Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame Encore.
Videos by ComicBook.com
MCU fans have been waiting months to find out what is being added in the re-released extended cut of Avengers: Endgame, titled Avengers: Endgame Encore, which officially hits theaters this week, on Friday, Sept. 25. Ahead of that official release date, however, it seems some fans were granted access to early screenings, and now, rumors and apparent leaked videos from these screenings are making the rounds online, suggesting that the new cut of the film contains four new scenes. Already, there had been reports that Endgame Encore was going to include four additional minutes of run time, although that wasn’t confirmed. There was also chatter that there might be two different versions of Endgame Encore, with some releases containing three additional minutes of run time and select theaters—specifically IMAX and Infinity Vision screenings—including six added minutes, but that likewise was speculative.
That question actually still hasn’t been answered, as it’s not clear from current conversations online which screenings contained the apparent four new scenes and how long those run times are. Nevertheless, descriptions are making the rounds online regarding what’s been added to the movie, reportedly comprising a Loki scene in which Loki appears at the home of Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter towards the end of the movie, alongside a mid-credits scene in which Doctor Doom comes to “collect” Bruce Banner, a credits scene in which Doom is shown forging his mask with the “hammer hitting iron sound” from the original cut of Endgame, and a scene from the TVA involving Miss Minutes, Mobius, Casey, and OB. The latter, reports claim, depicts two Earths launching missiles at each other, with both universes apparently trying to destroy the other before a collision.
What Do These Changes Mean for Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Doomsday?
It’s long been established that one of the key concepts behind Endgame Encore was strengthening the connection between Endgame and Avengers: Doomsday, and that was almost immediately controversial. For some in the fanbase, these changes (even before anyone knew what they were) suggested that the MCU was forcing a more direct connection by altering the original cut of Endgame rather than having intentionally, organically created that connection from the beginning—a distinction which some argued was the difference between a last-minute idea and a well-planned next step in the MCU’s overall story arc. This has particularly interesting implications for these new scenes.
If the rumors and leaks are true, then there are direct changes being made that do seem to force a connection between Endgame and Doomsday that wasn’t there at first. For example, at the end of Endgame, it seemed like Steve Rogers lived out his days with Peggy Carter and had a happy life, especially considering that he appeared as an old man at the end of the movie. However, this new scene suggests that Loki instead quickly showed up and no doubt disrupted this new life that Steve was trying to have (and this also has implications for the ending of Loki, although that’s a separate issue). Similarly, the appearance of Doom with Bruce Banner creates a new connection between those characters that Endgame didn’t originally have.
In part, this might be because Doom wasn’t the plan at first. After Endgame, the MCU seemed to be setting up a heavy focus on Kang, but that was changed, reportedly due to the allegations made against the actor, Johnathan Majors, who was ultimately charged with assault and aggravated harassment. Perhaps because of that, the MCU had to take a left turn and pivot to a focus on Doctor Doom, requiring changes to Endgame to make this work. Unfortunately, that is precisely what many MCU fans were worried would happen, which means that these rumored new scenes might very well frustrate the fanbase—the opposite, undoubtedly, of what Disney and Marvel wanted.
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