This weekend saw the release of the third Captain America movie; subtitled Civil War, the film is loosely based on the comic crossover event of the same name. With some analysts predicting a $200 million domestic debut weekend, there's a good chance you already know a lot about this film, and even more likely that you'll be one of the millions in attendance.
What isn't so likely is that you'll be able to catch all the little Easter eggs, a bevy of which occur during the infamous post credits sequences Marvel movies are known for. And boy, does Civil War's have a lot to unpack.
The mid credits sequence opens in a high tech lab. The Winter Soldier, sans awesome metal arm, is prepping to go back into cryo sleep. He explains to Cap that after all the trouble he caused during the course of the film, he doesn't want to risk being a danger to anyone else until he can be fixed. At first I thought Steve Rogers had hit up his old buddy Nick Fury, whom possibly still had some S.H.I.E.L.D facilities hidden up his sleeve. But it is soon revealed that this facility is actually in the luscious Wakanda. As the newly crowned King T'Challa explains to Cap that anyone wishing to come after The Winter Soldier would have to face the might of his great country, the camera pulls out to show a gargantuan panther statue through the thick fog.
Whilst on the surface this could be merely seen as a hint that "Hey, don't forgot we're making a Black Panther movie!", it actually begs the question of whether Captain America and his "Secret Avengers" (as I'm sure the fandom will take to calling them) will show up in T'Challa's solo outing. After all, they are fugitives of the law, and Wakanda would be the perfect hiding place as its a country that in the comics is notorious for its secrecy. Will the fact T'Challa is hiding Bucky be the inciting incident in the Black Panther film? Personally, I hope that's not the case. There are a plethora of stories in the King of Wakanda's history to draw from, and after being a part of such a large cast, it would be best to delve deeper into his character surrounded by fresh faces. Still, there will most likely be mentions of the help he gave to Cap, maybe drawing into question his capability as a ruler; something the comics have done time and again.
The second teaser at the very end of the credits is even more exciting, as we see the fantastic new Peter Parker licking his wounds. Making the excuse to his Aunt May that "Steve from Brooklyn" roughed him up at school, Peter plays with his all-new web shooter given to him by Tony Stark. Built into it: the Spider Signal!
A throwback to the early days of the character, the spider signal was originally built into a utility belt Peter devised. Unlike the bat signal which is used by Jim Gordon to alert Batman that he's needed, the spider signal was a way for Spidey to announce his arrival to criminals. Subtle, I know, but Spider-Man has always been one for spectacular entrances.
What's fascinating about this spider signal is that it's not just an image of Spidey's mask; it seems to almost be a UI with icons rotating around the central logo. Over the course of his long history, Spider-Man has implemented many different technologies into his suit. These other icons could be different types of web fluid; something used constantly in the comics but not yet seen on the big screen. It would make sense that Stark would tweak Peter's webbing in addition to his costume. The icons seemed numerous however, suggesting that the web shooters will have an abundance of different uses.
Whatever these scenes are setting up, we will have our answers when Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther debut on July 7th 2017 and July 6th 2018, respectively.
Related: 7 Things You Might Have Missed in Captain America: Civil War
