Are there post-credits scenes for Captain America: Civil War? YES! If you’re interested, stay all the way through the credits to ensure you view both.
And by “both” we are indeed confirming that there are precisely two (2!) buttons during and at the end of the credits roll, despite the tease from co-director Joe Russo in March that Captain America 3 might have up to three bonus tags. If that were the case though, the originally planned post-credits scene featuring Bruce Banner a.k.a. Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) would have been shot for the film but instead, as we learned from co-writer Christopher Markus, Marvel decided to save the story of where the Hulk is until later (Thor: Ragnarok).
NOTE: The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Captain America: Civil War
What Marvel did include however are two teases towards two specific films that Captain America: Civil War goes out of its way to setup: 2018’s Black Panther to be directed by Ryan Coogler and 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming directed by Jon Watts. As the two fresh faces to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the movie, and certainly two of the most important and high-profile characters from Marvel Comics, this doesn’t come as any surprise.
The reveals, if we can call them that since they serve more as little teases, instead lay some groundwork for the two solo character films and semi-confirm that they likely won’t actually be “solo” character films in the traditional sense. Let’s take a deeper look at each, what they tell moviegoers, and what it may lead to further down the line in Phase 3.
Mid-Credits Scene: Wakanda
Marvel Comics readers immediately knew Wakanda was something that needed to be explored in the Marvel Cinematic Universe even before Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) first was introduced to Vibranium in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. The rare and nearly indestructible metal that Cap’s shield is comprised of is exclusively mined in the high-tech, secretive African nation known as Wakanda, home of Black Panther. Wakanda was even teased as far back as 2010’s Iron Man 2 when it appeared on a map towards the end of the film.
After the Black Panther solo movie was officially announced in October 2014, Avengers: Age of Ultron began laying the groundwork to establish connections to Wakanda. Vibranium became a major plot point of the story when a Black Panther villain known as Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), a black-market arms dealer, provided the valuable resource to Ultron and a battle ensued in South Africa.
Skip forward a summer and Captain America: Civil War introduces T’Chaka, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), along with several other characters from Wakanda. It even briefly shows a Wakandan Quinjet (a nice nod to the comics where Quinjets were created). But in the post-credits scene, Black Panther is finally shown at home.
And as only a brief glimpse, it already seems like Marvel has succeeded in the adaptation. Wakanda is secretive and reclusive in the source material and that was emphasized in expository news reports played during the film. In Captain America: Civil War’s mid-credits scene, the lush jungle emphasizes that it’s definitely a secluded location.
There’s advanced tech in a futuristic lab where Bucky Barnes is volunteering to be frozen until a cure is found for his brainwashing problems, and outside viewing glass to the exterior there’s even a massive Black Panther statue, straight from Marvel Comics. And just before the symbolic art displays on screen, T’Challa challenges those who would seek out him or his home, knowing not only how safe his base of operations is, but how powerful Wakanda is as a nation.
T’Challa, the new king of Wakanda and the current Black Panther warrior, played the role of the third-party in the film. And in every possible way, he’s above the central conflict of Captain America: Civil War, bound instead by loyalty, tradition, and honor for his people and his family. Having discovered the truth behind the death of his father T’Chaka and the disassembling of the Avengers, he decides to help simply because he believes it’s the right thing to do.
It’s not explicitly shown during the course of the film, but we can only presume that Black Panther not only flew Bucky and Steve to Wakanda after the final act battle with Iron Man in Siberia, but even helped Captain America break his friends out of The Raft (the ocean-based prison). Now we know for certain Wakanda is housing at least some of the Team Cap Avengers who are all on the government’s “wanted” list save for Black Widow who’s out on her own… and maybe Hawkeye who we’d guess is back with his family on his secret ranch.
As for the rest of Team Cap, for all we know they could all be refugees in Wakanda where the U.S. Military - or whatever other agencies around the world are searching for enhanced individuals and/or vigilantes - cannot find them. And since Bucky’s now in cryosleep it’s a safe bet Rogers is sticking around too since he has no home and no base and no family left but his old pal. This begs the question of whether February 2018’s Black Panther movie will actually feature these characters who I’m referring to as the “Secret Avengers.” Where Spider-Man: Homecoming is confirmed to include Robert Downey Jr. in a key supporting role, so to could Black Panther get the marketing boost from featuring Chris Evans (and other Avengers). Every movie going forward is potentially a form of a team-up event movie.
Now it’s just a matter of when a solution is found to Bucky’s mental health issues so he can be awakened and given a new (vibranium) arm! And will housing them put Wakanda and Black Panther at odds with other nations and the officially sanctioned Avengers? Could that be part of the plot of Black Panther standalone movie? We do know Black Panther is a “geo-poltical action adventure” that directly connects to Avengers: Infinity War…
For possible glimpse at more of Wakanda, check out the unused Avengers: Age of Ultron production art by Gregory Fangeaux here.
Post-Credits Scene: Queens, NY
“You’re done,” proclaims Iron Man to Spider-Man emphatically at the end of Captain America: Civil War’s act two battle royale. But no, Tom Holland’s take on Spider-Man is just getting started.
Civil War served as an intro of young Peter Parker to the Marvel Cinematic Universe - the first appearance of what Marvel hopes to be many thanks to a partnership deal struck with Sony Pictures to share the rights to the character and his library. And his first appearance came appropriately in a simple pair of scenes where Tony Stark paid a visit to Queens, New York, to a little apartment where Peter Parker and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) reside to offer to upgrade his suit and ask for his help.
The post-credits scene of Captain America: Civil War reminds fans that Peter Parker not only successfully passes Tony Stark’s audition/field test by helping fight against Team Cap in a nonlethal way but teases “Spider-Man will return” - that Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. will share the screen again next summer in in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The final button sequence shows Parker in his bedroom, recuperating after the fight with the Avengers, when a little high-tech (read: Stark Tech) laser display emits from Parker’s new Stark-designed wrist-mounted web-shooter. It’s a nod to to the Spider-Signal first introduced in 1963’s Amazing Spider-Man #3, something Parker used to notify criminals of his presence, and later used like the Bat signal to summon Spidey, but in the MCU - with Stark designing it - it appears to be a command interface of sorts that we assume plugs Parker into Stark’s database and perhaps helps him track local happenings and police chatter for local heroics.
It also all but confirms that Spider-Man is a full-fledged Avengers recruit and while it’s not shown in the movie, we can assume he signed the Sokovia Accords (a prerequisite for Stark). This might very well be the beginning of the New Avengers.
More: Captain America: Civil War’s Biggest Spoilers
Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Emily VanCamp, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd and Frank Grillo, with William Hurt and Daniel Brühl.
Anthony & Joe Russo are directing with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Patricia Whitcher, Nate Moore and Stan Lee are the executive producers. The screenplay is by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.
Captain America: Civil War opens in theaters May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
