Today, big releases like the MCU's Thor: Love and Thunder use end-credit scenes to generate interest in future projects and interwoven storylines. What was once a rarity in the cinema world has now become a necessity for many franchises like Marvel, with end credits keeping audiences glued to their seats until the very last moments of a film.
However, not all end scenes tease something bigger and better; in fact, there are many out there that have introduced audiences to projects and sequels that are now completely abandoned. Redditors have taken to sharing some of the best ones that never came to fruition.
Dracula Untold (2014)
The ending of Dracula Untold showed a modern-day Vlad reunited with a reincarnated Mirena as they are followed by the vampire who had cursed Vlad and wants revenge on him.
Unfortunately, the tease at another film led to nowhere, disappointing fans like enderandrew42 who are upset the studio "kept trying to set up a Universal Dark Universe of interconnected horror films, and then abandoning them before they get them off the ground." Given the success of Dracula Untold, the love of vampires, and the hype for Charles Dance to be a future antagonist, this scene had huge potential that it never lived up to.
22 Jump Street (2014)
The end credit scene of 22 Jump Street was full of self-awareness as the film teased many other absurd and hilarious adventures for Tatum and Hill's charming duo, forming one of the best movies within a movie.
While serving as a parody, the short clips actually left fans curious and excited to see some of them take off, such as Redditor HexDumped who commented that "Those sequels almost seemed like they would've been good too," if only they saw the light of day. Given the series' success and popularity, these teased sequels may actually form great comedies in the future, but for now, they remain shelved.
Solo: a Star Wars Story (2018)
Although not technically an end-credit scene, many Redditors expressed their confusion and dismay at a specific - and seemingly pointless - cameo from Solo: a Star Wars Story.
Redditor USSZim thought it struck them "as really weird, especially since we know how he ends up not long after," while others joked about the cameo being an elaborate set-up for another Disney+ series. In any case, today the cameo serves little more than fan service and an easter egg that had the potential for an interesting sequel that was never made.
RocknRolla (2008)
The ending of the popular and evergreen RocknRolla left viewers with an expectation that the beloved characters would return for one more adventure.
Unfortunately, the promise was never kept and another installment was never made. This news has fans like Redditor strangejosh still grieving the abandoned sequel, stating "I really wish they had made a sequel to this film. Underrated IMHO," especially considering the film's great ensemble cast and how many other subpar action crime films get undeserved sequels.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
While Spider-Man: No Way Home is ranked as one of the best Marvel Phase 4 releases, it failed to tie up some loose ends from the previous installments, particularly one particular post-credit scene.
Redditor notorious98 is "still waiting for Michael Mando's character from the Spider-Man: Homecoming end credit scene." While Marvel's vastly growing cinematic universe may give the character his much-awaited return, fans are still waiting to see it happen five years and two Spider-Man sequels later, leading to little hope for the Scorpion making an upcoming and relevant appearance anytime soon.
X-Men Apocalypse (2016)
The end scene of X-Men Apocalypse hinted at the on-screen debut of another beloved comic book villain: Mr. Sinister. Unfortunately, the very subtly teased character has yet to be featured in the series expansion, much to the chagrin of Marvel fans.
Redditor ChanceVance said they "still wonder why they teased Mr. Sinister and introduced the new actors for Cyclops, Jean, Storm, etc just to decide to end the whole franchise abruptly." Given Mr. Sinister's fan base, interesting plotlines, and great makings for a villain, this abandoned sequel hurt more than many others.
Godzilla (1998)
When asked which films had the best post-credit scenes for abandoned sequels, Redditor SuperNntendoChlmers stated "The 1998 Godzilla ... ended with showing a hatching baby Godzilla. They really thought it was gonna be a hit."
Although the film did not garner the success and reviews it had hoped to, its exciting narrative and decent performance, topped off with the surprising ending scene of a Godzilla egg hatching, still had many viewers eager for a sequel that was inevitably canceled.
Doctor Strange (2016)
While Multiverse of Madness - one of the best new movies to watch on Disney+ - posits Mordo of Earth-838 as a friend of Stephen's the post-credits scene of the first Doctor Strange left audiences with a very different, infinitely more ruthless version of him.
The MCU's abandonment of this power-hungry and vengeful Mordo did not go unnoticed: Redditor LeastCap remembered "Mordo vowing to kill all wizards... didn’t see Mordo again for 6 years and by the time we did that plot was seemingly forgotten and dropped." Mordo's character was given much importance in the first film, and the sequel never really addressing his quest for revenge made the end-credit scene all the more disappointing.
Blade (1998)
This year's Morbius may be one of the lowest-rated Marvel movies, but the comic book character is adored by readers and has made an on-screen appearance beforehand as well - in a deleted ending scene from Blade.
Redditor BuilderCarl explained how the film "originally ended with Blade seeing Michael Morbius, looking much like he did in the comics... Dialogue implied that Morbius was to be the nemesis in the sequel." The film's alternate end is mourned by fans of the comics especially, who would've loved to see the two characters fighting and perhaps get a more accurate and acclaimed version of Morbius on the big screen than they did with Sony's release.
Justice League
The final scene of Justice League introduced Deathstroke as he meets up with Lex Luthor who wants to create a league to rival that of the superheroes'. Unfortunately, while Deathstroke's debut in the DCEU was met with a lot of excitement by fans, it has yet to be followed up by further confirmation about the character's return.
Redditor homebregato expressed their dismay, stating "Deathstroke wasn't just a character that might appear again in some movie. They were actually trying to make a standalone film about him." Considering the hype fans had for Joe Manganellio's casting, Deathstroke's appearance in the DCEU, and the teased league of super villains, this abandoned promise takes the top slot for end-credit scenes that led to abandoned sequels.