Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Iron Man (2008)
Stan Lee cameos may have become standard features of Marvel movies, but more highly anticipated than those are the post-credits scenes. It has become virtually routine for audiences to remain rooted to their seats throughout the end-titles of each new Marvel movie, as they wait expectantly for an informative little addition that might give clues to the content of the next release.
The grand-daddy of these scenes is that which occurs after the final credits of Iron Man – widely held to be the film that sparked the MCU as we know it into life. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has created Iron Man, saved his company and the world from a fate worse than Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), and cheesed-off his nearest and dearest by announcing his new secret identity to the world at an ill-advised press conference. As director Jon Favreau telegraphs to us, this is no ordinary superhero.
The post-credits scene is no ordinary scene, either. Tony Stark returns to his impressive abode to find none other than Samuel L. Jackson already inside, waiting for him. As he steps forward and introduces himself as Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D, he explains to an incredulous Stark that Iron Man is, in fact, one of many superheroes in the world, and thus Fury needs to make him aware of the Avengers Initiative. So begins one of the biggest, most successful film franchises in motion picture history.