When Kang the Conqueror was the arch-villain of the Multiverse Saga, the post-credits scene ofThunderbolts*looked decidedly different, but what was written instead is a big reminder of how much theMCUhas now changed. Kang’s departure from the MCU has been somewhat confusing, with the Multiverse Saga’s penultimate Avengers movie beingchanged fromAvengers: The Kang DynastytoAvengers: Doomsdaywith little to no further explanation. This now makes one post-credits scene, namely the one fromAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, feel either pointless or misplaced, depending on whether and howAvengers: Doomsdayfollows up.
Loki,at least, helped to lay the groundwork for Kang’s surreptitious departure from the franchise when it ended with the TVA actively searching for and quelling Kang-related threats throughout the multiverse. Short of a more overt revelation inan upcoming MCU installment, audiences are now forced to assume that the villain that was once primed to bethe greatest threat in the Multiverse Sagahas been taken care of, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom instead stepping up to the plate. Now, further insight into the making ofThunderbolts*has confirmed that this pivot wasn’t always part of the plan.
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
Thunderboltswasn’t expected to be as pivotal as it became, with the name change fromThunderboltstoThe New Avengersofficially, and somewhat retroactively, making it the Multiverse Saga’s first Avengers movie. Despite expectations,Thunderbolts*additionally delivered one of the best post-credits scenes of the Multiverse Saga by tying it directly to one of the climactic movies,Avengers: Doomsday. At the same time, it set up the next movie to be released,The Fantastic Four: First Steps, thereby kicking back against a trend ofMCU post-credits scenesthat may never be followed up on.
The scene depicted the New Avengers 14 months into their not-so-new roles, operating (still rather chaotically) from their base in what used to be Avengers Tower. After receiving a signal about an extradimensional entity entering Earth’s orbit, the New Avengers pivot from their discussion about Sam Wilson’s threats of legal action against their team name to address the issue. Upon further inspection,the entity is revealed to be the distinctive spaceship of the Fantastic Four, apparently entering Earth-616 from their own universe. GivenAvengers: Doomsdaywill feature multiple universes coming together, this seemingly sets up the events of that movie directly.
Previous Thunderbolts* Plans Tied The Post-Credits Scene Into Avengers 5’s The Kang Dynasty Instead
The Hollywood Strikes Delayed The Decision
TheThunderboltspost-credits scenethat was ultimately delivered was just one of several drafts. In an interview withIGN,Thunderboltsco-writer Eric Pearson revealed that a direct set-up ofAvengers: DoomsdayandThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswasn’t always the plan. Clarifying that the Hollywood strikes of summer 2023 delayed a final draft by several months, Pearson revealed thatthe initial post-credits scene was going to set up Kang, similarly toAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, stating:
“So I was throwing together at the beginning a post-credit sequence that had to deal with Kang.”
Pearson also notes that he considered featuring Baron Zemo in the post-credits scene, showing him pulling the strings from behind bars.
It was only the delay that caused Pearson to change course, a delay that occurred in the midst of Marvel’s decision to pivot from Kang to Doom. At this time, of course,The Fantastic Four: First Stepswas already part of the plan, as Marvel Studios got to work on developing a Fantastic Four movie almost as soon as Disney acquired Fox and, as a result, the rights to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Still, Marvel’s First Family may not have featured in theThunderbolts*post-credits scene had the original plan been adhered to, which raises an interesting point.
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 seems thatThunderbolts*was being developed at the height of a major metamorphosis for the MCU. It was heavily rumored around the time of the Hollywood strikes that Marvel was already planning to pivot from Kang to Doom following a bombshell report fromVarietythat detailed discussions at a Marvel Studios retreat. This report was ultimately vindicated less than one year later when Marvel Studios unveiledAvengers: Doomsdayat 2024’s San Diego Comic Con, with Robert Downey Jr returning as Doctor Doom.
In fact, bringing the arch-villain forward to feature in two Avengers movies (like Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) gives Marvel more room to flesh the character out, and Thunderbolts* has successfully stoked anticipation for his arrival.
The implications of this change are admittedly hard to pin down, which is probably a good thing. While the immediate effects render theAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniapost-credits sceneand conversations between Loki and He Who Remains potentially obsolete,it isn’t as ifAvengers: Secret Warswasn’t always going to feature Doctor Doom. In fact, bringing the arch-villain forward to feature in two Avengers movies (like Thanos inAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame) gives Marvel more room to flesh the character out, andThunderbolts*has successfully stoked anticipation for his arrival.
