Marvel has perfected the art of selling audiences on anticipation. How have they done that? By building a shared Marvel Cinematic Universe in which every film flows into the next and everything is connected. That way, fans can't be "in the know" without seeing everything Marvel has to offer. It also enables the studio to get away with sneaky tricks that stoke the flames of fan excitement.
Specifically, Marvel has mastered the post-credits scene in which they tease a future development. That's how we knew the studio was working on an Avengers team-up at the end of "Iron Man." It's how we knew Thanos was the big bad of the MCU at the end of "Avengers" and so on and so forth. So what will "Captain America: Civil War" tease fans with? Directors Joe and Anthony Russo wouldn't get into specifics (my money is on "Doctor Strange"), but they did confirm that audiences should wait it out just in case.
"We can't say who is going to be in it but we can say that there certainly could be one, or two, maybe three," Joe Russo said. "We can confirm that you should stay sat in your seats when the movie is done."
To date, every single MCU film has included at least one post-credits scene, with a handful boasting two. If "Civil War" were to fit three in there then the Internet just might lose its collective mind.
The MCU is a very busy place right now which makes it difficult to guess what the post-credits scenes could include. "Doctor Strange," starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is the next film on the MCU's slate, so an introduction to that character is one possibility. They could also give audiences a glimpse at what is going on with the two missing Avengers, Thor and Hulk, who are off on a space adventure presumably. Or maybe even a lead-in to Spider-Man's solo film since we know Tom Holland's shooting schedule was expanded for "Civil War." Who knows?
Marvel has been upping the ante recently with their post-credits sequences, with "The Winter Soldier" and "Ant-Man" each giving us two scenes that helped set up future films. But since the Captain America trilogy is coming to an end, perhaps one of "Civil War's" post-credits scenes will be a direct link to "Avengers: Infinity War." The studio really has an endless amount of options for what they want to do.
"Captain America: Civil War" will be released on May 6.
Follow Brandon Katz on Twitter: @Great_Katzby
