By Brandon T. McClure (@btmcclure @fakenerdpodcast)
The MCU, specifically the Infinity Saga (2008-2019) has meant a great deal to me, as I am sure it has for many people. What first started as a book pitch is now a series of essays of mine that will be (hopefully) published every week. The goal is to pick a specific moment within The Infinity Saga and share with you why I believe it’s a defining moment. To revisit previous posts, visit our site HERE.
Enjoy the ride as we count down from 50 of the most defining moments and share your thoughts in the comments.
• THE FIRST POST CREDITS •
MOMENT# 45
MOVIE: Iron Man
DIRECTORS: Jon Favreau
WRITERS: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) house during the post-credits of Iron Man.
The MCU has expanded to reach heights that fans had only dreamed of. No one knew what the franchise would grow to become when Iron Man came to theaters in 2008. Marvel had sold the rights to some of their more popular characters such as the X-Men and Spider-Man. The newly formed Marvel Studios was limited in what various heroes could form The Avengers. Fans were used to superhero films existing in their own little pocket universes, but that all changed with Iron Man.
Unaware that the landscape of superhero cinema was about to change forever, moviegoers went to see the Marvel film in modest numbers. Audiences fell in love with the new superhero played by Robert Downey Jr. This first MCU film followed the journey of Tony Stark after he gets captured by the Ten Rings terrorist group. They force him to make a weapon but instead he makes a suit of armor to make his escape. Afterwards he moves Stark Industries away from weapons manufacturing. His new objective was making a new suit and taking down his nefarious business partner, Obadiah Stane. He proudly declares to the world that he is Iron Man.
The credits rolled and nearly everyone left the theater, but those who stayed were treated with the first hints that something more was on the way. In a darkened house in Malibu, Samuel L. Jackson is introduced to audiences as Nick Fury. He informs Tony Stark that he’s become part of a larger world, ending with “I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative.” Since Iron Man, there has been a post credits scene in almost every MCU film, with the exception of The Incredible Hulk and Avengers: Endgame (and technically Avengers: Age of Ultron only has a mid-credits scene). The post-credits became a tool for Marvel Studios to tease up the next film or the next major story. Sitting in the theater waiting for that final scene to show has become a tradition for Marvel fans ever since.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) delivering the line “I’m here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative” in Iron Man’s post-credits.
Fans had wanted superhero crossovers for years. The closest anyone ever got was a fake poster in I Am Legend. The world of superhero cinema had just changed forever. Kevin Fiege and Marvel Studios had just told the world that they were going to unite the Avengers on the big screen. At the time, no one knew how it would happen or when, but they were going to try, and that was more than enough.
All audiences had to do was sit through the credits.