From Iron Man 2 to The Marvels, 7 MCU Movies Where Post-Credit Scenes Stole the Spotlight From the Whole Film!

Recently, in what has been its weakest phase to date, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has faced one complaint after another as to why it is losing its sheen. Once the biggest movie franchise in the world, MCU has just recently delivered a major disappointment at the box office with The Marvels. Starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani in the lead, The Marvels scored the lowest box office opening for the franchise and is all set to be its biggest failure theatrically. The Marvels Box Office: From SAG-AFTRA Strike to Superhero Fatigue, 5 Reasons Why Brie Larson's Marvel Film is Failing Worldwide.

And yet, the film has been a talking point among the fans for its mid-credit scene. While we will talk about it ahead, what has become of it is that the particular sequence has now dominated most of the conversations regarding The Marvels, apart from Iman Vellani's delightful performance as Kamala Khan, and the implication of the same for MCU's future. The Marvels is not the only MCU film where the post-credit scenes become the bigger talking point than the movie itself.

In this feature, we look at seven such movies where the post-credit scenes stole the show from the main film.

Iron Man 2

The second film in the Iron Man trilogy is generally considered the weakest of the lot, though RDJ is quite in fine form, and it isn't as bad as some of the films in Phases 4 and 5. Iron Man 2 struggled when trying to fit itself into the MCU's expansion plans, often writing itself into a corner. Even though the first film had an iconic mid-credit scene that debuts Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury who name-drops Avengers Initiative, the sequel's post-credit scene teases Thor with a shot of Mjolnir, and that ruled the chatter of the fans over the movie.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

The second Ant-Man film, and the first of the trilogy to feature on the list, is a pretty decent heist film with some fun physics-defying moments. But since it followed Avengers: Infinity War, most of the film's main narrative proceedings felt like forgettable, harmless fun. However, it is the film's first post-credit scene that truly connects to the ending of Infinity War in a harrowing manner, as Hank Pym, Janet, and Hope get dusted while Scott Lang gets trapped in the Quantum Realm. After what has been a pretty easygoing film till then, this bleak mid-credit scene felt more like a sledgehammer to the gut and remains the most memorable part of the movie. The Marvels Movie Review: Iman Vellani Salvages The Show But This 'Mid' Marvel Film Can't Save MCU's Downslide.

Captain Marvel

Like with Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel also came between the releases of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. However, it had two benefits over the Ant-Man sequel. Firstly, it was the first solo female superhero film in the MCU, led by an actress fresh off her Oscar win for Room. Secondly, the end-credit scene of Infinity War sees Nick Fury paging Captain Marvel before he got dusted by Thanos' snap, and fans were curious to know how she would figure in the grand plan of rescuing the dusted humanity. While Captain Marvel as a film was a pretty decent superhero origin story, it is the mid-credit scene that got tongues wagging, as we see Carol Danvers return to Earth in present time, responding to Fury's pager, and meeting Captain America, Black Widow, Bruce Banner, and War Machine.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Spider-Man: Far From Home, like some other films on this list, is not a bad film at all. Tom Holland continues to rock as Peter Parker, the supporting cast is excellent, and Jake Gyllenhaal made for an enjoyable Mysterio. Still, it suffered from Endgame hangover and didn't achieve anything extraordinary with its screenplay. And then that mid-credit scene happened, and it remains one of the most shocking post-credit scenes in the MCU, if not the most. Not only does the scene mark the return of the great JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson, but also reveals to the world Mysterio's dying confession about Peter Parker being Spider-Man. The second post-credit scene is less impactful in comparison but shocking nonetheless, as it is revealed that 'Nick Fury' and 'Maria Hill' who we see in the movie are actually Skrulls, Talos and his wife Soren, while the real Fury is chilling somewhere on a space-station.

Eternals

Eternals is the first MCU film to get a 'Rotten' score on Rotten Tomatoes. It isn't badly made, but we can clearly sense that Choe Zhao's creative sensibilities are not fitting well with Marvel's crowd-pleasing narratives. The post-credit scenes, however, are a different matter. Especially the first one. Just two words. Harry Styles. Fans were shocked and surprised to see the youth icon drop in to meet Thena, Druig, and Makkari, playing Star-fox, heralded as the brother of Thanos. Then there is the second-credit scene that establishes Kit Harington's Dane Whitman is going to be Black Knight, while teasing Blade through Mahershala Ali's voice-cameo. It's another matter that none of the post-credit scenes have gotten a proper follow-up in the MCU till now. Eternals Movie Review: Chloe Zhao's Marvel Film Offers A Different MCU Experience, Until It Isn't!

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

For the writer of this article, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is easily the worst film he has seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It had ambitions, alright, setting up Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror as the MCU's next big bad after Thanos (although his variant already appeared in the final episode of Loki season 1). But the film couldn't back up those ambitions with its lacklustre writing, terrible visuals, and ordinary handling. The post-credit scenes felt slightly more exciting in comparison. The mid-credit scene teased the Council of Kangs, though the makeup and the CGI made fans troll it as a comic-con convention with Majors dressing up with whatever costumes he gets his hands on. The second scene was a sequence out of Loki season 2, featuring Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Owen Wilson's Mobius and them meeting Victor Timely, another Kang variant. Ant-Man and The Wasp – Quantumania Movie Review: Paul Rudd's Marvel Film is a Bland Adventure That Exists Only to Set up MCU’s Next Phase.

The Marvels

The Marvels ended with Kamala Khan meeting Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop and discussing the possibility of a Young Avengers team-up that might also include Kathryn Newton's Cassie Land. However, it is the film's one and only post-credit scene that left Marvel fans with their jaws dropping on the floors. During the climax of The Marvels, Monica Rambeau gets lost in an alternate reality while trying to close a breach. In the mid-credit scene, we see her wake in a mysterious lab where she finds her mother is alive, only that Maria Rambeau doesn't know who she is, and Maria is also Captain Marvel (or rather, Binary) in this reality. What's more, we also get to meet Kelsey Grammer's Beast, and the facility that Monica finds herself in turns out to be Professor X's lab! The X-Men are officially here!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2023 04:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).