The ending and post-credits scene of ‘The Marvels’, explained

Warning: This story contains major spoilers for Wonders.

Wonders ends with a return to the past and a major glimpse into the future.

The Nia DaCosta-directed superhero film reunites three of Marvel’s protagonists – Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) – sending them on a chaotic journey and planetary. journey through the stars. Not only does the film serve as a sequel to past entries like Captain Marvel And Ms. Marvel, but it also looks to the future, establishing a future not for one but for two iconic superhero teams.

EW breaks this down wonders ending and how its end credits scene could change the future of the MCU.

Kamala, this is Kate

Wonders ends with a playful nod to Marvel’s very first end credits scene, way back in 2008. Iron Man.

In a surprise appearance, we see ace archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), last seen in 2021. Hawk Eye Disney+ series. As Kate enters the room of her New York apartment, she sees Kamala sitting in a chair, shrouded in darkness. Kamala has access to all of SABER’s information on the other heroes, and she’s done some research. Specifically, she noticed a lot of young heroes, all around her age. And she has an idea.

“I’m building a team,” Kamala tells Kate. “And I want you to be on it.”

It’s a fun throwback to 2008, when Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury first appeared at the end of Iron Man recruit Tony Stark for the original Avengers. (It should be noted that Vellani herself cited Iron Man like her favorite Marvel movie of all time.) Kamala does her best Fury impersonation here, and she tells Kate that she wants to, um, to assemble a team of young heroes. She doesn’t mention any of the others by name, but she does refer to “Ant-Man’s daughter,” a nod to Cassie Lang, played by Kathryn Newton in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

That’s right: it’s Young Avengers time!

Over the past few years, Marvel has slowly introduced a number of young heroes, seemingly laying the groundwork for a possible Young Avengers team. Today, this team is finally becoming a reality, with Kamala and Kate as founding members. The Young Avengers have a long history in Marvel comics, created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung in 2005. They have since become a fan favorite, with the lineup evolving over the years.

Marvel has not yet announced Young Avengers movie or TV show, so it remains to be seen if the teen team will get their own show or movie, or if they will appear in an already announced project, like Avengers: Secret Wars. Still, there are plenty of potential heroes who could join the team. Here are some of the most likely candidates.

Cassie Lang: As Kamala mentions, Cassie Lang (Newton) is the daughter of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). She has her own shrinking technology and super suit, so she’s an obvious choice for recruitment to the Young Avengers.

America Chavez: In the comics, America Chavez is a key member of the Young Avengers, and Xochitl Gomez plays the teenage hero in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. His abilities literally allow him to punch holes between different dimensions. Useful!

Patriot: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced Eli Bradley (Elijah Richardson), the grandson of super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). Eli had a minor role in the TV series, but in the comics he plays a major role in the Young Avengers as Patriot, a la Captain America.

Wiccan and speed: Wanda Maximoff’s twin sons, Billy and Tommy, each have their own powers. Billy, primarily played by Julian Hilliard, has powers similar to his mother, and Tommy, played by Jett Klyne, is a speedster like Wanda’s brother in the comics, Quicksilver. The two boys should reappear in the next Disney+ series Agatha: Assembly of Chaos. Falling for somethingJoe Locke of , is rumored to play adult Billy in the upcoming wizard spin-off, but that casting has not been confirmed. Either way, they’re most likely candidates for any Young Avengers team-up.

Child Loki: Another key name from the Young Avengers comics, this juvenile version of Loki appeared in the first season of the Loki TV show, played by Jack Veal. Could he come back and do stupid things?

Stone heart: Chicago teenager Riri Williams isn’t part of the comics’ team, but she’s an important part of it. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Next time, she’ll star in her own Disney+ show Stone heart. His intelligence and powerful inventions would make him an interesting addition.

Skar: The last episode of She-Hulk revealed that Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has a son, green-skinned Skaar. If the Young Avengers need a Hulk, they know where to look!

An X-quoting development

Wonders has one more tease, which comes after the credits start. The film ends with Carol, Monica and Kamala facing off against the evil Kree revolutionary Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). In an effort to save the Kree home planet of Hala, Dar-Benn blows a hole in the universe. Monica sacrifices herself to close it, trapping herself on the other side of the wormhole. The credits scene reveals that Monica is still alive and wakes up in a pristine white hospital bed.

She sees a woman who appears to be her mother, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). Maria was a former Air Force captain and Carol’s best friend from Captain Marvel who died of cancer while Monica was blipped by Thanos. Monica is delighted to see her mother again, but she does not recognize her.

Then a strange blue figure enters. It’s Beast, aka Hank McCoy!

Kelsey Grammer reprises her role as X-Men films, once again playing everyone’s favorite furry blue scientist. Beast explains that Monica was found floating in space, only to be rescued by someone named Binary. This is the version of Maria Rambeau in this universe. Monica is trapped in a parallel universe, the one where the X-Men (or at least a version of them) exist.

Just to drive the point home, Beast tells Monica that someone named Charles wants to see her – probably Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, leader of the X-Men. As Beast leaves the room, the camera lingers on Binary in her full costume. She stands in front of the familiar “X” sliding doors, similar to those of Xavier’s mansion in the previous X-Men films. Wonders also incorporates elements from the 2003 scores X2: X-Men United and 2014 X-Men: Days of Future Pastas the credits confirm.

It’s a scene with major implications for the future of the MCU. Since Disney acquired Fox’s film and television assets in 2019, fans have speculated about when and how Marvel might integrate the X-Men into the ongoing Avengers franchise. There were clues along the way. In the Ms. Marvel series, Kamala is confirmed to be a mutant, and Patrick Stewart appeared for a brief cameo as Professor Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But this is the franchise’s first major reference to the X-Men, and it’s official confirmation that they exist in an alternate universe.

Binary’s introduction is also a major development, one that deviates slightly from the comics. Lynch has now played three different roles in the MCU: Maria Rambeau in the main timeline, an alternate universe version of Captain Marvel in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and now binary. In the comics, Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel takes the name Binary after transforming into a powerful energy form, capable of generating the power of a star. The MCU imagines a different reality in which it was Maria who gained powers instead of Carol, and in this universe, Maria became a hero in her own right, adopting the name Binary.

So what does all this mean for the future? In short: we don’t know yet! Right now, the X-Men are still relegated to a parallel universe, and it might be a long time before we see them crossover with the rest of the MCU. Next, Ryan Reynolds will star in Deadpool 3, and he’ll be joined by one of the most iconic X-Men of all, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. (Given Deadpool’s frequent fourth-wall breaks, we can probably expect plenty of jokes about the Disney-Fox merger.)

But even with all these unanswered questions, it’s safe to say that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has big things planned for the X-Men. Long before launching the MCU, Feige began his career working on X-Men, X2, And X-Men: The Last Stand, and he has long cited Marvel’s mutants as some of his favorite comic book characters. In an interview with EW earlier this year, Feige spoke about Marvel’s cautious approach to introducing mutants into the MCU.

“The funny thing is, I’ve been at this company for half my life, and we’ve just tapped into one of the most important aspects of publishing history,” he said. he declared. “It’s pretty remarkable, and it’s a testament to the House of Ideas and what Marvel Publishing has done these 80 years. The question is how to do it and When to do it, and it’s something we’ve been working on for years. »

Now it looks like the “when” will finally happen.

Wonders is now playing in theaters.

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