Marvel puts Avengers Endgame: Encore on Disney+ ahead of Doomsday
The revised film is the last MCU installment before Avengers: Doomsday, which opens in U.S. cinemas on Dec. 18.
Marvel announced Wednesday that Avengers Endgame: Encore, a revised version of its 2019 film with added scenes, will stream on Disney+ from Friday, ahead of Avengers: Doomsday’s Dec. 18 U.S. opening.
The release follows the conclusion of VisionQuest and is the last Marvel Cinematic Universe installment before Doomsday. Joe Russo, who co-directed both Endgame and Doomsday with his brother Anthony Russo, previously called Encore "required viewing" for understanding the new film, Digital Spy reported.
The revised ending interrupts Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter’s happily-ever-after when Tom Hiddleston’s Loki arrives.
It is not clear which version of Loki appears.
Marvel and Disney filmed the additional footage during production of Doomsday, then put it at the close of Encore to tease what comes next, Just Jared reported. The outlet said four additions appear during the end credits, while most of the movie remains unchanged.
The new cut changes the color grading and extends the original, which ran 181 minutes. Just Jared gave Encore a runtime of 185 minutes, while Digital Spy said the additions lengthened the original by five minutes.
Encore began a limited theatrical run Sept. 25. The original opened April 26, 2019, bringing the Infinity Saga to a close after it began with 2008’s Iron Man.
ScreenRant critic Liz Declan wrote in a prior review that "particularly devastating is that Endgame Encore swoops in to undermine the very conclusions that made Endgame so profound."
Digital Spy previously took the view, in its breakdown of the additions, that the re-release "completely changes" Endgame’s ending.
Disney+ had previously confirmed 15 Marvel projects for viewers to revisit before Doomsday. Digital Spy calculated that adding Encore brings the list to a little over 42 hours.
Robert Downey Jr. returns in Doomsday as the villain Doctor Doom, having played Tony Stark through 2019. Downey will also portray Victor von Doom in 2027’s Secret Wars, the official finale to the Multiverse Saga, ScreenRant reported.
Doomsday reaches UK cinemas on Dec. 16, two days before its Dec. 18 U.S. theatrical opening.
