Surprise! Ms Marvel has a post-credits scene at the end of its first episode, which brings a character back from last year’s juggernaut hit Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Fans now expect at least one post-credits scene at the end of each MCU movie (barring Endgame), but the studio has been less consistent when it comes to their Disney Plus shows.
Usually, the tantalising final sting is saved for the season finale, but occasionally they have strayed from this approach, with Ms Marvel episode 1 being the latest example.
This last-minute scene has major implications for the rest of the six-part series, so be sure to stream until the very end to get a full picture of what’s going on.
Below, you’ll find our analysis – but be warned, it contains spoilers for Ms Marvel episode 1.
Ms Marvel episode 1 post-credits scene explained
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/06/arian-moayed-ms-marvel-84076b6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Kamala Khan makes quite a mess with her newfound super powers during the cosplay competition at AvengersCon and footage from the event soon goes viral online.
That catches the attention of the Department of Damage Control’s Agent Cleary (played by Succession star Arian Moayed), who we last saw in No Way Home accusing Peter Parker and his friends of being criminals.
Fortunately, hotshot attorney Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) swooped in to get the charges against them dropped, but it established Cleary and his colleagues as adversaries to the MCU’s superhero community.
That’s why it’s bad news that they’re now on the trail of Kamala Khan.
When first informed of a disturbance at AvengersCon, Agent Cleary is quick to dismiss it as merely “a cosplayer with too much time on their hands”.
However, when showed footage of the incident by Agent Deever (Alysia Reiner), his colleague in the department, he quickly realises that this is a matter warranting their attention.
She warns him: “I’ve never seen power like that.”
He responds by instructing Deever to “bring her in”, meaning we’ll likely be seeing a stand-off between Ms Marvel and Damage Control in future episodes of the show.
Fun fact: Moayed’s partial appearance in the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home caused a stir online, with people mistaking his arm and torso for that of Daredevil actor Charlie Cox.
What is the Department of Damage Control?
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/09/spider_man_no_way_home_daredevil-1fea252.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Believe it or not, the first mention of Damage Control in the Marvel Cinematic Universe dates all the way back to 2008’s Iron Man, where a news report revealed they were dispatched to Los Angeles after Tony Stark’s duel with Obadiah Stane.
Essentially, they are a government organisation tasked with cleaning up the mess left by destructive superheroes battles, but their remit has grown broader in recent years.
Individuals from the department appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming’s flashback to the aftermath of the Battle of New York, explaining they had partnered with Stark Industries to confiscate discarded alien weaponry for research purposes.
The deal between Stark and Damage Control was the main factor that drove Adrian Toomes to become The Vulture, as it put his small salvage company out of business.
Years later, Damage Control caused trouble for Spider-Man once again when they arrested him following false accusations from J Jonah Jameson that he had orchestrated a terrorist attack in London and murdered Mysterio.
Since Doctor Strange’s spell erased Spider-Man from the world’s memory, that matter has been settled, but it appears that Damage Control are now more actively policing super-powered individuals as a preventative measure.
This is a slight deviation from the comic books, where Damage Control have generally been depicted in a comedic light, with creator Dwayne McDuffie originally pitching the idea to Marvel editors as a “sitcom” premise.
In 2015, US broadcaster ABC ordered a pilot for a television show focusing on Damage Control, but a full series was never commissioned – perhaps because of Kevin Feige’s future plans for the characters.
Ms Marvel premieres on Disney Plus on Wednesday 8th June 2022. You can sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.