‘The Marvels’ Ending Explained: Post-credits Reveal What’s Next in the MCU

Since her breakout film in 2018, Little Woods, Nia DaCosta has been a star on the rise. She directed two episodes of Netflix’s Top Boy as well as the Yahya Abdul-Mateen II-led Candyman to further her career before joining the Disney family with The Marvels. The New York native co-wrote the screenplay with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, marking another Black female voice seeking to bring inclusive stories to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In November 2023, DaCosta’s directorial debut for the company hit theatres; since then, there’s been a lot of talk about what The Marvels ending revealed about future plot lines.

DaCosta’s project serves as a sequel to Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel, in which Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) venture off on a chaotic journey across numerous planets. As is tradition in the MCU, The Marvels ending continues after the credits start rolling, hinting at how the original comic books will continue to influence the studio’s projects and what we can expect as the Disney-Fox merger unfolds.

‘The Marvels’ Pays Homage to MCU’s Beginnings

In 2008’s Iron Man – the first Marvel movie ever made – Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury appears during the post-credits scene, recruiting Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to help develop the Avengers. During The Marvels ending, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld, who last appeared in the Hawkeye Disney+ series) enters her New York apartment where she finds Kamala. The latter has access to all of S.A.B.E.R.’s intel on other MCU heroes, and she’s using that information to scout out some ideal recruits for the next generation of protectors. “I’m putting together a team, and I want you on it,” Kamala tells Kate in her best impression of Nick.

The Young Avengers were introduced in the Marvel comics by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung in 2005. No film or TV show dedicated to them has been announced yet, but it’s possible we could see their team expand in the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars. In The Marvels, Kamala hints at bringing in Ant-Man’s daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) but diehard MCU fans might notice the increasing number of children joining the franchise over the years as the studio looks to target new markets.

‘The Marvels’ Ending Confirms the Young Avengers Are Coming

After watching Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we’re excited to see what she’ll bring to the table in her 2025 Disney+ series, Ironheart. While she wasn’t included in the original Young Avengers comics, the intelligent and inventive character would surely be a great addition to Kamala, Kate and Cassie’s crew. Elsewhere, we met Bruce Banner’s son, Skaar, in the final episode of She-Hulk; he could offer some serious manpower to the girls should they need it.

America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) and Eli Bradley (Elijah Richardson) from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, respectively, both star in the Young Avengers comics. The former’s abilities include punching holes between dimensions while the latter is the grandson of super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). Of course, we can’t forget Wanda Maximoff’s twin sons, Wiccan and Speed – or Billy and Tommy, depending who you ask. Both young boys will make their next appearance in the Disney+ series Agatha: Cover of Chaos.

What Do ‘The Marvels’ Post-credits Reveal About Future Films?

Since Disney acquired Fox’s film and TV assets in 2019, there have been hints about how these two worlds might collide; in the Ms. Marvel series Kamala is confirmed to be a mutant and in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Patrick Stewart makes a brief cameo as Professor X. These Easter eggs got people talking, but The Marvels ending marks the first major reference and confirmation that X-Men exist in an alternate universe in the MCU.

Carol, Monica and Kamala face off against Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) in the DaCosta-directed effort’s final moments, and to patch up the hole ripped in the universe by the villanous Kree revolutionary, Monica sacrifices herself. After getting trapped on the other side of a wormhole, the mid-credits reveal that our brave hero is still alive and has been brought to a hospital for care. She sees her late mother, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), a former Air Force captain and Carol’s closest friend in Captain Marvel. Monica is overjoyed to see Maria, who died of cancer while Thanos Blipped her daughter. However, the woman who looks like Monica’s mother fails to recognize her.

At this point, a beloved X-Men character, Beast/Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammer) enters the room, revealing that Monica was rescued while floating around in space. Her savior is Binary, or that universe’s version of Maria Rambeau, indicating that Monica has entered a parallel universe where these characters exist, including Professor X, the leader of the other crime-fighting troupe. Sleuths also noted that The Marvels incorporates elements from the scores of X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) ahead of Wolverine’s big Marvel debut in Deadpool 3 alongside Ryan Reynolds this summer.