Marvel’s post-credits scenes have been a staple of the MCU since its inception, but Phase 4’s stingers are causing some problems. The post-credits scenes in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals can have an adverse effect as well.
Marvel wasn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to employ an after-credits stinger. The sheer number of them and how they built the groundwork for the future made them a big selling feature of each picture. Building out the interconnectivity from film to film and phase to phase. It began with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury appearing from the shadows to speak with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)
It has grown in complexity throughout time, ranging from post-credits scenes that set up the following film to those that helped form the entire Infinity Saga. So far, Avengers: Endgame is the only MCU film that lacks a post-credits scene. It is emphasising its role as the “end” of that journey and plot, but other films have taken up the torch. So far, the three MCU Phase 4 films have produced five distinct credits scenes. Unfortunately, some of them are posing new issues for the MCU. That is either because what they’re establishing isn’t as apparent or, in many cases, because Marvel’s end-credits scenes are taking over the films themselves.
What is the hype about post-credits scenes?
Marvel’s post-credits scenes were crucial to what Kevin Feige and company were creating. They were especially appropriate for Phase 1 of the MCU and the build-up to The Avengers. Each film offered a new jigsaw piece. Whether it was Nick Fury’s recruitment campaign or neatly setting up the next film with a great tease of what to expect, such as Mjolnir in the desert. This was followed throughout Phases 2 and 3; whether it was a setup, a prank, or both. Marvel’s end-credits scenes accomplished all they set out to do. That is, the post-credits scenes teased the audience with a tantalising glimpse of what was to come.
Why is it difficult to continue with post-credits scenes?
The post-credits scenes in Avengers: Endgame was the most significant alteration to the MCU’s status quo. For the first time in a long time, the MCU’s future is a little hazy; while there’s a schedule of movies announced going into 2023 and more on the way, it’s not the same kind of single approach that defined the Infinity Saga. Added to that is the difficulty of going forward into Phase 4 of the MCU after Endgame, both as a terrific movie that encompassed practically everything great about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and as an era-defining (and concluding) exclamation point on what the MCU has done thus far.
How do credit scenes overcome movies?
The biggest problem with Marvel’s post-credits scenes in Phase 4 is that many of them feel bigger than the films they’re in. The MCU’s credits stingers have always been designed to build anticipation, but they used to feel much more balanced. This issue is arguably worse in Shang-Chi, the Legend of the Ten Rings, and The Eternals. Shang-Chi is a wonderful movie in its own right, with ties to the MCU’s history via Iron Man and Iron Man 3. It primarily stands on its own as something that stands out from the MCU throng and explores previously unknown and underrepresented corners of the cosmos.
However, Shang-mid-credits Chi’s scene brings in Bruce Banner and Captain Marvel. Setting up at least two different projects and, with the presence of two Avengers that has proven to be the biggest talking point of the entire film, overshadowing all of Shang-great Chi’s work and relationships with the likes of Wenwu and Katy.
This isn’t an entirely new issue for the MCU – Ant-Man and the Wasp is a film whose existence is largely justified by its post-credits scene – but it’s one where, in a Phase 4 movie slate that has so far felt underwhelming, the constant focus on selling the next big thing without being able to fully sell the current thing appears to be detrimental.