The Stinger: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"SomeYou're right, '''''most''''' movies have an extra scene after the credits."''<br />

[['''The Stinger]]''' scene that happens after the credits. It is also known as a "tag" or "credit cookie," while ''[[Roger Ebert]]'s Little Movie Glossary'' calls it the "monk's reward" since it can take extreme devotion to sit through the credits and find out if anything happens. Generally, they're used as a [[Sequel Hook]], but may also be there to show that the guy who made a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] is [[Not Quite Dead]]. Alternately, in a comedy, it may just be one last joke to punctuate the show. There may even be a selection of [[Hilarious Outtakes]], or a special ending screen. The lesson to be learned from this? ''Always watch the credits.'' (Of course, more often than not you'll get nothing, but it's better to be safe than sorry.)

Often done as a form of [[That's All Folks]]. If the credits look awesome from the get-go, they're [[Creative Closing Credits]]. SeeWhen alsothe scene runs before the credits instead of during or after them, that's [[The Tag]].

''Note: For filmmakers, the word "stinger" has an entirely different meaning altogether than the sense used here. Also called a [[Sting (music)|Sting]], it refers to that loud noise they make on the soundtrack when they're trying to startle you with something popping onscreen. Like a [[Scare Chord]], but not necessarily a chord. It is also what people [[You Keep Using That Word|might actually be thinking of]] when they say "[[Rimshot]]". Even more important for filmmakers, a "stinger" is also nickname for an extension cord.''

* The ''Spring'' and ''Summer'' [[OVA|OVAs]]s of ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' throw in one last joke regarding a seemingly dropped side plot after the credits. The former has the [[Chupacabra]] some of the cast were hunting watching their plane fly away while the latter shows Asuna's last attempt to fend off [[Mad Scientist|Hakase's]] out-of-control bathing robot.

* The new ''[[Darker Thanthan Black]]'' season (''Gemini of the Meteor'') does this at the end of every episode, right before the preview of the next episode. They're nearly all contributions to the [[Myth Arc]] or [[Cliff Hanger|cliffhangers]].

* The ''[[Harukanaru Toki no Naka de|Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - Maihitoyo]]'' movie [[Bittersweet Ending|ends]] with {{spoiler|Akane purifying [[Dead All Along|Suefumi]] to allow him to leave the world for the afterlife}}. After the credits,<ref>which consist of random pretty pictures accompanied by a somewhat sad [[Ear Worm|yet catchy]] song</ref>, there's one more scene where Akane takes her [[Cast Full of Pretty Boys|team of pretty guys]] along with [[Gay Option|the token girls]] to the place Yorihisa showed her earlier in the movie to adore the beautiful view of Kyou; {{spoiler|Suefumi is added to the list of people who are important to her, meaning he isn't going to be forgotten}}.

* Some of the ''[[KaranoKara no Kyoukai:|Kara no Kyoukai]]'' movies had them:

* ''[[Angel Beats!]]'': After the credits, {{spoiler|there is a brief scene where Yuzuru passes Kanade in a busy street, they both apparently having been reborn, and recognizes her by the song she is humming (My Song). He then turns around and runs after her, reaching out to try and touch her as the screen fades to white.}} Much rage among fans occurred due to this totally ruining the [[Bittersweet Ending|actual ending before the credits]].

** {{spoiler|After the "[[Book Ends]]" finale of Episode 12, there is a preview for a ''High School Girls Are Funky'' movie that [[Shout-Out|takes a leaf]] out of the ''[[K-On!]]'' movie, complete with a trip to London, which suddenly [[Genre Shift|Genre Shifts]]s into a [[Kaiju]]-movie styled showdown between Habara (relapsing into the "Archdemon") and her rival, the "Silver Devil". Of course, Habara is not pleased.}}

* [[Don Rosa]] supplied [https://web.archive.org/web/20111017075056/http://disneycomics.free.fr/Ducks/Rosa/show.php?num=34&loc=D99078 one extra page] as an epilogue for the hardcover versions of ''The Quest For Sampo'', his Finnish-themed story. In it, the Grim Reaper returns Scrooge McDuck's top hat and offers to allow him to take his fortune to the afterlife in exchange for a hundred dollars. {{spoiler|Scrooge kicks him out without even considering it.}}

{{quote| '''Receptionist''': You still have one appointment.<br />

'''Kingpin''': Tell him to go away.<br />

'''Receptionist''': I did, but he refuses to leave. He says he has a meeting with Don Rigoletto.<br />

'''Kingpin''': Tell him Rigoletto's dead.<br />

'''Receptionist''': I told him, sir, but he's very insistent. He says he's Rigoletto's "Miracle Worker". Whatever that means.<br />

'''Kingpin''': What's his name?<br />

* The scene at the end of the credits of the ''[[Star Trek: NewPhase VoyagesII]]'' episode "To Serve All My Days", {{spoiler|which reveals that most of the entire episode was [[All Just a Dream]]}}.

* Every issue of ''[[Ultimate Sleepwalker (Fanfic)|Ultimate Sleepwalker: The New Dreams]]'' ends with a preview of what's coming up in the next issue. The second Halloween Special is different. After next issue's preview, the Special has a brief monologue from the issue's villain, a murderous [[Scary Scarecrows|scarecrow demon]] who plans to escape his supernatural prison and pay a very "special" visit in the near future to the youths he very nearly murdered...

{{quote| '''Bart:''' "C'mon dad, let's go! I've been holding it since they put the dome over the town!"<br />

{{quote| '''Squeaky Voice Teen:''' Assistant manager isn't all that's cracked up to be. Four years of film school for this?}}

{{quote| IT'S GONNA EAT ME!!!}}

* ''[[Disney Animated Canon]]'s [[Hercules (Disney1997 film)|Hercules]]'' ends with Hades (who was left trapped in the river Styx at the end of the story) complaining that everybody got a happy ending but him... and then [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] the fact that the audience is probably gone by now by wondering out loud if anybody's listening.

{{quote| '''Abis Mal''': Does this mean [[Comically Missing the Point|I don't get my third wish?]]}}

** In the 2008 ''[[The Incredible Hulk (film)|Hulk]]'' movie, {{spoiler|Tony Stark shows up to discuss with General Ross about a certain team that's getting together}}. Although it's not [[After the Credits]] -- just—just the final scene of the movie. It was originally supposed to be a stinger, but [[Executive Meddling]] pushed it forward.

* According to [[That Other Wiki]], one of the earliest movies to have a [[wikipedia:Post-credits scene|post-credits scene]] was ''[[The Muppet Movie]]''. During the credits, we see various shots of the Muppets, discussing the movie (starring themselves) that they just watched. [[The Stinger]] comes afterward, {{spoiler|when Animal looks into the camera and shouts "GO HOME!! GO HOME!! Bye bye."}}

* Subverted by -- whatby—what else -- ''[[Monty Python and Thethe Holy Grail]],'' which features no ending credits whatsoever; it cuts abruptly to a black screen and plays repetitive organ music for two minutes and forty seconds. It's an Ingmar Bergman pastiche. What did you expect to happen after they sacked the people responsible for writing the subtitles, those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, and the directors of the firm hired to continue the credits after the other people had been sacked?

* In the 2004 ''[[Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)|Dawn of the Dead]]'' remake, a last segment is interspersed with the credits, showing (through video camera footage) the surviving main characters {{spoiler|traveling on the boat they escaped to at the end of the film. They find a zombified head gnashing away in a rowboat, struggle with the lack of food, potable water and gas, before finally reaching their island destination. Unfortunately, they take one step onto the shore and are promptly chased back towards their boat by a rampaging horde of the undead.}}

* ''[[The Sword and the Sorcerer]]'' promised Talon would be back in ''[[Tales Of The Ancient Empire]]''. Amazingly enough, 26 years later, apparently [https://web.archive.org/web/20140219033218/http://www.dreadcentral.com/tales-ancient-empire he will be!]

* The 2007 ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks|Alvinandthe Chipmunks]]'' ended with the [[Big Bad]] Ian Hawke jobless and penniless, trying to recapture the success he had with the Chipmunks by trying to get other animals such as squirrels to sing. ''The Squeakquel'' saw this search pay off with the Chipmunks' [[Distaff Counterpart]] group, the Chipettes.

{{quote| ''Dealer'': "New shooter coming out, new shooter. Does the new shooter feel lucky? Well, does he?"<br />

* Just before the ending credits for ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons (film)|Dungeons and Dragons]]'', it is implied that our heroes are going to go off to another dimension to bring back Snails. One presumes it was going to be a [[Sequel Hook]].

{{quote| The Running Man has been brought to you by; Break-away para-military uniforms, Orgofura procreation pills, and Cadre Cola - it hits the spot! Promotional consideration paid for by; Kiltem flame-throwers, Dwainsright electrical launchers, and Hammer and Gauge chainsaws. Damon Killian's wardrobe by Shea Zantwan - nineteenth century craftsmanship for the twenty-first century man. Cadre trooper and studio guard side arms provided by Goldchester - the pistol of patriots. Remember, tickets for ISC studio tours are always available for class A citizens in good standing. If you'd like to be a contestant on The Running Man, send a self addressed, stamped envelope to ISC Talent Hunt care of your local affiliate, and then go out and do something really despicable. I'm Phil Hilton. Good night and take care.}}

* There is a [[Brick Joke]] in the stinger for ''[[The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert]]''. Earlier in the film, the characters experiment with turning a blow-up doll into a kite, only to have its line snap and the doll fly away. After the closing credits, we then see a peaceful-looking Zen monastery, with a Buddhist monk sitting in meditation on his patio -- untilpatio—until the blow-up doll flies down and lands on his head.

** The [[Re CutRecut]] Blu-Ray/DVD version inserted those scenes in the movie proper.

* ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (film)|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' has one during the credits -- incredits—in which Goldar is shocked to see Lord Zedd and Rita out of their snowglobe Ivan Ooze placed them in.

* The new ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined(2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' often featured bonus scenes in this manner, often after the official airing slot was over therefore thwarting many efforts to record it for later viewing.

* ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'' generally featured bloopers.

* ''[[The HitchhikersHitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy (TV series)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'' did this for episode three of the TV series, explaining which character bruised their arm in the attack. (This was the same stinger as in episode three of the radio series, from which it was adapted.)

* ''[[Holly OaksHollyoaks]]'' has both dramatic and comedy stingers. They range from scorned lovers looking longingly at a photo of their lost love to relatively young women having random dreams about seducing the middle-aged pub landlord.

* After one passed through the three different scenarios of ''[[Eternal Darkness]]: Sanity's Requiem'', one was treated to the whole truth about the ultimate fate of the three [[Big Bad|Big Bads]]s of the game, which just happened to be [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]]s named Xel'lotath, Ulyaoth, and Chattur'gha. As it turns out, each had imprisoned and killed the oldest and most powerful of the four, Mantorok, who in revenge had set in motion three different timelines, in which one of the three got killed and another got locked forever. The kicker? Just to screw with them, he bound the three timelines together, so the three of them remained dead. That didn't help him any out of being impaled in huge pillars under his temple in Cambodia, anyway...

* [[Guitar Hero|Okay, you]] [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|just rocked out the Devil]], your band gets motorbikes with bat wings to ride out of hell, and you expect the credits to roll. Which they do. Don't put that guitar away just yet, for you have the opportunity to play "[[Dragon Force (video game)|Through The Fire ]][[Crowning Music of Awesome|and Flames]]" to prove you are a rock legend.

* The two ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' games for [[Play StationPlayStation 2]] had teasers for sequels that could be watched if you achieved [[Hundred-Percent100% Completion]], or simply beat the game on Proud Mode. ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]'' had a variation on [[New Game+]], in the form of an extra story that could be played once the main quest was completed. Completing ''that'' story mode got you a cameo of Roxas, who would star in [[Kingdom Hearts II|the next game]].

* The ''[[Metroid Prime]]'' games had stingers that could be viewed if you [[Hundred-Percent100% Completion|got all the items]].

* Almost every ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' ends with a phone call after the credits, on a black screen, hinting at whatever big conspiracy was ''really'' going on. The ''[[Metal Gear]]'' games had actual scenes -- onescenes—one involving {{spoiler|Big Boss revealing he was really alive}}, and the other showing the supporting characters confirming the [[MacGuffin]] was real while the main character [[Heroic BSOD|leaves without warning]].

** In the original ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', {{spoiler|Revolver Ocelot is revealed to have been working for the President of the US and manipulating the villains for their cause. [[The Stinger|The stinger then gets its]] ''[[Department of Redundancy Department|own]]'' [[Department of Redundancy Department|stinger]] when the final line of dialogue reveals that the President is a third clone from the experiment that produced Snake and Liquid.}}

** In ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty|Sons of Liberty]]'', {{spoiler|Snake and Otacon discover that the members of a shadowy conspiracy (or at least the people with those names) had been dead for over 100 years}}.

** In ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater|Snake Eater]]'', it is revealed that {{spoiler|GRU Major Ocelot is a triple agent (working for the KGB and the CIA), the US government obtained the [[MacGuffin]] (which happened to be a very large amount of money), and the microfilm Naked Snake (later Big Boss) apparently lost to an enemy agent was fake}}.

** In ''[[Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops|Portable Ops]]'', {{spoiler|after assassinating his former employer, the DCI, Ocelot retrieves the remainder of the Philisopher's Legacy and reports back to his new employer, the founder of the Patriots, whom we find out in the next game is none other than Zero, Big Boss's former CO.}}

** And ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots|Guns of the Patriots]]'' takes the cake, with a full scene that ''interrupts'' the end credits and effectively turns the credit that just came up as it happens into a [[Boss Subtitles]]. {{spoiler|In it, Big Boss turns out to '''still''' be alive, and explains the last hanging threads of the series. It makes the [[Bittersweet Ending]]\[[Downer Ending]] a bit happier, but not really.}}

*** The closest to a Stinger of the nature of the previous games is the secret phone call made by Kazuhira Miller that is unlocked after completing all missions (meaning Extra Ops [(as in both the regular Extra Ops missions as well as the Monster Hunter missions]), and possibly even Outer Ops]), which even that was implied to take place before the ZEKE battle (there was no mention of ZEKE outside of a mention of the AI being validated, and there certainly was no reference to its destruction, which would have made a mention had it been after the ZEKE battle) and was already hinted at in the second ending with Miller's apology to Big Boss.

* ''[[RunescapeRuneScape]]'' features one in the quest ''Nomad's Requiem''. After killing the hardest solo boss in the game, your character walks away. Then the boss stands up and teleports away. We'll be seeing him again.

* ''[[Lunar: Eternal Blue]]'' has a bit of a [[Downer Ending]] because the hero [[Did Not Get the Girl]], much to the annoyance of the player. However, beating the game and watching the long ending cutscene and credits unlocks the Epilogue mode, which continues the story and fixes everything.

* ''[[System Shock|System Shock 2]]'' -- Directly—Directly after smacking down the [[Big Bad]], we cut to an escape pod from the Von Braun. Someone is recording a log, and now that the ship's safe, they're going to turn back. He mentions that his girlfriend has been acting strangely ever since they left. Said girlfriend starts speaking, stepping into shot with her hair waving like {{spoiler|1=SHODAN's leads}} and her voice becoming more and more distorted and computer-like... fade to a flash of {{spoiler|1=SHODAN's face as she laughs}}.

* ''[[Killer 7Killer7]]'' has two. First, after the credits roll, an epilogue chapter called "Lion" is shown. After completing that, a scene plays that completes the [[Book Ends]] {{spoiler|and shows that Harmon and Kun Lan's personal war will never end}}.

* ''[[MOTHER]]'' and its sequel ''[[EarthboundEarthBound]]'' have a scene after the credits setting up the sequel. ''Mother'' sees someone at a phone mentioning that "something new has come up", while ''[[EarthboundEarthBound]]'' has [[The Dragon]]'s little brother show up and deliver a message to the protagonist.

** It's also done immediately after the credits in ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]] 2'', when {{spoiler|the real Bass appears and hunts down a clone of himself, then mentions something about [[The Chessmaster|Dr. Wily]] secretly manipulating the game's villains and producing clones of him behind his back.}} In a massive subversion, this not only helps set up the next game, but the area in which the cutscene takes place is actually the game's [[Bonus Dungeon]], with [[Bonus Boss|Bonus Bosses]]es that will indirectly answer some of your questions. You can unravel part of the mystery yourself while waiting for 3!

* In ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'', earning the [[Multiple Endings|best ending]] will show the stinger after the credits, where {{spoiler|Emil and Marta are reunited}}, and Emil and Marta both earn a title for use in a [[New Game+]].

* ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' features pyreflies floating around, cutting to Tidus awakening and floating somewhere, and then swimming to the surface. {{spoiler|This clip was later integrated into one of ''[[Final Fantasy X -2]]'''s [[Multiple Endings]].}}

* ''[[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] SmackDown: Here Comes the Pain'' had one of these after sitting through the end credits, where you got a short, live-action video with John Cena rapping about the game.

* The end of ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' has a scene showing a beat-up Larry Koopa managing to limp his way back home, with Bowser Jr. pointing him towards their siblings helping their father up from his shell. As they cheer on with their little victory, {{spoiler|their castle tips forward and crushes them, with the screen fading to black and Bowser groaning in pain.}}

** What, no mention of the [[New Super Mario Bros.|original]]? After the credits, {{spoiler|Bowser Jr. is seen dragging Bowser, turns his head towards the player and says something, before continuing}} and fading out to black.

* ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]. Brawl'', in its very first trailer from E3 2006; once the trailer ends, it's blank for a moment, then the [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|INCOMING CALL sound from Metal Gear Solid plays, revealing the last Newcomer character to the series, Solid Snake.]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj8eUXiUKAc Here]

* ''[[Wild ArmsARMs 1|Wild ARMs Alter Code F]]'' - after the animated sequences in the credits, the game picks up approximately a year after the final battle where all of the teammates from the game have gathered around {{spoiler|the broken body of Asgard the Earth Golem}}.

* Subverted in ''[[StarcraftStarCraft]]'', where if you wait long enough after the end of the first Terran mission briefing, it will say "END OF BRIEFING" ... "END OF BRIEFING (No really)" ... "CHINESE LEMON CHICKEN [with recipe]".

{{quote| '''{{spoiler|Ellie}}:''' You complete bastard! Was this your great plan? {{spoiler|Dump me off and die}}?<br />

'''Isaac:''' [[Call Back|I'm full of bad ideas, remember?]]<br />

** To clarify -- theclarify—the video is taken from the series, while the audio is a random sound bite from somewhere else -- exampleselse—examples are Gorillaz's 'Feel Good Inc.', Dan Green's "I'm going to do my laundry!" comment, the above Lex/Lois exchange, and a self [[Take That]] on [[Little Kuriboh]]'s marriage proposal over [[YouTube]]. Sometimes the video isn't from the series -- oneseries—one episode involved the Drama Hog, which was played again at the end with the caption "Rejected ''[[Cloverfield]]'' Monster".

* A few [[YoutubeYouTube Poop]] videos show things at the end, such as subliminal messages/images or a "CUT-OFF PREVENTION" blurb (Youtube is known for frequently cutting off half a second of video, maybe more depending on the length). Steg often shows a clip at the end of his videos showing Big Bird saying, "Coming soon on Sesame Street!" and then cutting to something completely unrelated, while Big Bird finishes off with "Toodle-oo!"

* [http://www.gamescrap.com Gamescrap.com]'s ''[[Action 52]]'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20100625035129/http://www.gamescrap.com/An-Intro-to-the-Action-52.html marathon review] had these at the end of a few of their videos:

* [[Botchamania]] ends most of his videos with a video clip (not always wrestling related but almost always incorporating one of the series many [[Running Gag|Running Gags]]s), and usually incorporates the audio/video clip of [[The Iron Sheik]] shouting "FUCK!"

* The season 2 finale of ''[[WereWe're Alive]]'' features a post credits piece that the reveals the Mallers found someone in {{spoiler|the rubble of Tower}}.

** ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and& Mandy]]'' started doing these during the credits in later seasons.

{{quote| '''Wakko''': I can't think of the end of this episode ...<br />

* [[The Stinger|This article]]

* [[JanesJane's Addiction]]

* [[Kira Is Justice (Fanfic)|Kira Is Justice]]

{{quote| {{spoiler|'''[[The Legend of Zelda|Ganon:]]''' '''[[Hijacked by Ganon|Where do you think all these examples came from?]]'''}}}}