For months now, it's been nothing but hype for Avengers: Endgame. But some fans' steady enthusiasm took a slight dip in the days leading up to the theatrical launch of the superhero epic, when they learned that Endgame would go against the Marvel movie grain and not feature a post-credits scene. We're treading into spoiler territory, both for the experience of watching Avengers: Endgame on the big screen and for the movie itself. If you haven't yet seen the film and want to walk in without knowing a single thing, turn your attention away now. Last warning!
Many who saw the film in early screenings got a bit up in arms over the lack of an end-credits stinger, but as it turns out, there are a few very intriguing reasons why it's still worth staying in your seat to watch the Endgame credits the whole way through.
After the beautiful closing shot of Endgame fades to black, the credits start to roll. Important names like Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of Infinity War and Endgame, and Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios who has produced all of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop up on screen.
Then, where a mid-credits scene would normally fit, there's a gorgeous tribute to the principal cast and guest stars of Endgame. Everyone you know and love is featured, except for the six main Avengers, who get their own special tribute.
Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr., Captain America star Chris Evans, Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, Bruce Banner/Hulk star Mark Ruffalo, Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson, and Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner each get heartwarming video tributes featuring breathtaking new artwork. The stars' signatures swipe across the screen, making for an homage both well-deserved and quite emotional, particularly considering the events of Avengers: Endgame that viewers witnessed just before.
But that's not all! The credits don't entirely resume to business as usual from there on. We advise audiences keep their butts in their seats until the lights come on, lest they miss an expertly placed MCU Easter egg at the tail end of the credits.
Right when it seems no other moviemaking details will scroll on screen, keep your ears open. Immediately after the Marvel logo appears, where a true post-credits scene would traditionally be placed, a familiar sound rings out...
It may seem inconsequential to some, but for die-hard Marvel fans, this sound effect means a great deal. Tony making an enormous sacrifice for the greater good in Avengers: Endgame, something that the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist likely would have never done in his earlier years, means the MCU as viewers have known it thus far ends with Iron Man as well. The split-second sound lets Iron Man be the stopping point just as he was the starting one all those years ago. Though it may not be a full-on post-credits scene as Marvelites are used to seeing, it's arguably more poignant than those sequences have ever been.
With Avengers: Endgame forgoing a post-credits scene, the MCU is sailing ahead without any dangling threads trailing behind it. The franchise isn't ready to begin its fourth phase just yet, as Feige has stated that it's actually the Spidey sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home that marks the end of the third phase, so there is technically one future in-phase film to tease.
However, Endgame is the coming-together of the MCU's 11-year saga, and it would feel incredibly silly to tack on a sequence setting up Spider-Man's next adventure: one, because he wasn't in the movie until the final act, and two, because a Spidey-centered tease would be pretty jarring to see after the emotional rollercoaster that was Endgame. Marvel will leave the Phase 4-teasing up to Far From Home when that film swings into theaters this July, and everyone is better for it. Before then, though, re-watch Endgame as many times as your heart desires, and be on alert for the small but significant sound at the end of the credits.
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