SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for “Avengers: Endgame Encore,” now playing in theaters.
Marvel has re-released “Avengers: Endgame” as “Avengers: Endgame Encore” ahead of “Avengers: Doomsday.” The theatrical re-release features four minutes of new footage involving Doctor Doom, Loki, and Bruce Banner, bridging the gap to the upcoming team-up film.
To build anticipation for “Doomsday,” Marvel released four teasers alongside “Avatar: Fire and Ash” last year. These previews revealed Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter’s son, Thor and his adopted daughter, the X-Men entering the MCU, and the Fantastic Four arriving from their universe.
The first new scene occurs during Steve and Peggy’s final dance in “Endgame.” While Steve has relinquished his shield and reunited with Peggy after his time-traveling journey, the couple receives an unexpected visitor: Loki. Appearing in his Time Variance Authority uniform, Loki likely comes to address the unstable branch in the multiverse created by Steve’s temporal shenanigans, following his sacrifice to hold the multiverse together in “Loki” Season 2.
Another new sequence takes place within the Time Variance Authority headquarters, featuring Mobius, Casey, Ouroboros, and Miss Minutes. They detect an impending collision between two Earths, which begin firing on each other before more alternate worlds collapse and terminate. These colliding worlds may be Fox’s X-Men universe and the mainline MCU, foreshadowing the clash teased in the “Doomsday” trailer involving Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Gambit.
A third new scene appears during the credits, taking place after Bruce Banner’s capture in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” In that film, Bruce loses control and transforms into the Hulk under Jean Grey’s mental manipulation before Spider-Man subdues him and takes him to a medical facility. In the “Endgame Encore” credits scene, Bruce is in an underground bunker working on a serum to suppress his Hulk transformation. Suddenly, Doctor Doom storms the facility, prompting Bruce to transform and face him, though the outcome remains unseen. This raises questions about whether Bruce or the Hulk will appear in “Doomsday,” potentially under Doom’s control.
The final new scene appears at the very end of the credits, mirroring the mysterious metal-clanging sound from the original “Endgame.” Previously, fans recognized the noise as Iron Man forging his suit. Now, flashes of Doctor Doom crafting his metal mask play to the same sound, hinting at a mirrored origin for both characters despite sharing the same actor, Robert Downey Jr.
“Avengers: Doomsday” arrives in theaters on December 18, the same day as “Dune: Part 3.” With these new scenes and the year-long promotional countdown, Marvel and Disney are hoping “Doomsday” will replicate the record-breaking success of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
