Marvel
4 "Fine, I'll Do it Myself."
'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015)
Image via Marvel Studios
It's a given that a film in The Avengers franchise should have some important post-credit scenes that make big steps in the unraveling of plot threads for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but when it comes to Avengers: Age of Ultron, the after-credits scene tried to do something big, but fell short. Attempting to follow up the post-credits tease of Thanos in The Avengers, the sequel doesn't do much to provide what people were looking for.
Featuring Thanos walking up to an empty Infinity Gauntlet and saying, "Fine, I'll do it myself," the end-credits clip does absolutely nothing to tease what's to come. People knew Thanos was coming, and they knew he was seeking the Infinity Stones for the Infinity Gauntlet, so... why show a scene like this? There's nothing new here.
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.
However, nothing of substance actually happens within the scene. Venom and Eddie are drunk and asking a bartender (Cristo Fernández) about the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, Eddie gets up to leave and is suddenly teleported back to his home universe. Truly, nothing happens in this scene and has nothing to do with any of the characters in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Your changes have been saved
Spider-Man: No Way Home
With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
Writers Chris McKenna , Erik Sommers , Stan Lee , Steve Ditko
Box Office 1.9 Billion
Budget $200 Million
Character(s) Peter Parker , MJ , Doctor Strange , Ned Leeds , Happy Hogan , Max Dillon , Norman Osborn , Dr. Otto Octavius , Wong , Flash Thompson , May Parker
2 Howard the Duck
'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014)
Image via Marvel Studios
When the Guardians visit the Collector (Benicio del Toro) and his collection, there are a ton of small Easter Eggs. One of said Easter Eggs is returned to in a post-credits scene where not much really happens. The Collector is getting licked by Cosmo the Dog and Howard the Duck (Seth Green) simply says, "Gross,"and takes a sip of his drink.
It's a fun little gag that is a nice treat for Marvel Comics fans, but doesn't do anything for the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it also makes the scene hard to be memorable at the end of the day. But people love Howard the Duck, so we can't argue with that.
Your changes have been saved
Guardians of the Galaxy
A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.
WritersJames Gunn , Nicole Perlman , Dan Abnett , Andy Lanning
Tagline
Website
1 "Patience Can Lead to Very Little."
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017)
Image via Marvel Studios
Spider-Man: Homecoming was, unfortunately, stuck with two post-credits scenes that felt absolutely meaningless. Unlike the previous one, though, in which Marvel Studios was legitimately trying to set something up for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this second after-credits gag was a total joke about how it was intentionally pointless.
However, rather than being an in-world message, this one was a video directed directly to the audience about patience and how it can sometimes lead to very little.
Bringing back the joke from earlier in the film in which Captain America (Chris Evans) was apparently a spokesperson in PSA videos at some point after The Avengers. However, rather than being an in-world message, this one was a video directed directly to the audience about patience and how it can sometimes lead to very little. It insinuates that the viewers' wait for the post-credits scene was meaningless.
Custom Image by Zanda Rice
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
.jpg)
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
Image via Marvel Studios 
English (US) ·