post credit scene: 7 Times a post-credit scene from a movie made sure you come back for the sequel

Post-credit scenes in movies usually act as a teaser or what would be an equivalent of Alice’s looking glass, which are intended to give the audience a peek into the film's universe. The post-credit scenes at the end of the movies often hint at future storylines, plot resolutions, or offer a comedic interlude. Post-credit scenes often give a sneak peek into what the sequel could be like. The audience stays engaged with the plot of the movie for a really long time. It’s imperative that the post-credit scene of a movie has to be something that the audience remembers, and they are a mini-genre of their own. Here is a list of 7 times a post-credit scene from a movie made sure you came back for the sequel.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

The third installment of the epic movie series follows Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and Hector Barbossa as they attempt to rescue Jack Sparrow and defeat Lord Cutler Beckett and Davy Jones. The post-credit scene, set 10 years after the events of “At World’s End, has Will returning to the shore to unite with Elizabeth and his son Henry.

The film ends with Elizabeth and Will getting separated. The post-credit scene, besides serving as a hope for the restoration of the audience’s two favorite characters, also gives a peek into the plot of the 2017 sequel to the movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”, alluding to the fact that Henry could be one of the main characters.

Fast Five (2011)

The characters Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), and Mia (Jordana Brewster) escape to Rio de Janeiro right after they break Dom out of custody. They get involved in a heist right after this and target a corrupt drug lord named Hernan Reyes, who actually controls the city and its police force. In order to pull off this job, they bring together a crew of old allies, creating the very first and original “Fast family” moment.

The climax of the movie features a jaw-dropping chase scene that has gone down in history to be acknowledged as the most iconic of its kind. The post-credit scene shows Agent Hobbs getting a new file. Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes from 2 Fast 2 Furious) hands Hobbs the file and tells him that the file is something Hobbs might want to take a look at. As Hobbs opens the file, he sees Letty Ortiz, who was believed to have been dead since “Fast and Furious” (2009). Her photo was stamped ‘SURVIVED.’ This post-credit scene set the tone for “Fast and Furious 6,” making it one of the most hyped entries in the franchise.

Iron Man (2008)

Tony Stark happens to be a billionaire and a weapons manufacturer who gets captured by a terrorist while demonstrating a missile in Afghanistan. Instead of building a weapon for these terrorists, he ends up constructing a powered suit of armor to escape. After returning home, Tony became disillusioned with the weapons industry and secretly built a more advanced Iron Man suit to fight for justice. In the meantime, it turns out that Tony’s business partner, Obadiah Stane, turns out to be the one who had arranged Tony’s kidnapping and created his own armored suit to take him down.

After the credits roll, Tony arrives home to find a mysterious man awaiting him. It's Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who was there to talk to Tony about the Avengers Initiative. Fans practically lost their minds at the idea of multiple superheroes teaming up. The scene essentially planted the seed for “The Avengers” (2012) and turned a standalone movie into the foundation of the MCU.

Deadpool (2016)

A former special forces operative turned mercenary, Wade Wilson, gets diagnosed with terminal cancer. He undergoes an experimental treatment at a questionable organization, which eventually gives him healing powers but with a side effect that leaves him horribly disfigured. He then takes on the name of ‘Deadpool,’ who goes out on a mission to seek revenge from the man who ruined his life.

In the post-credit scene of the movie “Deadpool,” the character Deadpool appears in a bathrobe, mimicking Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and tells the audience to go home. Instead of a serious tease, it was playful and quite unexpected, which perfectly matched the movie’s tone. Fans weren’t just left laughing but with the expectation that there could be an insane pairing of Deadpool and Cable. And this hype paid off with Deadpool 2.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

In a dark future, wherein mutants are hunted to near extinction by Sentinels, the X-Men send Wolverine’s consciousness back to 1973 to stop a pivotal event: Mystique’s assassination of Bolivar Trask, which leads to the creation of the Sentinels. Wolverine must unite young Professor X, Magneto, and Beast, who are otherwise fractured and broken, to change history. However, after intense battles and betrayals, they succeed at rewriting the timeline and saving the future.

The post-credit scene has an ancient Egypt setting, where a massive crowd chants “En Sabah Nur,” which happens to be the original name of a blue-skinned young man, Apocalypse. Apocalypse constructs pyramids using telekinesis. In the background, the four horsemen watch him from a distance. Apocalypse is one of the most powerful and iconic X-Men villains. The post-credit scene perfectly set up “X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016).

Spider–Man: Far from Home (2019)

The death of Tony Stark in “Avengers: Endgame” leaves Peter Parker shattered while he’s still trying to have a normal teenage life. On a school trip to Europe, he gets recruited by Nick Fury, who happens to be a Skrull in disguise, to battle elemental creatures. He teams up with Mysterio, who pretends to be a hero from another dimension. But in reality, Mysterio is a former Stark employee who’s just vengeful by nature. He uses the disguise of Mysterio and tries to use illusions to fake heroism and gain control over the powerful Stark tech. Peter defeats him, but not quite before Mysterio manages to pull one last trick up his sleeve.

The post-credit scene leaves the audience with a massive cliffhanger. Peter’s worst nightmare comes true, and his identity becomes public. That twist turns his whole world upside down and raises huge stakes. Fans were desperate to find out how Peter would start dealing with fame, fear, and legal fallout. J.K. Simmons' return as Jameson was quite nostalgic and an exciting surprise that connected different Spider-Man eras. The scene thus turned a fun, teen-superhero story into a legal, social, and moral crisis, making the wait for “No Way Home” agonizing to the core.

The Batman (2022)

The plot is set in a darker, more detective-focused setting, Gotham City. Bruce Wayne, played by Robert Pattinson, is in his second year as Batman. He goes on to investigate a series of cryptic murders by the Riddler, played by Paul Dano, who happens to be a serial killer targeting Gotham’s corrupt elite. Along the way, he forms weird alliances with Catwoman, James Gordon, and even The Penguin. Batman uncovers a conspiracy that has links with his own family’s legacy, the corruption in Gotham City, and the intricate connections amongst the city’s criminals. By the end of the movie, Batman comes to the realization that Gotham’s problems run deeper than what he had initially thought, and he finally decides to become more than just a symbol of vengeance but also a symbol of hope.

In the post-credit scene, a mysterious figure, later revealed as The Riddler, communicates with someone via a video chat on a dark, eerie website. Someone with a username “The Joker” responds to The Riddler’s comments. The screen gets blurred, and it becomes clear that the two most vicious villains are planning something together. The audience can hear The Joker’s distorted laughter, and it is insinuated that there could be a possible new threat in the future. This post-credit scene did not offer much resolution, but it clearly teased a future conflict. The scene left the audience to speculate on what kind of Joker would appear and how he’d challenge the new version of Batman, which in turn created a wave of anticipation for the sequel.