The superhero film landscape, particularly those within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), is renowned for its dynamic post-credits scenes. These brief endings often serve to tease future storylines or characters. However, not all these snippets live up to the hype. Even prior to the MCU’s ascendance to box office prominence, superhero films were adapting beloved comic book heroes onto the big screen, creating some of Hollywood’s most fantastical narratives.
A hallmark of the genre is the post-credits scene, which has evolved into a beloved convention among fans. Despite the MCU popularizing this trend, many earlier films incorporated similar techniques. Regrettably, some post-credits moments have proven disappointingly lackluster, hinting at sequels that never materialized or simply providing awkward, confusing payoffs. Here, we present a ranking of the top ten worst post-credits scenes in superhero cinema.
10 dr. Sivana Meets Mister Mind
Shazam! (2019)
Although the DCEU’s journey was relatively brief, films like Shazam! were celebrated for their charm, providing a whimsical contrast to other darker entries. However, its post-credits sequence falls short, especially in light of the franchise’s overall trajectory. The scene features Doctor Sivana, imprisoned, who encounters an ominous voice that turns out to be Mister Mind—a villainous alien caterpillar. This revelation lacks substance, as Mister Mind never appeared in any subsequent DCEU project, rendering the teaser a hollow promise of a story that never came to fruition.
9 Thor and Jane Kiss
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
The MCU is brimming with unforgettable post-credits moments; however, Thor: The Dark World concludes with a disappointing scene. Initially charming, it depicts Thor lovingly reuniting with Jane Foster. Unfortunately, future installments revealed that their relationship had dissolved off-screen, diminishing the emotional weight of this moment considerably. In hindsight, it stands out as one of the MCU’s most wasted opportunities.
8 Superman Races The Flash
Justice League (2017)
As one of the DCEU’s less favorable titles, Justice League struggled to find its footing. One of its post-credits scenes features a light-hearted race between Superman and The Flash, a moment intended to evoke humor. However, the tonality feels dissonant given the film’s darker themes, and the lack of resolution regarding the outcome of the race leaves audiences perplexed.
7 Baba Yaga Plans Revenge
Hellboy (2019)
The 2019 reboot of Hellboy failed to capture the magic of its predecessors. Its post-credits scene, featuring Baba Yaga plotting revenge against Hellboy, stands out as particularly uninspiring. Lacking context, it served as an empty promise of a sequel that ultimately never materialized due to the film’s poor reception.
6 Morbius Meets Vulture
Morbius (2022)
Morbius was widely discussed within Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, but unfortunately, its post-credits moments endeavored to introduce complexity without clarity. The scene elicits confusion as Michael Keaton’s Vulture inexplicably crosses over to meet Morbius, offering a setup for a potential Sinister Six team-up that remains largely irrelevant due to subsequent cancellations of planned projects.
5 Drunken Aquaman Lays in a Puddle
The Flash (2023)
In The Flash, Barry Allen embarks on a Multiversal journey, only to return to a derailed timeline. The post-credits reveal him exiting a bar with a drunken Aquaman, who collapses in a puddle. Rather than building upon the film’s thematic elements, this scene reduces the character to a frivolous joke, offering little narrative progression and lessening Aquaman’s stature as a hero.
4 Orm Eats Cockroaches
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
The final chapter of the DCEU, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, received mixed reviews but left audiences particularly disappointed with its post-credits joke featuring Orm. Eating a burger and bemusedly catching and consuming a cockroach—essentially a callback to earlier comedic moments—this scene disappointed fans seeking a more profound farewell to the franchise.
3 Professor X Steals the Body of His Secret Twin
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
In a series plagued by uneven storytelling, X-Men: The Last Stand illustrates this struggle particularly well. The post-credits revelations feel contrived, with an implausible twist involving Professor X preserving his consciousness through telepathy, now inhabiting the body of a previously neglected twin. This scene fails to satisfyingly resolve key narratives, frustrating viewers rather than engaging them.
2 Blade Drives a Car
Blade: Trinity (2004)
The lackluster conclusion of Blade: Trinity, the final installment in the Blade trilogy, features a post-credits scene where Blade quietly drives away into the night. This brief moment lacks any meaningful context, failing to build anticipation for future adventures—a glaring contrast to modern standards for post-credits sequences that typically promise more than a mere visual of a character driving.
1 Deadpool’s Severed Head Speaks
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine continues to arc as a film surrounded by controversy, particularly due to its mishandling of Deadpool. Its post-credits moment features a decapitated Deadpool, who returns to life only to shush the audience. This absurd twist offered a misguided attempt at humor, backfiring entirely, as it promised the return of a character that fans overwhelmingly detested. As such, it stands as the benchmark for lackluster post-credits scenes across the superhero genre.
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