What is the Mid-Credit Scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron?

Avengers: Age of Ultron. We know that there is no after credit scene (if you can trust them), only the one mid-way through. Now let's clear the air, the movie is already out overseas, so in theory one quick Youtube search could end this whole article. Believe me, you don't know the restraint it has taken to not  look. With that said, my friends who have not seen it, let us indulge in a little theorization. What could be in that mid-credit scene? We know it's not a joke and we hope it's not something as lame as, say, Ultron's eyes bolting open in a "The End?" type deal. With those possibilities out of the way, lets let our imaginations run wild! [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Wha-- no Tumblr, stop! Not like that![/caption]

Spider-Man is there somehow!

This theory is one that the Internet seems most ravenous for and the one I'm least excited for. Which is a bit weird, as he's my favorite Marvel character and I'm 2pumped2quit that Marvel has creative control over him. See, I hope this isn't the case because it feels too... forced. I assume Ultron was pretty much done with post production when news broke that they could finally use Spidey himself. Now, I'm sure that they knew about the deal long before they went public with it, but still it seems almost impossible to make it feel natural. I don't want to have his debut crammed in the first chance they get. I don't that faked scene with a window washer. I don't want something getting web-pulled off screen, or have Spider-Man just show up behind a mugger. I want Spider-Man's first appearance in the MCU to be organic, I want it to be awesome. Please don't make it be a quick 30 second teaser. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="497"] Awesomeness on par with slapping the crap out of Kingpin[/caption]

Black Panther is also there somehow!

This one I can see. The movie is three years down the road, sure, but Wakanda and its Vibranium is said to have a big impact in Age of Ultron. It seems pretty natural to tease Black Panther in the movie's mid-credit scene. After all, these teases don't have to set up the next movie. Guardians of the Galaxy didn't, if you remember. However, I'm not really sure what you would do to "tease" him. Have T'Challa put on the mask? Say the words "Black Panther"? Have the Wakandians bow down to him on the thrown? Have the King, whether it's T'Challa or his father, say that they can no longer hide from the world? The whole point of these scenes is to intrigue the audience (or make them laugh, I guess). For you or I, those scenes might be exciting, but for the general audience, they may just be confusing. The Black Panther isn't exactly the most well known character. It may take a bit more than a 30 second scene to get people excited.

Civil War set up!

Captain America: Civil War is the first movie of Phase Three (Ant-Man is still considered Phase Two), and deals directly with the aftermath of Age of Ultron. It's not too far fetched to see the Civil War party lines begin forming in the mid-credits sequence. Still, it has the same problem as The Black Panther reference above. What do you tease that would entice an audience? Do you have Tony Stark tell the President that he has a plan to deal with the superhumans? Do you have a bunch of generals get handed a folder marked "Superhuman Registration Act"? It's kind of a nebulous concept to "tease", much harder than a character.

Sigh, Ant-Man

In a similar vein, it could just as well tease Ant-Man. I mean, it's coming out later this year and I have a feeling it'll need all the help it can get. A tease in the first (and potentially most successful) blockbuster of the year would do wonders for it. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="562"] There are also other, more shameless ways to try and sell it
[/caption] And, as far as it goes, it's a pretty straight forward. These movies introduce characters all the time. Pym talks to Stark and references his Pym Particle shrink abilities, bam. Fine. Great. Set up. It's not a shining achievement in story telling, but we're setting up the Ant-Man movie. From a business point of view, it's a no brainer. Still, I don't think its very likely. I get the feeling that Marvel is holding Ant-Man at a bit of a distance so that if it does bomb, it won't tear down their whole universe. No, I think there is a much more likely candidate.

Thanos is such a Tease

There is an Infinity War coming, you guys, can you feel it? It's going to be huge, maybe the biggest comic book movie event in the history of the subgenre, and it all revolves around The Mad Titan. Thanos. First teased in The Avengers, he has my money for belonging in the mid-credits tease. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] "Hello again"[/caption] In order to keep people's attention, in order to remind them that there's big threat out there, Marvel has to keep teasing Thanos. There's no better place to do it than these Avengers movies, where, arguably, the biggest chunk of the public will be watching. With the concept of Infinity Stones (instead of Gems, as they are in the comics) firmly established in the universe through not one but two movies, I assume that'll have some play in the scene itself. Either Thanos collecting one of them or insinuating that's his goal. Gotta tease the oncoming War. Not only that, but it's a good bookend for the two Avengers movies. Since this is likely Joss Whedon's last Marvel movie, it's even more poetic. So it's not only the scene I think it most likely, but also the one I want to see the most.