The credits roll. Most people in the theater start looking for their popcorn buckets and jackets, but you're probably the one sitting there, staring at the names of the "Third Assistant Grip" just to see what happens next. We've been conditioned. Marvel did this to us. Since 2008, the post-credits sting has been the holy grail of superhero cinema, and honestly, the Ant-Man end credits scenes have some of the heaviest lifting in the entire franchise.
It’s easy to dismiss Scott Lang. He’s the "little guy." He’s the comic relief. But if you look at the track record, his movies are almost always the bridge between massive phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They aren't just jokes; they are the connective tissue.
Remember the first time we saw the Wasp suit? Or when Scott was trapped in the Quantum Realm while everyone else turned to dust? These aren't just "extra scenes." They are the blueprints for what comes next.
The Quantum Realm and the Snap
Let’s go back to Ant-Man and the Wasp. It came out right after Avengers: Infinity War. Everyone was depressed. Half the universe was gone. We all went into that theater looking for a glimmer of hope, and for about 110 minutes, we got a fun heist movie. Then the mid-credits scene hit.
Scott goes into the Quantum Realm to collect "healing particles" for Ghost. He’s chatting with Hank, Janet, and Hope over the radio. It’s light. It’s breezy.
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"Everything is stable," Janet says.
Then, silence.
Scott is hanging out in subatomic space, yelling into a radio that nobody is answering. The camera cuts back to the roof. Three piles of ash. The Pym-Van Dyne family is gone. This wasn't just a "shock" moment; it was the specific plot device that allowed Avengers: Endgame to happen. Without Scott being "stuck" there, he wouldn't have been protected from the Snap, and he wouldn't have discovered that time works differently in the Quantum Realm. Five years for the world was five hours for him.
That single scene transformed the Ant-Man end credits scenes from mere teasers into the most important five minutes of Phase 3. It’s a masterclass in how to use a post-credits scene to pivot the entire tone of a franchise.
Kang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs
Fast forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Things got weird. This movie was tasked with introducing the big bad of the Multiverse Saga: Kang.
The first post-credits scene in Quantumania is wild. We see three primary variants of Kang: Immortus, Rama-Tut, and the Centurion. They are looking out over a literal stadium of thousands of Kangs. It’s the Council of Kangs. This scene was a direct nod to Avengers #267 from the comics. It signaled that while Scott might have defeated "He Who Remains" (well, Sylvie did that) and "Kang the Conqueror" (in the Quantum Realm), the real threat was infinite.
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Honestly, it was a lot to take in. Some fans found it a bit "cheesy" because of the over-the-top acting, but the lore implications were massive. It moved the stakes from a local, family-level conflict to a multiversal extinction event.
Then we got the second scene. This one was a direct tie-in to Loki Season 2.
We see Victor Timely on a stage in the early 1900s, talking about time. In the audience? Loki and Mobius. Loki looks terrified. Mobius looks skeptical. This was the first time a movie post-credits scene felt like a mandatory "previously on" for a Disney+ show. It blurred the lines between the big screen and the small screen in a way that felt slightly overwhelming but totally necessary for the narrative.
Why these scenes feel different now
There’s a lot of talk about "superhero fatigue." You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. But the Ant-Man end credits scenes usually avoid the biggest trap of the genre: the "nothing" teaser.
Think about the end of Eternals with Eros, or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with Clea. Those felt like "cool cameos" that haven't really gone anywhere yet. Ant-Man scenes tend to pay off faster. They are tactical.
- Ant-Man (2015): Showed us the Wasp suit. Paid off in the sequel.
- Ant-Man (2015) Post-Post Credits: Showed Cap and Falcon with Bucky. Paid off in Civil War.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Showed the Snap. Paid off in Endgame.
There is a sense of momentum here that other MCU sub-franchises sometimes lack. Scott Lang is the everyman, so his post-credits scenes usually ground the cosmic stakes into something we can actually follow.
The Technical Reality of the Credits
People always ask: "Are these scenes filmed by the same director?"
Usually, yes. Peyton Reed handled most of the Ant-Man stuff. But often, these scenes are actually fragments of other movies. The scene with Captain America and Falcon at the end of the first Ant-Man was actually footage from Captain America: Civil War.
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Marvel does this to save money and ensure visual consistency. It’s a smart move. It makes the universe feel lived-in. When you see Scott Lang appearing in a blurry security monitor in Endgame, it feels like a payoff to a years-long setup that started in a basement in San Francisco.
The Misconceptions
People think these scenes are just "ads."
Kinda, but not really. In the case of Ant-Man, they often serve as the "true ending." The actual ending of Quantumania is Scott walking down the street, feeling a lingering sense of dread that he might have screwed up the universe. The post-credits scene confirms that dread. It’s the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence. Without it, the movie is a lighthearted romp. With it, it’s a tragedy in the making.
How to Watch Them Properly
If you're going back through the MCU, don't just skip to the end. The context matters.
- Watch the first Ant-Man. The mid-credits scene with Janet and the Wasp suit is about legacy. The end-credits scene is about the wider Avengers world.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp is the big one. You have to watch the mid-credits scene. The "giant ant playing the drums" scene at the very end is just a gag, but it emphasizes the loneliness of the post-Snap world.
- Quantumania requires a bit of homework. If you haven't seen Loki, the Victor Timely scene won't hit as hard.
The Ant-Man end credits scenes are basically the MCU’s way of saying "pay attention." Scott might be small, but the shadows he casts are huge.
Moving forward, the focus is shifting. With the shifts in Marvel's creative direction and the changes regarding the character of Kang, some of these scenes might feel like "what could have been." But they still stand as a testament to a time when every single frame of a Marvel movie was part of a giant, ticking clock.
To get the most out of your next rewatch, pay attention to the musical cues. Often, the score in these scenes shifts from the "Ant-Man theme" (which is bouncy and heist-like) to something more ominous. It’s a subtle way the filmmakers tell you that the fun is over and the real stakes are starting.
Go back and look at the drum-playing ant again. It’s funny, sure. But look at the emergency broadcast on the TV in the background. That is world-building at its peak. It shows the chaos of the Snap through the lens of a quiet suburban house. That’s the Ant-Man brand: finding the massive significance in the tiny, overlooked details.
Next time you're diving into a Marvel marathon, keep a close eye on the background of these scenes. There are often "Quantum signatures" or Easter eggs hidden in the energy blasts that hint at characters like the Fantastic Four or other multiversal travelers. The MCU is a puzzle, and Scott Lang's corner of it usually holds the most important pieces.