From Luis' rambling Ant-Man story to Cap being cut off mid-catchphrase in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the MCU's Phase Two movies had some great endings.
Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had to follow up the resounding success of Phase One. Not only did Phase Two have to follow up some unforgettable movies; it had to follow up some unforgettable movie endings, from Tony Stark declaring, “I am Iron Man,” at a press conference to Steve Rogers lamenting the fact that he “had a date” when he awakens in modern-day Times Square.
From the titular team jetting off on their next adventure at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy to Luis telling another rambling story at the end of Ant-Man to Captain America being cut off in the middle of his catchphrase at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Phase Two’s movies had some truly memorable endings.
Since Thor: The Dark World is widely regarded to be the weakest film in Phase Two, it’s only fitting for it to have the weakest ending. Critics’ biggest problem with The Dark World is that it exemplifies the franchise’s cookie-cutter formula. Thor’s solo sequel rehashes the same back-to-the-status-quo ending from the first movie as Thor concedes to Odin that he’s not ready to take over as the King of Asgard. It’s stakes-free endings like this that make the MCU feel episodic and TV-like.
At the very least, The Dark World put a fun twist on the familiar ending as Odin is revealed to be Loki in disguise. But even that was somewhat predictable, because it was one of the trickster god’s many fake-out deaths.
The Russo brothers managed to fix the MCU’s “villain problem” in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Cap can’t defeat the titular foe simply by beating him to a pulp. Since the Winter Soldier is his brainwashed best friend, Steve Rogers wants to save him, not kill him. He doesn’t manage to bring Bucky back around in the final battle, but there’s enough of a glimmer of familiarity for Bucky to spare his life.
The final scene, set at the fake gravesite of Nick Fury (complete with a nod to Samuel L. Jackson’s Pulp Fiction character), sets up Steve’s search for Bucky in the sequel. It also solidifies his partnership with Sam. Steve tells Sam he doesn’t have to come with him to look for Bucky and try to rehabilitate him. Sam simply says, “I know. When do we start?”
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is about a group of lost souls finding a sense of belonging in each other’s company. In the final scene, after saving Xandar from the wrath of Ronan the Accuser, the Guardians are cleared of all criminal charges and set off on their next adventure.
Peter Quill, the de facto leader of this band of outlaws, asks his team, “What should we do next? Something good? Something bad? Bit of both?” Gamora says, “We’ll follow your lead, Star-Lord,” and Quill decides what they’ll do: “A bit of both!”
Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 is extremely controversial for its midpoint twist, which reveals Tony Stark’s arch nemesis, the Mandarin, to be an actor hired to pose as the face of Aldrich Killian’s terrorist organization. But it has a great ending. At the beginning of the threequel, Tony is responding to his post-Battle of New York paranoia by building suit after suit, constantly improving on the Iron Man armor in the hopes of protecting Earth from another alien invasion, much to Pepper’s chagrin.
The ending provides a real sense of closure as Tony destroys all his suits and tosses his Arc Reactor into the ocean. This closure was promptly undone in Age of Ultron, but the closing moments of Iron Man 3 still make up a wonderfully effective ending.
For the most part, Ant-Man is a standalone movie with refreshingly low stakes. Hank Pym’s new shrinking protégé isn’t tasked with saving the universe; he just has to steal back some valuable technology from a highly fortified office building. But the final scene of this goofy heist comedy sets up Scott Lang’s role in the wider MCU. Following their fight on the upstate Avengers campus, Sam Wilson is looking to recruit Scott for an important mission, which turns out to be joining “Team Cap” in the battle over the Sokovia Accords.
Rather than conveying this plot point in the obvious way with Sam approaching Scott directly, director Peyton Reed brings back the movie’s funniest running gag. Luis tells another rambling story over a montage of various underworld contacts that finally leads to Sam.
The Avengers get a new upstate headquarters at the end of Age of Ultron, courtesy of Tony Stark’s billions. After Thor returns to Asgard (with no regard for lawn maintenance) and Tony goes back to his playboy lifestyle, Captain America joins Black Widow to assemble the new Avengers recruits to begin their training. Joining the team are Sam Wilson, James Rhodes, Wanda Maximoff, and Vision.
As Cap gathers the team and prepares to initiate them into the world’s most prestigious superhero squad, the closing credits hilariously cut him off in the middle of his catchphrase: “Avengers... assem–”
NEXT: The Biggest Twist In Each MCU Phase Two Movie, Ranked
Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He's currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.