Marvel Reportedly Makes a Controversial Avengers: Endgame Encore Decision, And We Have a Major Guess — Explained
MCU fans may currently have their sights set on Avengers: Doomsday, but months before that blockbuster hits the big screen, Marvel audiences will be getting another Avengers movie in theaters. Avengers: Endgame Encore, a re-released, extended cut of Avengers: Endgame, will hit theaters in just under two weeks, on Sept. 25, and while it’s not as exciting as Doomsday, it will actually have some surprises in store. Rather than a straightforward re-release, Endgame Encore will include additional footage. Previously, it was reported that there would be about four minutes of additional run time, although that wasn’t confirmed, and it wasn’t clear what that rumored additional time would entail. Many assumed already that this would be extra scenes, as Endgame Encore is also supposed to help bridge the gap between Endgame and Doomsday.
That had already proven controversial, as some MCU fans were concerned that this meant retconning Endgame’s ending so that Doomsday made more sense (which, in fairness to fans, would be disappointing, because that connection should organically be there, ideally). Now, even more controversy is being added to the conversation, as, according to The Direct, different audiences will have access to different versions of the movie. Specifically, those who attend the Disney-certified Infinity Vision theaters or see Endgame Encore in IMAX will reportedly get to watch a cut of the movie that is 3 hours, 6 minutes, and 9 seconds long, whereas all other theaters will apparently release a cut that is 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 9 seconds long. This means that those who attend Infinity Vision or IMAX theaters will see, according to this rumor, an extra three minutes of the movie—likely meaning additional scenes.
Endgame Encore’s Extra Scenes Will Likely Include Steve (But Will Everyone See Them?)
Right now, there is still so much mystery surrounding both Doomsday and the additions to Endgame Encore, which is to be expected. However, it does seem like a safe bet to think that Encore’s extra run time, if these rumors are accurate, will include Steve Rogers in some capacity. Endgame originally concluded with Steve staying in the past after returning the Infinity Stones to their rightful places and then growing old with Peggy Carter before appearing at the end of Endgame as an old man. That only made it all the more confusing when Doomsday teasers revealed that he was not only coming back but also looked just about the same as he did before he travelled through time at the end of that movie. Obviously, that needs some explanation, whether it’s Steve Rogers from a different universe, Loki posing as Steve, a consequence of the Avengers messing with time, or something else.
Given that Steve’s choice to stay in the past rounds out the original version of Endgame, it would make sense for this to be part of what Encore is adding (or perhaps the entirety of what Encore is adding). Granted, this likely won’t make audiences who are frustrated by Encore’s existence any happier, as this would indeed fall into the category of forcing a connection between Endgame and Doomsday that wouldn’t naturally be there otherwise. It would no doubt only make matters worse if Encore made that choice and then, as a bit of insult to injury, was only available to audiences who attended specific theaters. Hopefully, these rumors aren’t true and everyone will have access to the same version of the movie, if only to limit the amount of backlash Encore and, as a result, Doomsday might get. For now, though, signs do point to this choice being the real one, and it will be interesting—and perhaps a bit stressful—to watch that play out.
