Summary:
- There are a total of six MCU post-credits scenes that lead up to Avengers: Doomsday.
- Out of these, four directly reference the events that will transpire in Avengers Doomsday.
- Here is a list of all MCU post-credits scenes that lead up to the upcoming Avengers Doomsday.
Post-credits scenes in the MCU have become a staple ever since Tony Stark appeared in The Incredible Hulk in 2008. The Multiverse Saga began with Phase Four, continuing the trend of post-credits scenes. As we get closer to the release of Avengers: Doomsday, more and more post-credits scenes are setting up the arrival of Dr. Doom. So we thought it made sense to break down every post-credits scene that led up to Avengers: Doomsday.
Table of Contents
1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings had two post-credit scenes. The first one had Wong investigating the origins of the Ten Rings, noting that he could sense their effects when Shang-Chi wielded them. It is revealed that neither Bruce Banner nor Captain Marvel knows what the rings are made of, and the rings appear to be sending some beacon.
This scene doesn’t directly relate to Doctor Doom, especially since Shang-Chi came out when plans for Doctor Doom weren’t on the table. However, Doomsday or Secret Wars will likely resolve this plot thread, especially since Shang-Chi has a huge role in Avengers: Doomsday.
2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021)
Doctor Strange meeting Clea might just be one of the most important post-credits scenes leading up to Doomsday. Clea approaches Strange and tells him that his actions have caused an incursion. She then splits a rift in reality and invites Strange to help her fix it. We then see Doctor Strange’s third eye as he jumps into another reality.
An incursion in the MCU occurs when two realities collide, leading to the destruction of one or both realities. It has been heavily theorized that Avengers: Doomsday will have incursion as an integral part of the plot, especially since we’ve seen it mentioned in Loki and Deadpool & Wolverine as well.
3. The Marvels (2023)
The Marvels gives us our first look at the X-Men in the MCU. We see Monica Rambeau transported to another reality where she sees Maria Rambeau, her mother. However, in this reality, she is actually part of the X-Men and goes by the name Binary.
We see Kelsey Grammer from the Fox X-Men movies make an appearance as Beast, but this time his looks are more comic-accurate. Since X-Men is one of the superhero teams that will be there in Avengers: Doomsday, it’s likely that the X-Men in Doomsday will be from this universe and not the Fox Universe.
4. Captain America: Brave New World
Robert Downey Jr. was revealed as Doctor Doom in July 2024, with Avengers: Kang Dynasty being renamed to Avengers: Doomsday. Following this announcement, MCU post-credit scenes began to form a more coherent narrative, building toward the events of Doomsday, starting with Brave New World.
The post-credits scene from Captain America 4 begins with Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader, being imprisoned on the Raft.. While there, Sterns gives Sam Wilson a rather cryptic message, warning him about multiversal threats: “Do you think this is the only world? We’ll see what happens when you have to protect this place from the others.”
The choice of the word “others” is particularly intriguing. This could mean that Doctor Doom is not the only threat approaching. There could be multiple Dooms from various realities, or Doom could be pitting heroes from different universes against each other. This would make sense since there are rumors of different heroes teaming up to defeat a greater threat.
5. Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts is the last movie in MCU phase five, and its post-credits scene is arguably the most explicit setup for Avengers: Doomsday. We see the Thunderbolts, now called the New Avengers, as a team 14 months later. The New Avengers are at odds with the original Avengers. The original Avengers, especially Sam Wilson, disapprove of the group using the “Avengers” name.
We see the team talking about copyright issues with the name being used. The conversation is interrupted when a computer alert announces that an extra-dimensional ship is entering the atmosphere. As the New Avengers crowd around the monitor, the screen reveals the symbol on the craft to be of the Fantastic Four.
Now, since we know that at the end of Fantastic Four: First Steps, the team does not leave their reality, it is possible that this is not the Fantastic Four. Multiple theories suggest that the vessel could instead be bringing Doctor Doom, or even a variant of him, into the MCU.
6. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
If you thought Thunderbolts was explicit, Fantastic Four gives us our first look at Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. The scene opens with Sue Storm playing with her son Franklin. As she gets up to go to the kitchen, she senses something strange and instinctively activates her powers. As she approaches cautiously, Sue finds Franklin in the arms of Doctor Doom, his face partially obscured by the green hood as he holds his metal mask in one hand.
This brings us to a theory that might connect this post-credits scene to Thunderbolts. In Marvel lore, Franklin Richards is one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. He can create and destroy entire universes at will, which makes sense as to why Doom would want him (or his powers).
It’s possible that Doctor Doom steals Franklin from this reality and travels to Earth-616. The Fantastic Four would then follow his trail through dimensions, eventually arriving in the main MCU universe. So, the “extra-dimensional ship” in Thunderbolts could very well belong to the Fantastic Four.
