My kindred superhero movie fans know the feeling. You've sat through two and a half hours of CGI'ed space flights, painstakingly choreographed fights, and cocky one-liners while draining the trough that passes for a "small" diet soda at the movies but could actually have assisted you in your Ice Bucket Challenge. The film ends, and the slow crawl of the credits begins. But you can't leave yet. You have to squirm in your seat while you wait for the one or more blink-and-you'll-miss-them post-credits scenes or risk them being spoiled by a giddy Twitter timeline. Yet if you've seen the newest comic book movie this summer and repeated this process, then I'm so, so sorry, because there was no such scene. But why isn't there a Fantastic Four post-credits scene?
Neither the creative team behind the film nor the studio have come out with a definitive answer on why Fantastic Four does not contain one of these Easter egg bits, making it a break from the superhero movie norm. But based on some movie business background, I can offer some possible reasons why the movie didn't get what now feels like the standard comic book adaptation treatment.
It Gives The Studio Freedom
In this interview with MTV News at San Diego Comic Con, actor Jamie Bell, who plays The Thing, confirmed the lack of a credits sequence. "It does leave the door wide open for a lot of different movies," he said. Fantastic Four provides each of the character's origin stories, and then "there's so much more to go from there." The decision not to tease a new story in the credits allows the filmmakers more time to choose their next step.
The Movie's Success Would Determine The Franchise's Future
Fantastic Four made $26.2 million at the box office in its opening weekend, and while that amount could go a long way on your student loans, it was less than what was projected and didn't help the movie secure the #1 spot that week. Critics' reactions were disappointing, as well, and that combination leaves the prospect of a Fantastic Four sequel up in the air. So perhaps the film left out a post-credits scene because it didn't want to promise a sequel that potentially might not happen?
That X-Men Crossover Hasn't Cleared Yet, But It Might
The rumor mill was working overtime a few months ago with tips that this version of the Fantastic Four might share a screen with the current X-Men series. Crossovers tend to draw in wider audiences, so a meeting between the two teams seems like a no-brainer. (And the ideal meat for a post-credits scene.) But it's the rights stuff that makes cross-pollination tricky. Even though the Fantastic Four are Marvel creations, they were bought by 20th Century Fox. The Avengers, meanwhile, are still in Marvel's hands. So sadly, they probably won't get to play together.
The X-Men, however, are under the same umbrella as the Four. But producers told the Daily News that the two properties don't even share the same universe . Frankly, that's an easier wall to scale than the ownership issue. Parallel universes meet all the time in sci-fi. So I'm hoping that the kinks are being worked out and that we'll see the Fantastic Four drop into an X-Men film in the near future.
Or maybe Fantastic Four dropped the post-credits scene just to deviate from the norm. Whatever the reason, it does make the movie stand out.
Images: 20th Century Fox; Giphy (2)
