In the MCU age, a big-budget movie with a planned sequel will almost certainly contain an extra scene during or after the credits. While this has existed for years prior to the MCU, Marvel films have most certainly popularized it. Fans love to see a teaser of things to come after the credits finish rolling, and these extra scenes will almost always be a popular topic of discussion after the fact.
Oftentimes, however, these films don't do as well as the filmmakers hoped for, and a sequel never materializes. Perhaps a sequel does come, but the plans change making the build-up seem pointless. For every successful post-credit scene, there are certainly several that go absolutely nowhere.
Incredible Hulk
The second film in the MCU was The Incredible Hulk. While it is common knowledge to stick around after the credits of a Marvel movie, this was not the case in 2008. Many fans didn't realize there was a teaser featuring Nick Fury after Iron Man, so this teaser was actually moved to right before the credits.
The scene involves Tony approaching General Ross in a bar, letting him know he is putting together a team. While this Avengers tease does happen, this scene implies Tony is the brainchild behind the team, which he isn't. It also seems as if Tony is asking for help in assembling the team because the team will treat the Hulk as an antagonist instead of an ally, which he, of course, becomes.
Masters Of The Universe
During the height of He-Man's popularity, a live-action film seemed like a sure-fire winner. With the film produced by the infamous Canon Company, the adaptation was dead on arrival. The film showed an after-credits scene revealing that the film's baddie, Skeletor, was alive and ready for round two.
With the terrible critical reviews and embarrassing box office numbers, this sequel never came to pass. Skeletor rose from the lava saying, "I'll Be Back," which fell on deaf ears, as many people didn't even realize this scene existed until after the sequel was canceled.
Ghostbusters (2016)
The doomed reboot of Ghostbusters from 2016 seemed to count its chickens before they hatched. With a well-known IP like Ghostbusters, the producers began immediately planning sequels and selling the reboot as a franchise before the film was even released. The film, of course, featured a scene after the credits teasing a follow-up. In the scene, the team receives a call from an unheard voice, warning them of something called Zuul.
Fans of the original film will recognize this name as the original threat. Zuul was not able to make his triumphant return, as the box office failure of the film prompted Sony to cancel further plans with the remake series, and instead produce a sequel to the original two, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, to be released in 2021.
Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer
To this day, fans are split on the 2005 adaptation of Fantastic Four and its sequel, released two years later. The sequel featured the live-action debut of a fan-favorite character, The Silver Surfer. As of writing, this is the only time the character has appeared on the big screen.
The post-credits scene implies that Fox had plans for the Surfer to return in some form. A seemingly dead Silver Surfer suddenly opens his eyes and summons his board. Whether or not this was a tease for a solo film or a third Fantastic Four outing is unknown, but fans are hoping the introduction of the team in the MCU will bring the Surfer along for the ride.
Terminator: Genisys
There have been several attempts in recent years to reboot the Terminator franchise, but so far with no luck. Even with the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger and more recently Linda Hamilton, the series seems to be "terminated," permanently.
One such attempt to garner interest in the series is an after-credits stinger in Terminator: Genisys. After the credits roll, fans see Matt Smith as the physical form of Skynet having survived. The promise of Skynet yet again returning did not recieve the hype producers hoped for, as the movie received no sequel. Instead, the series got yet another soft reboot in 2019, with Terminator: Dark Fate.
Street Fighter
While fans of Mortal Kombat have several theatrical films, Street Fighter only received one, with several unrelated straight to video movies. The theatrical film ended with Guile taking out M. Bison, seemingly killing him. An after-credits stinger reveals Bison is alive and is planning on world domination.
While not receiving incredible reviews, Street Fighter had a cult following that could have garnered a sequel to make good on this tease. Sadly, the actor who played M. Bison, Raul Julia, passed away before the sequel could be materialized. While it isn't certain if a sequel would have been made, the popularity of the video game may have very well created a sequel.
Daredevil
One of the more infamous superhero blunders of the early 2000s was Daredevil, released in 2003 off the success of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. The movie did not gain the success of the former film, but that didn't stop Fox from assuming they had the next great franchise on their hands, and so they teased a sequel after the credits.
The scene shows Bullseye alive but badly injured in a hospital. Despite being in a full-body cast, he is still able to take out a fly in the room, showing he will be just fine to get revenge. The movie didn't do very well, so this sequel was never made. Bullseye has yet to make his return to live-action, not even appearing in the Netflix series.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Many fans are against X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The movie has a lot that offended fans, but perhaps the one that angered them most was the film's portrayal of Deadpool. Outside of sharing a name, many felt that the character had nothing to do with the Merc With A Mouth and they even sewed his mouth shut, taking away one of the character's most famous traits.
The film concluded with an after-credits scene showing that the "fan favorite"Deadpool had survived his defeat and will return. Thankfully, this version of the character did not return, with Ryan Reynolds reprising the role in a much more faithful adaptation.
Green Lantern
Yet another attempt to make Ryan Reynolds a superhero before Deadpool was Green Lantern. The movie is well known for being one of the lesser films featuring a DC hero, yet Warner Bros. was sure they had the next great franchise. The film had a teaser featuring Sinestro slipping on a Yellow Lantern ring, making him the villain he was in the comics.
The film was less than favorable with fans, causing Warner to ditch the idea of a sequel. While Lanterns have made background cameos in Justice League, the corp has yet to make an official big-screen return, even though fans have been begging for it.
Justice League
Perhaps one of the more annoying failed teases for fans is the one found at the end of the theatrical cut of Justice League. It is well known that Joe Manganiello was cast as Deathstroke, and this scene offered fans their first look at him in a film. The scene featured Deathstroke talking to Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor, offering him a chance to make their own superteam.
This was supposed to lead into a solo Batman film featuring Ben Affleck, but the disappointing reception of Justice League stopped these plans. The scene was slightly different in the Snyder cut, tying closer into a Batman movie, although as of now, there are no plans to make good on either of these teases.