Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for What If…? season 3’s finale

It feels like the tide may actually be turning on MCU post-credits scenes, after years of Marvel setting the expectation for a future tease on every single project. It took until Avengers: Endgame for the trend of MCU post-credits to end, as the Russos chose to leave Tony Stark’s death to breathe in a genius move. After 16 years, post-credits scenes have gone back to being what they always should be: non-guaranteed bonuses.

Sadly, some of those post-credits scenes in Phase 5 still feel like mistakes – Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania‘s in particular – but Marvel’s Phase 5 TV shows have pleasantly bucked the trend by leaving out post-credits scene almost entirely. In an area where future seasons are far less guaranteed (especially with the promise of a new approach to Marvel’s small screen), empty stingers would be more frustrating.

Thankfully, despite the potential to set up the upcoming Marvel Zombies spin-off, or even the twin Avengers movies with a multiverse stinger, What If…? season 3’s finale has no post-credits scene, continuing the trend. And thanks to how the season ends, it was the right choice.

What If…? Season 3 Really Didn’t Need A Post-Credits Scene

A Stinger Would Have Undone The Emotion Of The Finale

In What If…? season 3’s finale, Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) sacrifices herself to defeat the Watchers after they turn on Uatu for his repeated interference in events on the timelines. Having ascended to a God-like form thanks to desperately taking the Watcher’s Oath to defy the murderous Watchers (led by Jason Isaacs’ Eminence) along with fellow Guardians of the Multiverse Kahorri, Storm, and Byrdie, Carter kills herself to take down their would-be killers.

In the wake of her death and the Guardians’ victory – which is only possible thanks to the loophole of Strange Supreme’s soul living on as an autonomous universe free of the Watchers’ influence – Carter gets a final farewell. Asked by Storm whether he believes there is more beyond life that even the Watchers can see, Uatu (Jeffrey Wright) says there are infinite possibilities. That feels like the set-up to bring Carter back, but thankfully, What If…? season 3 – which is the show’s last – ignored the temptation to offer a stinger confirming Carter has ascended further and lived on.

What If…? Did Something Cooler Than A Pointless Stinger

In place of a stinger that would have undermined Captain Carter’s sacrifice – just as a forward-looking post-credits scene would have robbed Iron Man’s death of its impact – What If…? instead took the chance to show off some of its wilder multiverse variants in what amounts to a montage narrated by Uatu. We’re given looks at mash-ups of fan-favorite characters, including Deadpool, a Punisher/Ironheart variant, a Sorcerer Supreme version of Hulk’s Maestro form, and best of all, a Thanosverine.

Not only is the montage an opportunity to show off some cool concept designs without really needing to commit to them, but they actually also work as a look forward to the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars. If that movie takes full advantage of the multiverse for one final hurrah before the end of the saga, then characters like those we briefly saw here could well come back into play. And if someone isn’t already planning to drop in a Thanosverine cameo of some sort, I will be very upset.