Top 10 Marvel Post Credits Scenes

In the olden days, people threw down their gauntlets to issue a challenge, but this powerful purple villain clearly subscribes to a more modern and more alien school of thought. Though sparsely seen in several films before in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos donning the Infinity Gauntlet marks a major turning point in the series, as it signifies the big bad gearing up to finally take a more active role in the forthcoming Infinity War. Short, simple, and to the point, this scene got us hyped once “Age of Ultron” had concluded.

Speaking of simple scenes… While not especially long or detailed, this after credits scene excellently sets up the introduction for one of the MCU’s biggest figures. The scene depicts Agent Phil Coulson driving through the New Mexico desert. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent then comes upon a large crater in the ground surrounded by many onlookers, at the center of which lies Mjolnir itself, the signature weapon of the mighty Thor. While fans now know which films are going to be coming out years in advance, this and other early MCU films were treasured sneak peeks of things to come.

The fact that Captain America’s old enemies had been growing within S.H.I.E.L.D. all along was quite shocking and makes “The Winter Soldier” a spy-thriller of a superhero film. This credit scene shows HYDRA’s surviving leaders regrouping, flaunting their possession of Loki’s scepter from “The Avengers,” and showing off the super powered twins they have held captive, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver – all of which plays an important role in the second “Avengers” film. HYDRA leader Baron Wolfgang von Strucker’s confident, menacing speech, along with the violent psychic outburst by Scarlet Witch, make this a scene that fits the darker tone of “The Winter Soldier” perfectly.

In this mid-credits scene, Lady Sif and Volstagg take the Aether, the resident MacGuffin of “Thor: The Dark World,” to Taneleer Tivan, better known as the Collector. Besides introducing the Collector and setting up his appearance in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the scene also reveals what many had suspected for some time – that several of the powerful artifacts introduced thus far in the MCU were in fact Infinity Stones, whose legendary cosmic powers are sought by many, especially Thanos. While the merits of the film it appears in are debatable, this piece is definitely one of the most pivotal parts of the “Marvel” puzzle.

“Iron Man 3” distinguishes itself from its predecessors in several ways. Besides the disturbing lack of AC/DC, the film is also narrated periodically by Tony Stark himself. However, it’s only in this after-credits scene that it’s revealed that Stark was not narrating directly to the audience, but rather to Bruce Banner, in a therapy style arrangement. Stark’s story is clearly better suited to a visual medium, though, as Banner fell asleep listening to it. Although Banner tries to tell Stark that he’s a different kind of doctor and that his temperament really doesn’t suit helping other people like that, Stark decides to keep talking anyway, rounding out this fun footnote for the film.

A lot of this film’s comedy is derived by pointing out and mocking superhero tropes, and the after-credits scene is no exception. Deadpool references Samuel L. Jackson and his propensity for appearing in other post credits scenes and also sets up his film’s sequel, albeit in a more blunt fashion than most movies in the MCU do. However, the true appeal of this scene is the fact that “Deadpool” isn’t parodying other “Marvel” films, but rather “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” an ‘80s movie with a similarly self-aware protagonist. “Oh…yeah…”

After the wild, magical ride that “Doctor Strange” took audiences on, we were all eager to see how magic would integrate into the MCU. As it turns out, we didn’t have to wait long to find out. In this quick scene, Thor and Dr. Stephen Strange discuss locating Thor’s father, Odin, along with Thor’s infamous adopted brother, Loki, setting up the plot for Thor’s third film. Thor’s refilling glass of beer also provides some nice comedy. Out of all the entries on our list, this scene may be the best at balancing plot advancement and humor.

Although mainstream audiences weren’t sure who the purple guy was at the time, this scene left hardcore Marvel fans needing a change of pants. After the defeat of the Chitauri army, it’s revealed that Loki was merely the servant of an even greater foe: Thanos, one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel universe. The guy is so strong he literally, not figuratively, wants to court the personification of Death! With the introduction of one character, the MCU took on a whole new scope. While “The Avengers” was a great culmination for all the MCU films to that point, this scene helps show that there are still new heights to be reached.

There were after credits scenes in films based on “Marvel” properties before “Iron Man,” but this is the one that kick-started the MCU. Nick Fury informs Tony Stark that he’s not the only superhero out there and tells him, and the audience, about the Avenger Initiative. While multi-superhero films had been done before, sort of, the idea of tying together multiple franchises to such a degree was practically unheard of prior to “Iron Man,” and it’s this scene that fired up a hype train that hasn’t shown signs of stopping any time soon.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Birth of Apocalypse

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014)


- Howard the Duck

“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)



- Captain America, Falcon, and the Winter Soldier

“Ant-Man” (2015)

Way to subvert expectations! Previous MCU films, along with the fangasm-inducing mid-credits scene with Thanos, had trained audiences to expect post credits scenes with some plot importance and set-up fodder. Writer/director Joss Whedon took a hilariously unexpected tact, however. Near the end of “The Avengers,” Tony Stark mentions during his post-near-death experience that there’s a nearby shawarma place he wants to try. So when the credits finally do end, Whedon shows our heroes in the half-destroyed shawarma restaurant. The scene’s lack of dialogue, along with the sounds of them eating and the employees cleaning up in the background, only adds to the comedy. This is one “Marvel” movie stinger for the ages.