‘Superman’ Hints at a Quieter Future for Comic-Book Movie Credit Scenes

SPOILERS FOR SUPERMAN AHEAD

Inevitably, Superman features two sequences during its end credits. One of these is in the middle of the credits, the other is at the very end. Surprisingly, though, despite being the DC Universe’s inaugural movie, Superman’s credit scenes aren’t about teeing up the Lanterns HBO show or James Mangold’s Swamp-Thing movie. Instead, the first nugget focuses on Superman (David Corenswet) and Krypto (captured from behind in a wide shot) gazing at Earth from the moon. The second is just a small comedic interaction between Superman and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) over the latter character’s difficulties perfectly reconstructing a Metropolis building.

These are a much lower-key form of comic book movie post-credit scenes than audiences have expected. That’s a good thing. Comic book movie post-credit scenes, more exhausting than tantalizing, have dominated 2020s culture. Thank goodness for Superman paving a potentially better, more nonchalant path forward for these sequences.

What’s Gone Wrong With 2020s Comic Book Movie Credit Scenes?
Ever since Nick Fury walked out from the night to inform Tony Stark about the “Avengers initiative,” there have been those who (understandably) felt the post-credit scene was a bane on cinema’s existence. Anecdotally, I remember Brad Brevet of Rope of Silicon bemoaning in July 2013 how The Wolverine’s mid-credit scene teasing X-Men: Days of Future Past got more of a visceral response from the audience than anything in the preceding features.

Scenes during the credits of movies had existed for decades at that point, but they were usually about delivering one final gag in Airplane! or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Now they functioned as mini-trailers for upcoming blockbusters. It’s easy to see how qualms could exist from the get-go with these entities. Still, if articles and video essays criticizing these comic book movie sequences have ramped up in recent years, there’s a reason for that. The 2020s Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe fell too in love with excessive credit sequence teases, often for projects that didn’t even exist yet.

Back in 2013, Thor: The Dark World’s mid-credit scene featured a Guardians of the Galaxy character audiences could see in a movie in just nine months. A decade later, Thor: Love and Thunder had Brett Goldstein suddenly show up as Hercules without any idea of where he’d appear next. A few months after that MCU feature, Black Adam’s mid-credit scene teased a Black Adam vs. Henry Cavill’s Superman showdown that would never exist. On the Disney+ side of things, MCU shows used credit scenes to tease alternate Moon Knight identities or evil Sharon Carter plans that still haven’t paid off years later.

In the 2010s, there were comic book movie credit scenes that went nowhere, such as X-Men: Apocalypse’s Mister Sinister teaser or Green Lantern’s Sinestro going evil. However, typically, MCU features had credit sequences (save for the occasional Thanos in The Avengers) teasing out movies that would come out within the next year. Motion pictures like Spider-Man: Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might even nestle in little standalone gags rather than sequel teases.

That’s been abandoned in the 2020s, where so many different diverging sequel teases have occurred that it’s hard to keep track of everything. Instead of all these movies building to Avengers: Infinity War, Phase Four and Five MCU movies had credit sequences teasing out future storylines covering everything from Harry Styles to armies of Kangs to Charlize Theron showing up as Clea. What a relief, then, to just enjoy Superman’s chillaxed credit scenes.

Superman’s Credit Scenes Are About Appreciating What You Just Watched
Instead of immediately hopping forward to the future, Superman’s credit scenes let audiences marinate on what they just watched. These brief segments are not an opportunity to suddenly have the DC Universe’s Batman or Aquaman show up. Instead, they let audiences enjoy another sweet moment with Superman and Krypto or appreciate Corenswet and Gathegi’s endlessly amusing rapport. These segments are enjoyable on their own merits; you don’t have to know the DC Universe’s future plans to understand what’s going on.

Compare that to Captain America: Brave New World’s post-credit scene, which sees Samuel Sterns/The Leader telling Sam Wilson/Captain America that “the others” are coming from other universes. The drab shooting of this scene and lifeless performances don’t captivate the eyes. Worse, even as a tease for the future, it doesn’t work since the concept of the multiverse isn’t new to either the audience or even post-Endgame Wilson. It’s another 2020s MCU post-credit scene coming off as a desperate attempt to recapture that original Nick Fury cameo at the end of Iron Man.

Instead of recreating the past, though, the MCU’s artists should take a look around at the present at how filmmakers are reconstituting the credit scene. This year’s masterpiece Sinners, for instance, ingeniously used the mid-credit form to convey a severe passage of time in the life of Sammy. Resorting to this format wasn’t setting up Sinners 2 but rather bringing audiences closer to the film’s lead character. It was a unique, character-driven approach to the credit scene that expanded what was possible in these sequences instead of relying on celebrity cameos to carry the day.

The Superman credit scenes are (surprising nobody) nowhere near as subversive in form or entertaining as the Sinners credit scenes. However, they’re such immensely relaxing and immediately entertaining creations, especially compared to modern comic book movie credit scenes that have lost the plot of what made these scenes special in the first place. Plus, it’s nice that these scenes keep audiences seated for the entire end credits. Superman writer/director James Gunn previously said part of his intention for Peacemaker’s elaborate opening credits musical number was ensuring audiences saw and appreciated the names of crew members making this program possible.

These Superman credit scenes, similarly, ensure moviegoers stick around to see all the artists who made this newest blockbuster. That’s a more human approach to these segments than just hoping an awkward Shazam! Fury of the Gods mid-credit sequence or teasing Black Knight for the umpteenth time after the Eternals credits gets audiences cheering. Future comic book movies (including forthcoming DC Universe movies), take heed. Superman’s low-key credit sequences are how you do these segments right. Focus on fun gags and tiny moving character beats, not celebrity cameos and sequel teases that’ll never pay off.