Marvel’s Thunderbolts* post-credits scene hints at a new era - What does it mean for the MCU?

Marvel's Thunderbolts* renames the main antihero team the New Avengers in two post-credits sequences. A trademark fight with Sam Wilson's Avengers begins; the Fantastic Four's appearance is strongly suggested. This starts Marvel's Phase 6, launches Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday, and lays the framework for it.

All things considered, these events herald the start of an era where Avengers teams battle, stakes cover several realities, and Marvel's First Family is officially included in Earth-616.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* post-credits scene explained

Dating back to Iron Man (2008), Thunderbolts* has some of the most densely structured post-credits scenes in Marvel Studios' history. Rebranding the eponymous antihero team as the New Avengers, suggesting internal and legal conflicts, and declaring the arrival of the Fantastic Four all help to set the stage for the most complex chapter of the MCU thus far.

They do more than simply please fans; they lay the groundwork for the issues that will propel the final chapters of the Multiverse Saga, including the company's image, public perception, dimensional investigations, and historic asset reunification.

Halfway through the credits, David Harbour's character, Red Guardian, takes great delight in showing a Wheaties cereal box naming the new team: the New Avengers. This sequence mocks the team's high rebranding ambitions as well as the challenge of winning over the public.

A shopper's rapid rejection of the item emphasizes the lack of faith in this mixture of characters—Yelena Belova, John Walker, Ghost, Taskmaster, and Bob Sledzik, among former criminals and government officials.

Though their victory is short-lived, the New Avengers are in Avengers Tower in the end credits sequence after fourteen months. In an admission that went poorly, Bucky Barnes sought to negotiate with Sam Wilson's Avengers and lay the scene for a trademark fight over the Avengers brand. This unexpected legal turn raises superhero team-ups as corporate assets, suggesting the potential of ideological battles over the meaning of an Avenger.

Just as events are about to become intriguing, the emphasis changes to an extraterrestrial threat: a large spacecraft with the number "4" on it is captured on camera, and the backdrop plays the famous fanfares of the Fantastic Four. Marvel's First Family has formally verified their coming presence on Earth-616 with their entrance, together with worries about their origins in other universes and the approaching danger of cosmic foes.

By creating two concurrent Avengers teams—one commanded by Sam Wilson with his government-sanctioned roster and the other by Valentina de Fontaine with her New Avengers—Marvel examines Civil War concerns from a branding and legal viewpoint rather than an ideological one. This corporate-style division enhances the MCU's exploration of public opinion, legacy, and power.

At the same time, the existence of the Fantastic Four amplifies the Multiverse Saga, suggesting that their interstellar journey may be linked to adversaries like Doctor Doom or Galactus, a suggestion on the cosmic scale of Avengers: Doomsday. Their inclusion also reunites Marvel's First Family with famous figures, which is good for new interpersonal tensions and possible partnerships with X-Men luminaries.

Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben will be introduced in Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 2025), a single film, before working with both Avengers teams in Avengers: Doomsday (May 2026).

Renamed New Avengers in Thunderbolts*, the antihero squad transforms the post-credits cameo into a narrative engine, launches a trademark conflict, and announces the momentous arrival of the Fantastic Four. More than mere teasing, these linked teasers prepare the ground for the key Phase 6 battles: competing Avengers teams, the confrontation between corporate heroism and identity, and the arrival of Marvel's First Family into the Multiverse Saga.

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Divya Burman is a journalist at Primetimer 

She has completed her graduation in English Literature, which fuelled her interest in writing. A curious learner, Divya isn't scared to move out of her comfort zone and reviews her work from a critical point of view.

Divya has multiple years of work experience, including at companies like TechWhoop and Vimana. She also worked as a programme facilitator at MyCaptain.

Divya is also fond of research and keeping herself up to date on the latest trends in the world of fashion. In her free time, she indulges in music and reading and loves to watch films.