The Marvels Post-Credits Scenes + What’s Next for the MCU

It’s an exciting time to be a Marvel fan. The MCU’s most recent entries, The Marvels and Loki season 2, have both laid the groundwork for interesting changes ahead. While nothing is confirmed aside from what’s shown in post-credits scenes, it does feel like something big and new is on the horizon. However, change is nothing new for Marvel fans, especially with recent updates around release schedules.

Before we dive into the potential changes in store for the MCU, here’s the lineup for Marvel’s next projects. On January 10, 2024, all six episodes of Echo will be on Disney+. Then, the currently untitled third Deadpool movie will be in theaters on July 26, 2024. In 2025, Captain America: Brave New World will premiere on February 14, Thunderbolts on July 25, and Blade on November 7. Now, for the exciting part.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for The Marvels and Loki

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The Marvels Post-Credits Scenes

First, we’ll start with what we do know. Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels features two post-credits scenes. In the first, Kamala Khan sits in a chair, shrouded in shadow and wearing a baseball cap. She’s in Kate Bishop’s apartment, waiting for Hawkeye to return. When Kate opens the door, Kamala seemingly floats the idea of a “kid super hero” team, also noting that Ant-Man has a daughter.

Of course, other young super heroes and legacies are also popping up elsewhere in the MCU. Scarlet Witch’s sons, Billy and Tommy, made their entrance in WandaVision. As mentioned by Kamala, Cassie Lang is in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Eli Bradley briefly appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. America Chavez debuted in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and with all the Skrulls popping up lately, it could only be a matter of time before we get a hint of Hulkling. Okay, maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Nothing is confirmed aside from Kamala recruiting Kate Bishop for a young heroes venture. But it seems like some form of the Young Avengers is in the works.

X-Factor

Now, for the post-credits scene that really made jaws drop in the theater. Following Monica Rambeau’s departure into another universe, she wakes up in a familiar-looking lab. On the door, a metallic X insignia lets us know she’s in a universe where the X-Men exist. Next to her bed, Maria Rambeau is sitting, but this is another Maria — one who has adopted the Captain Marvel moniker of Binary. Dr. Hank McCoy, AKA Beast, also appears.

Both Beast and Binary are longtime members of the Avengers. But Hank’s connection to the X-Men, and his mention of Professor X, reveals that Marvel’s merry mutants are just off-screen. It’s obvious we haven’t seen the last of Monica Rambeau — which means her return to the 616 could also herald the full-fledged introduction of the X-Men.

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Deadpool 3

If you’re an X-Men fan, not to worry — the nebulous realm of alternate universes isn’t the only place you need to look. In the upcoming third Deadpool film, it’s confirmed that Wolverine will return (in a comics-accurate yellow suit, no less!). Deadpool and Wolverine share a tangled history, and Logan is easily one of Deadpool’s closest friends. Well, maybe friend is a strong word.

Details are still minimal on the plot of Deadpool 3, but the rumor mill is spinning so fast you’d think Deadpool dislocated his neck. In some capacity, we can be sure we’ll see mutants have a significant impact. And since Deadpool’s films are now part of the MCU, that opens the door even further for mutants to run free on the big screen once again.

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Loki Season 2 — What’s Next?

Not to be outdone by more traditional heroes, Loki also left a big mark on all of reality. At the end of Loki season 2, Thor’s tricky brother changed form into a new god — one charged with the protection of all the timelines in existence. While Loki certainly grew leaps and bounds from the Thanos conspirator we first met, you can’t help but wonder … are his trickster days really over?

In addition to the God of Mischief, Loki introduced us to Sylvie and the TVA, plus shed more light on the MCU’s Kang the Conqueror. We even met one of his variants, Victor Timely. Will Kang continue to threaten the threads of time and space or might another challenger rise to the occasion?

Brave New MCU

The title of the next Captain America film points toward a new era for the Marvel world as we know it. Could that mean more mutants? New enemies? The formation of new Avengers lineups? It’s anyone’s guess unless you have She-Hulk powers and can break into Marvel Studios.

On the other hand, we do know that down the line, the Fantastic Four will appear and the Secret Wars will happen. Both of these events mean that a villain like Doctor Doom could become the MCU’s next biggest threat. After all, he did have a hand in both Secret Wars storylines — and these events used Incursions to bring in heroes from separate realities, forcing the 616 universe to undergo a soft reboot. Hold on to your TemPads, geeks. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

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As always, we only know what’s been confirmed. But the mystery of it all is enough to keep us Marvel fans on our toes for the next couple years! What are your hopes and predictions for the MCU?

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