Every post-Endgame Marvel post-credit scene we're still waiting to be paid off

There was a time in cinema history were post-credits scenes weren't expected or taken as a given. When credits started to roll, audiences would get up from their seat and leave the theater altogether without worrying about missing a key scene. However, that all changed after Iron Man premiered back in 2008 and introduced us to Nick Fury when we thought nothing else was coming our way. Ever since then, it's become a tradition to stick around until the very end of a movie to get a small glimpse of where a franchise could be headed next.

Marvel projects were responsible for popularizing this concept, so of course they kept the tradition going after Avengers: Endgame. Since then, there have been a few post-credits scenes that have already been resolved in another Marvel Cinematic Universe project, just like Black Widow's. Others don't really tease something that's about to come, but instead serve to give a better closure to a movie (as was the case with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). However, many sequences have been used to set up things for the MCU's future, and- to this date - we are waiting for their story to be followed up.

So with that in mind, it's time to look at every post-credits scene since Endgame without a payoff yet.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Let's kick things off with a pretty interesting sequence, shall we? While there's a clear picture of the direction Marvel is headed with most entries on this list, the post-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a little bit different. Are we looking at a potential connection with Galactus? Is Fin Fang Foom being set up as the franchise's next supervillain? Or are the ring's origins somehow connected to Kang's quest to rule over the multiverse? The best part is that we genuinely don't know. That uncertainty only makes us excited about the future of Shang-Chi within the MCU.

Unfortunately, there's no clear idea yet as to when we'll see the return of Simu Liu's beloved character. The Canadian actor promises a sequel is still in the works at Marvel but before that, there had been almost three years of silence regarding the project. It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if Shang-Chi appears as a key character in the next Avengers crossover before having a second stand-alone adventure. After all, the post-credits scene of his first movie already saw him interact with other big heroes such as Hulk and Captain Marvel. So the pieces are already there for him to join Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Now it's just a matter of how Kevin Feige decides to move forward with the character, but let's hope we have more answers sooner rather than later.

Eternals

While Eternals wasn't the brightest superhero project we've seen to date, it did put the franchise in a promising position if Marvel decides to move forward with it. Audiences now know who the many characters within the Eternals are, their origins, and their motivations. We also know about the cosmical dangers they face and who could join them in a possible sequel. The MCU just needs to capitalize on all the heavy lifting that was already done.

Case in point: the Eternals post-credits scene introduced a relatively unknown yet exciting new character. Starfox - the brother of Thanos - made his big-screen debut much to everybody's surprise (played by Harry Styles). If audiences eventually get to know his backstory, chances are we could also learn more about the Mad Titan's childhood as well. That prospect alone is beyond exciting. While the supervillain was the star of Avengers: Infinity War, we know next to nothing about his origins. I know the MCU already moved on from Thanos to focus all of its attention on setting up Kang the Conqueror as the next big bad. However, a little backstory around one of the best supervillains we've seen to date on the big screen would never hurt.

So even if Eternals 2 never comes to be, we hope Starfox appears in other projects when the timing is right.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Few comic book rivalries are as iconic as the one between Spider-Man and Venom. They act as opposite faces of the same coin, with the latter being the dark version of the former. They have fought countless times before, and yet they have also joined forces on occasions to stop a greater evil. Their relationship is truly special, so it's a shame we haven't seen it develop properly on the big screen.

Yes, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 tried to capture some of that magic back in 2007 but unfortunately failed to do so. What's worst is that we've watched the wall-crawler fight against the Green Goblin three different times in three different live-action sagas, but just once against Venom. It may feel a little bit unfair, but that could soon be fixed if the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home is anything to go by.

After being mistakenly pulled into the MCU, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock mistakenly left a piece of the Venom symbiote behind before going back to its original universe. The pieces are now set for Tom Holland's Spider-Man to face one of his greatest foes yet. The only question remaining is whether Marvel is going to take advantage of this opportunity or not. Recent reports indicate Sony wants the next wall-crawler movie to be a big multiversal adventure yet again, while Kevin Feige wants to tell a smaller, more focused story. Unfortunately, none of those options sound ideal for introducing Venom, but you never know what might be awaiting us.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The post-credits scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may not seem ground-breaking or incredibly important when you first watch it. However, it may be one of the biggest ones yet given the direction the MCU is heading to. With Avengers: Secret Wars getting slightly closer on the horizon, chances are incursions will become an ever-more present event in future projects. And the first time we see it threaten the heroes we know and love is in the final moments of Doctor Strange's latest adventure.

An incursion is an event where the borders between two different universes start to fade and both of them collide together. That could bring complete destruction to one or even both worlds in a heartbeat. An incursion is what sets up the events of Secret Wars in comic book pages, and it wouldn't be surprising if it does the same for the MCU as well. So with Clea set to play a key role in the multiversal arc moving forward, we can't wait to see when or where she'll appear next. But one thing's for certain: Doctor Strange will be right with her trying to fix this grave problem. Fingers crossed we see them as a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine!

Thor: Love and Thunder

Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder wasn't the success anybody hoped it would be. However, it did put Thor in an interesting position moving forward in the MCU. He now has to act as a parental figure to India Hemsworth's character named Love, and he's being hunted by a terrifying new enemy as well. That was made evident in the post-credits scene of the latest God of Thunder movie, in which we were introduced to Hercules himself as an antagonistic figure.

Recent reports indicate the next Thor movie could be the last in his stand-alone saga. As a result, Marvel is searching for a new director who could bring a serious tone to the franchise's finale, in contrast to the whimsical nature of his last two adventures. It's also hinted that Hercules will indeed make a return as one of the movie's antagonistic figures, with another big bad set to make his debut as well. At this point, it's just a matter of time before the next Thor movie is officially announced, and we can't wait for that to finally happen. Fingers crossed this one is the best out of them all, and that Hercules is more memorable than Gorr ever was.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Out of all the post-credits scenes present on this list, this one may be the one with the most questionable future. Going into the Multiversal Saga, the MCU decided to give the spotlight to Kang the Conqueror as the main villain of the franchise. He played a prominent role in the Loki Disney+ series and stole the spotlight in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quatumania. Marvel even used the post-credits scene of the latter to show us the Council of Kangs deliberating on how to stop the heroes that are slowly getting in their way.

However, the future of this key character remains uncertain after Marvel parted ways with Jonathan Majors following the accusations that were made against him. With this difficult situation, Marvel could potentially look to recast the role or even move away from the supervillain's story altogether. While a shocking prospect, the latter could be the way to go, especially considering the upcoming Avengers 5 movie lost its former subtitle which used to be "Kang Dynasty". Fortunately, there are multiple ways in which the MCU could find a replacement for him. Besides, it's just a matter of time before we get a clearer picture regarding who's going to be the next big bad in the beloved superhero franchise.

The Marvels

Going into The Marvels, very few could've expected to see such a shocking post-credits scene unfold. As the MCU is heading further and further into its Multiversal arc, we're slowly starting to see how branched realities clash with each other. Case in point: Monica Rambeau is now trapped in a parallel universe where her mom is still alive and - better yet - mutants exist. That's right; after taking a nine-year break from the role, we saw the return of Kelsey Grammer as Beast once again. It was such a joyous moment to behold and one that makes us incredibly excited for what's yet to come.

The only downside to this post-credits scene is we currently don't know when Monica's story will be followed up. Since The Marvels failed to make a profit, rumor has it a third entry in Captain Marvel's saga won't see the light of day. With that in mind, it would be fair to assume this loose thread will be continued in the upcoming Avengers 5 movie. But that means things are slowly starting to get more and more stacked for Earth's Mightiest Heroes' next crossover. Is it impossible for Marvel to pull it off? Based on Infinity War, we'll say: absolutely not. But dealing with the whole Kang situation while showing what Clea and Doctor Strange have been up to and also introducing characters such as Moon Knight to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe is no easy feat.

Let's just hope Marvel manages to catch lightning in a bottle once again with their next big adventure.

Moon Knight

Moon Knight is regarded as one of the best Disney+ shows set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So it's a little bit perplexing we don't have any concrete answer as to when or where we'll see the vigilante strike next. Especially taking into account how the post-credits scene of his series indicated something incredibly exciting is coming our way.

Audiences eagerly awaited Jake Lockley - the deranged personality living within Marc Spector - to make his appearance throughout the events of Moon Knight. But while we got little hints that he took control of Marc's body on certain occasions, that was never explicitly shown on-screen... until the post-credits scene, that is. The curtain was finally lifted and we caught a glimpse of Jake doing violent things (which, you know, always warms our hearts). It was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but one that shows the love and care Marvel is putting into adapting this beloved character.

It doesn't matter when Moon Knight shows up next; we need Jake Lockley to also make an appearance or - at the very least - be acknowledged. Could it be in the upcoming Avengers 5 movie? Or will the MCU surprise us with a second season of his show? Well, no matter the case, we'll be there watching without a doubt.

Echo

Everyone loves an iconic supervillain. While the MCU hasn't been known for giving us lots of them across its sixteen years of history, there have been a few big exceptions. Aside from the big bad of the Infinity Saga - Thanos - one that instantly comes to audiences' minds is Wilson Fisk. The Kingpin of crime made his debut in the Netflix series Daredevil and has since crossed to the MCU in two Disney+ series in the form of Hawkeye and Echo. The latter even dedicated its post-credits scene to teasing the future of this beloved character, and the result was nothing but exciting.

In comic books, a major storyline involving Wilson Fisk saw him rise to power as mayor of New York. He later used that position to hunt down many vigilantes that once stood in his path, such as Matt Murdock, Spider-Man, and the Punisher. Not only did Echo's post-credits scene hint the same arc would be adapted on the MCU but recent set photos of Daredevil: Born Again reinforced that idea. Besides, we could also see that story being expanded into the next Spider-Man movie if they decide to make it a grounded adaptation that has nothing to do with the multiverse.

The future is exciting for the Kingpin of crime, and we can't wait to see him return to the MCU sooner rather than later.