Post-credits scenes have become an essential element of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in the years since the franchise’s beginning in 2008. At the end of Iron Man, Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) introduction and revelation to Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) that he’s building a team of heroes known as the Avengers started the MCU’s after-credits tradition, which is still going strong today. Often designed to tease future projects and introduce new characters, the MCU’s post-credits scenes always generate a hefty amount of buzz upon the release of every new title. In fact, this feature has grown so popular that since the start of Phase 4, the MCU has included two post-credits scenes in most movies. One MCU end credits sequence delivered a first look at the franchise’s most notorious villain, yet never saw its setup come to fruition in later movies.
The post-credits scene in 2012’s The Avengers teases Thanos two years before Josh Brolin was cast to play him. After the initial credits roll, the film cuts to somewhere out in space, where the Other (Alexis Denisof) speaks to an obscured figure. “Humans,” the Other says, “They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled. To challenge them is to court death.” The silent individual then turns and smiles, revealing Thanos’ face in the corner of the screen. Although short in length, The Avengers‘ unveiling of Thanos hints at a comic storyline that that never made it into the MCU. Even so, it’s still the perfect setup for the Mad Titan.
The MCU Didn’t Follow Through With The Avengers‘ Thanos Tease
Following his brief introduction in The Avengers‘ post-credits scene, Thanos went on feature as a background villain in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy before 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron teased him with the Infinity Gauntlet in its after-credits sequence. All of this paved the way for Thanos to take center stage as the primary antagonist of 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The MCU’s substantial buildup of Thanos before he emerged as the Avengers’ all-powerful foe allowed him become a iconic villain; however, the narrative The Avengers hints at doesn’t materialize.
When the Other mentions “courting death” to Thanos, it appears he refers to the Mad Titan’s attempt to win over Lady Death in the comics. In this storyline, Thanos kills countless individuals and gifts them to Death in a display of his affection for the cosmic being. Obviously, the Death reference never went anywhere, as Infinity War and Endgame solely focused on Thanos’ acquisition of the Infinity Stones and quest to eliminate half of the universe’s life. Death finally showed up in the 2024 Disney+ series Agatha All Along, instead appearing in the form of the Green Witch Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), the ex-lover of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn). The MCU is no stranger to deviating from the comics, but it’s interesting how Thanos’ relationship with Death was foreshadowed early on only to never happen.
Back in 2018, The Avengers director Joss Whedon addressed this change of direction with Thanos, explaining to IGN why he incorporated the Death reference into the movie’s post-credits scene despite not having a plan for the villain in the later Avengers films.
“Honestly, I kind of hung [Thanos] out to dry,” he said. “I love Thanos. I love his apocalyptic vision, his love affair with death. I love his power. But, I don’t really understand it. He’s had a lot of power, and he was cool in the comics. And I’m like, Thanos is the ultimate Marvel villain! And then I was like, I don’t actually know what I would do with Thanos. So, I liked what [the Russo brothers] did so much, and I thought Josh Brolin killed it. And they did an amazing job of keeping that performance on-screen. But it wasn’t like I was like, here’s a set of directions. I was like, I’m gonna get through Ultron, nap for four years, and then I’ll come to the premiere. Which I did! It was like, this is so cool!”
Whedon also elaborated on why Thanos’ love affair with Death in the comics wasn’t the right fit for the Avengers movies, stating that he prefers the MCU’s version of the villain’s arc in which his goal to wipe out half the universe derives from his desire to sustain resources and avoid overpopulation.
“I thought they did what they needed to do,” he said. “[Thanos falling in love with Death is] not a concept that will necessarily translate. It’s sometimes also an easy out for a villain. To say, ‘I love destruction! No, really, I’m in love with it.’ And yet, you’re still just a nihilist. Whereas they gave him an actual perspective and made him feel righteous to himself, which is always a better idea. So I liked what they did very much. I did not know about it, I certainly didn’t come up with it.”
The Avengers‘ Thanos Post-Credits Scene Still Works
Fans never got to see Thanos carry out his bid for Death’s love in the MCU, but that doesn’t mean that The Avengers‘ post-credits scene bears no worth. Thanos’ introduction shows his menacing visage for the first time — a moment audiences will always remember. Living in the shadows at the time, Thanos immediately comes across as a formidable villain obsessed with a goal — even though viewers aren’t yet made aware of his plans. The sequence doesn’t establish anything story-wise, but it still serves as an imposing first look at the Infinity Saga’s big bad. Pivoting away from Thanos’ relationship with Death and developing the Mad Titan as a villain with a more complex motivation for killing was unquestionably the right call in Infinity War, as he even earned the sympathy of some fans. Thanos doesn’t utter a single line in his first MCU appearance, and The Avengers‘ success in establishing him as a major threat in spite of a lack of future plans makes this the MCU’s best post-credits scene.
The Avengers is available to stream on Disney+.
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