For Scarlett Johansson fans, Ghost in the Shell is the best thing to happen since Iron Man 2. After years of waiting for the ever elusive Black Widow movie, Johansson is finally headlining a potential action franchise. Ghost in the Shell could be the beginning of a great series of films, and it's obvious that both the studio and Johansson are hoping a Ghost in the Shell sequel will soon be a reality. Unfortunately, Ghost in the Shell doesn't have a post-credits scene, but the movie definitely leaves the door open for sequels.
If you wait around through the credits hoping for a Ghost in the Shell post-credits scene, you're going to be disappointed. But don't worry, unlike movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ghost in the Shell doesn't need a post-credits scene to leave you wanting more. The film follows Major (Johansson), a sort of cyborg with a mechanical body and human brain, as she is tasked with tracking down a major terrorist threat while also trying to figure out who she really is. Ghost in the Shell tells a complete story. Without giving too much away, I can say that both main intrigues in the film — the terrorist plot and Major's past identity — are wrapped up by the time the movie ends. But that just means that a Ghost in the Shell sequel could be all the more interesting.
The movie ends — spoiler alert — with Major very much back where she started professionally speaking: working with her team to protect Section 9 from any potential threat. And, since there's no post-credits scene, whatever threat a potential sequel will focus on remains unknown. The next villain in the Ghost in the Shell franchise could be anyone. And in a world where villains are teased almost a decade in advance (*cough* Thanos *cough*), that's not just exciting, it's novel. The freedom Ghost in the Shell has means that there are infinite ways filmmakers could tackle a sequel, but there are a few things set up in Ghost in the Shell that will have to be addressed in a sequel.
Ghost in the Shell sets up a sequel by not only keeping the potential alive for new big bads, but also by not answering every question asked. Like, what happens to Major and her team now that Hanka Robotics (the company that created Major) is no more? Is Major able to access her human memories, or does she have to start from scratch? How does Major reconcile having a human past, but a robot future? These questions posed in Ghost in the Shell lay a great thematic foundation for a sequel. Honestly, I'd be interested in a movie that tries to answer any one of them.
Naturally, any Ghost in the Shell sequel will be dependent on what happens at the box office, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Johnasson's Major come back for more — post-credits scene be damned.
