The Marvel Cinematic Universe transformed and redefined the modern superhero movie genre in the late 2000s and 2010s, seamlessly connecting one movie after another into a single shared universe with recurring superhero stars. 2008's Iron Man was the first, and then Iron Man's best allies joined the party, with 2012's The Avengers completing Phase One.
The MCU movies have all kinds of exciting plot twists and developments, but they also have their iconic post-credits scenes. After each movie ended, a scene would tease the next feature, setting up new Avengers, like the mighty Thor Odinson, and supervillains, like Thanos, and beyond. Phase One's post-credits scenes were quite significant, and they can be neatly ranked according to their impact.
Updated on January 2nd, 2023 by Louis Kemner: Even after so many movies and shows, including series like Moon Knight and films like Guardians 2, the MCU is still going strong. Phase Four recently concluded, and there are two more phases on the way in the Multiverse saga alone, so it's a fine time to look back on how all this started and see how the MCU laid its own foundation for future plotlines in Phase One.
7 The Shawarma Palace Dining Scene
The Avengers
This particular post-credits scene had very little impact on the MCU's plot overall. It's mainly symbolic and comedic, though a bit of meaning can be extracted from it. Near the end of The Avengers, after Iron Man survived his fall back to New York City, he commented that he wanted to dine at a local shawarma establishment. At first, that sounded like a mere throwaway line.
But the MCU makes good on its promises, and this particular scene depicts the assembled Avengers dining on Tony's meal of choice. No one says anything, and nothing really happens, but at least the scene proves that the Avengers have achieved a certain level of solidarity and trust. It's a minor but heartwarming example of how strong their friendship had already become.
6 Tony Meeting Thaddeus Ross At A Bar
The Incredible Hulk
A few post-credits scenes early in the MCU suggested that the Avengers would definitely come together. It was all a matter of when and how, not if, and 2008's The Incredible Hulk knew it. This movie included General Thaddeus Ross, who was in bad shape by the movie's end. During the post-credits scene, he's having a drink when Tony Stark shows up.
After a few remarks, the two men get down to business. Tony explains that even if the Super-Soldier program was put on ice, alluding to Captain America, he and other people are putting a team together. Ross wonders who "we" are, unaware of Nick Fury's role in all this. Tony merely gives him a wink, but in hindsight, fans can easily fill in the gaps in this conversation.
5 Nick Fury And Captain America Preparing For The Avengers
Captain America: The First Avenger
2011's Captain America: The First Avenger introduced Steve Rogers as the star-spangled hero of World War II, facing his nemesis, the Red Skull, and the entire HYDRA organization. Captain America flew Red Skull's plane into the ground and ended up frozen, only to be awoken decades later. He must adjust to a new century, with new allies and new enemies.
However, it's not easy for Steve to move on and during this post-credits scene, Nick Fury explains that he's trying very hard to save the world, and the Avengers must assemble quickly before it's too late. The scene transitions to clips from The Avengers, serving as a trailer of sorts for the 2012 feature film. Fans knew it was coming, but this was still exciting to watch.
4 Phil Coulson Alerting Fury About Thor's Hammer
Iron Man 2
After the events of 2010's Iron Man 2, agent Phil Coulson traveled to the American Southwest on a mission. There, Coulson happened upon something incredible - the hammer of Thor, Mjolnir. Curiously, this hammer had been driven right into the ground, and Thor himself was nowhere in sight.
That's an intriguing setup, and this scene made it clear that wherever he was, Thor was right around the corner, and he would bring the thunder. It was really just a token "Thor is coming" scene, but an exciting one all the same. Until Stormbreaker was forged, Mjolnir would also stand as the MCU's most powerful weapon.
3 Nick Fury Asking Erik Selvig To Investigate The Tesseract
Thor
The Tesseract cube contained one of the six Infinity Stones, though not everyone knew that at the time. Once the events of Thor concluded, Nick Fury is seen welcoming Erik Selvig to S.H.I.E.L.D., needing Selvig's expertise to help unravel the mysteries of the cosmos. But the scheming Loki secretly has a hand in this.
Erik Selvig appears perfectly cooperative, but the truth is that Loki is controlling him via his staff, and Nick Fury is ignorant of that fact. The Thor post-credits scene directly led to the opening events of The Avengers, when Loki made his move to capture the Tesseract and destabilize S.H.I.E.L.D. from within.
2 Thanos Decides To Challenge The Avengers
The Avengers
This was the other post-credits scene for The Avengers, and it was far more impactful than the Shawarma Palace scene. The mysterious Other approaches Thanos and informs the latter of Loki's defeat in New York City, and the Other saw the assembled Avengers as a significant threat.
Thanos, who had been in the shadows all this time, thinks otherwise. He doesn't fear the Avengers or any other superhero. Instead, he smugly declares that he will take care of matters himself, hinting at his massive role in future Avengers movies. It would take some time to reach that point, but the wait was worth it in Phase Three.
1 Nick Fury Makes His First Appearance After Iron Man Ends
Iron Man
This is the post-credits scene for Iron Man, and it's the first time Nick Fury makes an appearance. That alone makes it an impactful scene, and better yet, it features the first on-screen mention of the Avengers name. Nick Fury explains to Tony that he is far from the only hero out there.
Nick and Tony's meeting was the first step in assembling the Avengers, as opposed to the vague hint dropped at the end of The Incredible Hulk. It became clear right away that the Avengers were definitely going to assemble, with Iron Man having a prominent role despite his problematic attitude.