The movies of theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and the Marvel movies that came before it, offer some incredible endings, leaving a profound impact on comic book movie fans. For the most part, the endings of Marvel movies are better known forthe MCU’s post-credits scenes, which always promise a teaser of the next film to come. It’s important to keep in mind that the actual final beats of a film before these are often amazing in their own right, ensuring each Marvel movie ends on a high note.
The various films underneath the Marvel banner achieve this through several ways. Many times, an emotionally devastating gut punch is held off until the final moments of a given film, ensuring that it leaves audiences walking out of the theater with an emotional impact. Other times, Marvel movies will simply end in a cheeky one-liner that promises more to come in a truly epic fashion. Whilesuperhero movies can have some great opening scenes, their final moments are often just as good, if not better.
The MCU’s Unexpected Agents Of SHIELD Link Addressed By Marvel Show Star
One of the biggest storylines from the later seasons of the Agents of SHIELD TV show gets addressed by one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe stars.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Cast
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever explores the efforts of Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje as they strive to safeguard Wakanda from external threats following King T’Challa’s passing. Collaborating with allies like War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross, they seek to shape the nation’s future.
The secondBlack Pantherfilm was faced with the impossible task of creating a sequel that could live up to the late Chadwick Boseman’s legacy as T’Challa while staying respectful to his passing. Amazingly,Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwas able to accomplish just that, taking a vengeful and grieving Wakandan royal family into a war with a strange new nation in the midst of T’Challa’s off-screen death. The film could get powerfully emotional at times, especially the final moments in which Shuri makes a shocking revelation.
Meeting up with Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia in Haiti after officially becoming the next Black Panther, Shuri meets her nephew for the first time. Raised in secret by Nakia, the young boy T’Challa, going by Toussaint in the island nation, is the spitting image of his late father, causing an overwhelming waterfall of grief to wash over Shuri. While she’s able to love and accept the secret child of her brother as the next T’Challa, a thoughtfully-edited montage of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther floods her memory, making for a poignant final scene.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 follows Peter Quill as he grapples with the loss of Gamora while rallying his team to defend the universe. The Guardians face a crucial mission to protect one of their own, with stakes that could alter the fate of the group forever.
Of all the films in the MCU,Guardians of the Galaxy 3is one of the few that actually feels like a true conclusion. Few characters in the titanic franchise are given the grace to retire, but this is just what most members of the galaxy-trotting superhero team do after their final showdown against the High Evolutionary. As Drax decides to lean into fatherhood raising orphans on Knowhere and Mantis embarks on a journey of self-discovery with her new monstrous companions, Star-Lord also relinquishes leadership of the team for a new destination – Earth.
AsDog Days Are Overby Florence & The Machine swells in the OST, Peter Quill decides to finally stop running, and reunite with his long-lost family from Earth. Amazingly,his grandfather is still alive, and instantly recognizes the now adult Peter,resulting in a misty-eyed reunion. One of thebest character endings in the MCU, Star-Lord’s ultimate return to his roots on Earth is quite the powerful closing image.
Logan
Logan is set in a near future where an aging Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, takes care of a frail Professor Xavier, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, at a secluded location near the Mexican border. Their secluded existence is disrupted by the arrival of a young mutant, pursued by malevolent forces.
The end of Wolverine’s long journey throughout the original FoxX-Mencontinuity,Loganwas one of the most critically-acclaimed superhero movies at the time of its release in 2017, thanks in no small part to its emotional ending. The film centers around Logan’s encounters with two clones made from his DNA – Laura, a feral child who behaves much like Logan did early into his amnesia, and X-24, a remorseless killer who murders Professor X. The final sequence ofLogansees the titular mutant save the former from the latter.
Injecting himself with a steroid that temporarily boosts his power at the cost of eating into his long-term healing factor, which had already been fading, Logan manages to kill his evil doppelgänger at the cost of his own life. Impaled on a massive tree branch, Logan can only utter “So that’s what that feels like” as he dies, with a crying Laura in his arms.This actually pays off the prophecy laid out inThe Wolverinethat Logan would die on his back,covered in blood, with his heart in his hands. Only the truth wasn’t so literal, with Laura being his new emotional “heart.”
Iron Man
Iron Man is the first film in the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, who becomes Iron Man after he is kidnapped and discovers terrorists are using weapons developed by Stark Industries. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Tony’s love interest Pepper Potts alongside Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Jeff Bridges as the villainous Obadiah Stane.
“The truth is…I am Iron Man”
The first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe couldn’t have ended in a more hype-worthy way, beginning a dynasty of cinematic and pop culture dominance. Following the hectic battle with Iron Monger, Tony Stark is hounded at a press conference, demanding to know Stark Industries' role in the mayhem. After a brief moment of hesitation, Tony states “The truth is…I am Iron Man” before a hard cut to black, just as the press explodes with curiosity at Stark’s words.
This is not only a satisfying scene that stays true to Tony’s character while drumming up excitement for the MCU to come, but it was also incredibly impactful to the overall narrative of the franchise. Thanks to these words, the MCU largely did away with secret identities, cutting out some of the tired melodrama that plagues many superhero stories.This makes it all the harder to believe that the line wasimprovised by Robert Downey Jr., forever asserting himself as Tony Stark for decades to come.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger follows Steve Rogers, a frail man from Brooklyn transformed into the super-soldier Captain America during World War II. As he aids the war effort, Rogers confronts Red Skull, who seeks world domination through a powerful device for a nefarious organization.
WhileIron ManandThe Avengersmight get the lion’s share of the credit for Phase One of the MCU’s success,Captain America: The First Avengeris an undersung hero of the series. Telling the origin story of Captain America, the period piece ends with Steve Rogers flying a bomber straight into an iceberg to save millions of lives, freezing himself in the process only to be thawed out decades later. The final moments of the film show Steve waking up, only to realize that the world around him has changed.
To his credit, Steve takes the realization that he’s woken up over 70 years into the future surprisingly well, surviving the shock of seeing a modern city. When Nick Fury asks him how he’s doing, he only thinks of his long-lost love, Peggy Carter, who he had promised to take out on a date.The heartbreaking realization that Steve would never get his chance to be with the woman he lovedis a memorable, bittersweet conclusion to end Captain America’s first MCU appearance on.
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War brings together the Avengers and their allies to face a new threat from the cosmos, Thanos, who seeks to collect the Infinity Stones. The film, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unites numerous superhero characters in a battle to prevent Thanos' ambition of altering reality itself.
In mostfilms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the bad guys ultimately lose, whether by their own incompetence, the actions of the protagonist, or a last-minute redemption arc. This wasn’t the case inAvengers: Infinity War, which ended with Thanos doing what he had been promising to do the entire film – Snapping his fingers and randomly killing off half of all life in the universe. Watching some of the most beloved superheroes be turned to literal dust in the wind left entire theaters speechless at the time ofAvengers: Infinity War’s premiere.
“This is no place to die”
It’s no wonder that this is still one of the most iconic superhero movie endings of all time. From Spider-Man’s whimpering “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good” to Black Panther’s ominous"This is no place to die", the final moments of each dusted hero echo with disturbing sadness. It’s hard to believe the MCU will ever reach the same lows of this emotionally devastating ending ever again.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can’t run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.
Spider-Man: No Way Homemay be best remembered for returning Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire to the big screen as Spider-Man for the first time in years, but the film also deserves credit for the genius way it handled Spider-Man’s return to status quo. There’s no denying that up untilSpider-Man: No Way Home’s ending, Peter Parker’s life had strayed way too far from the traditional broke Spider-Man hiding a secret identity, acting as Tony Stark’s ward and successor with all the resources and support that entails. Luckily, the film’s ending had something to say about that.
With everyone in the multiverse having forgotten him, Peter Parker is truly returned to square one, unable to even find solace in the company of his friends due to the fact that his existence was erased from their minds. Completely isolated for the first time, Peter settles into a lonely apartment, makes a homemade Spider-Man suit, and swings into action, somberly opening a new chapter of his life. For the genius way it was able to emotionally conclude Peter’s high school storyline,Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending is easily among the greatest of any Marvel movies.
Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Civil War focuses on the aftermath of Age of Ultron as international governments legislate to regulate superhuman activity. This divides the Avengers, forming opposing factions led by Iron Man and Captain America, culminating in a significant conflict between former allies.
In truth,Avengers: Infinity Warwasn’t the first timethe Avengers collectively lost to a major villain. After Baron Zemo’s plan to break up the Avengers through infighting essentially works inCaptain America: Civil War, Captain America is on the run from the government, his friends imprisoned, while Tony Stark helps James Rhodes recover from his injuries.Everything changes when Tony gets a letter from Steve explaining his actions. Though he doesn’t express regret, he does leave a way for Tony to contact him in a true emergency – a flip phone.
By giving the climax of the film plenty of breathing room, this ending leaves things on a strangely hopeful note, despite the dour circumstances of the Avengers. It’s also a great bit of character work to see each Team Cap member’s reaction to imprisonment in the raft – Ant-Man plays dumb while surreptitiously searching for a way out, The Falcon nervously paces back and forth, and Hawkeye relaxes, making the best of a bad situation. This phenomenal ending is paid off soon, when Tony uses the flip phone to bring the band back together in the wake of Thanos' arrival.
While the ending ofAvengers: Endgamesaw the retirement of the franchise’s two most important heroes, the way Captain America’s ending was handled was a beautiful conclusion to its lengthy multi-film arc. Steve was always driven by the tragedy of his loss of a life with Peggy Carter, throwing himself into his hero work in lieu of it, badly enough for Tony to even tell him to get a life. After returning the Infinity Stones and Mjölnir, Steve finally decides to take this advice, returning to the past to be with Peggy once and for all.
The final scene of Steve dancing with Peggy, finally making good on his promise to take her on a date, is one of the most gratifying moments in the entire MCU. The end of his arc is a perfect reflection of Tony’s – Whereas Tony finally learned to care about something bigger than himself and sacrifice himself to protect it,Steve learned to be selfish and afford himself a happy life.There’s something heartwarming about a fantastical movie full of aliens and superheroes ending with a young couple dancing in a suburban home in the 40s.
Blade
TheBladefranchise is a series of action-horror films centered around the character Blade, a half-vampire, half-human “Daywalker” who hunts vampires. The franchise is credited with paving the way for modern superhero films, combining elements of martial arts, gothic horror, and comic book lore. The original trilogy starred Wesley Snipes as Blade and was a significant success, leading to a renewed interest in comic book adaptations. The franchise is set to be rebooted within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with Mahershala Ali taking over the role of Blade.
As great as emotionally-satisfying payoffs and poignant final moments are, sometimes, a knowingly cheesy teaser of what’s to come can be just as powerful of a final scene for a superhero movie. No film demonstrates this better thanBlade, which sees Wesley Snipes' daywalker continue his bloody work in Russia. Just as it seems a vampire is about to descend on a young woman,Blade suddenly appears, standing ominously amid the falling snow.
Hearing Wesley Snipes speak Russian is its own kind of joy, but the panache with which he closes out the first Blade movie makes hearing the scene even better. He unsheathes his sword and slashes, literally cutting to the end credits and a driving techno beat. FewMCUendings can compare to the hype generated by the ending of the originalBlade, and it seems clearthe struggling Blade rebootmight not have the same delicious impact.
