The end credits scene has become a staple thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But what does Infinity War’s mean for the remainder of Phase Three?
Warning: Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War ahead.
Whether you stuck around through the end of the Infinity War credits because you knew there’d be another, albeit brief, scene, or because you couldn’t move from the shock of losing half of the Marvel roster, you might have a few questions about what exactly the latest post-credits scene means moving forward.
We’re here to answer a few of those questions, and break down what you can expect off the back of it, with less than a year to go until Avengers 4.
What happened?
The post-credits scene unfolded as follows. Nick Fury — former head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and certified badass — and his equally badass second-in-command, Maria Hill, were driving through the streets of New York, in response to the appearance of Thanos and his Black Order.
They suffered a near-miss as a car almost plowed headlong into them, with Fury swerving at the last second to avoid the collission. As Hill headed over to the car to investigate, she discovered that there was no driver.
As a helicopter crashed into a nearby building, Hill suffered a similar fate to what we had just witnessed in Wakanda, post-Snap. While Hill disintegrated into dust, Fury rushed back to his car to pull out a pager. He managed to send off a distress signal, but was also summarily wiped from existence.
On the display of the pager, a starburst symbol appeared, surrounded by red and blue lines.
What was that symbol?
For anyone unfamiliar with Marvel comics and, subsequently, Carol Danvers, you may not recognize the symbol as Captain Marvel’s insignia.
Carol Danvers — and Captain Marvel — has yet to make her appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, her solo outing is slated for release on March 6, 2019, just two months before the still-untitled Avengers 4.
Nick Fury, who will appear in Captain Marvel with both eyes still intact, clearly has a pre-existing connection to Carol Danvers, and was contacting her as a secret weapon in the continuing fight against Thanos.
The move was something of a minor introduction to the character, heading into her solo movie, as well as establishing her place in Avengers 4.
Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, has also described Captain Marvel as the “most powerful hero by far… If you had the collector cards of the Marvel characters and you could see the power levels, she would be off the charts compared to anyone that we’ve previously introduced in a film.”
As for why Fury hasn’t contacted Carol Danvers up until this point in time, especially with several world-altering and nigh-on-ending events having occurred prior to Infinity War? We’d expect that to be answered on-screen in March 2019.
With Captain Marvel as Fury’s “Hail Mary” for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what she can bring to the table with undoubtedly change the course of the fight back in a positive direction for our heroes.
Why did the pager appear to be so low-tech?
Captain Marvel will take place during the ’90s and, depending on where in the world, or universe, Carol Danvers currently is, the pager is likely a holdover from the era in which Fury and Danvers worked together.
Or else it is some kind of Kree technology that we’ve yet to become privy to. In the comics, Carol Danvers’ DNA merges with that of a Kree, which in turn imbues her with her unique set of powers.
Either way, it is likely to find some kind of set up by the time Captain Marvel finishes rolling.