The epic tease in a direct Thunderbolts* sequel, it tells a self-contained story where every character gets their time to shine, delivers creative action scenes, and shakes up the MCU formula at the best time for Marvel's projects.

After every member of the titular team survives the Void and contain Bob Reynolds' Void entity, Thunderbolts* ends with a major reveal that Val has christened them "the New Avengers." However, that's not Thunderbolts*' final twist, as Marvel Studios delivers multiple other reveals after the Thunderbolts* credits. Apart from heightening anticipation for The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday, Thunderbolts*' final surprises leave dozens of MCU post-credits scenes in the dust.

Even The MCU Has Joked About Its Trend Of Having Unimportant Post-Credits Scenes

Not All MCU Post-Credits Scenes Have Fulfilled Their Original Purpose

Marvel Studios' Phase 1 popularized post-credits scenes in the MCU, with thrilling teases such as Nick Fury’s debut in Iron Man, Mjölnir’s discovery in Iron Man 2, and the reveal of the Avengers Initiative in Captain America: The First Avenger. These scenes created a sense of momentum across the MCU. However, as the franchise grew, some of the MCU's 50+ post-credits scenes felt more like contractual obligations than meaningful set-ups. Iron Man 3, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are some of the movies that opted for throwaway gags in at least one of their credits scenes.

Thunderbolts Yelena John Walker and Red Guardian Custom MCU Image
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By Phase 3, the MCU’s throwaway post-credits scene problem became apparent. Spider-Man: Homecoming directly acknowledged this with a tongue-in-cheek PSA from Captain America, who advised high school students about the value of patience in situations where they find themselves waiting "so long for something so disappointing." Since then, MCU post-credits scenes have continued to be hit-or-miss. Some have hinted at future developments that never materialized, like Eternals' two post-credits teases; while others were seemingly abandoned altogether, such as Eddie Brock and Venom's cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Thunderbolts* Has One Of The Biggest MCU Post-Credits Scenes In Years

Thunderbolts*' Post-Credits Scene Is As Momentous As Those Of Iron Man and The Avengers

Red Guardian, John Walker, Yelena Belova, Ghost, and Bucky From Thunderbolts Looking Up at the Void in the Sky

Thunderbolts* wastes no time in setting up the MCU's next events. Thunderbolts*' post-credits scene also hints at The Fantastic Four: First Steps' ending and sets the stage for the Fantastic Four's arrival in Avengers: Doomsday.

Thunderbolts*' post-credits scene is perhaps the most complete credits tease in MCU history. In fact, part of the reason why Thunderbolts*' ending tag accomplishes so much is that it's the longest post-credits scene to date, running at two minutes and fifty-four seconds. Thunderbolts*' post-credits tease was directed by the Russo Bros. themselves, which guarantees it gels smoothly with Avengers: Doomsday. Thunderbolts*' seamless interconnectivity already sures the Thanos post-credits teases of the Infinity Saga's The Avengers, which appeared to tease Death; as well as Avengers: Age of Ultron, which suggested Thanos already had the Infinity Gauntlet.

The Timing Of Thunderbolts* Makes Its Big Post-Credits Scene Even More Important

Thunderbolts* Leads Directly Into Phase 6's First Two Movies

Doctor Doom looks directly at the camera in Fantastic Four_ Rise of the Silver Surfer

Unlike most, if not all, previous MCU post-credits scenes, Thunderbolts*' credits tease directly sets up Marvel's next two movies. Thunderbolts* strongly suggests the Fantastic Four will travel to the MCU's main timeline immediately after the events of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and it drops a major clue about Avengers: Doomsday's main conflict with the mention of a "space crisis."

Only two months later, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will pay off Thunderbolts*' first hint, and a year and a half later, Avengers: Doomsday will pay off the second.

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Thunderbolts*
PG-13
Action
Science Fiction
Adventure
8/10
328
8.9/10
Release Date
May 2, 2025
Runtime
127 minutes
Director
Jake Schreier
Writers
Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
Producers
Kevin Feige

Cast

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Budget
$180 million

MCU Movies