Marvel's 'Where Is Wolverine?' Post-Credits Should Appear in the Middle, Not End

Among the many revelations in September's Marvel Legacy #1 was the surprising return of the original Wolverine. Not only is Logan back, but he's also in possession of one of the coveted Infinity Stones. Instead of capitalizing on the renewed interest in Wolverine, Marvel decided to keep the X-Man off the board, with no additional appearances throughout its publishing line for months.

That all changed in November, with the announcement that Logan will appear in “special after-credit scenes” found throughout some of Marvel’s “key” titles. The initiative kicked off in January, with Logan's post-credits scenes appearing on the final pages of Captain America #697, Mighty Thor #703 and Amazing Spider-Man #794.

The idea behind the Wolverine post-credits scenes is to build interest in what Logan has been up to after popping up in Marvel Legacy #1, akin to how Marvel Studios utilizes these scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, if every last page reveal is going to be as underwhelming as the three we've gotten so far, then Marvel is missing a golden opportunity with the rollout.

Post-Credits Should Appear In The Middle, Not End

Instead of post-credits scenes, the more exciting prospect would be Wolverine mid-credits scenes, where the hero shows up in the middle of the story. There are two different approaches that Marvel can go with for these scenes. First is keeping the Wolverine one-page cameos the way they are presented today, where he walks in looking to reconnect with his fellow superheroes. The second involves getting Wolverine more involved in the action. For example, take his appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #794. Instead of Logan observing the damage done to London’s Elizabeth Tower during the fight between Spider-Man and Scorpio, why not have him be in the crowd below, or actually inside the tower for the fight? Of course, if Logan is present while the battle is underway, then he will obviously want to jump in and help his fellow Avenger. But is that a bad thing?

These short clips are where the MCU usually saves its jaw-dropping reveals and teases, which is something else that's missing from the Wolverine sightings. Marvel Comics should emulate Marvel Studios' approach to extra content. The comics publisher appears to not want to tip its hand too early by revealing key details, but fans and readers need to be given something to excite them about these scenes. Now, let's take a look at each mid-credits scene from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with the reveal or surprise found within.

Thanos Courts Death

The first true mid-credits scene in the MCU took place in 2012's The Avengers, and introduced Thanos as the puppeteer behind Loki's devious plans. Previous scenes like Nick Fury breaking into Tony Stark's mansion occurred after the final credits rolled. Realizing it stumbled on a winning formula after the Thanos teaser, Marvel Studios began rolling more and more mid-credits scenes into its films, delivering added anticipation for each future movie. Some moviegoers may not have known exactly who the purple-skinned, grinning alien was, but they'd get a better idea over the next several years, culminating this Spring in Avengers: Infinity War.

Benicio del Toro's Collector

After Thor defeated Malekith in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, Asgardians Volstagg and Sif took the Aether, which we later found out was an Infinity Stone, to a figure named the Collector for safekeeping. Played by Benicio del Toro, the Collector is one of the Elders of the Universe and like his namesake, makes a living by amassing valuable objects and artifacts from around the cosmos. The fact that an Infinity Stone was in possession of the Collector was important, and directly tied into the MCU's first cosmic film, Guardians of the Galaxy.

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Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch

With Hydra defeated and on the run, 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier used its mid-credits scene to show the secret society going underground. It's leader, Baron von Strucker, had committed scientific experiments on two humans using Loki's scepter, granting the Maximoff twins super-powers. This was a pretty big deal at the time, as the introduction of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch to the MCU pit the Avengers against adversaries with special abilities like them, though the twins would eventually switch sides, helping Earth's Mightiest Heroes stop Ultron from destroying the Earth in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

An Empty Infinity Gauntlet

Speaking of 2015's Age of Ultron, it delivered us another glimpse of the Mad Titan as he finally slipped on his iconic piece of equipment from the comics, his Infinity Gauntlet. The only thing missing from the gauntlet are six powerful stones, which he is in the process of collecting. After using pawns like Loki and Ronan the Accuser to gather the Infinity Stones for him, Thanos has decided enough is enough. "Fine, I'll do it myself," he stated as he slipped on the Infinity Gauntlet.

Civil War Prelude

Ant-Man, another film from 2015, was one of the more comedic movies to debut in the MCU, but its mid-credits scene carried the exact opposite tone. The scene showed Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers in a rundown warehouse, with a room holding the Winter Soldier. The last we saw of Bucky Barnes, he was starting to get his memories back in The Winter Soldier's post-credits scene. Sam and Steve seem unsure of what their next movie will be, but they do namedrop "the accords," which we later learned are the Sokovia Accords -- meant to force super-powered individuals to work for the government in our next film.

Welcome To Wakanda

2016's Captain America: Civil War divided the Avengers, with Iron Man leading one group of heroes against Captain America and his allies. Along with bringing Spider-Man into the MCU, Civil War also debuted Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther, king of the African nation of Wakanda. The film's mid-credits scene took place in Wakanda, as scientists worked to remove Winter Soldier's mind-controlled programming, ultimately putting him back under ice until a solution was found.

I Shall Call Him Adam

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the first MCU film to utilize multiple mid-credits scenes, but we're going to put our focus on one in particular. In the 2017 film, we see Ayesha, a member of the gold-skinned alien race called the Sovereign, looking disheveled after her defeat at the hands of the Guardians. Anticipating her leaders' disapproval, Ayesha builds a new birthing pod which she calls the next step in evolution. Inside is a character she dubs "Adam," who we know from the comics is actually Adam Warlock, a central figure in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe.

Everything's Gonna Work Out Fine

Our last mid-credits entry comes from 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, and finds the God of Thunder and Loki taking a ship filled with Asgardian refugees to Earth. As the two brothers debate whether it's a good idea to take the God of Mischief to Thor's adopted home, a gigantic ship blankets theirs in a massive shadow. The scene never reveals who is inside, but we're led to believe it belongs to Thanos, with a potential confrontation leading directly into Infinity War.

In conclusion, all these examples reinforce why Marvel Comics dropped the ball with its "Where Is Wolverine?" campaign. These appearances shouldn't be something that can be easily dismissed and forgotten; they should tie into the larger fabric of the Marvel Universe and offer clues to future titles, thereby cementing their place as a can't-miss phenomenon. Unfortunately, the three scenes we've gotten so far simply don't fall into this category.