Fans know to always be on the hunt for easter eggs or hidden references, especially as shared movie universes become more and more popular. But who says the fun has to stop when the movie does? Whether they change the message, offer a laugh, or tease something to come, these post-credits scenes are a must-watch for movie buffs.
Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Post-Credits Movie Scenes You Probably Missed.
Kill Bill
Quentin Tarantino is famous for putting extra work into his end credits, like saving the Bride’s actual name - Beatrix Kiddo - until the end credits of Kill Bill: Vol 2. But fans who stuck it out through the first movie’s entire credits were treated to not another reveal or inside joke, but a blooper. Well, we suppose it may not be a blooper, but it’s as a much of a funny take as can be hoped for when the action in question is an eyeball being ripped out.
The X-Files: I Want To Believe
Mulder and Scully never managed to be as successful on film as they were in the TV show, but The X-Files stars got a truly happy ending, assuming fans were willing to wait for it (an ending now a bit undercut by the return of the series in a revival/min-series form). The second X-Files movie didn’t wrap up the mysteries of the show, but the post-credits scene revealed Mulder and Scully drifting towards a tropical island, waving to the camera. It doesn’t make any sense, which makes it even more incredible.
American Gangster
Sometimes a post-credits scene is used to tease a sequel, or show that the ending wasn’t as final as audiences thought. But American Gangster is a completely different animal. Instead of showing more of Denzel Washington’s character’s fate, or those of the lawmen who eventually brought him down, the scene puts the audience into the shoes of his many victims - staring down the barrel of his gun. We should all hope our last views are this badass.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Wolverine’s first solo movie didn’t go as fans had hoped, which meant plenty of them probably left the theater long before the end credits even beginan to roll. Sadly, some of the best moments of fan service came at the end, with not one, but multiple post-credits scenes created by director Gavin Hood. There’s one in which Logan returns to the bar in which he’s first discovered in the first X-Men movie, and even a sequence sending him to Japan, a major setting for one of the most well-known chapters in his comic book history. The scene also has him confirm that he’s not American, but Canadian… he thinks.
Wayne’s World
As one of the most quotable and self-aware movies of the 1990s (and the most successful Saturday Night Live sketch-turned-film), it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Wayne and Garth stuck around until the movie’s final moments. After the movie’s multiple ‘Scooby Doo endings,’ seeing the stars unsure of exactly what to do next, or how to say goodbye to the audience of a movie that they’ve been aware of the entire time, is the kind of weird humor fans couldn’t get enough of.
Superman Lives
Long before movie fans knew to wait through the credits for a tease of a sequel, the minds behind The Fast & The Furious were already hoping for a lasting franchise. They could never have known it would become a billion-dollar series, but the filmmakers made sure to give Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) a post-credits stinger, showing that after being allowed to escape by Brian O’Conner, he made it to Mexico after all - a plot they picked up in the fourth movie.
Frozen
Since it was a Disney movie, it was all but guaranteed that Frozen would have a happy ending - and it had one of the happiest that any kids’ movie could hope for. But fans have to watch until the very end to see that no character was overlooked, as Marshmallow, Elsa’s giant snow monster apparently didn’t melt with the rest of the kingdom. In fact, he’s wearing the crown of Arendelle, hopefully giving the Queen a fight for the throne in the coming sequel.
Ted 2
The second dose of teddy bear gross-out comedy is filled with celebrity cameos, but Liam Neeson’s is the strangest, trying to buy a box of Trix cereal. Since he’s aware that it’s commonly known that “Trix are for kids,” he demands Ted’s word that he won’t be followed after making the purchase, or be given any trouble. It’s played for a laugh as Ted is completely confused, but to see the joke paid off, wait after the credits - when a beaten and bloody Neeson returns the cereal, staring Ted down for betraying his trust.
Wall-E
Pixar is known for its sense of humor, breaking the movie’s fiction to give easter eggs or nods to other movies. Wall-E didn’t stray too far from its own story in the name of sly easter eggs or references, but for the final title card, Pixar’s famous mascot, Luxo the lamp, has a problem only Wall-E can solve. Of course, the little robot makes things worse just as quickly as he saves the day.
Cars
Pixar’s vision of a world where cars replace people was filled with puns, gags and references only parents would understand - but did you know that Pixar’s most famous films also exist in the Cars universe? Stick around for the end credits, and you’ll see clips from all of Pixar’s biggest hits, with most of their stars and supporting cast returning to voice a line or two as a car counterpart to their famous characters.
Conclusion
Those are the secret movie scenes and post-credits stingers we think every fan should keep in mind, but which ones did we miss? Let us know in the comments, and remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like this one!
