Post-credits scenes are a recurring staple in the feature films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where a clip is shown during and/or after the ending credits. The clip usually foreshadows future films, resolves a plotline from the film, or provides comic relief.
Movies
Phase One
| Film | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Man | 
|
Tony Stark returns to his mansion late at night to find S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury there waiting for him. Fury informs Stark that there are more superheroes in the world besides him, and brings up the subject of the Avengers Initiative. |
| The Incredible Hulk | 
|
Disgraced after the incident with Emil Blonsky, Thaddeus Ross sulks in a bar. Intoxicated, he is greeted by Tony Stark, who tells him that a special team is being put together. |
| Iron Man 2 | 
|
Foreshadowing Thor, Phil Coulson arrives at a large crater in New Mexico, where a mysterious hammer has crashed. He quickly calls his superiors, informing them that he has found the object. |
| Thor | 
|
Dr. Erik Selvig is brought to a secret underground S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where he is greeted by Nick Fury. Fury shows him the Tesseract, which S.H.I.E.L.D. hopes to harness for world benefit. Fury asks Selvig to head its research, and Selvig, who is actually being controlled by Loki, agrees. |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | File:GH-00838 R-560x373.jpg | A cut-down scene from The Avengers plays, where Steve Rogers is hanging out at a gym in New York City, and is approached by Nick Fury who relays Rogers with an assignment with the fate of the world in jeopardy. |
| The Avengers | 
|
In a mid-credits scene, the Other informs his master, Thanos, of Loki's failure at procuring the Tesseract. When he brings up the subject of the Avengers, saying that challenging them would be like courting Death, Thanos smiles sadistically. |
|
On Iron Man's suggestion, the Avengers are all gathered at the Shawarma Palace following the Battle of New York. Beaten and exhausted from the battle, the Avengers eat in silence. |
Phase Two
| Film | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Man 3 | 
|
Tony Stark tells Bruce Banner the story of his battle with Aldrich Killian. When he finishes, he realizes that Banner slept through most of it. Thinking nothing of it, Stark starts talking about more life experiences, much to Banner's chagrin. |
| Thor: The Dark World | 
|
In a mid-credits scene foreshadowing Guardians of the Galaxy, Sif and Volstagg arrive at the museum of Taneleer Tivan. They present Tivan with the contained Aether, not realizing that Tivan was already seeking it and the other Infinity Stones. |
|
Jane Foster and her colleagues are relaxing in Foster's flat, when a portal opens up on the flat's balcony. Foster runs out and finds Thor, and the two kiss. Elsewhere, a Jotunheim Beast accidentally brought to Earth by the Convergence runs amok, chasing birds through a warehouse. | |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 
|
In a mid-credits scene foreshadowing Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wolfgang von Strucker is seen in a secret facility, where various objects, including the Scepter, are being studied. Strucker stops at a pair of holding cells, where twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are contained. |
|
After the Battle at the Triskelion, the Winter Soldier arrives at a Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, when he sees information regarding Bucky Barnes, shedding some light on his past. | |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 
|
Groot, as a potted twig, dances to The Jackson 5 on the Milano while Drax the Destroyer sharpens his knife. When Drax looks behind him, Groot freezes, only to continue when Drax turns away. |
|
Taneleer Tivan sits in the remains of his museum on Knowhere, seemingly undaunted by the damage. As Cosmo licks his face, another of Tivan's specimens, Howard the Duck, mocks the Collector. | |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 
|
Thanos, tired of his pawns' constant failures in their attempts to acquire the Infinity Stones for him, retrieves an Infinity Gauntlet and declares that he will now hunt for the Stones himself. |
| Ant-Man | 
|
In a mid-credits scene foreshadowing Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hank Pym gives the Wasp Suit with wings to Hope van Dyne, and Hank explains to Hope what happened to Hope's mother Janet van Dyne. |
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A cut-down scene from Captain America: Civil War plays, where Captain America and Falcon have trapped the Winter Soldier to a remote location where his prosthetic arm is caught in a large vise. Captain America asks Falcon if he should call Iron Man, but he refuses. Then, Falcon says he knows whom to call, implying Ant-Man. |
Phase Three
| Film | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Captain America: Civil War | 
|
In a mid-credits scene foreshadowing Black Panther, T'Challa agrees to grant both Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes asylum in Wakanda until they can find a cure for the latter's brainwashing. |
|
Foreshadowing Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker examines his new Web-Shooters. When Aunt May asks him about his injuries, he tells her "Steve" and a "big guy" beat him up. She then leaves the room as his web-shooters emit a spider-shaped symbol. | |
| Doctor Strange | 
|
In a mid-credits scene foreshadowing Thor: Ragnarok, Thor meets with Doctor Strange and is asked why he brought Loki to New York City. Thor explains they are searching for their missing father Odin. Strange offers his help on the condition that they return to Asgard once this task has been accomplished. |
|
A vigilant Karl Mordo visits Jonathan Pangborn and strips him of the magic that cured his paraplegia, claiming he is doing so because there are "too many sorcerers". | |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 |
Kraglin Obfonteri tries to use the Yaka Arrow only to stab Drax in the shoulder, causing him to run off scared. | |
|
Stakar Ogord assembles a team consisting of Martinex, Charlie-27, his wife Aleta Ogord, Krugarr, and Mainframe. | ||
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Frustrated that the Guardians of the Galaxy escaped, Ayesha shows a cocoon to one of her priestesses and states that she is creating the perfect Sovereign in order to destroy the group. She decides to call him "Adam". | ||
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Peter Quill walks in on an adolescent Groot, who is playing a video game, and shows his disgust over the vines and leaves Groot has shed all over the room. | ||
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The Watchers walk away from their informant as he insists they stay and listen to his adventures. |
Behind the Scenes
- Kevin Feige started to place the post-credits scenes at the end of the Marvel movies partially because he wanted people to stick around and acknowledge the people who worked on the film. He was inspired by the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which caused Feige to watch the end of all credits for movies he saw when he was younger. In the post-credits scene of that movie, the titular character, portrayed by Matthew Broderick, breaks the fourth wall and tells the audience that the movie is over and they should go home.
- Although it is not set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the 2016 film Deadpool, also adapted from a Marvel character, has a post-credits scene parodying that in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, with Deadpool walking out to address the audience in a bathrobe. As with Ferris, this is not irregular for the character of Deadpool as he also breaks the fourth wall regularly. He even references the post-credits scenes of Iron Man and Thor by asking "Were you expecting Sam Jackson to show up with an eyepatch and a saucy little leather number?".
- Daredevil's episode Stick's scene where Stick talks with Stone about the recent events was originally set to be a post-credits scene, but this was changed and the scene was added to the end due to the way Netflix airs its episodes.