In the lead-up to Avengers: Endgame, many fans were excited to see what sort of future the film would tease for the franchise in its post-credits scenes. After all, the Avengers: Infinity War sequel marked the end of the entire eleven-year Infinity Saga, leaving fans with many questions about the next era of the MCU. So when it turned out that the new movie had no last-minute teases at all, well, perhaps the disappointed response from filmgoers was to be expected.
In an interview with USA TODAY, however, Joe Russo claimed that it was always the plan for Endgame to forego the tradition of the post-credits scene, emphasizing the sense of closure that the movie brings to the MCU’s first era.
“It was never in the cards,” Russo admitted. “It was called ‘Endgame’ for a reason. This is it. This is the ending. The book is closed on that chapter of the Marvel universe and a new book will get written.”
Indeed, while the post-credits of previous Marvel movies were usually intended to tease future developments in the Infinity Saga, Endgame lived up to its name as the film that all the others were building towards. Anthony Russo added that it was a “great thrill” not having to worry about setting up the next installment, explaining:
“This was the first Marvel movie we’ve done where we weren’t thinking about the future.”
Though Endgame contains no post-credits scenes, it does offer one final stinger intended to reflect on the MCU’s past, rather than tease its future. As the credits finish rolling, you’ll hear the sound of a hammer clanking against metal, bringing the saga full circle back to 2008’s Iron Man.
In any case, though the Russo Brothers claim they weren’t thinking about what’s next for the franchise, it’s clear that Avengers: Endgame still does plenty to set up future projects, be it the Loki show, the Falcon and Winter Soldier TV series or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But before any of those projects come our way, we’ll first see how Peter Parker adjusts to life after death when Spider-Man: Far From Home hits theaters on July 2nd.