Did Avengers: Endgame Encore ruin the ending to 'pave the way' for Avengers: Doomsday?
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Avengers: Endgame Encore ruins the ending to 'pave the way' for Avengers: Doomsday? - Photo 1. Avengers: Endgame returns to theaters after 7 years and is still "red hot" - Photo: Marvel
Even as a re-release after 7 years, Avengers: Endgame continues to show strong appeal at the box office. As of 3:00 PM on September 27, Avengers: Endgame grossed over 3.2 billion VND, ranking second in daily revenue. Consequently, the film's total revenue in Vietnam has reached nearly 295 billion VND, surpassing Avatar 3 to become the highest-grossing film in the history of the Vietnamese box office.
In North America, the re-release version grossed approximately 11.2 million USD on September 25, including early screenings, and is projected to reach 26 million USD over the weekend, leading the domestic box office. According to Variety, the new version of Avengers: Endgame retains the main content of the 2019 blockbuster while adding about 4 minutes of footage produced during the making of Avengers: Doomsday.
The most notable scene appears right after the moment Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter dance. In the 2019 version, this was the point that closed Steve Rogers' journey as he chose to return to the past and live with Peggy Carter.
After many years apart, Steve Rogers finally returns to Peggy Carter - Photo: Marvel
In Avengers: Endgame Encore, a knock on the door breaks that moment. Peggy Carter opens the door to find Loki in the uniform of the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Loki says he can help the two, while showing he knows Steve is nearby. This detail opens up a connection between Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter, the TVA, and the multiverse fluctuations in Avengers: Doomsday.
Another scene introduces the audience to Bruce Banner. Following the events related to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Bruce Banner appears in a military facility deep underground and records a log. He is researching a serum to limit his ability to transform into the Hulk. The facility's system suddenly malfunctions, and then Doctor Doom appears. Bruce Banner transforms into the Hulk before the scene ends, leaving questions about Doctor Doom's purpose and Bruce Banner's fate.
Bruce Banner's fate is left open in the new ending - Photo: Marvel
At the TVA, Mobius, Casey, Ouroboros, and Miss Minutes discover that incursions between universes are occurring. Two realities are identified as Earth-10005 and Earth-1127, with Earth-10005 having been the Fox X-Men universe. As the incursions spread, the TVA realizes the entire multiverse is on the verge of collapse.
At the end of the credits, the familiar sound of a metal hammer in Avengers: Endgame is now accompanied by images of Doctor Doom forging his mask. This is also the sound that appeared in the scene where Tony Stark built the first Iron Man armor in 2008. This detail creates a connection between the two characters played by Robert Downey Jr.
Avengers: Endgame still attracts audiences upon returning to theaters, but the new scenes are causing debate. ScreenRant argues that the film already had a complete ending, so adding scenes related to Avengers: Doomsday makes the conclusion feel disjointed.
Liz Declan of ScreenRant is particularly regretful about Steve Rogers' ending. According to her, the sudden appearance of Loki in the scene where Steve and Peggy dance has altered the inherent sense of closure of this moment.
Avengers: Endgame Encore is disappointing - Photo: Marvel
Notably, one scene takes place after Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the MCU timeline, making the timeline difficult to follow when placed at the end of the 2019 version. "The risky decision to make Avengers: Endgame worse just to help Avengers: Doomsday function better is truly baffling.
Most of the film remains the same as the original, but the new scenes added to the end make the narrative flow disjointed. In the end, all I am left with is the question: 'Why?'" - wrote Liz Declan. In a review on JoBlo, writer Tyler Nichols still praised the appeal of Avengers: Endgame as it returned to the big screen.
Avengers: Endgame Encore is mainly a teaser for Avengers: Doomsday - Photo: Marvel
However, he noted that the new footage is quite short and primarily serves as a teaser for Avengers: Doomsday. For audiences coming to the theater to find more information about Avengers: Doomsday, that amount of content may not meet expectations.
ScreenCrush views Avengers: Endgame Encore as a stepping stone for Doomsday. This shows that Marvel's goal is not to edit the entirety of Avengers: Endgame, but to add new links to the ending to move characters and storylines into the next era.
