Why Wonder Woman Movie Didn't Have a DCEU Post-Credits Scene

Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins reveals why the film didn't have a post-credits scene setting up another DC Extended Universe movie. Warner Bros. officially launched their cinematic world based on the heroes of DC Comics with Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which has since been followed by David Ayer's Suicide Squad and Jenkins' Wonder Woman. Although the DCEU has naturally drawn comparisons to Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe (since comic fans have been comparing the heroes of the "big two" for decades), one aspect in which Warner Bros' shared universe has set itself apart is its lack of post-credits scenes.

While MCU movies now typically contain at least two post-credits scenes (and 20th Century Fox's X-Men films often include them), the only DCEU film to feature any credits scene was Suicide Squad - and it was placed in the middle of the credits rather than after. Still, that didn't stop DCEU fans from sticking around until the end of the Wonder Woman credits to see if Jenkins' installment in the franchise would tease the next upcoming film, Snyder's Justice League. Now, Jenkins reveals why she decided not to include a post-credits scene with Wonder Woman.

Related: Watch Wonder Woman Movie Epilogue

In an interview with Toronto Sun, coinciding with the release of Wonder Woman on DVD and Blu-ray, Jenkins was asked why Diana Prince's (Gal Gadot) solo outing didn't feature a credits scene, especially as they've become such a staple of superhero movies. Jenkins responded:

I’m not always a believer in post-credit scenes. I feel like they make sense if the films are extremely similar. I think if you know the next movie is going to be set in the same world or have the exact same tone, then I think it makes sense. To me, it does not make sense to have a commercial for a completely different style of movie in the credits of another movie. One of my favourite things about the DC Universe is they were super supportive of me doing my own tone, but there’s no other movie that they have that’s of the same tone. So it just felt weird to do some other crossover. Also, the end of the movie was the end. It wasn’t, ‘Tune in later for more.’

Certainly, Jenkins has a point that Wonder Woman is incredibly different from Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad in terms of tone, and it may not have made sense for the film to explicitly set up Justice League - though it could be argued that the modern scenes of Diana in Wonder Woman work to establish a camaraderie between her and Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) that will carry over into Justice League. Further, the lack of post-credits scene, and Jenkins' comment about the studio being supportive of her aiming for a different tone with the film, seems to reaffirm reports that Warner Bros' DCEU is filmmaker-driven.

Plus, Wonder Woman isn't the only superhero film this year that didn't include a post-credits scene. Hugh Jackman's final film as Wolverine, Logan, didn't include any credits scenes even though all of Fox's most recent X-Men movies have. But as director James Mangold argued, Logan didn't necessarily warrant a post-credits scene. As superhero movies and comic book adaptations continue to grow in popularity, their genres have begun to diversify and, as both Jenkins and Mangold have said, that means not every film needs a direct connection to another installment in their franchise by way of a post-credits scene.

Of course, some fans may still be disappointed by that lack of connectivity, and moviegoers likely went into Wonder Woman hoping for at least a small tease of Justice League. But that said, Wonder Woman's reviews certainly didn't suffer for the lack of a post-credits scene - in fact, Jenkins' strong viewpoint for the film is likely a reason it was so well received by critics and fans alike. For those hoping for more Wonder Woman though, Diana will be back in Justice League later this year, and Jenkins will return to direct Wonder Woman 2, which is already set for a 2019 release date.