# List of films with post-credits scenes (2010s)

A post-credits scene is a short clip shown before, during, or after a film's closing credits that foreshadows a future film, resolves a plotline, or provides comic relief. During the 2010s the device went from a Marvel novelty to a mainstream convention across studios and genres, driven above all by the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-cinematic-universe) (MCU), which included at least one such scene in each film's original theatrical release except *[Avengers](https://www.edgepedia.org/avengers-marvel-cinematic-universe): Endgame*.<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup> This article surveys the decade's practice: the terminology, the historical background, the MCU's dominant example, adoption outside superhero films, and a year-by-year catalog of documented cases.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| MCU coverage | Every 2010s MCU theatrical release carried at least one stinger except *Avengers: Endgame* (2019), whose original run ended with the sound of a hammer striking steel.<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup> |
| Decade maximum | *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2* (2017) has five post-credits scenes, the most of any MCU film of the 2010s.<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)</sup> |
| Typical count | Most 2010s MCU films had one or two scenes; several, including *The Avengers*, *Ant-Man*, *Doctor Strange*, and *Captain Marvel*, had two.<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup> |
| Stated rationale | Kevin Feige called the stinger "an anticipation of something to come" for fans and cited *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986) as his inspiration.<sup>[4](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup> |
| Spread beyond Marvel | Documented 2014 examples outside the MCU include *Big Hero 6*, *22 Jump Street*, *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*, *The Purge: Anarchy*, and *Top Five*; *Interstellar* and *Transformers: Age of Extinction* had none.<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup> |
| Saturation point | By mid-2022, at least 20 film and TV releases that year had at least one mid or post-credits stinger, including *Morbius*, *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*, and *Lightyear*.<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup> |

## Terminology and types

The umbrella term covers several distinct placements. A *mid-credits scene* appears as the credits begin or roll, while a *post-credits scene* follows the final card; specialist trackers such as MediaStinger log these as separate categories, alongside extras during the credits and audio-only extras, such as the extra audio during the credits of *Nightcrawler* (2014).<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup> The MCU's own reference definition treats the category broadly: one or more short clips shown before, during, or after the closing credits that usually foreshadow future films and television shows, resolve a plotline, or provide comic relief.<sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup>

Two functional traditions run through the history. The *set-up stinger* teases a continuation, and the *gag stinger* is a one-off joke with no narrative consequence. *The Silencers* pioneered the set-up form, and 1979's *The Muppet Movie* pioneered the gag when Animal yells at the audience, "Go home! Go home! Bye-bye!"; *Airplane!* (1980) then began the comedic trend of wrapping up inconsequential plot threads.<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup>

## Historical background

The practice predates the 2010s by decades. *Daredevil* (2003) was the first Marvel movie with a post-credits scene, but it was 2008's *Iron Man* that launched the MCU convention: [Nick Fury](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-fury) visits Tony Stark to tell him about "the Avengers Initiative."<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup> Kevin Feige, president of [Marvel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-studios), has cited *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986) as the inspiration, recalling that the extra scene "was like a little reward for me for sitting through the credits."<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup>

Feige explained the structural logic that made the device central to the MCU: placing other characters, such as Fury, at the end of a film rather than mid-movie connected the films to the wider universe without interrupting each film's own storyline.<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup> He also described Marvel Studios as having used scenes after the final credits as a practice from the beginning, calling it "an anticipation of something to come" that fans love.<sup>[4](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)</sup>

## The Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 2010s

The MCU's catalog for the decade shows a consistent one-to-two scene norm with a few outliers. Films with one scene include *Iron Man 2* (2010), *Thor* (2011), *Iron Man 3* (2013), *Guardians of the Galaxy* (2014), *Avengers: Age of Ultron* (2015), and *Avengers: Infinity War* (2018). Films with two include *[The Avengers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-avengers-2012-film)* (2012), *Thor: The Dark World* (2013), *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* (2014), *Ant-Man* (2015), *Captain America: Civil War* (2016), *Doctor Strange* (2016), *Thor: Ragnarok* (2017), *Spider-Man: Homecoming* (2017), *Black Panther* (2018), *Ant-Man and the Wasp* (2018), *Captain Marvel* (2019), and *Spider-Man: Far From Home* (2019).<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>

**The five-scene outlier.** *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2* (2017) carries five post-credits scenes, the decade's maximum, including the introduction of [Adam Warlock](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-warlock) and teenage Groot.<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)</sup>

**The exception.** *Avengers: Endgame* (2019) is the only MCU film released without a post-credits scene; its initial theatrical run instead ended with the sound of a hammer striking steel, which co-director Joe Russo described as their way of saying goodbye to Tony Stark. A *Spider-Man: Far From Home* trailer was added to later re-releases, and the specialist Marvel catalog accordingly lists three post-credits scenes marked "Encore only," attached to encore theatrical engagements rather than the original release.<sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>

Representative stinger content across the decade: *Iron Man 2* (2010) shows Agent Phil Coulson heading to Thor's hammer embedded in the earth; *Avengers: Infinity War* (2018) shows [Nick Fury](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-fury-marvel-cinematic-universe) sending a message to Captain Marvel; and *Ant-Man and the Wasp* (2018) ends with Ant-Man trapped in the Quantum Realm, with a final stinger showing a giant ant playing the drums.<sup>[4](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)</sup> The MCU's short-film program also used the device: the [Marvel One-Shots](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-one-shots) *Item 47* (2012), *Agent Carter* (2013), and *All Hail the King* (2014) each carry a post-credits scene.<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>

## Beyond superhero films

Non-MCU Marvel films with post-credits scenes in the 2010s include *X-Men: Days of Future Past*, *Deadpool*, *X-Men: Apocalypse*, *Deadpool 2*, *Venom*, and *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*.<sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup>

The practice also spread to animation, comedy, horror, and action outside Marvel and DC, though it was not universal. MediaStinger's 2014 log records *Big Hero 6* with an extra scene featuring [Stan Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-lee) after the credits; *The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1* (November 21, 2014) with an extra [Mockingjay](https://www.edgepedia.org/mockingjay) symbol after the credits; the comedy *Dumb and Dumber To* (November 14, 2014) with extra scenes during and after the credits; and *Top Five* (December 12, 2014) with an extra scene featuring [Jerry Seinfeld](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-seinfeld) after the credits start.<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup> In the same year, *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (July 11, 2014) had extra audio after the credits, the horror film *The Purge: Anarchy* (July 18, 2014) had extra video clips and images during the credits, the animated *Planes: Fire & Rescue* (July 18, 2014) had extra scenes during the credits, and *22 Jump Street* (June 13, 2014) had extra scenes both during and after the credits.<sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup>

The negative cases are equally informative: *Interstellar* (November 7, 2014), *Deliver Us from Evil* (July 2, 2014), and *Transformers: Age of Extinction* (June 27, 2014) all had no extras during or after the credits, showing that by 2014 the stinger remained a choice rather than an industry default.<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup> A Dutch-language ranked list of the 25 best 2010s stinger films on MovieMeter includes non-superhero titles such as *Django Unchained* (2012), *Wreck-It Ralph* (2012), *Moana* (2016), *Prometheus* (2012), *What We Do in the Shadows* (2014), *L'Illusionniste* (2010), and *Made in Dagenham* (2010), alongside superhero entries.<sup>[7](https://www.moviemeter.nl/toplijst/film/17256/top-25-beste-aftercreditsstinger-films-uit-de-jaren-2010-tot-2019)</sup>

## By the numbers

Within the MCU, the 2010s distribution runs from one scene per film at the floor to two as the common case, with *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2* at five and *Avengers: Endgame* at zero in its original release.<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup> Among documented 2014 releases outside the MCU, eight titles had extras of some kind (*Big Hero 6*, *Mockingjay - Part 1*, *Dumb and Dumber To*, *Top Five*, *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*, *The Purge: Anarchy*, *Planes: Fire & Rescue*, *22 Jump Street*) against three documented negatives (*Interstellar*, *Deliver Us from Evil*, *Transformers: Age of Extinction*), showing the device was active across genres by mid-decade.<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup>

## How it compares with the 2000s and 2020s

The 2000s were the sparse novelty era: a handful of precedents from *The Silencers* and *The Muppet Movie* through *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* and *Iron Man* (2008).<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup> Marvel did not invent the post-credits scene, but it popularized it like no other films have, and the MCU's inter-film continuity gave the device an unusually extensive role in connecting films.<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup> Feige has said Marvel "trained" audiences to stay until the very end of the credits, and other studios adopted post-credits scenes to capitalize on Marvel's success; that adoption is what fills the 2010s catalog above.<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup>

After the decade, the device saturated. By mid-2022, at least 20 film and TV releases that year, including *The Book of Boba Fett*, *Peacemaker*, *Morbius*, *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*, and *Lightyear*, had at least one mid or post-credits stinger, extending the practice well beyond superhero films.<sup>[1](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)</sup>

## List of films by year

The catalog below assembles documented 2010s cases from the MCU catalog, MediaStinger's release logs, and the Dutch ranked list.

- **2010**: *Iron Man 2* (MCU, Coulson at Thor's hammer)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)</sup>; *L'Illusionniste*, *Made in Dagenham* (ranked-list entries)<sup>[7](https://www.moviemeter.nl/toplijst/film/17256/top-25-beste-aftercreditsstinger-films-uit-de-jaren-2010-tot-2019)</sup>.
- **2011**: *Thor* (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>.
- **2012**: *The Avengers* (MCU, two scenes)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>; Marvel One-Shot *Item 47*<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>; *Django Unchained*, *Wreck-It Ralph*, *Prometheus* (ranked-list entries)<sup>[7](https://www.moviemeter.nl/toplijst/film/17256/top-25-beste-aftercreditsstinger-films-uit-de-jaren-2010-tot-2019)</sup>.
- **2013**: *Thor: The Dark World* (two), *Iron Man 3* (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>; Marvel One-Shot *Agent Carter*<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>.
- **2014**: *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* (two), *Guardians of the Galaxy* (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>; Marvel One-Shot *All Hail the King*<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>; *X-Men: Days of Future Past* (extra scene after the credits, May 23, 2014)<sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup>; *22 Jump Street* (extra scenes during and after, June 13, 2014)<sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup>; *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (extra audio after, July 11, 2014)<sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup>; *The Purge: Anarchy* (extra clips during, July 18, 2014)<sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup>; *Planes: Fire & Rescue* (extra scenes during, July 18, 2014)<sup>[6](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)</sup>; *Big Hero 6* (extra scene with Stan Lee after)<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup>; *Dumb and Dumber To* (extra scenes during and after, November 14, 2014)<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup>; *The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1* (extra Mockingjay symbol after, November 21, 2014)<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup>; *Top Five* (extra scene with Jerry Seinfeld, December 12, 2014)<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup>; *Nightcrawler* (extra audio during the credits, October 31, 2014)<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup>; *What We Do in the Shadows* (ranked-list entry)<sup>[7](https://www.moviemeter.nl/toplijst/film/17256/top-25-beste-aftercreditsstinger-films-uit-de-jaren-2010-tot-2019)</sup>.
- **2015**: *Avengers: Age of Ultron*, *Ant-Man* (two) (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>.
- **2016**: *Captain America: Civil War* (two), *Doctor Strange* (two) (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>; *Moana* (ranked-list entry)<sup>[7](https://www.moviemeter.nl/toplijst/film/17256/top-25-beste-aftercreditsstinger-films-uit-de-jaren-2010-tot-2019)</sup>.
- **2017**: *Thor: Ragnarok* (two), *Spider-Man: Homecoming* (two), *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2* (five) (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup>.
- **2018**: *Black Panther* (two), *Avengers: Infinity War*, *Ant-Man and the Wasp* (two) (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)</sup>.
- **2019**: *Captain Marvel* (two), *Spider-Man: Far From Home* (two), *Avengers: Endgame* (three, encore engagements only; none in the original release) (MCU)<sup>[2](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup>.

## Audience behavior and production history

The existence of dedicated stinger-tracking sites such as MediaStinger, which logs placement type and release date for each film, documents stinger-watching as a purposeful audience behavior with purpose-built reference tools during the 2010s.<sup>[5](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)</sup> Audience interest also extended outside the [Anglosphere](https://www.edgepedia.org/anglosphere), as shown by the Dutch-language MovieMeter ranked list of the decade's best stinger films.<sup>[7](https://www.moviemeter.nl/toplijst/film/17256/top-25-beste-aftercreditsstinger-films-uit-de-jaren-2010-tot-2019)</sup>

The production history includes stingers that never reached the screen. [Louis Leterrier](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-leterrier), director of *[The Incredible Hulk](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-incredible-hulk-film)* (2008), intended a post-credits scene showing the Abomination reverted to human form and imprisoned, but it was never filmed. A post-credits scene introducing the Mandarin and [Shang-Chi](https://www.edgepedia.org/shang-chi) was considered for *The Avengers* for the Chinese market, but Beijing's development team rejected the idea, a documented case of a stinger shaped by regional market considerations.<sup>[3](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)</sup>

## References

1. [Post-Credits Scene History, From Airplane! to the MCU, Collider](https://collider.com/post-end-credits-scene-history-mcu/)
2. [Marvel post-credits scenes, the complete list, The Marvel Initiative](https://www.themarvelinitiative.com/post-credits)
3. [List of Post-credits Scenes, Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki (Fandom)](https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Post-credits_Scenes)
4. [Motivo de que las películas de Marvel Studios tenga escenas post-créditos, Cinemascomics](https://www.cinemascomics.com/motivo-peliculas-de-marvel-studios-escenas-post-creditos/)
5. [On Video - After the Credits, MediaStinger (2014 releases, page 42)](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/42/)
6. [On Video - After the Credits, MediaStinger (2014 releases, page 45)](https://mediastinger.com/on-video/page/45/)
7. [Top 25 beste 'post-credits scene'-films uit de jaren 2010 tot 2019, MovieMeter](https://www.moviemeter.nl/toplijst/film/17256/top-25-beste-aftercreditsstinger-films-uit-de-jaren-2010-tot-2019)

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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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