7 Marvel characters introduced in post-credit scenes who need to return

Marvel is well known for being two steps ahead of their audiences. After all, they carefully mastermind the introduction of new characters who are set to appear years down the line. Most of the time, they'll keep these plans under wraps until a specific movie comes out so that everyone's blown away when the moment is right. However, other times the Marvel Cinematic Universe decides to give us a small gift and lets us get a peek at what's coming next. There are a few occasions when Kevin Feige leaves the door slightly open for us to barely see who's behind it, and get a quick glimpse into the future.

That's right, folks, we're talking about the post-credits scenes in Marvel movies and TV shows.

Since Iron Man premiered back in 2008, it's been a habit for the MCU to introduce key characters in post-credits scenes. Nick Fury was the first in a long line of heroes who would show up just when audiences assumed the movie-going experience was over. Over time, that list grew bigger and bigger as Marvel expanded their slate of projects. But while most of those introductions had huge pay-offs in their due time, some haven't been quite resolved yet. So it's time to look at seven crucial characters who were introduced in a post-credits scene only to never be seen again.

Scorpion

Yes, I know. Technically, we're cheating by adding this character to the list. After all, Mac Gargan played a (very, very small) part in Spider-Man: Homecoming before we ever get to see its post-credits scene. But while the movie introduced us to his "normal" alter-ego, it isn't until later that Marvel hints that his evil counterpart - Scorpion - will someday hunt the spider. Or at least, that's what we thought when the movie was released almost seven years ago.

Tom Holland's Peter Parker has since fought against aliens, a master of illusions, and even interdimensional villains. But to this date, we haven't seen the wall-crawler go face-to-face against Scorpion. Perhaps Marvel still has some big plans in store for Mac Gargan and the promise he made to Vulture in prison. But as years keep going by that seems more unlikely. Let's just hope we do eventually see more of him in the MCU, as he's a really popular Spider-Man character who has yet to have a big breakout role in the eyes of mainstream audiences.

Starfox

While not the flashiest of sequences (as it made our list of the worst MCU CGI moments), Eternals used its post-credits scene to set up two new characters: Eros (better known as Starfox) and Pip the Troll. Ever since then, we have yet to see these two characters in any other live-action Marvel project. While it wouldn't seem like a great deal - as they're relatively unknown characters to begin with (even if one of them is played by Harry Styles) - not moving on with their stories would prove to be a great mistake for one specific reason.

When Eros is first introduced, he presents himself as the brother of the now-deceased Thanos. You know, the guy who turned half of the universe to dust in a snap. But even if Mad Titan is considered to be among the best villains audiences have seen in the MCU (if not, the best), we don't know much about his backstory. There was a small scene in Avengers: Infinity War where the supervillain talked about what it was living like on a planet with few resources. But aside from that, there's not too much else to go on.

If Stafox appears in any future project, chances are he'll have to acknowledge the elephant in the room and talk about his brother. That would be great since it would shine a light on one of the MCU's biggest mysteries. Besides, it would also set up Eros as a really interesting character as well. Could the brother of a mass murderer be a hero? Or is he doomed to repeat his family's mistakes? Well, let's hope we eventually get to find out the answer to that.

Blade

The validity of this entry on the list could also be slightly questioned. After all, Blade himself wasn't technically introduced in the second Eternals post-credits scene since audiences never got to see him, and his name was never pronounced. However, we do get to hear his voice and that's surely more than enough, right? Well, yes. But on the flip side, we have yet to see a payoff for this shocking tease delivered back in 2021.

It's been a troublesome ride for the vampire hunter as he has tried to make his way into the MCU. The plans to reboot his franchise were revealed half a decade ago in 2019 with an initial release date of 2023 being set for his movie. But fast-forward a few years later and we have yet to see Blade join the action alongside other Marvel heroes.

Fortunately, it seems Keving Feige and company have no intention of letting go of this beloved character. Recent reports indicate the movie will (fortunately) be R-rated and it will focus on Blade simply killing vampires (which makes us wonder what was the original intention behind the movie if not that in the first place). All signs seem to point out that 2025 will finally be his year, and we can't wait for that to happen.

Jake Lockley

Before Moon Knight made his debut on the small screen, comic book fans already knew about the multiple personalities living within the vigilante. However, the Disney+ series played things off more mysteriously, hinting ever so slightly that maybe more than three alter egos were taking control of the same body. Sometimes gruesome things happened that couldn't have been done either by Steven, Marc, or Mr. Night. And if not by them, then who? Well, that's where the series post-credits scene comes in.

It isn't until the very end of Moon Knight were the curtain is dropped and we finally get to see who is hiding behind the mask. Best of all: the answer is as terrifying as you think. While Jake Lockley is not a "brand new character" but rather one of Moon Knight's personalities, we're ready to finally see more of him in the MCU. Unfortunately, we don't officially know when he'll strike next (if that ever happens). But if that day eventually comes, we won't miss it for in the world.

Clea

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been - alongside Spider-Man: No Way Home - one of the few MCU movies to take full advantage of the idea behind the multiverse. So of course there was one last inter-dimensional surprise for audiences who stayed at the very end of the movie. Charlize Theron made her MCU debut as the sorceress Clea in the post-credits scene, warning Stephen that his actions have provoked an incursion.

An incursion is an apocalyptic-level event where two different universes collide, destroying one (or both of them) in the process. Such a big threat should not be taken lightly, and we suspect we'll see more of Clea and Doctor Strange attempting to fix it before it destroys the MCU altogether. Now the only question remaining is: when will that happen? Well, chances are Avengers 5 will set up everything for Secret Wars later down the line, so that's a perfect movie for Clea to make her return. But could Marvel surprise us and feature her once again in the post-credits scene of the upcoming Deadpool 3? After all, that movie is set to deal with the multiverse pretty heavily. Not only would it be great to see but - better yet - it isn't long before it would happen.

Hercules

The God of Thunder has had one of the shakiest sagas in the MCU out of all of its big heroes. It can be argued Thor has two of the worst stand-alone movies while also being the protagonist of one of the best Marvel projects in the form of Ragnarok. So with a record of delivering a hit followed by a miss, it's time for him to have another success on his hands. The only question remaining is: who would dare to face him next? Well, if the post-credits scene of Love and Thunder is anything to go by, we'd be looking at Hercules himself.

Recent reports indicate Taika Waititi won't be returning to helm another Thor project after the critical disappointment of his last MCU movie. So with the prospect of a new director being on board, Marvel is also looking to give a brand new direction to Thor Odinson's franchise. One that's more serious and epic in scope. Fortunately, that doesn't mean the original plans Taika had for Hercules were scrapped in the slightest. In fact, rumor has it that he'll be the antagonist in the God of Thunder's next adventure alongside a new, undisclosed villain. So at the very least, Love and Thunder set up things in the right way for its titular hero moving forward.

Toussaint

When Chadwick Boseman passed away, the world lost a real-life hero. His story was cut shorter than anybody could've expected, both on and off the screen. Unfortunately, that also meant the MCU lost an important character in T’Challa, the Black Panther himself. That didn't stop Marvel Studios from allowing his legacy to live on.

Shuri took over her brother's role as Wakanda's rightful protector in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And if that wasn't enough, the post-credits scene treated us to another shocking surprise. King T’Challa had a son named after him, who was living a peaceful life in Haiti far away from the pressure of the throne. Few could've seen that twist coming, and yet it felt like it was always meant to be. The idea of the former Black Panther having an heir meant to follow in his footsteps is perfect. Marvel shouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Audiences should see Toussaint grow on the big screen until, eventually, he can wear the Black Panther costume.

This one would take years to develop. But its payoff could be some of the greatest the MCU has seen. We need Toussaint's story to be followed, no matter what.