CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Upcoming "X-Men" spinoff "Logan" will feature an after-credits scene, according to recent reports, fueling speculation about what audiences will see if they wait through the acknowledgements that follow feature films.
No one has yet confirmed the scene's content, but if history is any indication, fans will see a set-up for a sequel or another "X-Men" movie. In many cases, the scenes that begin when the credits end serve as defacto trailers for future movies.
A few fleeting minutes of footage after -- or in the middle of -- the final credits has become a bit of a cliche in modern superhero movies. And in many cases they're the subject of news articles and fan speculation.
Marvel Studios -- who is responsible for the "Captain America," "Iron Man," "Thor," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "Avengers" film franchises -- has honed the after-credits scene into a finely tuned part of their formidable hype machine.
The after-credits scene in "Thor: The Dark World" sees several of the thunder god's cohorts delivering an infinity stone to an apparent cohort of an interstellar villain, setting up next year's "Avengers: Infinity War." And an after-credits scenes in "Iron Man," and "The Incredible Hulk" introduced audiences to the concept of the Avengers, a super hero team that starred in 2012's "Avengers." The ploy was a success, as "Avengers" went on to gross more than $1.5 billion at the box office.
Such scenes can also serve to introduce new characters. An after-credits scene from 2014's "Captain America: Winter Soldier" introduced the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, two characters who would appear in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which hit theaters the next year.
And a similar scene from "Captain America: Civil War" saw Peter Parker -- the alter ego of seminal superhero Spider-Man -- using a gadget that Tony Stark provided him, setting up the first "Spider-Man" movie from Marvel Studios ("Spider-Man: Homecoming," which comes to theaters later this year). Marvel took over the franchise from Columbia Pictures after that company's last Spider-Man movie disappointed at the box office.
But 20th Century Fox, which owns the movie rights to the "X-Men" franchise, has used after-credits scenes almost exclusively to hype films in the same franchise.
An after-credits scene from 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past" teased a brief glimpse of Apocalypse, the godlike villain from the next film in the series, which is appropriately titled "X-Men: Apocalypse."
The after credits scene from 2013's "The Wolverine" saw the title character meet with X-Men founder Charles Xavier and sometimes rival/sometimes friend Magneto, who spoke in vague terms about needing his help. Today it seems like an obvious set-up to "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which hit theaters the next year.
Fans will find out for sure when "Logan" hit theaters March 3, but those who stick around after the film ends will almost certainly see a tease for a future movie.
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