Marvel Studios is clearly back in action, and they’re not pulling any punches. The latest film, Thunderbolts⁎, not only assembles a gritty, morally grey squad of anti-heroes but ends with a post-credit scene that has sent the MCU fandom into overdrive.
In the second post-credit scene, the Thunderbolts are gathered in a tense debrief. The conversation? A growing frustration that Sam Wilson’s Captain America and his Avengers team are claiming the spotlight—and the “Avengers” title itself.
Yelena Belova, never one to hold back, suggests that Bucky Barnes, the team’s most veteran hero and former Avenger, talk to Sam to sort things out. But Bucky quickly shuts it down:
“I already did,” he says, “It didn’t go well.”
That one line speaks volumes. There’s clearly a schism forming within Earth’s mightiest heroes, and it sets the stage for deeper ideological battles down the road—think Civil War, but this time with anti-heroes, rogue operatives, and cosmic stakes.
As tensions rise, the Thunderbolts get an alert about an unidentified object in outer space. Yelena, now the team’s tech-savvy tactician, pulls up high-res visuals of what initially looks like a generic spacecraft.
But a closer look—and a cinematic zoom-in—sends chills down spines:
It’s the Fantastic Four’s signature ship, unmistakable and glorious, floating ominously in the void.
Cue the collective gasp from fans around the world.
Director Jake Schreier, known for indie gems like Paper Towns and the hit series Beef, helmed Thunderbolts⁎, but surprisingly, he didn’t direct the post-credits scene.
In a recent interview with Variety, Schreier dropped a juicy behind-the-scenes tidbit:
“I did not direct that. That’s the Russos on the set of Avengers: Doomsday. I got to be there, which was very fun—to watch your buddies go on to this grander scale.”
This confirms two major things:
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The Russos are back, at least for parts of the MCU.
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The seeds for Avengers: Doomsday are already sprouting in the current phase.
What This Means for the MCU
This isn’t just fan service—it’s Marvel’s chessboard expanding in a big way. Here’s what the scene implies:
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The Thunderbolts are no longer on the sidelines; they’re ready to challenge the mainline Avengers.
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The Fantastic Four are officially en route, signaling a cosmic shift in the MCU narrative.
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Bucky and Sam’s strained relationship hints at deeper fractures across hero factions.
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With the Russos directing the scene, Avengers: Doomsday could be another MCU-defining event on par with Infinity War and Endgame.
Cast highlights: Thunderbolts⁎ features Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, and Olga Kurylenko, among others.