Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame Encore.
Avengers: Endgame Encore has officially begun arriving in theaters, and although many have already had the additional footage spoiled for them following leaks online earlier this week, those aren’t the only extras in the extended rerelease of the movie. Endgame Encore was an interesting concept from the jump. On the one hand, a rerelease makes sense ahead of a massive movie like Avengers: Doomsday, especially considering how many years have passed between the two films, but on the other, there was immediately concern that this release was a way to force a connection between Endgame and Doomsday that wouldn’t have been there naturally.
Unfortunately, that arguably was proven true, as all the additional footage came towards the end of the movie, most of them as mid-credits or post-credits scenes. Two directly involved Doctor Doom, one involved incursions, and one appears to be setting up Steve Rogers’ return in Doomsday. The fact that Endgame Encore seems to be doing the heavy lifting to set up this next phase of the MCU hasn’t been very popular with audiences so far, and as more viewers attend Encore and realize that’s the case, those sentiments are likely to only grow. However, there is some good news. While the leaks were accurate and do suggest that Doomsday required changes to Endgame in order to really work, these four additional scenes weren’t the only extras in Encore. In fact, the best extras both take place before the movie even begins.
Unfortunately for Marvel, these four additional scenes just didn’t really work, especially when considering whether they warranted an entirely new cut of the movie and a theatrical rerelease. All four felt like exactly what they were: last-minute add-ons that changed the ending of the original movie to make way for Doomsday. What did feel like charming additions, however, were the two moments that take place before Encore starts. The first was a clip that seemed to be a teaser for Doomsday but was revealed to be an announcement for theater goers to silence their phones. That might not sound like much, but this actually incorporated a theater full of beloved MCU cast members. It came as a total surprise and was the perfect way to get audiences engaged and excited about the movie. The second was a heartfelt message from Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans introducing Endgame Encore and discussing what it was like to make Endgame and what lies ahead.
Theaters are now showing the ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’ "Silence Your Phone" PSA before ‘AVENGERS ENDGAME: ENCORE’.
(via: @TheMaddox08) pic.twitter.com/TWygfXMoPm
It’s likely not good news that these are the standout extras from Endgame Encore. While it’s great that they were positive additions, there’s no question that the four new scenes should have been substantive enough to best these two pre-movie moments by a mile—and, sadly, it really had nothing to do with the fact that they were leaked. If anything, it might be better that there were leaks, as many viewers will now have their expectations tempered before heading to theaters. Had audiences not had a sneak peek at what was coming, they might have anticipated major updates, and that’s not even close to what happened. Realistically, the movie itself has remained unchanged; it’s just additions to the very end of the movie and afterwards. Hopefully, this disappointment with Endgame Encore isn’t a sign of what’s to come in Doomsday because expectations are currently very high for that, and it would be disastrous for the MCU for that movie to be a letdown.
Let me know in the comment section what your favorite Encore extra was? Or you can just share your favorite Endgame moment to relive with fans in the theater!
