A New Era Begins: Marvel's 'Thunderbolts*' Credits Scenes Explained

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* (2025) is officially here–and the game-changing post-credits scenes in this Marvel Cinematic Universe movie have been revealed.

Millions of viewers tuned in to watch the Thunderbolts* (2025) trailer last year—a high-octane first look at the final film in Marvel’s current Phase Five. Directed by Jake Schreier (Paper Towns), Thunderbolts*‘s theatrical release brings back a fan-favorite roster of morally gray heroes from earlier MCU entries.

“Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes—Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker,” the official Marvel Studios synopsis reads.

“After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”

Early footage marked the long-awaited reveal of “Bob,” the character better known to comic book readers as Sentry. It showcased Lewis Pullman after he took over the role from Steven Yeun (Beef, The Walking Dead), who exited in 2024.

Marvel’s current phase began in 2023 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and has been a creative and commercial mixed bag. Titles like The Marvels struggled to make a dent at the box office, prompting concern over the franchise’s creative direction.

But that narrative shifted with Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which smashed records to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time and restored faith in the MCU’s future. The momentum didn’t continue, though, as Julius Onah’s Captain America: Brave New World (2025) finished its theatrical run with just over $400 million global.

Now, Thunderbolts* has closed out Phase Five with a bang, reuniting audiences with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker/U.S. Agent, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr/Ghost, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier.

**Major spoilers for Thunderbolts* down below**

With the movie out, fans can finally see what Marvel’s famous post-credits scenes have in store. But if you want to know now, here’s what happened in the two credit scenes for Thunderbolts*. At the end of the movie, the Thunderbolts are officially confirmed to be Earth’s New Avengers–a moment that proves important in both credit sequences.

The mid-credits scene shows a confident, freshly shaven Alexei attempting to upsell a box of Wheaties featuring the New Avengers–including himself–to a customer who walks away disturbed, showing that the people maybe aren’t buying into this new wave of heroes.

However, the more thrilling credits scene came at the very end of the credits. In it, the New Avengers could be seen entering their headquarters discussing Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) attempt to rebuild the original Avengers as Captain America– a nod to the events in Captain America: Brave New World.

Alexei once again adds humour to the scene wearing a “New Avengerz” jumpsuit, telling the team—and Bob, who the squad saved in the final act—that he has matching attire in case of a copyright war for the Avengers name.

Shortly after, Yelena receives an alert on her tablet saying something has entered the atmosphere. Then, when a visual is projected, an extraterrestrial ship can be seen. It turns slightly, revealing the iconic “4” of the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) from Matt Shakman will be the next movie in the MCU canon and the opener to Phase Six. It sees Marvel’s First Family–Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)–take on Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).

The asterisk in Thunderbolts* became a source of speculation in its own right. During CinemaCon 2024, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige addressed the unusual punctuation choice, explaining that it will all become clear after the movie debuts.

One popular theory was that the Thunderbolts would evolve into the New Avengers. Others believe the asterisk hinted at the rise of the Dark Avengers—a concept with deep roots in Marvel Comics.

In addition, the introduction of Sentry hasn’t just impacted Thunderbolts*—it will reshape the entire MCU. In the comics, he’s played a pivotal role in major arcs like “New Avengers” (2005), “World War Hulk” (2007), and “Siege” (2010), the latter of which sees The Void consume him and Thor forced to take drastic action.

Though no new Thor solo movie has been announced, Sentry’s unpredictable power could tie back to Asgard in unexpected ways, especially as Marvel builds toward the Multiversal chaos of Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Chris Hemsworth, after all, is set to reprise his role as the God of Thunder in Avengers: Doomsday (2026).

As Marvel Studios looks to rebound from a few uneven years, Thunderbolts* has served as both a sendoff and a springboard. The Russo Brothers have described Avengers: Doomsday as “a new beginning,” signaling that these films will be essential in shaping the next phase of the MCU.

How do you feel about the post-credits scene of Thunderbolts*? Let us know in the comments!