WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home, in theaters now.

With the exception of Avengers: Endgame, every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has featured at least one post-credits scene. Although some are merely comedic, others have addressed lingering questions, or else teased what's to come in the blockbuster franchise. However, Spider-Man: Far From Home delivers two game-changing stingers that may be the most important yet in the MCU.

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While the MCU isn't above using this extra time to make one more joke, such as in Captain Marvel, post-credits scenes often focus on the future. Thor's hammer teased the Asgardian's arrival in the post-credits sequence for Iron Man 2. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were introduced in a stinger for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Even the Infinity Saga's primary antagonist, Thanos, first appeared in the post-credits for 2012's Avengers. Those moments feel like tidbits to tide fans over until the next installment, but none of them has the potential to change the entire universe quite like the two sequences from Far From Home.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SPIDER-MAN

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The mid-credits scene of Far From Home completely alters the landscape for Spider-Man. After seemingly earning a happy ending, Spider-Man concludes a date with MJ, only to see a news report depicting altered footage of his climatic battle with Mysterio that paints the wall-crawler as a menace. That's only compounded by video in which Mysterio exposes Spider-Man's secret identity to the world.

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That dramatically changes the life of Peter Parker, and the lives of those around him. He's already had criminals vow revenge if they ever find out who he really is. And in a world in which the Avengers are more or less defunct following Endgame, Spider-Man was poised to become a major hero. But the video upends that, and turns the public against the web-slinger while giving his enemies the opportunity to target him and his loved ones.

 

Spider-Man has had his identity revealed in the comics, most recently during Civil War. But this development in Far From Home isn't something a deal with Mephisto is going to fix. Any future film that features Spider-Man will have to address the fallout from this scene.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE MCU

The most shocking thing is that the mid-credits sequence doesn't even compare to the far-reaching impact of the scene that comes after. That sequence initially appears to just be a joke, revealing that the Skrull Talos has been posing as Nick Fury for the entire film.

He calls the real Fury to update him on the status of his undercover mission, and how Spider-Man reacted to receiving the Stark tech EDITH. But on top of revealing that Fury is working with aliens like the Skrulls to protect Earth, it also hints at the scope of the MCU going into the next phase.

RELATED: Far From Home's Post-Credits Scene Demands You Re-Watch the Film

 

Fury isn't even on Earth when he receives this update; he's relocated off-world. The scene reveals Fury is on a massive ship surrounded by Skrulls, and potentially other aliens. That could be a reference to the Peak, the orbital base for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s space counterpart S.W.O.R.D. With the Avengers gone, it appears Fury is taking a proactive approach, moving off-planet to ensure the defense of the planet from intergalactic threats.

That's a huge game-changer. After years of fighting off invasions, and even stopping Thanos, Earth is poised to have a much bigger presence in the cosmos. Humanity is ready and willing to even work with alien forces if need be.

That could mean any future MCU film with a cosmic scope -- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Captain Marvel 2 and Doctor Strange 2, for starters -- will arrive amid a new status quo. It's one of the most chaotic periods in the history of the MCU, and also perhaps the most exciting.

Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, JB Smoove, Jacob Batalon and Martin Starr, with Marisa Tomei and Jake Gyllenhaal.