10 Marvel Post-Credit Scenes That Actually Changed the MCU

“Well, I’ll give him another 20 minutes, but that’s it!” This was the final line uttered in the 1980 movie Airplane! for those who bothered to stick around for a post-credit scene featuring a disgruntled cabbie waiting for his passenger to return. Back in 1980, the idea of a motion picture having a post-credit scene was a total, albeit not unprecedented, rarity. Now, in the modern era, every superhero movie is expected to come with some kind of sequence providing a nod to future sequels. 2008‘s Iron Man helped popularize this sequence amongst 21st-century comic book movies.

Not every Marvel Cinematic Universe post- or mid-credit sequence has utterly changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever, as Eternals‘ Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington) can attest. However, at least ten of these scenes have proven incredibly impactful in the larger history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for many wildly varying reasons. Across over 15 years of cinematic storytelling, these post-credit scenes (presented below in chronological order) have captivated the imaginations of moviegoers and offered glimpses into exciting futures comic book geeks previously couldn’t even comprehend.

Nick Fury Meets Tony Stark (Iron Man)

The one that started it all. Iron Man rewarded viewers who stuck through the credits with a little nugget of a sequence featuring Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) intruding on Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) swanky Los Angeles home to introduce himself and tease out “a larger universe” that Stark was finally a part of. Closing out with the line “I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative,” this Iron Man sequence forever cemented post-credit scenes as a critical part of the Marvel Studios experience.

An Alien Object in New Mexico (Iron Man 2)

In the earliest days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were grave questions concerning whether or not Iron Man and Thor could co-exist in the same movie. What would that even look like? Iron Man 2’s post-credit scene offered a tease of that reality with Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) driving up to a dig site in New Mexico, calling up Fury to declare “we found it,” while the camera pulls back to reveal Mjölnir stuck in a crater. There it is, Thor’s hammer, firmly existing in an Iron Man movie. A clap of thunder inspires the sequence to cut to black, forever intertwining fantasy with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Introducing Thanos (The Avengers)

After all of the spectacle of The Avengers, how could a mid-credit sequence teasing out the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future hope to compete? The answer was in revealing who exactly gave Loki (Tom Hiddleston) his scepter and army in this feature. Enter: Thanos, the Mad Titan, who is revealed at the end of this sequence turning his head and grinning at the prospect of “[courting] death.” It was a striking introduction to this MCU baddie that tantalized even folks who’d never heard of Thanos before. Long before Josh Brolin was even cast as the character, Thanos left a mighty impression through this credit sequence.

“One Down…Five to Go.” (Thor: The Dark World)

Thor: The Dark World is regarded as one of the worst Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, but at least its mid-credit sequence is undeniably rocking and influential long-term on this franchise. Here, Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) and Sif (Jamie Alexander) meet up with The Collector (Benicio del Toro) to hand him The Aether, which turns out to be an Infinity Stone. Once they exit, The Collector verbally expresses his desire to collect all these Stones, thus setting the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame into motion.

Meet the Twins (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

There’s an interesting ambiance permeating Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s mid-credit scene. Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) is informed of the events of The Winter Soldiers by a subordinate and is surprisingly blase about everything. After all, he’s aware that HYDRA has unlocked incredible powers within Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). “It’s not a world of spies anymore, not even a world of heroes. This is the age of miracles, doctor,” Strucker observes. “There’s nothing more horrifying than a miracle.” S.H.I.E.LD. may be destroyed but this Winter Soldier sequence shows that the heroes of the MCU still don’t know what great adversaries lie in wait for them. No wonder Strucker is relaxed about Captain America’s victory.

Doctor Strange and Thor Have a Chat (Doctor Strange)

Doctor Strange is a mighty standalone entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, save for a closing mention of an Infinity Stone. However, the film’s mid-credit scene sees Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) sharing a chat with none other than The Mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), with the two conversing about tracking down Odin (Anthony Hopkins). It’s a fun sequence showing Strange adjusting to his role as a sorcerer, but more importantly, it demonstrates that this man and his mystical world are firmly part of the wider MCU. That becomes incredibly important in the next two Avengers movies and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, where Strange’s ties to grand Marvel lore become even tighter. First, though, there was this beer-soaked chat with Thor.

“Fine, I’ll Do It Myself.” (Avengers: Age of Ultron)

The Infinity Gauntlet that would prove so critical to Infinity War and Endgame made its proper debut (after a fake decoy showed up in the first Thor) in an Avengers: Age of Ultron mid-credit scene. Though a rushed little sequence conceptually, it does firmly establish an important prop for subsequent MCU movies while solidifying that Thanos is still out there, ready to be a more active to The Avengers.

[RELATED: Why Marvel is About to Have a Big Year in 2025]

Nick Fury Calling in for Backup (Avengers: Infinity War)

After three years of being M.I.A. from Marvel Studios movies, Nick Fury finally returned to the silver screen with an Infinity War post-credit sequence showing him and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) experiencing The Snap in real time as they both get dusted along with countless other nearby civilians. Before Fury’s demise, though, he reaches for a pager where he calls for backup. This scene culminates in the pager hitting the pavement and revealing the Captain Marvel insignia. The first appearance of this logo in the MCU establishes one of the most powerful and important heroes in the Infinity Saga.

Spider-Man’s Identity Gets Revealed (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Bringing back J.K. Simmons as a new incarnation of J. Jonah Jameson would’ve been enough to solidify Spider-Man: Far From Home’s mid-credit sequence a spot on this list. Even more exciting, though, is the scene’s final note, which sees Jameson revealing to the whole world that Spider-Man’s alter-ego is Peter Parker (Tom Holland). Framed for the death of supposed “hero” Quinten Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), this revelation upends Parker’s world and sets the stage for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Wanda Teasers Her Dark Side (WandaVision)

Most of the MCU TV shows have featured post-credit sequences that aren’t super consequential to the larger franchise. However, WandaVision’s final scene (coming after the credits of its series finale) did have ripple effects throughout the greater saga thanks to it depicting Wanda, in an isolated cabin, working her magic with that Darkhold book. Still craving the family she lost, Wanda Maximoff is clearly tampering with dark forces. This WandaVision post-credits sequence teases out Wanda becoming more nefarious, which would have severe consequences for all kinds of dimensions once Multiverse of Madness rolled around.

Valentina Has a Mission (Black Widow)

As a standalone credit sequence, Black Widow’s post-credits scene is a mess. It awkwardly oscillates from Yelena (Florence Pugh) bidding farewell to Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) at her grave to overt comedy and Disney+ TV show set-ups. However, it does undeniably have a profound impact on the larger MCU since this is the big-screen introduction of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) after she debuted in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Offering a mission to kill Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to Yelena, a key figure for Phase Four and Five of the MCU is established here, while the impending presence of Thunderbolts* is also solidified.