James Gunn is a bit of a maximalist. When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hit theaters back in 2017, most Marvel fans were used to the standard one-two punch: a mid-credits teaser and a final stinger at the very end. Gunn decided to blow that up. He gave us five. Five separate beats that ranged from "that's a cute gag" to "this literally changes the cosmic landscape of the franchise for the next decade."
Honestly, the post credits scene Guardians of the Galaxy 2 collection is probably the most dense bit of world-building Marvel has ever done in a credit crawl. It wasn't just fluff. While we were all busy wiping away tears after Yondu’s "He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy" moment, Gunn was already planting seeds for Thor: Love and Thunder, Guardians 3, and even the eventual high-stakes arrival of Adam Warlock.
It's wild to look back now, years later, and see how much of that actually paid off. Some of it was just for laughs—like Kraglin struggling to use Yondu's fin or Groot being a moody teenager—but the sheer volume of information packed into those few minutes of animation and film is staggering.
The Sovereign and the Birth of Adam Warlock
If you're looking for the heaviest hitter in the post credits scene Guardians of the Galaxy 2 lineup, it's undeniably the reveal of "Adam." After being humiliated by the Guardians twice, Ayesha, the High Priestess of the Sovereign, is looking rough. She’s depleted, her council is pissed, and she’s basically on the verge of a breakdown.
She reveals a new type of birthing pod. It’s more advanced, more powerful, and designed specifically to destroy the Guardians. She calls the being inside "Adam."
For comic book purists, this was the "finally" moment. Adam Warlock is a cornerstone of Marvel’s cosmic entity list. He was the guy who traditionally handled the Infinity Gauntlet in the 1991 Jim Starlin run. By the time Vol. 2 came out, fans were wondering where he was. Why wasn't he in Infinity War? Gunn has been very transparent about this in interviews; he originally had Warlock in the main script for Vol. 2 but realized the movie was already too crowded. He chose to save the payoff for later.
The wait was long. We didn't see the payoff of this specific stinger until Will Poulter flew onto the screen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s a rare example of Marvel playing the extremely long game. Usually, these teasers pay off in two or three years. This one took six.
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Stallone, the Ravagers, and a Reunion 30 Years in the Making
One of the more emotional beats in the post credits scene Guardians of the Galaxy 2 sequence involves Sylvester Stallone’s character, Stakar Ogord. Throughout the movie, there’s this tension between him and Yondu. Yondu was exiled from the Ravagers for child trafficking (working for Ego), which broke the Ravager Code.
Once Yondu redeems himself through sacrifice, Stakar gathers the other high-ranking Ravager leaders to pay their respects. In the credits, we see them all together: Stakar, Aleta Ogord (Michelle Yeoh), Charlie-27 (Ving Rhames), Krugarr (a CGI sorcerer), and Mainframe (voiced by Miley Cyrus, believe it or not).
This wasn't just a random cameo. This was a direct homage to the original 1969 Guardians of the Galaxy comic book team.
James Gunn is a massive nerd for the source material. By putting these specific actors in these roles, he was signaling a much larger Ravager universe. It felt like a backdoor pilot for a spin-off that we haven't quite seen yet, though Stakar did return for the third film. It’s a bit of a "what could have been" scenario. Seeing Michelle Yeoh in the MCU before she was Marvel's Jiang Nan in Shang-Chi is a fun bit of trivia that messes with the "one actor, one role" rule that the MCU usually tries to follow (but keeps breaking).
Teen Groot and the Relatability of Alien Puberty
Then there’s the Groot of it all.
At the end of the first movie, we had Baby Groot dancing in a pot. In Vol. 2, he’s a toddler. But the post credits scene Guardians of the Galaxy 2 gives us our first look at "Teen Groot." He’s got a messy room (or bunk), he’s obsessed with a handheld gaming device, and he’s giving Peter Quill a massive amount of attitude.
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"I'm not boring, you're boring," Peter complains. It’s a funny, human moment in a movie about sentient planets and golden priestesses.
This scene served a very practical purpose for the MCU timeline. It bridged the gap between 2014 (when Vol. 2 takes place) and 2018 (when Infinity War happens). By showing Groot aging in the credits, Marvel prepared audiences for the lanky, sarcastic version of the character that would eventually help Thor forge Stormbreaker. It prevented a "wait, why is Groot big now?" moment in the following Avengers film.
Stan Lee and the Watchers: The Fan Theory That Became Canon
Perhaps the most significant "nerd" moment in the post credits scene Guardians of the Galaxy 2 involves a man in a spacesuit and a group of large-headed aliens. For years, fans had a theory: Stan Lee isn't just playing random characters; he’s playing the same guy in every movie. Specifically, a Watcher's informant.
Gunn confirmed this theory on screen.
We see Stan Lee sitting on an asteroid talking to The Watchers—beings who observe the multiverse but are sworn never to interfere. He’s telling them stories about the time he was a Fed-Ex man (a nod to Civil War). As the Watchers get bored and walk away, Stan Lee yells, "Hey, I've got so many more stories to tell!"
It’s a bittersweet moment now, following Stan’s passing. But at the time, it was a brilliant meta-commentary on the nature of cameos. It unified the entire MCU under one narrative umbrella. If you ever wondered how the same guy could be in 1940s New York and 2017 outer space, James Gunn gave you the answer in a post-credits scene.
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Kraglin and the Learning Curve of Leadership
The final piece of the puzzle is Kraglin. Sean Gunn (James's brother) does a lot of the heavy lifting for the physical performance of Rocket, but as Kraglin, he finally got his moment in the sun. He’s seen practicing with Yondu's Yaka Arrow.
He isn't good at it.
He ends up accidentally stabbing Drax in the chest. Drax's scream is the last thing we hear.
This scene is often dismissed as a gag, but it's actually the start of a major character arc. In Guardians 3 and the Holiday Special, Kraglin’s struggle to master that arrow becomes a symbol of his worthiness to carry on Yondu's legacy. It shows that power in this universe isn't just handed over; it’s practiced. It’s earned. Even if you have to accidentally maim a friend to get there.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch
When you go back to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, don't just treat the credits as background noise while you look for your shoes. Look for these specific details to get the most out of the experience:
- Pay attention to the background music: The track "Guardians Inferno" featuring David Hasselhoff is a deliberate nod to Peter Quill’s obsession with his "father figures."
- Look at the Sovereign Pod: The design of Adam’s cocoon is significantly more organic and "holy" looking than the other birth pods, signaling his status as a "god" among the Sovereign.
- The Watchers' Silence: Notice that The Watchers don't say a word. This aligns perfectly with their lore in the comics—they are purely there to document, which makes Stan Lee’s role as the "narrator" even more vital.
- Character Progression: Track the visual changes in Groot. The transition from the "twig" at the end of the first film to the "teen" in the credits of the second is one of the most consistent uses of "growing up" in any superhero franchise.
The MCU has changed a lot since 2017. We’ve had the Blip, we’ve had the Multiverse, and we’ve had the end of the Guardians trilogy. Yet, the post credits scene Guardians of the Galaxy 2 remains a gold standard for how to handle world-building without making it feel like a chore. It was fun, it was weird, and it actually mattered.
If you're catching up on the cosmic side of Marvel, these five scenes are your roadmap. They tell you where the team was going, where the universe had been, and remind you that even in a galaxy-spanning war, there's always time to yell at a teenager to clean their room.
Watch the Sovereign pod sequence again. Compare it to Adam Warlock’s eventual entry in Vol. 3. You'll see the visual language Gunn was building years in advance. It’s rare to see a plan stick the landing that well in a franchise this big.