How Thunderbolts’ Post-Credits Scene Reveals the MCU’s Shocking Transformation!

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In the original storyline of the Multiverse Saga, Kang the Conqueror played a pivotal role as the main antagonist. However, changes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have led to a different ending for the Thunderbolts post-credits scene. Initially, Kang’s departure from the MCU left many wondering why the penultimate Avengers movie was changed from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday, with no clear explanation provided. This shift has made the post-credits scene from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania seem either unnecessary or out of place, depending on how Avengers: Doomsday addresses this change.

Loki may have played a role in setting the stage for Kang’s covert exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), since when the franchise concluded, the Time Variance Authority (TVA) was actively dealing with any Kang-related threats across the multiverse. Although there hasn’t been an explicit confirmation about Kang’s fate in future MCU projects, fans are left to speculate that the antagonist who was initially set as a major threat for the Multiverse Saga has been neutralized. Instead, Victor Von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) is now poised to become the primary villain. It turns out that this shift wasn’t always planned, as recent developments about the production of Thunderbolts have revealed.

Thunderbolts*’ Big Post-Credits Scene Majorly Sets Up The Fantastic Four: First Steps & Avengers: Doomsday

It Reveals The Fantastic Four’s Spaceship Entering Earth-616

The unexpected significance of “Thunderbolts” became evident as its name change to “The New Avengers” was confirmed, essentially marking it as the first Avengers movie in the Multiverse Saga. Contrary to initial expectations, “Thunderbolts” also provided one of the most impressive post-credits scenes within the Multiverse Saga, directly linking it to a climactic film, “Avengers: Doomsday”. Simultaneously, it laid the groundwork for the upcoming movie, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, thereby bucking a trend in the MCU where many post-credits scenes aren’t followed up on.

The scene portrayed the New Avengers, now 14 months into their new but still somewhat disorganized duties, operating from their base which was once Avengers Tower. When they picked up a signal about an extradimensional being approaching Earth, they shifted their conversation about Sam Wilson’s legal threats regarding their team name to tackle the issue at hand. Upon closer examination, it turned out that the entity was none other than the recognizable spaceship of the Fantastic Four, seemingly arriving from their universe, Earth-616. As ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is set to feature multiple realities colliding, this encounter appears to establish the events leading up to that film directly.

Previous Thunderbolts* Plans Tied The Post-Credits Scene Into Avengers 5’s The Kang Dynasty Instead

The Hollywood Strikes Delayed The Decision

The original post-credit scene for “Thunderbolts” that was eventually shown was one of several options. In an interview with IGN, “Thunderbolts” co-writer Eric Pearson disclosed that a direct setup for “Avengers: Doomsday” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” wasn’t originally intended. He explained that the summer 2023 Hollywood strikes significantly delayed the completion of a final draft, revealing that initially, the post-credit scene was meant to introduce Kang, much like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

“So I was throwing together at the beginning a post-credit sequence that had to deal with Kang.”

The delay in proceedings was what ultimately led Pearson to alter his direction, and this delay arose during Marvel’s strategic shift from Kang to Doom. At that moment, it’s worth noting that “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” was already incorporated into their plans, as Marvel Studios swiftly began working on a Fantastic Four film following Disney’s acquisition of Fox and the subsequent rights to both X-Men and Fantastic Four. However, had the original plan been followed through, it’s possible that Marvel’s First Family wouldn’t have appeared in the post-credits scene for Thunderbolts. This scenario presents an intriguing question.

The delay caused Pearson to change direction, which happened during Marvel’s switch from Kang to Doom. At that point, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” was already part of the plan because Marvel Studios started developing a Fantastic Four movie immediately after Disney acquired Fox and obtained the rights for both X-Men and Fantastic Four. Yet, if the original strategy had been implemented, it’s plausible that Marvel’s First Family wouldn’t have been in the Thunderbolts post-credits scene, which raises an interesting query.

The Final Thunderbolts* Post-Credits Scene Shows Just Far Much The MCU Has Changed During The Movie’s Development

The MCU Pivoted Significantly In A Matter Of Months

It appears that the development of Thunderbolts took place during a significant transformation period for the MCU. There was much speculation around the time of Hollywood strikes, suggesting that Marvel Studios was already considering a shift from Kang to Doom following an exposé by Variety about talks at a Marvel Studios retreat. This speculation proved accurate when Marvel Studios announced Avengers: Doomsday at 2024’s San Diego Comic Con, with Robert Downey Jr reprising his role as Doctor Doom less than a year later.

The consequences of this shift are somewhat vague, which could be a positive aspect. Although it might render certain scenes in the post-credits of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and discussions between Loki and He Who Remains irrelevant, it doesn’t mean that Doctor Doom wasn’t destined to appear in “Avengers: Secret Wars” all along. In fact, introducing the main antagonist earlier, allowing him to feature in two Avengers movies much like Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” provides Marvel with additional opportunities to develop the character more thoroughly. Furthermore, the upcoming project “Thunderbolts” has effectively fueled excitement for his arrival.

*Note: Thunderbolts is a speculated title for an upcoming movie featuring a team of villains who have pretended to be heroes.

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2025-05-26 05:10