Warning! This article contains links with spoilers for The Marvels!
Summary
While The Marvels has an excellent mid-credit scene, a statistic regarding Captain Marvel‘s time in the MCU suggests Marvel’s credit scenes have gotten off the rails. Captain Marvel made her debut in 2019’s Captain Marvel after being teased in the post-credit scene from Avengers: Infinity War. Since then, Brie Larson has appeared as the character in two other films: Avengers: Endgame and The Marvels. She is considered one of the most powerful characters in the universe and played a significant role in helping the Avengers defeat Thanos.
Despite her starring role in the MCU, Captain Marvel has also been used several times as a teaser. She had a cameo in Ms. Marvel that tied into The Marvels and another cameo in Shang-Chi that still hasn’t been addressed. While an unexpected appearance from Captain Marvel suggests something bigger might be happening within the universe, a statistic about her credit scene appearances proves a larger problem within the MCU.
Related: The Marvels Cliffhanger Ending Explained & MCU Future Set-Up Explained
Captain Marvel Has Appeared In The Same Number Of Movies As Credits Scenes
While Captain Marvel has a lasting presence within the MCU, she has only appeared six times. She has appeared in three movies (Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and The Marvels) and three credit scenes (Avengers: Infinity War, Shang-Chi, and Ms. Marvel). Technically, Larson didn’t show up in the Infinity War credit scene, but the pager Nick Fury used did show her logo. So, Carol Danvers has appeared in the same number of Marvel credit scenes as she has MCU films.
Related: Captain Marvel’s Complete MCU Timeline Explained
While her cameos in the credit scenes were brief, two of them were essential to setting up future films. Infinity War hyped up her solo film while creating theories about why she would be so important in the battle against Thanos. Ms. Marvel teased that the Marvel characters were switching places whenever they used their powers. Her Shang-Chi appearance is the only one that the studio hasn’t addressed yet. She is called upon to analyze the Ten Rings and explain their origin, but she leaves before anything is answered. Many are still wondering how the Ten Rings will factor into the Multiverse Saga.
Marvel’s Credits Scenes Are Becoming A Serious Problem For The MCU
Captain Marvel‘s Shang-Chi cameo isn’t the only example of Marvel promising more than they can deliver. Audiences were thrilled when Harry Styles debuted as Starfox in the mid-credit scene of Eternals. However, the events of Eternals have barely been mentioned in the MCU, and no one is sure when Styles could return. Meanwhile, there is also the mid-credit scene from Thor: Love and Thunder, which sets up a future fight between Hercules and Thor. It’s unclear if Thor is going to return or when this fight will take place.
Head of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige has said Harry Styles will return, but it’s not confirmed which project or when to expect him.
There is also the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania mid-credit scene which showed an army of Kangs. However, that will most likely be addressed as the MCU is establishing the events for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The Marvels has an exciting mid-credit scene, but it makes one wonder if the hype is worth it if the MCU isn’t going to deliver on it.
Key Release Dates
The Marvels
Deadpool 3
Captain America: Brave New World
Marvel’s Thunderbolts
Blade (2025)
Marvel’s Fantastic Four
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Avengers: Secret Wars
The mid-credit scenes in the MCU may be too much. Read More