Marvel post-credits: the best, the funniest, and the confusing ones explained

When the film finishes, some people leave while others sit through 10 minutes of credits. They do it to see a few little nuggets that could hint at the next part of the story. Sometimes it's just a silly joke and leads to nothing. But the die-hard Marvel fans are hooked on the post-credits scenes and here is why.

Photo: Marvel

Who would have thought, when Iron Man first came out, that Marvel would become such an important part of American cinema? 'Iron Man' was the beginning of a very big snowball. And this was the moment the post-credits scene became legendary.

Photo: Marvel

In the post-credits scene, Tony goes home to find a mysterious figure waiting for him. The man was, as comic book fans recognised, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury. The rest is history.

Photo: Marvel

After settling into life as a master of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Dr Strange receives a guest. This is not just any guest… but Thor himself, who has brought Loki to Earth to find their father.

Photo: Marvel

The reference to Loki and Odin picks up where 'Thor: The Dark World' leaves off, so it combines the two films and ties the MCU together very nicely. And we get to see Thor.

Photo: Marvel

At the end of the series, ‘Hawkeye’, Clint is transported back to the theatre where he was watching the appalling ‘Avengers: The Musical’. We are made to sit through an entire over-the-top song (complete with energetic choreography) for over 2 minutes. Ten out of ten for effort.

Photo: Marvel

We feel for Clint for having to endure this horrific musical event. Nevertheless, if you watch it over and over, it does become kind of catchy...

Photo: Marvel

The post-credits scene for 'Iron Man 3' is also just a bit of fun. Tony is narrating and it turns out that his narration was a therapy session with Dr. Bruce Banner (aka Hulk). The Dr. has slept through almost the whole thing.

Photo: Marvel

In his defense Dr, Banner never claimed to have a doctorate of Psychology, but what a show that would be!

Photo: Marvel

Part of the hype around the Marvel post-credits scenes is the faces they introduce for the next part of the story. The scene at the end of 'Ant-Man' is one of the biggest examples of this phenomenon.

Photo: Marvel

Hank tells his daughter Hope that power must always be in the right hands. We see him open a vault door to reveal the Wasp suit. Having initially thought this was for his wife, he reveals it was actually made for Hope, giving us the birth of The Wasp.

Photo: Marvel

Truly a favorite post-credits scene of many fans. After saving the world, Peter is taking MJ for a swing through the streets of New York when J. Jonah Jamison releases Mysterio's dying message.

Photo: Marvel

Not only does he blame Spiderman for the death of Mysterio, but he also outs Peter as the web-slinger. It was a perfect end, leaving audiences desperate to know what would happen next.

Photo: Marvel

It is a difficult time for both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra as Steve Rogers discovers that his best friend Bucky is still alive. The plot thickens in 'The Winter Soldier's mid-credits scene when we discover that Hydra has been hiding a powerful secret…

Photo: Marvel

We see two test subjects in a cell who have been enhanced by exposure to Loki's power: Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. We didn’t see that coming! But it makes for an exciting next instalment knowing the bad guys have Loki's superhuman powers too.

Photo: Marvel

'Ant-Man and the Wasp' came out shortly after 'Infinity War', so audiences went into it knowing that Thanos’s snap, which erases half the living things in the universe, was going to figure somehow.

Photo: Marvel

Then right at the end, Scott enters the Quantum Realm in order to collect a sample of special energy. As we leave the Quantum Realm - and the camera returns to Earth - Hank, Janet, and Hope have all been turned to dust before they can return Scott home. It also hits home the effects of Thanos' snap and shows who else is gone... leading us perfectly up to 'Endgame'. In fact, if you missed this post-credits scene, you actually missed an important chunk of the story.

Photo: Marvel

In 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law', Jen Walters has a strange theory that Captain America died a v1rgin. At the end of the first episode, she's drunkenly crying to Bruce about how sad that is, so Bruce reluctantly spills the beans. He tells her that Steve hooked up with a woman during the 1940 USO tour.

Photo: Marvel

Then, the mischievous Jen, reveals that she wasn’t drunk after all. She raises her hands to the sky and yells. “CAPTAIN AMERICA FUUUU—” before the scene ends and cuts her off. Introducing us to a part of Jen’s character we haven’t seen before... and also making us happy for Captain America’s 40’s fling, of course.

Photo: Marvel

Another silly but very popular post-credit scene was the instant hit when 'Multiverse of Madness' premiered. A pizza ball vendor from Earth-838, Pizza Poppa, has a grudge against Dr Strange and America, who steal a bowl of pizza balls and won’t give them back. When Pizza Poppa goes to punch Dr Strange, he casts a spell on him that makes him beat himself up continuously.

Photo: Marvel

In the previous post-credits scene fort this film, the spell finally wears off, and a much relieved Pizza Poppa looks at the camera and says, “It’s over!” Just like the movie’s over! Go home, audience! It ended the film on a beautifully funny note but this was replaced with a post-credits scene showing Charlize Theron opening a portal and taking Strange to unexpected worlds...

Another humorous post-credit scene where the battered and bruised heroes are like normal people, relaxing and eating. All with a touch of dry humour.

Photo: Marvel

It finishes off the first film beautifully as our heroes say nothing to each other they sit and just tiredly eat. No nuggets needed, just pure tired heroes!

Photo: Marvel

Marvel fans have been waiting years for the X-Men to join the MCU, but licensing issues have kept the mutants out of that particular universe so far. But wait. In 'The Marvels' mid-credits scene, we finally get the crossover we’ve been desperately waiting for.

Photo: Marvel

Monica Rambeau, after getting trapped in a parallel universe, wakes up in a hospital room. She’s greeted by her mother, Maria Rambeau. Kelsey Grammer is there, reprising the role of Beast from the X-Men movies and it looks as if Marvel fans will get some form of crossover, that they have long been waiting for.

Photo: Marvel

This post-credits Marvel scene is not a cliffhanger moment, but instead, a beautiful and moving tribute to Black Panther and Chadwick Boseman.

Photo: Marvel

Shuri meets T’challa’s son who was raised in secret allowing the movie to end on a hopeful note, looking toward the future while honouring the memory of T’Challa. And opening the door for Black Panther to return to the MCU and hopefully the new Avengers.

Photo: Marvel

The post-credits scenes rarely throw new characters at us so, what a great surprise to be introduced to Taneleer Tivan (aka The Collector) who has the responsibility of guarding an Infinity Stone.

Photo: Marvel

This is such a great character played brilliantly by Benicio Del Toro, we just wish we got to see more of him in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'. This doesn’t seem to be the end of the character, however, now that we know he survived Thanos' attack and sold Knowhere to the Guardians of the Galaxy...

Photo: Marvel