The 10 Best Movie Post-Credits Scenes of All Time

Post-credits scenes have been around for decades, popping up after the final names roll to reveal one more gag, twist, or setup. Filmmakers use them to extend a story by a few crucial moments or to tease where a series is heading next. Audiences learned to stick around, and theaters started leaving the lights low just a little longer.

These scenes can be tiny or sprawling, funny or dead serious, but they all share the same trick of rewarding patience. Many of the most talked-about teases connect films across sequels and shared universes, while others simply give one last character beat that ties a bow on what came before.

‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ (1986)

After the credits, Ferris steps into the hallway and tells viewers to go home, a direct address that closes the loop on the film’s constant fourth wall breaks. The moment confirms nothing else is coming and turns the end of the film into one last joke that mirrors its opening.

The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, and exhibitors quickly learned that audiences would actually wait through the credits for a payoff like this. That simple scene helped cement the idea that something extra might be coming if viewers stayed put.

‘Iron Man’ (2008)

Once the credits finish, Tony Stark finds Nick Fury in his living room hearing about the Avengers Initiative for the first time. The appearance by a then-unseen leader of a larger operation signaled that the story of this one film was part of something bigger.

Marvel Studios produced the film while Paramount Pictures handled distribution at the time, bringing the tease to wide audiences who were discovering the modern shared universe model. The scene directly set up later appearances by Fury and the assembling of a team in ‘The Avengers’.

‘The Avengers’ (2012)

Midway through the credits, a grinning figure turns to the camera and reveals Thanos as the strategist behind the Chitauri attack. By the end of the credits, the team silently eats shawarma together in a brief, dialogue-free tag filmed after the premiere.

Disney released the film through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, ensuring the mid-credits villain reveal and the quiet final tag played in theaters worldwide. The Thanos moment laid groundwork for later events in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ while the shawarma bit became a widely recognized extra.

‘Deadpool’ (2016)

The film closes with the hero walking out in a bathrobe to send the crowd home and tease the arrival of Cable in the next story. The layout mirrors a well-known after-credits structure that had been used in the eighties and repurposes it for a modern superhero audience.

The movie was distributed by 20th Century Fox, which positioned the tag as both fan service and a clear pointer to the sequel. The reference to Cable paid off in ‘Deadpool 2’, aligning marketing and storytelling around a single name-drop at the very end.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (2017)

This entry delivers multiple tags, including Kraglin practicing with Yondu’s fin, teenage Groot playing video games, and the Ravagers nodding to a classic lineup with Stakar. Another scene shows Ayesha unveiling a cocoon and naming the being inside Adam, setting the table for Adam Warlock.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures handled distribution, sending all five tags out to theaters in the same package. The Adam reveal connected directly to later appearances in the series, while the other tags tracked character beats that would continue in the next ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ chapter.

‘Fast Five’ (2011)

After the credits, Agent Hobbs receives a file that includes a photo of Letty, revealing she is alive after being presumed dead. The file comes via Monica Fuentes, linking the event back to characters introduced in earlier entries.

Universal Pictures distributed the film, and the tag became the bridge to the next phase of the saga where Letty returned as a central figure. The reveal set up plotlines resolved in ‘Fast & Furious 6’ and beyond, using a single image to change the direction of the series.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’ (2007)

The credits end with Elizabeth and her child watching the horizon as the Flying Dutchman returns, bringing Will Turner back to shore. The scene lands ten years after the events of the film and shows the cycle of Will’s duty to ferry souls still in effect.

Disney released the film through its Buena Vista banner at the time, and the tag extended the mythology in a concise epilogue. That return aligned with later references across the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series and confirmed the terms of Will’s bond to the Dutchman.

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (2017)

A school-style PSA plays at the very end with Captain America explaining patience and the possibility of disappointment. The video fits the in-story series of educational clips seen earlier and provides a final wink to viewers who waited through every name.

Sony Pictures Releasing distributed the film in partnership with Marvel Studios, presenting the PSA tag as a light final beat. The short clip became part of the film’s larger use of in-world media and echoed the educational videos used throughout ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’.

‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ (2006)

The tag returns to Moira MacTaggert in a medical setting as a patient speaks in Charles Xavier’s voice, implying his consciousness survived. Earlier scenes established the idea of transferring a mind, and the tag confirms that the professor endured despite the events on Alcatraz.

20th Century Fox distributed the film, and the tag provided a path for the character’s later presence in the series without contradicting what viewers had just seen. The idea reappeared in follow-up installments, allowing ‘X-Men’ stories to move forward with Xavier still in play.

‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017)

After the credits, Monarch interrogates the survivors and then shows cave paintings of Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. The images confirm that other Titans exist in the same continuity and point directly to future encounters.

Warner Bros. Pictures handled distribution, aligning the tag with the developing MonsterVerse plan. Those cave reveals connected to ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ and set expectations for crossovers that arrived in later films like ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’.

Share your favorite post-credits surprise in the comments and tell us which one you always stay to watch.