Thor: Ragnarok has a mid-credits and a post-credits scene, but is it worthwhile to stay until the very end of this Marvel movie? The Marvel Cinematic Universe officially kicked off in 2008 with Iron Man, which included a post-credits scene featuring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury - the latter of which introduced the concept of The Avengers. Nearly a decade later, Marvel Studios has helped to popularize post-credits scenes by including them with each of their releases, though the studio has also begun including mid-credits scenes as well.
Typically, one or more post-credits scene will tease an upcoming film on Marvel Studios' MCU release slate, offering die-hard comic fans a hint at what's to come for the heroes of this particular cinematic universe. Thor: Ragnarok arrives less than a year before Marvel Studios' biggest event film, Avengers: Infinity War, hits theaters, and fans no doubt expect the latest MCU installment to tease Thor's next adventure with the Avengers. We knew before the film opened in theaters that Thor: Ragnarok includes two post-credits scenes and now that the latest Thor movie has premiered, we break down whether it's worthwhile to stick around for both scenes.
Related: Thor: Ragnarok Movie Review
Thor: Ragnarok includes a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene, one of which directly teases an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, while the other is more of a joke. This is rather typical of Marvel's most recent movies and in the case of Thor: Ragnarok, the mid-credits scene is the important tease you'll want to catch, while the post-credits scene is more of a joke.
Don't worry though, the Thor: Ragnarok post-credits scene isn't a joke on audience members, like the post-credits scene for Spider-Man: Homecoming that featured "outtakes" from Captain America's PSA videos humorously discussing the importance of patience. Rather, the post-credits scene for Thor: Ragnarok is a comedic scene featuring one of the stand-out characters from Taika Waititi's Marvel movie that will no doubt be enjoyable for many viewers - though, of course, it won't be enjoyable for everyone.
For moviegoers not interested in sticking around through the entirety of the credits - doing so brings the Thor: Ragnarok runtime to a total of 130 minutes - the final scene isn't necessary viewing since it doesn't tease an upcoming Marvel movie. Instead, the mid-credits scene is the important content in terms of Thor: Ragnarok setting up a future MCU installment.
So, for Marvel fans who find particular enjoyment in the interconnectivity of the MCU, certainly stick around for the mid-credits scene, while those who are purists and want to watch to the very end of the credits will be treated to a fun, comedic post-credits scene. But if you don't want to wait until the very end of the credits, don't worry, you're not missing a tease for Black Panther or Avengers: Infinity War.
