Thunderbolts* Director Reveals Scrapped Scene Would Confirm a Surprising Survivor

Marvel fans left wondering about the fate of a scene-stealing guinea pig featured in Thunderbolts* now have confirmation of its survival, thanks to director Jake Schreier. In a recent interview with Collider, Schreier revealed a planned post-credits scene, ultimately cut from the film, which showed the resilient rodent alive during the film’s chaotic climax. The guinea pig, rescued by Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) early in the movie from a lab targeted for destruction, became an unexpected fan-favorite, and its complete disappearance from the narrative after the opening sequence left many viewers asking questions about its fate. Schreier’s comments clear up that particular mystery and provide insight into the creative team’s ideas for capping off the Marvel Studios team-up film, before the Russo Brothers offered the final post-credits scene linking Thunderbolts* to Avengers: Doomsday.

“We had a whole different credit sequence that we were working on,” Schreier revealed. “We were doing a guinea pig going through a bunch of Void rooms because people do ask about the guinea pig.” This scrapped concept offers a fun alternative to the significant, universe-expanding tease that ultimately closed out the film, sending the guinea pig on a dangerous journey inside the twisted pocket dimensions conjured by the Void entity (Lewis Pullman, in which prisoners are forced to relive their most traumatic memories.

[RELATED: Thunderbolts* Is a Hit (But Will It Make Enough Money?)]

Instead of more guinea pig screen time, Thunderbolts‘ post-credits scene pivots hard towards the MCU’s future. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and filmed on the Doomsday set itself, the tag jumps forward roughly 14 months after the main film’s events. Inside the Watchtower (the former Avengers Tower), the newly christened New Avengers discuss their ongoing friction with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who’s also assembling his own team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Their discussion is interrupted by an alert signaling an “extra-dimensional ship” entering Earth’s atmosphere, revealed moments later, via satellite feed, to be the vessel belonging to the Fantastic Four, complete with their iconic logo. This scene directly tees up both The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the massive multiversal conflict anticipated in Avengers: Doomsday.

Thunderbolts* Strikes Gold with Critics and Audiences

Beyond the specific teases for the MCU’s future, Thunderbolts* secured a strong critical reception, earning an impressive 88% “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience reactions have proven even more glowing, reflected in a 95% audience score on the same platform and further cemented by a solid “A-” CinemaScore. Achieving this level of acclaim is a considerable win for Marvel Studios, particularly for a project centered on a team largely composed of characters previously seen in supporting roles.

Positive word-of-mouth is translating directly into encouraging financial returns. Thunderbolts* kicked off its run with a healthy $74 million domestic opening weekend, adding another $33 million to the haul the following week. This represents a drop of only around 55%, a significantly better hold than the 68% decline faced by Captain America: Brave New World. While its $272 million global box office is still insufficient to turn a profit, Thunderbolts* staying power might still make it a success.

Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters. The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives on July 25th, 2025, followed by Avengers: Doomsday on May 1st, 2026.

Would you like the scrapped guinea pig post-credits scene to be released somehow? Let us know in the comments!