The Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t really begin until Iron Man ended and Nick Fury unexpectedly appeared at Tony Stark’s house. Since that shocking moment both mid and post-credits scenes have become staples of the franchise. Sometimes they tease future entries, stories, and characters. Other times they offer a fun, bonus moment of entertainment. But on a few rare occasions they have led…well…nowhere. At least not yet. Which ones are we talking about? These are all of the MCU’s end-credits scenes still waiting for a payoff.
Note: Some end-credits scenes, like The Marvels‘ exciting moment, simply haven’t had a chance to get a payoff yet. That includes Blade interrupting Dane Whitman in Eternals, Clea’s arrival in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Zeus sending Hercules to kill Thor in Love and Thunder, and the Council of Kangs call to arms in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. We expect all of those will ultimately prove important.
Doctor Strange: Karl Mordo says “there are too many sorcerers” in the world.
The Karl Mordo who appeared in Multiverse of Madness was not the same character who appeared in the first Doctor Strange movie. The sequel featured a Variant of the Baron from a parallel world. The original MCU Mordo of Earth-616 has yet to reappear in the franchise since he stole the magic of Jonathan Pangborn during an end-credits scene. That was in 2016! Meanwhile, the Scarlet Witch killed a whole lot of sorcerers with just one attack. Maybe Mordo moved on to a different hobby after her massacre in Multiverse of Madness.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? Doctor Strange 3, which will definitely have at least one sorcerer Mordo hates.
Spider-Man: Homecoming: Adrian Toomes and Mac Gargan talk Spider-Man’s identity.
The entire world forgot about Peter Parker’s existence in No Way Home, so we might never get a payoff to this post-credits scene from his first MCU standalone movie. Spider-Man: Homecoming featured a bonus scene of Mac Gargan asking fellow prisoner Adrian Toomes about Spider-Man’s real identity. Adrian lied about what he knew in a telling moment, but that was apparently the end of it for the MCU. Any type of closure for that tease will more likely come via Sony’s own live-action Spider-Verse, but we’re not sure it will count if it takes place outside of Earth-616.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? In a Sony Sinister Six movie that leads to many, many, many debates about whether or not it technically connects to the MCU.
Speaking of unfinished Spider-Man movie business…
Spider-Man: No Way Home: Eddie Brock leaves a piece of the Venom symbiote behind on Earth-616.
Technically there’s a symbiote in the MCU. Or, at least, a tiny piece of one. Is that enough to bring Venom to the franchise outside of his brief appearance at the end of No Way Home? We don’t even know if Spider-Man himself will ever appear in the MCU again! This tiny piece of Venom might be all we ever get.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? When Sony and Marvel both need to make their investors happy.
Eternals: Eros and Pip arrive to offer help.
Eternals ended with a gigantic dead space god sticking up out of the ocean. Since then literally no one on Earth-616 has ever acknowledged that in anyway. It’s so very weird. It’s as though it never happened. Sometimes it feels like the MCU treats all of Eternals that way, so who knows if we’ll ever again see Harry Styles as Eros, the brother of Thanos. (If we do maybe Pip can get a CGI upgrade. Yeesh.)
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? Uh… maybe after Galactus possibly shows up in a Fantastic Four movie?
Moon Knight: “Jake Lockley” kills Arthur Harrow.
Throughout its first (only?) season, Moon Knight teased that Marc Spector/Steven Grant might have also had a third personality neither of them knew about. The show then finally confirmed the existence of Jake Lockley during an end-credits scene where Khonshu called on his dangerous avatar to kill Arthur Harrow. It was a big tease for a second season, or at least an expanded role for Oscar Isaac in the franchise. Only, no one knows if we’ll ever seen Moon Knight in the MCU again. That sad cap-per might be the last we ever see of Marc Spector.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? Moon Knight was good we’re staying hopeful and saying the show will eventually get a second season.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers examine the Ten Rings.
Simu Liu seemed primed to become one of the next big stars of the MCU after 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings. The character’s future importance to the franchise seemed all but confirmed during a post-credits scene. In it famous Avengers Carol Danvers and Bruce Banner examined his magical, ancient Ten Rings, which were also sending a mysterious signal to space. It was the type of end-credits scene that helped build the franchise, a moment that seemed to be leading to something big very soon. But Shang-Chi hasn’t even been mentioned since then. Not even in The Marvels, a film which featured ancient magical space bangles. Bruce Banner welcomed Shang-Chi to the “circus,” but apparently forgot to tell him where the big tent is.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? If/when Shang-Chi 2 actually gets made or someone remembers he exists.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Xu Xialing takes over her father’s organization.
If Shang-Chi ever does get that address to the circus he should share it with his sister, Xu Xialing. She took over her late father’s powerful, secret organization during her own end-credits scene. She apparently really committed to the “secret” aspect of her group, since we haven’t heard from her since.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? Besides the obvious answer of a sequel, the Ten Rings organization would fit right in with Thunderbolts. As would the character who features in our next entry.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: The pardoned Sharon Carter is the Power Broker.
We spent a lot of time trying to figure out the identity of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s mysterious Power Broker, but we didn’t learn the truth until the U.S. government welcomed Sharon Carter home in a season finale end-credits scene. However, it turned out Peggy’s heroic niece did not give up her criminal empire just because she earned a pardon. Who was she talking to about having access to sensitive documents? We still don’t know, and we’ve been waiting a long time to figure out that person’s identity. We also have no idea how much longer we’ll be waiting for a resolution.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? Both Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World are fertile ground for the head of an underworld criminal empire with ties to multiple characters in both.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Wong frees Emil Blonsky.
She-Hulk showed Phase 1 villain Abomination completely reformed himself while in prison. He had help working out his anger issues, too. The Sorcerer Supreme had been portaling Emil Blonsky out of jail to partake in an underground fight club as seen in Shang-Chi. But once Abomination ended up back behind bars following a parole violation Wong got his friend out for good. He brought Emil to Kamar-Taj in a post-credits scene. Why? Right now “friendship” is the only answer, because it’s not clear when or if that scene will ever have a payoff in the MCU.
When Could This End-Credits Scene Finally Get a Payoff? Considering Wong shows up everywhere in the MCU because he has universal approval? Anywhere at anytime.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.