Greetings all, thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this editorial! This article does contain some SPOILERS so be warned. Ever since the first Iron Man film, Marvel Studios has built up this repetoir of movies that ended with a stinger scene that would tease things to come. We got confirmation of an Avengers film in Iron Man and a teaser at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, with the other films, excluding Iron Man 2, further setting up the climactic Avengers movie. That was what happened with Phase One, as the series has been dubbed. Those scenes were Marvel's way of keeping fans in suspense for what was going to be one of, if not the biggest super hero movie of all time. We passed that. We're in Phase Two now after the massive success of Phase One. What strikes me now however, is that the fans of Marvel Studios (of which I'm now reluctant to say I am) don't want those stingers to stop being about setup. The Phase One scenes were there to set up the Avengers, that was the purpose they had and they served that purpose brilliantly. Now, moving into the end of Phase Two and Marvel Studios fans seem to have a sense of entitlement, as if they deserve more of these scenes to be revealing and expanding rather than just a scene. So far in Phase Two we've had Tony Stark's therapy session with Bruce Banner. Thor's decision to stay on Earth with Jane Foster and the Winter Soldier visiting the Smithsonian. These scenes have underwhelmed people for some reason or other, despite the fact that Thor and The Winter Soldier had mid-credit scenes that further set up the MCU.
Yet still, Marvel Studios fans get disappointed when the scene after the credits is of no consequence to anything. It baffles me that fans have gained such a sense of entitlement to every scene being as good as Nick Fury saying, "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative." Or Thanos turning to grin at the audience. Those were just scenes. Like every other moment in the film, they're still just scenes. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The real reason I wrote this is due to the recent uproar at the leaked Guardians of the Galaxy after-credit scene. It's revealed that (highlight to view)Howard the Duck is featured in the scene and that it doesn't add anything new to the MCU. Like all the Phase Two after-credits scenes haven't done. But there's still the mid-credits scene, if there even is one and those have all done something to expand the MCU. But I decided to just take a look at the thematics of the Phase Two post-credits scenes. The Phase One scenes all served a purpose, they were setting up the Avengers and like I saidm they certinly managed it. But what are the scenes of Phase Two doing?
Quite simply, all of the Phase Two after credits scenes, except Guardians', are more personal. Thor deciding he loves Jane, Tony and Bruce having a "therapy" session, Bucky discovering his true identity. All those things establish a more personal aspect of a character within the MCU. What has Joss Whedon said countless times regarding Avengers: Age of Ulton? It's going to be a much more personal movie than its predecessor. So, rather than seeing those scenes as nothing purely because they don't set up anything for the future of the MCU, relaise that they are doing just that, just not in as obvious a way as the scenes of Phase One. The scenes are there to try and make the Avengers team members more human to us and establish a laidback kind of tone. They are the Avengers now, they don't know when the next threat is coming, so Marvel are cleverly establishing a calm before the storm type of scenario. Just like that party scene at Avengers Tower. If you look at it all that way, then these Phase Two scenes are just as cinematically relevant as the scenes of Phase One, just not in the same obvious way.
The fans of Marvel Studios have been spoiled by the post credit scenes of Phase One and that has blurred their vision so they cannot see what is actually going on with these post credit scenes in Phase Two. The only reasons people get underwhelmed are because of the level of hype Phase One was establishing and now that's what fans expect. I wouldn't be surprised if Marvel Studios are glad their fans aren't taking kindly to the new post-credit scenes because it'll just make Age of Ultron all the more impactful when these movies are all said and done for. Plus, Guardians is it's own thing, which has been stated countless times, so why the hell would they spoil that by connecting it to the bigger picture right away? Let it stand on its own two feet like Iron Man did.
Anyway, I'll be watching Guardians tomorrow fairly early in the day, so be expecting my review of the film. I hope you all enjoyed reading this editorial and you can go ahead and tear me a new one in the comments section now.