It seems likeThunderboltsreturns to theMCU’s roots from beginning to end, including its post-credits tease.Thunderboltsbrings together villains and anti-heroes from previous MCU installments, some of which weren’t well-received initially. While Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes stole the show inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, Ghost and Taskmaster barely left a mark inAnt-Man and the WaspandBlack Widow, for example. However,every character inThunderbolts* earns their time in the spotlight, and they seem to be ready to begin a heroic journey after the events of their first crossover movie.
Unfortunately for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga,MCU post-credits scenes have lost their edgethroughout Phases 4 and 5. Post-credits teases fromEternals,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,Spider-Man: No Way Home,Thor: Love and Thunder, andMoon Knighteither remain unresolved or appear to take a drastically different direction. As a result,Multiverse Saga post-credits scenes no longer build excitement as effectively as the Infinity Saga’s teases. As Phase 5 ends and Phase 6 begins,Thunderbolts*seems to go against this trend.
Thunderbolts* Early Reactions Confirm The Movie Has Two Post-Credits Scenes
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
Most ofThunderbolts*' early reactionspraise the film’s dark tone, its handling of each character’s inner conflict, the team’s chemistry, and the standout performances of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Lewis Pullman as Bob, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes.While they avoid revealing spoilers, early reactions confirmThunderbolts*has one mid-credits scene and one post-credits scene, which allegedly gel well with the context of the movie. Speculation aroundThunderbolts*' plot predicted major character deaths, butThunderbolts*may flip expectations and deliver an ending and two credits scenes that nobody could predict.
Thunderbolts*' mid-credits and post-credits scenes might focus on the aftermath of the movie’s plot, or they could directly set up upcoming Phase 6 projects. They may also follow the usual MCU credits scene model: one scene is usually a comedic gag, and one scene is usually a set-up for a future installment. This trend started withThe Avengers, where its mid-credits scene teased Thanos and its post-credits scene showed the Avengers eating shawarma after the Battle of New York.
I’m Convinced The Thunderbolts* Credits Scenes Are Proper Setup
Thunderbolts* Has The Chance To Start The Countdown To Avengers: Doomsday
WhileThunderboltscould go the same way as movies likeSpider-Man: Homecoming,Iron Man 3, andGuardians of the Galaxy, Phase 5’s final movie likely won’t waste the chance to set up the beginning of the end of the Multiverse Saga. Considering thatThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,Avengers: Doomsday,Spider-Man: Brand New Day, andAvengers: Secret Warsare next inMarvel Studios' movie slate,Thunderboltsis in the perfect spot to tease what’s coming for the franchise in Phase 6. What’s more, whoever survives the events ofThunderbolts*may be among the first in line to defend the world whenAvengers: Doomsdaybegins.
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Mel, and Taskmaster’s fate and whereabouts will probably be confirmed ahead ofAvengers: Doomsdayas well
Almost the entire cast ofThunderboltswas confirmed to return inAvengers: DoomsdayduringAvengers: Doomsday’s cast announcement. Directly or indirectly,Thunderbolts' ending and credits scenes may set up the Thunderbolts' roles in the next Avengers movie.Avengers: Doomsday’s cast announcement doesn’t include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Geraldine Viswanathan, or Olga Kurylenko. Therefore, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Mel, and Taskmaster’s fate and whereabouts will probably be confirmed ahead ofAvengers: Doomsdayas well.
With Thunderbolts*, It Seems Like Marvel Is Back On Track Telling A Central Story
One of the biggest complaints about the MCU’s Phases 4 and 5 is that every installment seemed to move in a different direction. Some projects established one aspect of the multiverse, only for others to focus on an entirely different concept. What’s worse, everything pointed to Kang the Conqueror being the big bad of the Multiverse Saga, only for his story to end with his abrupt death inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, apparently.In 2025,Captain America: Brave New Worldfocused entirely on its own plot, but also set up Sam Wilson’s new Avengers team. Immediately afterward,Thunderbolts*might do something similar.
IfCaptain America: Brave New WorldandThunderbolts*both deliver standalone stories that also happen to lay the foundations forAvengers: Doomsday, they would be following the same steps as Phase 1’s solo movies.Iron Man,The Incredible Hulk,Iron Man 2,Thor, andCaptain America: The First Avengertold individual stories that could be enjoyed as standalone movies, but also served as interconnected chapters of Phase 1’s road toThe Avengers. Although Phases 4 and 5 lack the same cohesion, the MCU might course-correct soon enough to set upAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warsproperly.
