Post-credits scenes have long been a Marvel movie tradition, to give fans an extra little shot of excitement, tease out future movies or throw in a cameo of, say, an esoteric comic book character.
That seemed to come to a startling end with April’s Avengers: Endgame, which didn’t have any additional post-credits scenes. This move allowed the events of that movie to stand on their own and let the audience focus said moments instead of hyping up the next big thing. That has since changed with June 28’s re-release of the film, which adds unfinished, deleted footage as a makeshift post-credits scene.
Now that a few months have passed since Endgame, it appears Spider-Man: Far From Home is going to rev up Marvel Studios’ teaser engines again. Spider-Man: Far From Home has two post-credits scenes: a mid-credits scene that directly hints at the future for Peter Parker, and another that appears after all credits have rolled, which directly ties the movie to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Here’s what happens in each of the movie’s credits scenes.
1) Spider-Man: Far From Home’s mid-credits scene teases Peter Parker’s future, and how J. Jonah Jameson will affect it.
At the end of the movie, Peter takes his new girlfriend MJ swinging through New York City, which she absolutely is not prepared for. The post-credits builds off of that, as he drops her off in Midtown Manhattan/Herald Square. When he drops her off, J. Jonah Jameson (the former Daily Bugle editor, in a cameo played by the character’s longtime actor J.K. Simmons) appears on a giant monitor/billboard with a breaking news announcement: Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is actually your metropolitan villain.
Jameson then plays footage from Spider-Man’s final fight against Mysterio (a.k.a. ex-Stark Industries ex-scientist Quentin Beck) at the end of the movie, footage which was taken and edited by Beck’s team to make it look as if Spider-Man was responsible for the drone attack on London and Mysterio’s death. Jameson continues on to state that he knows who Spider-Man really is. He reveals that it is local high schooler Peter Parker — and ends his broadcast on a photo of Peter. The scene concludes with a cut to Peter and MJ, both in absolute shock.
What it means: The scene seems to hint that the next Spider-Man movie will entail Peter Parker handling the fallout after being painted as a villain and having his identity revealed. Jameson is going to be adversary, spinning every single one of Parker’s actions as nefarious. It also seems to indicate that the remainder of Beck’s team could be in the picture for future installments. What we don’t get in the scene is what will most importantly shape Spidey’s future — the answer to what kind of supervillain will emerge in this climate of the neighborhood turning on their friendly Spider-Man.
2) Nick Fury and Maria Hill were actually … Skrulls
After the credits wrap, Maria Hill and Nick Fury are driving and briefing someone about the events that just occurred — Peter Parker getting EDITH; Mysterio obtaining EDITH; Mysterio almost blowing up London; and Peter defeating Mysterio — when something shocking happens.
Maria reveals herself to be a Skrull, and Nick Fury reverts to a Skrull form too. They are the Skrulls known as Talos and his wife Soren, the Skrulls whom Carol Danvers helped in Captain Marvel.
Then it’s revealed that they’re actually relaying the report to the real Nick Fury, who is on what appears to be a Skrull spaceship taking a “simulated” vacation (he’s using holographic tech). Fury then ends his vacation and declares it’s time to get back to work.
What it means: Primarily that Maria Hill and Nick Fury aren’t as incompetent as they seemed to be. In Far From Home, the two make some dubious decisions — like trusting Mysterio, or putting Peter’s classmates in trouble, or simply staying out of touch with the other Avengers for no apparent reason. With both of them actually Skrulls, you can just chalk that seeming ineptitude up to the Skrulls’ inexperience with SHIELD responsibilities.
The scene also seems to hint at an idea that’s been tethered to the Skrulls in the comic books: You never know who may or may not be a Skrull. If the Skrulls can impersonate Hill and Fury, we don’t know who else may actually be a Skrull. And going further, what would stop a villainous Skrull from impersonating a very important hero?
Fury’s vacation raises a few questions about how the Skrulls have thrived since Captain Marvel helped them find a new home, and how close of a relationship humans and Skrulls have. Also, with Nick Fury ending his “vacation,” it seems like the Avengers — or some form of them — will soon be ready to get back in action … which we’ll have to wait for in a future movie.
