‘Avatar’ Fans Appreciate The Sequel’s Lack Of A Post-Credits Scene (And Not Just Because It’s A Long Movie)

Let’s get this out of the way now: there is no post-credits scene for Avatar: The Way of Water — and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so good.

There’s an expectation that every blockbuster must have a “bonus” scene either during or after the credits, which can be fun when it’s Bruce Campbell doing Bruce Campbell things. But often times, it feels like a commercial for a movie that hasn’t been made yet. As Brady Langmann wrote for Esquire, “We’re at the point where superhero movies are telling us that the next sequel or spinoff is more important than the film you’re watching the trailer for.” Avatar: The Way of Water does set up the next installment in the franchise (and the ones after that, hopefully), but it also feels like a complete film.

The lack of a post-credit scene is not going unnoticed (or unappreciated), either:

Cameron hasn’t specifically criticized the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe for their reliance on post-credits scenes, but he has dinged the superhero factories for other things. “When I look at these big, spectacular films — I’m looking at you, Marvel and DC — it doesn’t matter how old the characters are, they all act like they’re in college,” he said. “The things that really ground us and give us power, love, and a purpose? Those characters don’t experience it, and I think that’s not the way to make movies.” In another interview, Cameron said Avatar: The Way of Water goes farther with female empowerment than Wonder Woman by having a pregnant warrior.

Can Avatar: The Way of Water top Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to become 2022’s second highest-grossing movie (Top Gun: Maverick has a near-insurmountable lead)? Cameron sure hopes so.