First off, let's be clear that we're keeping this spoiler-free, but if you consider knowing anything more than that a spoiler, then scamper off and look forward to seeing the film this Friday.  You're going to love it.

So The Avengers has had advanced domestic screenings since mid-April and has already earned $218 million in various international territories.  Anybody's whose seen knows that there's already one big scene that drops midway through the credits of Marvel's mega-movie.  Now, though, we have confirmation that there will be an additional bit of business once the credits are really over on the American release.

A post at the SuperHeroHype forums doesn't just confirm that the new scene will be in place for domestic audiences, but actually explains just what the scene is.  Anyone wondering if the spoilerific post is legitimate, there's an even more spoilery update at Unleash the Fanboy which includes an actual image from the scene.  The scene actually doesn't make much sense out of context, so beware that checking out either source will hip you to a brief bit of business within the film itself.

At the press conference the day after The Avengers world premiere in Los Angeles, Robert Downey Jr. revealed that the cast would be shooting one more scene that night, less than a month before the domestic release.  Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige played cagey, but the news was gradually confirmed that Joss Whedon did indeed direct a little extra note for the film.  This additional post-credits scene was the extra bit shot on April 12th.

Marvel's got a history of playing these things close to the vest, first leaving Samuel L. Jackson's Iron Man cameo off of pre-release screenings so as to properly surprise folks seeing the movie in general release.  Still, one has to wonder if international audiences aren't feeling a bit hosed by the omission.

By now, you know the deal.  Whedon directs Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, and Cobie Smulders.  The film is mere days away, arriving on May 4th in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D.