Just about every story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a scene during or after the credits that sets up what happens next in the franchise. Since Deadpool & Wolverine is supposed to be the most impactful MCU film yet, audiences will surely sit through the credits to see what’s in store for them. But some are probably wondering: “Should I stay or should I go?” Never fear! Here’s a breakdown of what viewers can expect to see once the credits roll.
Well, does Deadpool & Wolverine have a post-credits scene or not?
Yes. Deadpool & Wolverine has only one post-credits scene.
OK, so what is it about?
The scene doesn’t really hint at anything beyond the events of the film. In fact, the scene instead reveals the truth behind one of the most shocking moments in the movie: the death of Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch.
Here’s the deal: After Deadpool and Wolverine are sent to the Void by Mr. Paradox, they are captured by the evil Cassandra Nova’s gang of superpowered variants. Coming to their rescue is a variant of the Human Torch (with Chris Evans reprising his role as the flaming hero featured in the two Fantastic Four films from the 2000s). While it seems like Wade and Logan are saved, Johnny is quickly defeated and imprisoned by Pyro after the mutant villain siphons the fire from his body.
When the three heroes meet Cassandra face-to-face, Wade claims that Johnny made all these vulgar insults about her as he delivered an exposition dump to the titular heroes on the way to her base. Though Johnny denies this, Wade keeps running his mouth about the nasty things he allegedly said about her. As a result, Cassandra uses her psychic power to flense Johnny’s skin right off his body, killing him instantly and leaving everyone’s jaws, including Johnny’s, on the floor.
At first, audiences see Johnny as another victim of Wade’s foul-mouthed lies made to irritate his latest enemy. However, Wade appears at the Time Variance Authority (TVA) after the credits to reveal unseen footage from earlier in the film. This new video depicts Johnny saying Wade’s exact insults about Cassandra to him and Logan on the way to her lair. This scene proves that Johnny’s death wasn’t entirely his fault and paints the fantastic flamer in a whole new light. It’s especially hilarious given that Chris Evans spent almost a decade playing a certain star-spangled hero who would certainly call Johnny out for using such dirty language.
This scene may have let down audiences hoping to see a setup for the next Avengers or X-Men film in the MCU. However, the real highlight of the credits is the montage of behind-the-scenes footage from Fox’s many Marvel films. The sequence depicts many actors from Marvel’s past as they get into costume and have fun with each other on their respective sets, while Green Day’s song Good Riddance playing in the background.
Seinfeld fans will recognize this as a reference to a near-identical montage from the sitcom’s penultimate clip show episode, The Chronicle. It’s an homage fitting of Deadpool’s meta, referential humor, but it is also a heartfelt look back at Fox’s string of Marvel movies before Disney took over the studio.
Though this bygone era of superhero movies had its ups and downs, they were a massive part of many people’s lives, including the lives of the actors who brought these heroes to the big screen. They shouldn’t be considered an afterthought, and this montage encapsulates how Deadpool & Wolverine put the spotlight back on these characters, showing how much these films mattered to everyone involved in their production, along with the audiences who watched them years ago.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.
