Movie fans hoping for a quality showdown in Batman V Superman have endured some serious highs and lows in the lead-up to release. Months back, earlier Dawn of Justice trailers leaned heavily on DC iconography and Zack Snyder's trademark visual aesthetic to sell both comic book readers and casual fans on the titular showdown - only to open spoiler-filled floodgates in later marketing. Now, just ahead of release, Batman V Superman reviews are even more divisive than Man of Steel - with overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth coming out of fan screenings, only to see critics shred the movie two days later.

It was never going to be an easy task, given that Batman and Superman fights in comic books are simultaneously some of the most memorable battles in DC prints as well as some of the most highly scrutinized. We've already explained how the Dark Knight can beat the Man of Steel, as well as why Batman will win even if he loses, but many fans, even the most dedicated DC lovers, haven't always been convinced that Bruce Wayne could ever truly stand a chance against Superman. Successfully persuading movie audiences into believing the heroes are on an even playing field, at least one level enough to allow Batman to put up a fight, would be even more difficult. Still, in spite of mixed reviews, plenty of moviegoers are looking forward to the film - and plan to watch Batman and Superman face-off in theaters. Whether they ultimately enjoy the film or not, most will be left with one question when the credits start to roll: does Batman V Superman have a post-credits scene?

Having attended both the fan and critic screenings as well as release day showing, we can confirm there was no mid or post-credits tease during either pre-release showing of Batman V Superman. So, viewers can leave the theater as soon as the main film ends (unless you want to pay respect to the cast and crew by sitting through the credits). Initially, there was no guarantee that DC wouldn't simply hold-off their post-credits stinger for release day; after all, plenty of comic book movie films have held-back their post-credit scene, or part of their post-credit scene, until release weekend - including Deadpool, Ant-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy. While it was possible that Warner Bros. would pull a similar move with Dawn of Justice - revealing their post-credits scene to viewers who actually shelled out for tickets and braved opening weekend crowds, we now know that wasn't the case.

Still, while the absence of a post-credits scene will likely come as a disappointment to fans that were hoping for a full-on Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, or Justice League Part 1 tease, it's not surprising that Warner Bros. opted to hold-off - mainly because post-credits scene stingers aren't actually their thing (and never have been).

While Marvel Studios has trained moviegoers to wait until after the credits - for fear they might miss one of the film's biggest reveals, DC and Warner Bros. have never really tried to pull the same trick of teasing a future film in the post-credits of the current one (with Green Lantern being the only exception). Instead, the studio has opted for pre-credit teasers (such as the Joker card in Batman Begins) that hint toward the larger story - without actually connecting the film to another shared universe installment.

• Constantine: Post-Credits Scene (more closure than a tease) featuring Chas.
• Batman Begins: No
• Superman Returns: No
• The Dark Knight: No
• Watchmen: No
• Green Lantern: Mid-Credits Scene featuring Sinestro (to setup Green Lantern 2).
• The Dark Knight Rises: No
• Man of Steel: No
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: No (so far)

It's also understandable that DC might not want to hop on the post-credits scene train - since it's nearly impossible to unring that bell once it has been rung. Expectations for post-credits scene teasers are higher every year (as is the pressure to deliver a stinger that leaves audience members even more excited than when the film story at hand ended). Where audiences loved Guardians of the Galaxy, the film's post-credits scene, featuring Howard the Duck and the Collector, was a letdown for many hoping to see a full-on Avengers: Age of Ultron connection. Similarly, while the announcement of Cable joining Deadpool for Deadpool 2 was exciting, the actual post-credits scene in Fox's R-Rated mega-hit paled in comparison to what some viewers were hoping to see, specifically Cable (and his yet-to-be-cast actor) actually appear.

Add to that the fact that a lot of moviegoers, the casual filmgoers that make-up a significant chunk of the audience, do not understand what they're seeing in most post-credits scenes. No doubt, Screen Rant typically helps those viewers out by publishing a post-credits scene explained feature but how many of those filmgoers actually search out that information? As it is, post-credits scenes are a fun nod to superhero die-hards but not essential (and potentially confusing) to many non-comic book fans.

For these reasons, while post-credits scenes seem to be a no-brainer, they can actually leave viewers with a bad (albeit minor) aftertaste - regardless of how the filmgoer might have felt about the 2.5 hour film that preceded it. Some skeptics will view the lack of a teaser as a sign that Warner Bros. isn't confident in their shared universe but with Suicide Squad nearly complete and Wonder Woman already filming, there's plenty the studio could have shown - so, if DC isn't interested in doing post-credit scenes, it's better they don't at all, rather than include something out of comic book movie genre obligation.

NEXT: Batman V Superman: How the Dark Knight Wins Even if He Loses

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25th, 2016, followed by Suicide Squad on August 5th, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23rd, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17th, 2017; The Flash on March 16th, 2018; Aquaman on July 27th, 2018; Shazam on April 5th, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14th, 2019; Cyborg on April 3rd, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps. on June 19th, 2020.