Once upon a time, Marvel Cinematic Universe post-credit scenes were guaranteed to go somewhere. Save for Nick Fury teasing The Avengers at the end of Iron Man (a whopping four years before that team-up movie hit theaters), they set up movies that would either be arriving next on the Marvel Studios release schedule or within the next year. Starting with Phase Four, though, the MCU began taking a radically different approach to these sequences. Suddenly, the MCU was teasing potential sequels and follow-ups that were years away and not even in development.
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This change was likely done to indicate to audiences that Avengers: Endgame was far from the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that there were countless stories to still witness in the years to come. In execution, though, this just left a deluge of dangling plot threads in the franchise. Below, let’s look at six MCU post-credit scenes that never went anywhere, bamboozling general moviegoers and comic book geeks alike in the process
Doctor Strange: Mordo’s Quest to End All Sorcerers
A rare pre-2021 MCU post-credit scene that never went anywhere, Doctor Strange’s post-credit scene sees Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) solidifying his transition into his evil comic book counterpart by paying a visit to Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt). Mordo saps Pangborn of the magic allowing him to walk again before declaring that he’s on a mission to eliminate “all wizards.” This clearly would’ve teed up Mordo as the big Loki-esque villain in a Doctor Strange sequel. However, the tormented development of what would become Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness eventually led to the Earth-616 version of Mordo never showing up again. Multiverse of Madness only made room for an alternate version of Mordo who was a member of The Illuminati.
It could’ve been worse for 616’s Mordo, though … originally Multiverse of Madness would’ve “paid off” this post-credit scene by showing 616’s Mordo getting beheaded by Wanda Maximoff.
Eternals: Enter Starfox (and Pip the Troll)
The Doctor Strange mid-credits scene took a previously standalone Marvel superhero and teased him interacting with famous Avenger Thor (in a Thor: Ragnarok clip), a clear sign this wizard was entering the wider MCU. Eternals, meanwhile, had a mid-credits scene that just plunged deeper into Eternals lore. Here, a trio of Eternals traveling out in space are suddenly greeted by Pip the Troll (Patton Oswalt) and Eros/Starfox (Harry Styles), the latter of whom is the brother of Thanos. Despite featuring a big pop star in its mid-credits scene, this tease of Eternals 2 never went anywhere or got referenced again in further MCU media. Don’t expect to see Styles again as Starfox anytime soon.
Eternals: Dane Whitman Contemplates a Sword
In Peter Parker’s first MCU appearance, it only took a few minutes for him to put on his Spider-Man suit. The same can be said for T’Challa/Black Panther’s Captain America: Civil War debut. Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel was only teased before her solo movie, with her insignia showing up on a pager in an Infinity War post-credits scene. Meanwhile, Eternals dedicated a shocking amount of screen time to boring supporting character Dane Whitman (Kit Harington), teasing his familial history and that he might have some secret abilities. These are all meant to set up obscure Marvel Comics superhero Black Knight, Whitman’s alter-ego.
In the Eternals post-credits scene, Whitman is shown contemplating whether or not he wants to pick up the ancient mystical sword that gives him his superpowers. Just as he’s about to place his fingers on it, Mahershala Ali as Blade (in off-screen dialogue) asks him if he really wants to pick that up. Despite all this setup, neither Whitman as Black Knight nor Ali’s Blade have ever shown up properly in subsequent MCU media.
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Moon Knight: Witness the Cruelty of Jake Lockley
Moon Knight eschewed almost all larger connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, even this standalone program couldn’t avoid a post-credits scene. In its series finale, a third identity (teased in previous episodes) for poor Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) is revealed in the form of the brutal Jake Lockley. This vicious guy (a clear favorite of the deity Khonshu) dispatches principal baddie Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) and is clearly meant to be a formidable threat in further Moon Knight adventures. The character has remained absent in the last three years of live-action MCU media, though, and it’s looking less and less likely Jake Lockley will ever get properly explored in this franchise.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Clea Arrives
One of Doctor Strange’s principal supporting players in the comics, Clea, finally made it into live-action with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ mid-credits scene. Played by Charlize Theron, Clea inspires Strange to travel with her to new adventures in the Dark Dimension. Getting an actor as beloved and acclaimed as Theron should’ve suggested Clea would immediately become a major MCU player. Instead, Clea’s been M.I.A. since her debut appearance. Maybe the Dark Dimension gobbled her up?
Thor: Love and Thunder: Hercules is On a Mission
In 2008, even if you didn’t know who Nick Fury was, moviegoers stood at attention seeing the iconic Samuel L. Jackson step out of the shadows. Cut to 14 years later, and Thor: Love and Thunder’s mid-credits scene centered around an actor (Brett Goldstein) who’d only broken out on an Apple TV+ show two years earlier. If you didn’t know who the Marvel Comics version of Hercules was, Goldstein (though a talented performer and writer) wasn’t nearly famous enough to make the scene work as exciting on its own terms. Said scene saw Zeus (Russell Crowe) dispatching his son Hercules to take revenge on Thor and his friends. Despite this ominous threat, Hercules has never shown up again in the MCU. Maybe it’s best then that they didn’t waste a more high-profile and recognizable actor on Hercules.
Thor: Love and Thunder and the other films on this list are all now streaming on Disney+.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
