Post-Credits Scenes
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The movie ends and the credits roll. That used to be your cue to start heading to the parking lot to debrief with your friends. But that was before the era of the post-credits scene. In Marvel movies, post-credits scenes tease the next installment. But comedies and horror movies like Sinners have gotten in on the act, offering one last joke or thrill that you'll miss if you don't stick around. Which leads us to ask, is it really worth it to stick around? I'm not sure.

I'm Linda Holmes. And I'm Glenn Weldon. And today we're talking about the state of the post-credits scene on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR.

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Joining us today are our co-hosts, Aisha Harris. Hey, Aisha. Hello, Glenn. And Stephen Thompson. Hey, Stephen. Hello, Glenn. Hey there. All right, just so we know what we're talking about here, we're going to call them post-credit scenes, but that's a catch-all term for anything that happens during or after the credits.

For example, Marvel movies often have a mid-credits scene. That's when you get the cast list and the writer, director, editor, but then you get that brief scene. And then after that, you get the full credits with the color correctors and the key grips and the caterers and the assistants to Ms. Johansson. And no animals were harmed in Motion Picture of Association America. Then, bam, you get the actual post-credits scene. But Marvel didn't invent any of this. Several films from the 60s and 70s would show things happening on screen as the credits rolled over them.

Films like The Cannonball Run would show bloopers. There's Something About Mary had the entire cast lip-sync to Build Me Up Buttercup. So the question becomes, how are we feeling just in general about the state of the post-credits scene in the year 2025?

So, Stephen, where do you think of the post-credit scene today? Well, I have an interesting history with the post-credit scene because I was raised by sticklers. I was raised by the kind of sticklers who felt like if you were going to go see a movie, the respectful thing to do for the filmmakers would be to sit and watch all their names scroll by in kind of

appreciation of their work. In reverent silence, yes. And so the addition of more and more post-credit scenes, whether they're teasing future films or doing a callback to a joke that you've just seen in the movie, performing a song, whatever, that's just like your little treat as the viewer for sticking through and watching all the key grips and all that stuff roll by. So I haven't

thought much of them as any kind of additional obligation as a filmmaker so much as a reward for sticking around. Where, for me, I find it irksome is that kind of Marvel model of here is a bunch of lore to presumably entice you to watch the next movie, when for me, that's the stuff that I always find the least interesting about those movies anyway. For me, the platonic ideal of the post-credits scene is what often turns up

particularly in Disney and Pixar films, where you have some kind of callback to a delightful secondary character. Maybe it's providing closure, like in Moana, that crab is still stuck to the wall. Still upside down here. Just need a little push.

Honestly, my favorite recent example is from Toy Story 4. That film introduces a bunch of really fun secondary characters, including Ducky and Bunny, voiced by Key and Peele, where it does a callback to kind of the funniest gag in that film. And then at the end of the film, we're reminded, hey, remember Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom? Isn't he funny? You get a little callback to that. Do you really have laser eyes? No.

Yeah. Whoa. That, for me, is what I most appreciate in post-credits scenes more than the teaser that, yes, there will be another Argyle movie. Oh, God. Yes, good word.

Aisha, any general thoughts? I mean, my general feeling is they are rarely ever additive in a substantive way. As you've already noted in this intro, one of the reasons why we even wanted to talk about this was because of Sinners and the fact that it does have a sort of mid-ish credit sequence and then a post-credit sequence. For me, I think this is like the rare example of a movie where it feels like it's part of the movie and it feels like it's adding something to the rest of the film.

This is where I'm going to very, very briefly just talk about this post-credits sequence. So if you have not seen Sinners yet, feel free to fast forward like a few seconds ahead. I won't get into too much detail, but I'm sure there are people who want to be completely unspoiled.

You'd have had enough time now. You should have fast forwarded. So essentially, after the end of the film, it fast forwards to exactly six years later, 1992. Sammy, who is the smoke and stack, the Michael B. Jordan character's little cousin, he is now played by Buddy Guy, the great Buddy Guy. We find that he's performing in a club and he's very old now. We also see that Stack...

Michael B. Jordan and Mary, who was played by Hailee Steinfeld. They were both turned into vampires and they have returned. They are still vampires. They have managed to live on. What I liked about this sequence is the fact that we get a little bit of like what happened to these characters, but also we get a moment between one of the characters who'd fought for his life and chose not to become a vampire. And then we see that interaction and what it means. And it's several minutes. It's not just like a tag at the end. They have like a moment together.

It's very rare that we see post-credit sequences that last that long and feel like an additional scene. So I feel like this is, for me, Sinners works in a way to add to the story, add a different layer. It does also leave open the possibility that perhaps there are going to be other movies in this realm in the future, which I don't know how I feel about that.

But that is often the purpose of these things, right? Especially when we're talking about things like Marvel and whatever is like to try and tease something that might come in the future. But yeah, that's kind of how I feel. Like Sinners is a rarity in this case. It is because it is so substantive. But then doesn't that kind of open up the question of why isn't it part of the movie? Yeah. I mean, to be clear, this is more of a mid-credit scene. So like there's a few credits and then it pauses and goes back to the scene and then we have more credits. And then there's another post-credit sequence, which I think is less...

urgent or necessary, but it is a sweet moment. It's just Sammy, who's played by Miles Caton, the younger version, singing This Little Light of Mine. It doesn't add anything, but it's, you know, it's cute. So, I don't know. I think this splits the difference in a way that works for me. So your criteria is substantive. That's what you're looking for from a post-credit scene. Most of the time. Yeah. Most of the time. Okay. All right, Linda, where do you stand on the post-credit scene? Well,

I think I stand sort of the opposite a little bit of what Aisha was saying, because the one thing I want is I want them not to be substantive, right? I don't mind there being a post-credit sequence or a mid-credit sequence that is, like Stephen said, kind of like a little bonus for sticking around. Although I do question, like,

Right. Right.

It is now part of the Linda Holmes lore that I left Sinners when, you know, when I see like, oh, there's Buddy Guy. He's clearly this guy and he's playing guitar many, many years later in a club and the credits start to roll. I was like, OK, that's the end of it. I had a couple other things I needed to do. I didn't want to get stuck in the post screening rush. So I did get up and leave.

And so I miss those scenes at the end. I still intend to see them, but I do know the details of what happens in them. That I don't like. Just put it in the movie. There is no reason to take a substantive point and put it in a mid or post-credit sequence. I do not see the point of that. But if you want to, Glenn talked about Build Me Up Buttercup at the end of There's Something About Mary. There's also The Age of Aquarius at the end of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which I think is quite funny. This is the dawning of the

The age of Aureus, the age of Aureus

The funny ones tend to be the ones that I like the best. The more pointless they are, the better. To me, the height of post-credit sequences is everybody eating shawarma at the end of The Avengers. And I just think it's A, really funny, and B, a surprisingly effective little character moment for those folks who have lived through this terrible experience. So, like, I like them when they're light and kind of extra. The dancing at the end of Bring It On. They do Mickey. Oh, Mickey, you're so fine.

If you're going to advertise your next movie, I don't want to need to have seen the credit sequence in the previous one to be ready for the beginning of the next movie. So I'm like a grump in that way. I only want them to be a little treat. If they mean anything, then I feel like I have been cheated out of the fair play of the movie experience. I get that. I think if they're going to be substantive, they should be mid-credits.

almost to the point of show me like five frames of names. Allow me to take a little breath. Well, that's Sinners. To me, that is what's happening with Sinners. But he plays the guitar long enough for me to get out of the theater. Maybe you were just in a rush, Linda. No.

I mean, I just refuse to be shamed for leaving the movie when the credits roll. I'm not at all shaming you. Oh, no, I know you're not. I know you're not. I'm saying, like, in the world, I refuse to have people be like, well, you shouldn't have left the movie when the credits started. Like, no, that's not the agreement. And I think everything else about that movie is so good. And that decision, I think, is just thumbs down from me. That's fair. Now, as far as the musical-like interludes, the Build Me Up Buttercup stuff, I don't like those at all.

Maybe I'm just projecting. Thank you. Thank you, Glenn. We're on the same page. I don't. I don't.

I keep thinking about, okay, so, you know, in there's something about Mary, Ben Stiller was probably game. But like people further down on the call sheet, you Keith Davids, for example, he did not sign on to dance around to build me a buttercup. My man, Keith David, like that's funny. Right. That was not in the contract. I'm on team Linda. This costs you nothing. No, it does. It costs you dignity. I don't know.

I am projecting. Nobody can take away Keith David's dignity. Thank you very much. Well, there is that. There is that. But I mean, you know, just know it's like, oh, the director has this funny idea. Let's do it. And it's not like, no, if you want me to dance and sing and lip sync, you need to talk to my agent. You are the enemy of fun. No. Well, I mean, it's been said before. I just don't like the kind of cheesy lip syncing. It bugs me. Post-credit sequences are for fun. Eh, no. No. Aisha's also anti-fun. I

Aisha, who loves musicals more than anything, I'm shocked that you are not on our side here. I like it when it's in the context of the movie, but when it's just people doing funny dances or whatever, I'm just like, you look like you're having the time of your life. I'm just sitting here watching you goof off. I feel the same way about bloopers, generally speaking, where I'm just like, there's a reason this was not in the movie because it's not that funny. Or you're breaking character or whatever. Yeah. I mean, that's the thing about the reason my favorite post-credit scene of all time is

happens to be a blooper reel, but it's not a real blooper reel. It's the blooper reels that come at the end of Pixar movies like Toy Story and Bugs Life and Monsters, Inc. Because in those, at least for the ones in Bugs Life, Toy Story, they are parodying the idea of a blooper reel, right? Yes. Speed. Marker. And action. Are you saying I'm stupid? No. Do I look stupid to you? The thing about a blooper is, as you say, is the sudden break of character.

But the thing about these fake bloopers is that they were not just something that happened in the recording booth and they decided to animate around them. No, these bloopers were written. You are on to them, Glenn. I think you are right about that. I know. But see, here's the thing. This is the way it breaks my brain. So these things are so constructed, right? Sure. So they write it, then they get the actors to pretend to still be the characters making a blooper, and then teams of animators around the world are.

are animating that fake blue. It is like the least efficient humor that could be committed to film. That's why I love it. Well, that was actually one of the ones I was going to bring as like the fun that I love when it comes to these. I especially think of the Monsters, Inc. one, put that thing back where it came from or so help me, where it's like they call back to a line from the movie, but then we see Sully and Mike and all the Monsters, Inc. characters like performing a musical version of that line. And so

Could that kid matter where she came from? And she helped us to find a better...

Like, it just kind of points to how ingrained this entire genre has become of, like, bloopers and outtakes and how we've come to expect them even by 2001 when Monsters, Inc. had come out before Marvel took over, you know? I want to point out one more thing that I generally like, which is Fall Guy, the Ryan Gosling movie, which is kind of loosely adapted from an 80s episode.

action show with Lee Majors. Loosely. Very loosely. You know, that's a film about stunt performers that is a celebration of stunt performers. And it's one of my favorite things about that movie is how much that movie loves stunt work. Naturally, your credit sequences are showing you how a bunch of the stunts are done. And I think that, for me, felt very much of a piece with the tone of that film. And then,

Spoiler ahead. They bring out a couple members of the cast of the 80s action series, The Fall Guy, which I probably watched a few episodes of. I don't remember. I don't care. And you, you have the right to remain silent.

So shut the hell up. It's fan service for people who do care about that show. If I don't care about Lee Majors, I'm like, who's that old guy? But if I am a fan, I'm happy. That sort of thing can be sweet. What I like about post-credits sequences in general is they can fit the tone of the films that they follow while providing a little bonus with very, very low stakes. And I think that's where they work.

for me. The last kind that I was thinking about that I do often enjoy is that in a movie based on a true story, obviously, yes, I want the update of what happened to everybody later. Yes, I want that. They show that in text.

But sometimes, one example is Argo. I really like that movie. I really love that movie. And at the end of that movie, they show you side-by-sides of the people in the movie and the real people. And in that case, aside from the Ben Affleck character, who's not very close, the rest of the people you look at and you're like, wow, that's really close.

And you see how much work went into the styling in particular of the people in the movie to make them feel like the people in real life. And I do enjoy that. I want to see the real people. I want to see a little bit of historical context. I do tend to enjoy that in a movie that is about a real event. They did that with Sing Sing, too, where you saw clips from the actual productions. Yeah, I love that. Now we're big prisoners.

And you were able to see how similar what they perform in the movie is to what happened on screen. I also think, like, again, this goes to similar with Pixar and how they mimic the idea of bloopers and parodies. Like, I think of Walk Hard, where at the very end of that, it says on screen, the actual Dewey Cox, San Francisco, 2002 or whatever. And he's singing Walk Hard. Walk hard. Walk.

That I appreciate. Like, it's mimicking the form. And, you know, John C. Reilly is still in character and he's playing Dewey Cox. Like, I enjoy that. For me, it doesn't have to be substantive. I agree with Linda and Stephen. I just need interesting. I like what Stephen said about another perspective. I'm thinking of Airplane, where we cut back to the customer who's been waiting in the cab the entire movie while Robert Hayes' character has abandoned the cab at the beginning of the movie. Well, I'll give him another 20 minutes.

But that's it. So we all have different metrics for what works. I think we can all agree that this example I'm about to provide does not work. The most recent example of this is a Marvel movie, Captain America, Brave New World. In this final scene, the great Tim Blake Nelson plays the villain called the leader, but he really looks more like if Dick Tracy had a villain called Picklehead. But Sam Wilson's Captain America goes to see him in jail, and Tim Blake Nelson says this. All you heroes protecting this world,

Do you think you're the only ones? Do you think this is the only world? We'll see what happens when you have to protect this place from the others.

I mean, clunk. What you have there, my friends, is Marvel throwing up its hands and saying, citation missing. HTTP. Footage not found. 404. Not found. This is such bad writing because everybody in the Marvel Universe knows that there are other worlds. They have been invaded by them several times. So I saw this opening night. Tim Blake Nelson says, the others. The lights come up. There is a beat.

My friends, there is a perfect comedic Jack Benny beat. And then this 11-year-old voice dripping with sarcasm beyond its years pipes up behind me and goes...

oh, no, not the others. And I was like, I believe the children are our future. Book that kid on our show. Even children will not put up with this crap. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that is a good point. Yeah. And I think, like, we can all agree that at least it's not. And I don't remember. I don't think this was post credits or it was leading into credits. Do

Do all of you remember that there was a movie, I believe it is called The Devil Inside, where

where you got to the end of the movie, there was a car accident, and then it cut to black, and it said, for more about what happened in this situation, go to this website. I do not. I don't think I saw that movie. And it was like, it was sort of notorious. Scan the QR code. Well, I think it's a found, I think it might be a found footage movie. And so what they're promising you is for like more about the details of this case. So every time I see a not very authentic,

awesome post-credit sequence now. I think, well, at least they're not directing me to a website. Yeah. I mean, the one outlier for me in terms of what I will take when it comes to post-credit sequences, and this is just clearly my bias, is the Fast and Furious. I think my favorite might be the mid-credit sequence in Fast and Furious 6 is

where we introduce Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw. He's chasing, he's somewhere, I think, in Tokyo, and then he steps out of the car, and it's like, oh, Jason Statham is here. And then he says this. Dominic Turello, you don't know me. You're about to.

I mean, come on. That is fun. It's great. That is fun. It's fun. I think even some of the Marvel ones, when they're really introducing you to a new, interesting character, and some of these don't mean anything to me, but they meant something to Glenn. And in fact, sometimes I would see these movies with Glenn and I would lean over and be like, who's that? Who's that guy? That's always me. Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative. So sometimes I don't know, but sometimes the other people in the theater know. And on their behalf, I'm excited for them that they just saw a character that they're very excited about seeing. Yeah. And at the end of Thunderbolts asterisk, there is a post-credit sequence that features the appearance of

Something that made my audience cheer. And when that happens, that's what it's for. Right. Well, I wanted to give a heads up to listeners that don't wait for the end of the credits of this podcast for something else. We're not giving good evening. We're not.

We're just not. We want to know what you think about post-credits scenes. What makes them worth waiting for? Find us at facebook.com slash p-c-h-h. That brings us to the end of our show. Aisha Harris, Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, thank you so much for being here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Glenn. You don't know if I'm going to say something at the end. This episode was produced by Mike Katzeff and Liz Metzger and edited by Jessica Reedy. And Hello Come In provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. I'm Glenn Weldon and we'll see you all next time.

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