(Spoilers ahead of Thor: Love and Thunder.)
Marvel's latest post-credits scene will have you thanking the gods.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Four films have done a fair share of setting up future projects through post-credits scenes, including the first of Thor: Love and Thunder's two post-credits scenes, which saw the debut of Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein as the Greek god Hercules.
If that sounds familiar, it's because Marvel did the exact same thing with two other recent MCU films, introducing Harry Styles as Eros (aka Starfox) in 2021's Eternals and Charlize Theron as Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which released in May.
While several Phase Four projects are still on the way—including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania—it's clear Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is laying the groundwork for Phase Five through these credits scenes, something he recently hinted towards.
"As we're nearing the end of Phase 4," he said in the June 23 issue of Total Film, "I think people will start to see where this next saga is going."
Feige added, "I think there have been many clues already, that are at least apparent to me, of where this whole saga is going. But we'll be a little more direct about that in the coming months, to set a plan, so audiences who want to see the bigger picture can see a tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap."
So, do these post-credits scenes guarantee sequels for Thor, Eternals and Doctor Strange? It's possible. After all, one of the post-credits scenes for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 teased the introduction of Adam Warlock, who is confirmed to be played by Will Poulter in the team's third film next year. Perhaps the MCU is preparing for another Avengers-style team up with new and returning characters.
Marvel's Disney+ series have also done a great job at setting up the future of the franchise. Shows like Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel have introduced key players in the Young Avengers team lineup (including Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop and Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, just to name a few).
Other projects have teased the introduction of the Thunderbolts, an antihero team featuring characters like Black Widow's Yelena Belove (Florence Pugh) and Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) and John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell).
Until Feige reveals more MCU secrets, fans will continue to stay in theaters until the credits stop rolling.