The Marvels is out now on the big screen – and the Captain Marvel sequel has a lot to unpack. For starters, it's not just Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) who takes center stage this time around. She's joined by Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) after they discover that they switch places every time they use their light-based powers.
The trio finds themselves thrown together to take down Kree leader Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) before she destroys the universe, attempting to harness their switching to their own advantage. And, like any MCU project, it's worth sticking around through the credits at the end of The Marvels. But how many post-credits scenes are there? And what do they mean for the MCU going forward?
We've got all the answers here, and the first part of our guide is spoiler-free, too, so you can check how many post-credits scenes there are before you head to the multiplex.
How many How many The Marvels post-credits scenes are there?
The Marvels just has one post-credits scene, which plays at the mid-credits after the initial stylized credits with the cast's names have finished rolling.
Post-credits, there isn't another scene, just an audio gag, so you won't be missing much if you head home after the mid-credits. Audio Easter eggs seem to be Marvel's new thing, with an episode of Loki season 2 featuring a similar gag.
The Marvels post-credits scene, explained *SPOILERS*
Now, this is where we get into spoiler territory. Turn back now if you haven't seen The Marvels yet and don't want to know what happens in the post-credits scene!
After repairing the hole Dar-Benn made in space-time at the end of the movie and getting stuck on the other side (wherever that may be), Monica wakes up in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV. Disorientated, she notices her mother and Carol's best friend, Maria (Lashana Lynch), asleep in a chair at her bedside, wrapped in a blanket.
Of course, Monica discovered that her mother passed away during the Blip, so she's obviously emotional to be reunited with her, but Maria seems baffled by Monica's reaction. Then, another familiar face enters the room – but it's not one we know from the MCU. The X-Men's Dr. Hank McCoy, AKA Beast (played by Kelsey Grammer), is Monica's doctor.
He says that "Charles" (Xavier, naturally) has asked for an update on her and he breaks the news that she's in a parallel universe, even though that may seem impossible. And, to top it all off, Maria says she has no idea who Monica is. When Maria stands up and sheds her blanket, we see she's wearing a red and white suit – one that looks very similar to Binary's, a hero from the comic books.
There's no post-credits scene after the full credits have rolled, just an audio Easter egg: a Flerken meow and tentacle squelch play over the Marvel Studios logo.
What does The Marvels post-credit scene mean for the MCU?
Well, it's official: the X-Men are now part of the MCU. We knew this was inevitable after Disney bought the rights to the mutant characters via their purchase of 20th Century Studios, but, other than a version of Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) popping up as part of the Illuminati of Earth-838 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, this is the first time a member of Professor X's team has appeared in an MCU project.
Grammer's version of Beast appeared in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand and 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. A younger version of the character was played by Nicholas Hoult in Days of Future Past, as well as X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, and he also made a cameo in Deadpool 2. It's interesting, then, that the MCU has opted to include the older version of Hank McCoy.
And speaking of the Merc with the Mouth, Deadpool 3 is on its way to our screens next summer (after a wave of delays), and we know that Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will be making an appearance in that movie. Can we expect to see Beast, Maria, and Monica, too?
The parallel universe of it all also means that Marvel can explain away the X-Men's absence from previous projects. Xavier and co. have always existed in the MCU! They were just in another universe! Duh.
Then, of course, there's Binary. In the comics, it's Carol Danvers who takes on this moniker, so it seems likely that Maria is her universe's Captain Marvel. This isn't the first time we've seen Lynch's character take on the title, either – like Xavier, she was part of the Illuminati as a version of Captain Marvel in Doctor Strange 2.
The biggest question on our minds, though, is what's going to happen to Monica? Will she ever get back to Carol and Kamala? For now, it seems like Deadpool 3 might be our best chance of finding out.
For more on The Marvels, check out the rest of our coverage:
- The comics that influenced The Marvels, according to Nia DaCosta
- Nia DaCosta explaining The Marvels’ “lighter, softer” Fury
- The Marvels director weighing in on whether or not you need to have watched the TV shows beforehand
- The MCU movies and shows to watch before The Marvels
- When does The Marvels take place on the Marvel timeline?
- How many Captain Marvels are there in Marvel Comics?
- Ms. Marvel: The powers and comic book origins of Kamala Khan
- The comic book history of Monica Rambeau
- When does The Marvels take place on the Marvel timeline?
- The Marvels ending explained
- All of The Marvels Easter eggs and MCU references
- All of The Marvels cameos - listed and explained
- The Marvels post-credits scenes explained
- Who is Binary in Marvel Comics?
- What team is Kamala Khan recruiting for at the end of The Marvels?
- How does The Marvels ending set up Deadpool 3?
- Breaking down Kelsey Grammer’s Beast cameo in The Marvels
