I Can't Believe We Still Don’t Know When These 11 MCU Post-Credits Scenes Will Be Paid Off Years Later

Marvel Studios still hasn’t revealed when these eleven important post-credits scene teases will be paid off in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel established end-credits stingers as a central aspect of the MCU at the very beginning of the franchise, as 2008’s Iron Man ended with Nick Fury meeting Tony Stark and teasing the Avengers Initiative. Since then, Marvel has utilized mid and post-credits scenes to tie up loose ends, deliver a few extra laughs and set up future storylines, but this has also created some of Marvel’s biggest mysteries.

While post-credits scenes such as Phil Coulson finding Thor’s hammer, Hope van Dyne seeing her Wasp costume, Ayesha revealing Adam’s birthing pod and Captain Marvel meeting the Avengers, among others, have all been paid off, others haven’t been so lucky. Most of Marvel’s unresolved post-credits scenes are featured in the MCU’s more recent projects, such as Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Confusingly, there’s no sign of these eleven important post-credits teases getting resolved in the MCU just yet.

11

The Watchers Speak To Stan Lee

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee became well-known for making cameo appearances in every MCU project between Iron Man and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, with the latter marking a posthumous appearance. Stan Lee’s cameo in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 included a huge revelation, however, as he spoke to the Watchers in their live-action debut and referenced his appearance in Captain America: Civil War. This suggested that Stan Lee had been playing the same character in all of his cameo appearances, and Vol. 2’s post-credits scene could have stressed this.

In one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s five post-credits scenes, the Watchers walk away from Stan Lee, even though they were “supposed to be [his] lift home,” and he had “so many more stories.” Stan Lee continued to make cameo appearances in MCU projects following the 2017 sequel, but none of them referenced this revelation. Additionally, the Watchers have never reappeared in live-action, and their prominent role in the animated What If…? series didn’t mention their involvement with Stan Lee’s Marvel character, and it’s unclear if this will ever be heard of again.

10

The Council Of Kangs Promise War On The Multiverse

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Jonathan Majors’ arrest, conviction and firing from Marvel Studios in 2023 has left Kang the Conqueror’s future in live-action uncertain. Kang and his villainous variants were set up as the primary antagonists of the Multiverse Saga, but Majors’ removal from the MCU and replacement with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom means this is no longer the case. This means that the mid-credits scene of 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania now needs resolving, as the Council of Kangs teased their multiversal conquest that now has no ending in sight.

Majors appeared as Immortus, Rama-Tut, Centurion and many other Kang variants in Quantumania’s mid-credits scene, setting up the storyline for the then-тιтled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Now that the Multiverse Saga is heading into Avengers: Doomsday, the impact of Quantumania’s mid-credits scene may now be felt in the MCU. It would be great to see the Council of Kangs dealt with somehow, or see Kang and his variants recast so they can pose a threat in the future, but there’s no sign of this happening in the foreseeable future.

9

Jake Lockley Murders Arthur Harrow

Moon Knight (2022)

Ever since 2022’s Moon Knight came to an end, there have been calls for the popular series to get a second season, especially since the post-credits scene of episode 6, “Gods and Monsters,” introduced Marc Spector’s other alter. The existence of the violent and unhinged Jake Lockley had been teased throughout Moon Knight, but it wasn’t until the post-credits scene that he made his official debut. This scene saw him murder Arthur Harrow, the avatar of Ammit, whom Spector and Steven Grant had previously elected to spare.

Interestingly, Jake Lockley was also revealed to have a separate deal with Khonshu that allowed the Egyptian God of the Moon to still be connected to Marc Spector. Spector and Grant had relinquished their bond with Khonshu, but Lockley’s connection to him means he can continue to operate as Moon Knight. This scene perfectly set up Moon Knight season 2, but Marvel Studios still hasn’t confirmed whether this follow-up season will be developed, or indeed when Oscar Isaac will return to the MCU in any capacity, which is seriously worrying.

Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)

Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of the most successful and popular projects released in Phase 4, yet the movie has been all but ignored by Marvel since its release in September 2021. While there’s currently no sign of Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi returning to the MCU, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ mid-credits scene is also yet to be addressed. Shang-Chi and Katy were collected by Wong, the MCU’s Sorcerer Supreme, who, along with Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, had been investigating a mysterious beacon being sent by Shang-Chi’s bracelets.

It was great to see Shang-Chi be introduced to some of the MCU’s most powerful and important heroes in his debut project, but this scene hasn’t yet been paid off. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings could have teased Shang-Chi’s prominent involvement in the MCU’s upcoming Avengers movies, but this hasn’t been confirmed. Theories also suggested the ten rings’ beacon was signaling a Kang variant, but following Jonathan Majors’ removal from the MCU, it’s unclear if this will ever be addressed again, which would be a dire shame.

7

The New Guardians Of The Galaxy Team Team-Up For The First Time

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marked James Gunn’s final project with Marvel Studios before he departed to become co-CEO of DC Studios, which meant that the trilogy-capper was incredibly emotional. While many expected at least one member of the Guardians of the Galaxy to meet their demise, it was surprising to see that this didn’t happen, though the original team still ended up parting ways. This allowed a new line-up of Guardians of the Galaxy to debut in the movie’s post-credits scene, but it’s uncertain what the future holds for this new cosmic team.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s mid-credits scene, Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, Blurp and Phyla teamed up as the new Guardians of the Galaxy team. The group task themselves with protecting Krylorians, and tease many more exciting adventures for the future, but there has been no word from Marvel Comics on when this new Guardians of the Galaxy team will return to the MCU. It would be fantastic to see them return, as the Guardians could continue to by central to the MCU’s cosmic storylines, but it’s unclear when or if this will happen.

6

Eros & Pip The Troll Arrive To Help The Eternals

Eternals (2021)

When he appeared in Eternals’ mid-credits scene, Harry Styles was expected to have a bright future in the MCU as Eros, a.k.a. Starfox, the Eternal brother of the Mad тιтan, Thanos. Eros debuted alongside Patton Oswalt’s Pip the Troll to meet Makkari, Thena and Druig aboard the Domo and offer to help them find their missing friends, who had been taken from Earth by the Celestial Arishem. Eternals received a lot of criticism following its release, which has prompted Marvel to all but ignore Chloé Zhao’s 2021 movie, which throws Harry Styles’ MCU future into jeopardy.

Eternals has received some retrospective praise, which could give Marvel the perfect opportunity to finally pay off Eternals’ mid-credits tease. Josh Brolin has also teased Thanos’ return to the MCU, and it would be brilliant to see this come to fruition alongside his brother, Eros. This could explore some of Thanos’ unseen backstory and make the Eternals’ existence even more important to the MCU, though it’s unclear when this could happen, and there has been no word from Marvel Studios about whether Harry Styles and Patton Oswalt will reprise their roles.

5

Blade Meets Dane Whitman

Eternals (2021)

It isn’t only Eternals’ mid-credits scene that Marvel has seemingly ignored, but the movie’s post-credits scene also doesn’t have any resolution in sight. As well as introducing the ten тιтular cosmic characters to the MCU, Eternals also debuted Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, the man destined to wield the Ebony Blade and become the MCU’s Black Knight. Eternals teased this evolution for Harington’s character in the MCU, and the post-credits scene hinted at this being paid off in Marvel Studios’ Blade reboot, as Mahershala Ali made his official debut with a voice cameo to question whether Whitman is “ready.”

Eternals’ post-credits scene suggested that Kit Harington would return alongside Mahershala Ali in Blade. Harington was soon reported to not be involved in Blade, however, and the reboot’s tumultuous production period has since thrown the entire project in jeopardy. Many are desperate to see Mahershala Ali’s Blade come to life in the MCU, and it would make sense for Dane Whitman to emerge as the Black Knight in Ali’s debut solo MCU movie, but it’s unknown when, or even if, Blade will actually release, which is concerning.

4

Binary & Beast Care For Monica Rambeau

The Marvels (2023)

Although it was a box office bomb, 2023’s The Marvels was still an enjoyable adventure that pushed forward the Multiverse Saga in one exciting way: by trapping Monica Rambeau in an alternate universe. The Marvels’ post-credits scene picked up after Teyonah Parris’ WandaVision hero became trapped in a parallel world, where she woke up in the laboratories beneath Xavier’s School, and met variants of Kelsey Grammer’s Beast and Lashana Lynch’s Binary. Seeing Grammer return as Beast was hugely exciting, but it’s unclear when or if he’ll return.

Marvel Studios gained the rights to mutants and the X-Men after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox was finalized in 2019, but the process of introducing mutants to the MCU has been painfully slow. Only two have been confirmed in the MCU’s main continuity, though Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Marvels and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine have featured mutants from other realities. This is incredibly exciting, but Marvel has still made no moves to bring Monica Rambeau back to her home universe or reveal which version of the X-Men she met.

3

Clea & Doctor Strange Leave To Stop An Incursion

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

Sam Raimi’s MCU debut saw him take Doctor Strange across the multiverse in Phase 4, and his use of the Darkhold and his interaction with his variants caused him to grow a mysterious third eye at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He quickly adjusted to this development, however, as Multiverse of Madness’ mid-credits scene saw Strange embrace his third eye when met in the street by Charlize Theron’s Clea, a sorceress from the Dark Dimension. Clea warned that Strange had caused an incursion, and recruited him to help her stop it.

It seems as though this post-credits scene will be addressed in the MCU’s upcoming Doctor Strange 3, or perhaps even hinted at in Avengers: Doomsday, but Marvel Studios hasn’t yet confirmed Clea’s involvement in either project. It would be fantastic to see Charlize Theron return to the MCU, given her star power and superhero project experience, while she could also be a formidable romantic interest to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Master of the Mystic Arts. The idea of Strange having caused an incursion will also surely be crucial to Avengers: Secret Wars, but only time will tell.

2

Toussaint, A.K.A. Prince T’Challa, Meets His Aunt Shuri

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a hugely emotional memorial movie to the late Chadwick Boseman, and this was never more evident as it was during the movie’s mid-credits scene. After Shuri’s battle against Namor as the MCU’s new Black Panther, she decided to travel to Haiti to carry out the ceremonial burning of her funeral garments, finally saying goodbye to her deceased brother, T’Challa. During Wakanda Forever’s mid-credits scene, however, Nakia met her on the beach with her and T’Challa’s secret son, Divine Love Konadu-Sun’s Toussaint, a.k.a. Prince T’Challa.

Amid speculation of T’Challa being recast and the Black Panther being reinvented in the MCU, there are also theories that Toussaint will be a central character in Ryan Coogler’s upcoming Black Panther 3. The young T’Challa could perhaps be aged up, allowing him to be teased as a future Black Panther and perhaps even as a Young Avenger. Nothing is yet known about Black Panther 3, however, except for Denzel Washington’s involvement, so it’s unclear whether Toussaint and Nakia will return, though this would be a great way to continue Chadwick Boseman’s legacy.

1

Hercules Vows To Bring Down Thor

Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder became one of the MCU’s most divisive installments after its release in July 2022, which has left Chris Hemsworth’s future in the MCU uncertain. It’s very likely he’ll be returning as the God of Thunder in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, and there has also been speculation about a possible Thor 5 in the MCU, which would present an opportunity for Thor: Love and Thunder’s mid-credits scene to be addressed. This scene saw Russell Crowe’s Zeus command his son, Brett Goldstein’s Hercules, to fight Thor and make the true Gods relevant again.

Hercules’ debut in Thor: Love and Thunder is very exciting for die-hard Marvel Comics fans. Hercules is one of Marvel’s most powerful and prominent heroes, a steadfast member of the Avengers, and even the Hulk’s worthy replacement after the World War Hulk event. However, there has been no word on Brett Goldstein’s return to the MCU as Hercules, which makes us worried that Marvel will just ignore his introduction altogether. Any number of upcoming projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could address this tease, and there are hopes that Hercules will play a key role in the franchise’s future.

Upcoming MCU Movies

Thunderbolts*

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May 2, 2025

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The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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July 25, 2025

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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

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Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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July 24, 2026

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Avengers: Secret Wars

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May 7, 2027

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