As fans are gearing up to see Avengers: Doomsday this December, the re-release of Avengers: Endgame, titled Avengers: Endgame Encore, is increasingly getting attention. Announced several months ago, Endgame Encore is reportedly going to contain an additional four minutes of runtime, suggesting that new footage is on its way. However, fans currently have no idea what that new footage will include, even after a trailer for Endgame Encore was released earlier this week. Questions remain about whether this may just be deleted scenes that MCU fans already know about, such as the one in which Tony Stark gets to speak to an older Morgan Stark, or if it will mean brand-new scenes that have some direct connection to the events of Doomsday.
However, in addition to new scenes, which seem more likely than not based on the longer runtime, there are a number of other changes that could be made. One fan theory actually suggests that new insight will even be given regarding Iron Man’s snap with the Nano Gauntlet, perhaps revealing that Tony Stark inadvertently played a role in Doctor Doom becoming a threat. Now, yet another rumor has begun circulating, this one about a possible casting change made to one of the characters in the movie, and Marvel fans are apparently very unhappy with the idea.
One of the most pivotal plot points in Endgame is that Scott Lang/Ant-Man returns from the Quantum Realm, where he had been trapped since Thanos snapped half of all life out of existence in Avengers: Infinity War. His return meant that time travel was actually possible, thereby allowing the Avengers to bring back those who had been snapped away via the Infinity Stones. Before Scott went on this massive mission alongside the other remaining Avengers, though, he ran to make sure his daughter, Cassie Lang, was safe and hadn’t been among those who had disappeared. Thankfully, he discovers that Cassie is alright, but because he had been trapped in the Quantum Realm for so long, he actually missed a significant amount of her time growing up (five years, specifically). This led to an emotional scene in which Scott found and hugged Cassie, now played by Emma Fuhrmann.
However, Fuhrmann’s time playing the character proved to be incredibly short-lived, as Cassie’s very next MCU appearance, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, revealed yet another recast, this time with Kathryn Newton stepping into the role. In all honesty, this wasn’t a massive overhaul, as Cassie’s appearance in Endgame was rather limited. Nevertheless, that hasn’t made it any easier for fans to accept a rumor that among the changes to be made in Endgame Encore is an adjustment to the scene in which Scott and Cassie reunite, with Newton supposedly replacing Fuhrmann as Cassie in reshoots—effectively erasing Fuhrmann from the MCU altogether.
One Reddit post regarding this rumor has a number of replies that are expressing intense negative reactions in response to the idea. One scathing comment reads, “George Lucas Special Edition levels of pointless,” a reference to Lucas’ decision to replace Anakin Skywalker’s Force Ghost in a special edition re-release of Return of the Jedi with Hayden Christensen, the Anakin actor from the prequel trilogy who took on the role decades after that movie’s initial release. Another comment on the post says, “Oh, Thank God. That really ruined Endgame for me and needed fixing, said no one ever.” That comment in particular also highlights what fan expectations are likely to be for Endgame Encore. Namely, viewers are going to want to see changes that make sense and feel necessary. Based on many of these responses, that doesn’t include swapping out the actress for Cassie Lang for, seemingly, continuity’s sake (although that’s just a rumor for now).
