Post-credits scenes are a staple of the Marvel Studios brand. They've been an expectation from fans ever since 2008's Iron Man. They were so popular that even studios outside of MCU content would opt to have a little teaser at the end of their movies. Yet, for some reason, the latest MCU installment, Werewolf by Night, didn't have one, opting to leave its ending rather open-ended instead.
Every MCU movie, besides Avengers: Endgame, has had at least one stinger at the end of the film. However, when the Disney+ shows came around, this trend didn't stick.
That is to say, not every episode had a post-credits tease. Generally, there was always at least one episode that did, but it was never for every installment.
But it seems with this new label, Special Presentation, which has arrived alongside Werewolf by Night, the expectation of a post-credits scene isn't there. So why didn't the creatives behind the project include one?
Defending Werewolf by Night's Lack of Post-Credits Scene
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Werewolf by Night.
In an exclusive interview with The Direct's Russ Milheim, Werewolf by Night Executive Producer Brian Gay commented on the absence of a post-credits scene for the special.
Gay noted that the campfire scene between Man-Thing and Jack was certainly in the same vein as a typical post-credits scene, but since those characters "don't know what's happening next," they felt it more organic to opt out of teasing any future storylines:
“[That final campfire scene is] in the [same] Spirit [as a normal post-credits scene]. We wanted to put, you know, a nice, I guess, button on the end of the special in a way to have it. But with this, we want it to be a contained story. And so anytime that there's, you know, a tag, it's always what's next, what's going on for these characters. [The Werewolf and Man-Thing] don't know what's happening next. They barely made it through this night alive. And so it always felt a little weird that we would return back to something when oh my gosh, you made it out. Just celebrate that moment as opposed to carry on."
Will There Be Fewer Post-Credits Scenes in the Future?
For those worrying that this behavior will lead to the end of post-credits scenes as the world knows it, it's probably safe to assume everything will be alright.
She-Hulk has shown the mentality of having these post-credits teasers has shifted, particularly when it comes to the Disney+ series. Several episodes of the show have ended with scenes that felt like they were initially made for a post-credits tag—like the ending of Werewolf does.
Though, there could have been some really neat teases to set up the future of monsters in the MCU. It could have been something about Blade, Elsa's future with the Bloodstone, Man-Thing's next destination, or an endless amount of other possibilities. After all, Werewolf is just the beginning of a whole new supernatural world.
When it comes to the movies, it's probably safe to assume those won't be changing all that much. They reach a far wider audience than the Disney+ crowd, and the big post-credits teases are almost considered tradition to experience with an entire excitable theater crowd.
So basically, don't expect the traditional Marvel Studios post-credits tag to disappear anytime soon. The company seems to be concluding that not every single episode or project on Disney+ needs to include one.
When it comes to the next MCU installment, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the movie has a post-credits sequence that, if true, would garner a thunderous reaction in theaters. Marvel should aim to keep around experiences just like that, no matter what.
Werewolf By Night will hit Disney+ on Friday, October 7, while Wakanda Forever lands in theaters on Friday, November 11.
