Full disclosure here, we umm’d and ahh’d about how to go about posting this article. We could’ve taken the usual route and just splashed the information in the banner headline like every other media outlet does – giving you no choice or warning about learning the reveal. But that’s one of the things that we feel the internet has taken away from us: the element of surprise, and the right to choose.
We decided instead to make your own mind up about clicking through to here. And we’ll give you another chance right now to back out if you want to. No pressure. No judgment. Sometimes it’s better, and way more fun, to go into these things blind.
Though what we can promise you is that if you read on, you won’t be learning anything that’ll ruin the entire movie for you.
So if you’re cool with, and you’re cool with us, we’ll continue on now.
Ok?
Ready?
Here we go.
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The post-credits sequence has been a trademark of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films thus far, used as either a means to hook the story just completed to the next link in the chain, or occasionally used simply to have a little bit of extra fun.
In a rare pre-release move, Joss Whedon has revealed explicit details about the post-credits scene for the agonisingly-close looming Avengers: Age of Ultron.
There isn’t one.
According to the guy who wrote and directed it, there will be no scene that occurs after the credits finish rolling.
But the reason for not doing it this time around is reasonably simple – the creative team felt they simply couldn’t top the Shawarma scene (editor’s note: I mean, like… I know they’re TECHNICALLY not kebabs. But come on now. They were fucking kebabs) from the end of the first Avengers movie. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Whedon stated:
“We all came at it separately—we don’t want to chase that. That was a jewel and a weird little quirk.”
“It didn’t seem to lend itself in the same way, and we wanted to be true to what felt right. The first rule of making a sequel is take the best moments and do something else. Don’t do the Indiana Jones gun trick again differently. Just go somewhere else. Don’t try to hit the same highs, because people will sense it.”
And the reason for announcing that fact now, ahead of time, rather than wait till release and let the collective rage of the internet find out for themselves is fairly straightforward and practical.
“There is nothing at the very end. And that’s not a fake-out. We want people to know so they don’t sit there for 10 minutes and then go: ‘Son of a bitch! I’ll kill them!’”
That’s just straight-up smart is what that is. Cut the rage off at the pass. Control the story before the story controls you. Public relations 101.
The good news for all of you Marvel maniacs out there, is that this doesn’t mean they’ve simply done away with any and all little bookends and will let the credits of Age of Ultron roll without interruption. There, of course, will be a mid-credits tag that extends the continuing story of the extended MCU. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirms it as such:
“There will be a tag. But there’s not a post-post-credit scene.”
And while we’re on the subject of rumour killing, despite knowing that both Linda Cardellini and Julie Delpy are in the film in some capacity, we know that neither of them will be assuming the role of Captain Marvel, who will not be appearing in the film, as confirmed by Feige. The crew of the film aren’t revealing Cardellini or Delpy’s roles and likely will maintain that veil of secrecy until the theatrical release.
Now, there’s every chance that all of this could be merely a giant, horrendous, hail mary-like attempt at faking out a global audience in order to preserve at least some element of surprise. But I suppose the only way to truly find out would be to strap in and sit in that theatre for the duration of the credits with yourself braced for disappointment. That way it’s a no lose situation. You’re either proved right, and get to feel smug that you got the inside scoop, or you get to be proven gloriously wrong with the surprise extra scene you never saw coming.
It’s called being a smart cinema fan. Knowledge is power, kids. Arm yourselves.
Avengers: Age of Ultron hits Australian theatre screens on April 23rd.
