Spoilers for Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.
The post-credits scene has become an integral part of the MCU experience both in movies and television, with the brief scenes sometimes providing a moment of levity or intrigue to cap off the experience of the story. In many cases, the scenes are critically important not just to the individual movie but the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Some of the most important post-credits scenes in the MCU tease major mysteries or villains or introduces concepts that will pay off in major ways in future projects. The timeline for these payoffs varies, with the true impact of some developments yet to be realized on screen, making some scenes all the more important in the greater MCU structure.
10 Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
The mid-credits scene in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was fantastic for a number of reasons. One of the most important is the teasing of a major mystery that is likely to have major impacts on the larger MCU in the future: where did the Ten Rings come from?
There are many theories on the origin of the Ten Rings that are possible, but most intriguing is the way the scene debunks obvious ones. Captain Marvel makes an appearance to throw out a cosmic origin, Wong dismisses magic, and Bruce Banner disqualifies a worldly one. Wherever they come from, it's bound to be consequential.
9 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier ended with a massively important post-credits scene. By introducing Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, the movie throws open the door to what fans now realize is even bigger than they thought.
Wanda is now the all-powerful Scarlet Witch, a key player in the expansion of the multiverse expanding into other movie franchises (even if Evan Peters turned out not to be the Fox X-Men Quicksilver). The importance of these two characters to the immediate future of the MCU and beyond the present day, especially Wanda, can't be overstated.
8 Iron Man 2
As important as the introduction of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch was, the tease of Thor in Iron Man 2 was just as important. Agent Phil Coulson's discovery of Mjolnir, the mystical hammer of the God of Thunder in the post-credits scene is key in the early MCU.
At this point, the franchise is still slowly expanding after the great reception to the first Iron Man movie and the not-so-great reaction to The Incredible Hulk. This scene pushes things forward with the introduction of one of the foundational characters of the MCU, with tremendous consequences.
7 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a great example of a post-credits scene that has yet to pay off. The movie ends with the character of Ayesha intending to create "Him," a figure many fans have speculated to be Adam Warlock, who in Marvel Comics was originally known as Him and similarly emerged from a cocoon.
The scene hasn't produced major results yet, mostly due to the delay of the sequel to the movie, and maybe not even then. But given the fact that Adam Warlock is one of the most powerful cosmic beings in the Marvel Universe, it's likely he will appear on screen at some point.
6 Black Widow
The importance of Black Widow's post-credits scene is also yet to be fully understood. What is clear is that The Contessa is up to something in recruiting Yelena Belova to go after Hawkeye, which is bound to pay off in some way in that character's upcoming Disney+ streaming series.
She is also working behind the scenes with the U.S. Agent and seems to be assembling a team that some have speculated to be a form of either the Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers from the comics.
5 Black Panther
Black Panther ends with a post-credits scene with massive implications for the world of the MCU. T'Challa reveals the truth about Wakanda's resources to the world, which is bound to have immediate and profound ramifications for other nations.
The true impact of that revelation has yet to be explored, mostly because of the massive interruption of The Snap, but will likely be picked back up in the upcoming Black Panther sequel due for 2022 as well as the World Of Wakanda streaming series from Disney+.
4 Spider-Man: Far From Home
Spider-Man: Far From Home is enormously consequential for Spider-Man and could be for the rest of the MUC in ways that aren't immediately obvious. The doctored allegation that Spider-Man killed Mysterio has immediate ramifications for Peter Parker, but the appearance of J.K. Simmons as a version of J. Jonah Jameson has intriguing implications for the multiverse.
With the revelation that villains like Doctor Octopus and Electro from other Spider-Man movie franchises will appear, questions about Jameson loom large.
3 WandaVision
The post-credits scene in WandaVision has massive potential to affect the future of the MCU. Not only is the Scarlet Witch expanding her already considerable powers by learning the secrets of The Darkhold, but she also hears the voices of her children, who were to that point artifacts of her own magical ability.
The prospects for where her children are and who they could actually be tie into the larger multiverse of the MCU, but could also lead to much more mystical places. Fans will find out for sure in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where Wanda will return.
2 Avengers
One of the most significant moments in the MCU occurs in the post-credits scene of 2012's first Avengers movie. The consequences of this revelation were truly cosmic. Thanos would emerge as the Big Bad of the first era of the MCU, assembling the Infinity Gauntlet and snapping half of all life out of existence.
This quick tease promised a great deal that was paid off in epic ways and became an architectural part of the entire franchise. Ever since, the post-credits scene has taken on even more importance in the MCU.
1 Iron Man
The most important post-credits scene of all time in the MCU is the first, which occurs at the end of Iron Man in 2008. When Nick Fury steps out of the shadows of Tony Stark's apartment and speaks about the Avengers Initiative, he sets off a chain reaction that would result in the entire franchise as fans know it today.
It was a bold move by a series that had little assurance of success, and certainly not the success it's had. Many franchises emulated this storytelling device, without the same results, making this scene and everything it resulted in even more special.
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September 24, 2021 at 02:00AM
