As you know, the producers of Movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are masters of constructing a massive narrative over 10 years of movies, but the most tantalizing part of the broader storyline is the inclusion of mid-credit and post credit scenes. When you go to see a Marvel movie, it is the only time you'll experience virtually the entire audience wait until the last second of the credits, anticipating that 30-second teaser of what's to come.
1) Spider-Man vs Venom
One of the post-credit scenes that is hardly mentioned comes in the mid-credits of "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Toomes is walking down a prison corridor when another inmate with a menacing look and a scorpion tattoo stops him.
When he's attempting to buy alien-enhanced weapons on the Staten Island Ferry, he's identified as Mac Gargan who, in the comics, is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes. In the comics, Gargan undergoes experimental surgery with the help of people who hate Spider-Man to become the Scorpion, a killer of spiders. After being bested by the web-slinger time and time again, he agrees to bond with a symbiote, becoming the second Venom.
This October, Sony is releasing its next Marvel movie starring Tom Hardy in - you guessed it - "Venom," a depiction of the first man, Eddie Brock, to bond with the symbiote and become our venomous villain. Marvel Studios has made it clear that although they're helping to develop the film, it will not be included as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, contrary to Sony's claims.
Whether or not Sony's project makes it into the MCU, you can bet that we'll see Tom Holland's Spider-Man battle Gargan whether as Scorpion or Venom... or both.
2) Thanos courts death
"To challenge them is to court death," says The Other to Thanos at the end of the first "Avengers" movie. After Loki unsuccessfully invades New York, our big bad Thanos is mission-oriented and determined to wipe out half of the galaxy, but we don't get to see any character development for Thanos until "Avengers: Infinity War" except for when he smiles at The Other's comment about Death.
According to the comics, Death is a character that often takes the form of a woman for whom Thanos has affection. Ultimately, Thanos wants to rule the universe alongside Death and is attempting to "court" her by showing the extent of his power.
"Avengers: Infinity War" has some of the best Marvel battle scenes we have ever seen.
As a heart-wrenching, hilarious, action-packed conclusion to phase three of the MCU, it set unprecedented opening weekend box office numbers and left viewers all over the world both shocked and satisfied.
During the film, Thanos claims that his motivation for his homicidal crusade comes from compassion and a desire for the longevity and preservation of life, the opposite of a love affair with Death; however, Josh Brolin who plays Thanos has confirmed that Death as a woman will soon make an appearance in the MCU. I don't pretend to know how Marvel is going to proceed, but I'm excited to get to see Thanos' character arc developed. There is much more to come.
