Ever since Nick Fury emerged from the shadows at the end of 2008's Iron Man to talk to Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative, moviegoers have been trained to wait around for the end of the credits to see something special. Though plenty of films use this tactic these days, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has mastered it.
From introducing Thanos in a teaser to hyping Carol Danvers and more, these post-credits scenes are often incredibly important. They've even started popping up on the Disney+ TV shows. However, not all can be pivotal as several MCU post-credits scenes were meaningless for a variety of reasons. It doesn't mean these scenes are bad, as most are still fun even if they don't serve the story.
Shawarma (The Avengers)
For the most part, every post-credits scene in Phase One was important as it helped to set things in motion for The Avengers. The only one to really not work that way came in Captain America: The First Avenger but that was technically a trailer for The Avengers and not its own scene.
The final scene in The Avengers is actually meaningless other than it just being a bit of fun for the audience. After getting the tease of Thanos, the last shot is simply just the six tired heroes enjoying some shawarma following the Battle of New York, amidst the rubble. There isn't any dialogue and it's enjoyable but not pivotal to the overall story.
Tony Goes To Therapy (Iron Man 3)
Phase Two certainly had a mixed bag of post-credits scenes. It all started with Iron Man 3 as after Tony Stark's tough adventure without most of his tech, he headed off to therapy to help deal with the PTSD he had following his near-death experience in The Avengers.
Of course, it was revealed that the doctor he was recounting the events of the film to was Bruce Banner. This was totally just played for laughs as Banner explained that this is not the kind of doctor that he is, meaning Tony going to him was pretty useless. This scene was only here so the fans could see Banner.
Jane & Thor Kiss (Thor: The Dark World)
The majority of what happened in Thor: The Dark World actually felt pretty meaningless other than the introduction of the Reality Stone. Avengers: Endgame helped to make this movie feel a bit more pivotal but that didn't change when it came to the second post-credits scene.
The first one marked the debut of The Collector and set up a scene for Avengers: Infinity War. However, it was followed by a clip of Thor returning to Earth to kiss Jane Foster with a Frost Beast in the background. Natalie Portman didn't even reprise her role for this moment as Chris Hemsworth's real-life wife Elsa Pataky stood in.
Howard The Duck Appearance (Guardians Of The Galaxy)
It makes total sense that a post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy was played more for laughs than anything else. That's the vibe of the film in the first place so it lines up. After the fans were treated to the joy of a dancing baby Groot, things got truly weird.
The final scene featured The Collector, Cosmo (the dog famously wearing an astronaut's suit), and a surprise appearance from Howard the Duck, voiced by Seth Green. Howard was the protagonist of a maligned Marvel film from the '80s and the only thing odder than this cameo was the one in Avengers: Endgame.
Peter Tests His Gadgets (Captain America: Civil War)
The introduction of Spider-Man and Black Panther to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War is one of the most impressive feats the franchise has pulled off. T'Challa was part of a key post-credits scene as he welcomed Bucky Barnes to Wakanda to get help for his brainwashing.
Peter Parker wasn't so lucky in his late appearance. Instead of doing something important to the series, he just got a scene where he played with his new web-shooters and saw a Spider symbol emitted on his ceiling. However, it was a nice way of showing how happy this kid was.
Kraglin Uses The Arrow (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2)
A new high bar was set for the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as it featured a whopping five post-credits scenes. The debut of The Watchers, the reformation of an old team, a tease of Adam Warlock, and seeing Groot age were all important or have the potential to be.
The first scene felt like it was more of a joke than anything. As Kraglin attempted to use the special arrow that formerly belonged to Yondu, he accidentally sent it to stab Drax. Audiences haven't seen Kraglin since then and Drax was perfectly fine afterward.
Captain America's Message (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Questions could be raised about the first post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming. It included Mac Gargan, who is known to be Scorpion in the comic books, as he tried to find out who Spider-Man is from Adrian Toomes. Alas, nothing has come of that through three Spider-Man films.
There's still hope though since Tom Holland is reportedly returning to the role in the future. The second scene featured Captain America breaking the fourth wall of sorts as he gave a speech telling the audience that sometimes, waiting for something good will be disappointing.
Grandmaster Declares A Draw (Thor: Ragnarok)
There are many reasons to love Thor: Ragnarok but one of the true highlights was Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster. He was the perfect amount of strange, eccentric, likable, and also villainous. His appearance in a post-credits scene was welcome due to that.
Of course, that doesn't mean it was in a scene that actually mattered. The Grandmaster showed up at the junkyard of Sakaar in front of his unhappy citizens, who he attempted to sway by declaring the revolution a draw. It likely didn't go well for him.
An Ant Plays The Drums (Ant-Man And The Wasp)
The first post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp upped the stakes in a major way. Scott Lang got trapped in the quantum realm as Hope, Hank, and Janet all were snapped out of existence by Thanos. That ended up being hugely important as it led to the Avengers going on their time heist.
The second scene after the credits in this sequel sees Scott's mostly empty home, with a giant ant playing the drums. That ant was meant to mimic Scott's actions throughout the day, so it was still doing that. Though a fun scene, it is harrowing to hear the emergency alert system going off due to Thanos's actions.
Rogers: The Musical (Hawkeye)
It could be argued that Hawkeye was the finest of the Disney+ MCU shows. That being said, the post-credits scene doesn't really have any implications for the future. Despite that, it remains one of the more enjoyable scenes in the franchise.
Early in the series, Clint Barton takes his kids to see Rogers: The Musical, a Broadway play based on the Battle of New York. Fans were clamoring to see the actual play and they got a glimpse in this post-credits scene as the citizens and heroes sang "Save The City."