Encanto’s Cut Post-Credits Scene Is The Endgame Lesson Marvel Didn’t Learn

While Encanto’s lack of a post-credits scene may have been disappointing to some, it was the right decision and one that Marvel should pay attention to. The subsequent reveal that an Encanto after-credits scene did actually exist but was cut because of its impact on the ending suggests Encanto’s film-makers were tuned into the sanctity of their ending primarily. The same can be said of Avengers: Endgame – the only MCU property not to have a credits stinger – but not of other Marvel movies since that should have followed the same lead.

Marvel has made post-credits scenes a currency for blockbuster movies that has caused a reductive MCU problem. Marvel’s overreliance on after-credits stingers setting up the future means there’s barely a pause before the audience is encouraged to look at what comes next. It’s an understandable part of complex shared universe story-telling, but it can come off as cheap fan bait and, worse, as an insult to the story that came before it by trumping the slow-build with an instantly memeable moment. Look at Eternals, for instance, whose ending – an important story with very real connotations for the MCU – was trumped by the appearances of Harry Styles and Blade. Yes, it’s good fun, but at what cost?

Rather than adding a credits stinger, Encanto’s creative team took the decision to leave a gag involving the Madrigal Casita out because it meant not ending on a note of family reconciliation. That much proves the value of story over spectacle to Encanto, even with an after-credits scene that probably wouldn’t have been much more than a jokey bonus. But it’s important because it reverses the trend of over-emphasizing the importance of the credits for the future and allowing the story the space to breathe. Because Marvel is always plotting the next ten steps, the idea of them following suit and repeating Avengers: Endgame’s solemn, stingerless ending feels as impossible as it is disappointing.

Even if Encanto 2 happens, the decision to not include a post-credits scene will not hurt it. After Endgame, every Marvel fan knew that the MCU would continue, but the credits ending with a simple audio call-back to Iron Man was the right and reverent way to pause after Tony Stark’s death. A few years later and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has just seen his world crumble before his eyes with the death of Aunt May and his necessary isolation to save the Earth and there was still a need for two post-credits scenes. The Doctor Strange 2 trailer was ok, because it wasn’t tied directly to Spidey’s story but the decision to immediately promise a Spider-Man vs Venom story undermined the emotion of Peter Parker’s No Way Home ending by dangling something shiny in front of the audience.

Encanto and Endgame both took the right path, dropping post-credits scenes that would have offered instant gratification to the audiences but for the sake of the story and that should be lauded. It’s getting to the point now that post-credits scenes are too much of an expected event and when they’re compulsory they lose their magic. And worse, they can impact the endings of their movies in a way that is all too accepted in blockbusters now.

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Simon Gallagher
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Simon is a veteran editor who has been writing online since 2010 – long before anyone wanted to read his work. He loves Clueless. Like, a lot.

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