Marvel is about to release Avengers: Endgame Encore in theaters. Not only is this a chance to rewatch the climax of the Infinity Saga on the big screen again, it also gives fans several new scenes to chew on. Each of these scenes is meant to create connective tissue with Avengers: Doomsday and lay the groundwork for the debut of Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
Those scenes have now leaked onto the Internet ahead of Endgame Encore’s release [Note – we’re pretty confident these leaks are genuine, but you can never be 100% sure in the age of AI.]. And there’s definitely a lot of food for thought here. We see key TVA figures reacting to the impending collapse of the multiverse and Doom himself kicking off some sort of recruiting spree. These scenes raise more questions than they answer about the plot of Doomsday, so let’s break down what we do and don’t know right now.
Avengers: Doomsday Trailer: First Look at Doctor Doom
What Does Doom Want With Hulk?
In what is easily the most intriguing new addition to Endgame, we get a scene focused on Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner set in the aftermath of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Banner has clearly seen better days, as he’s still recovering from the physical and psychological trauma of being hijacked by Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey. He’s desperate to reassert control over his Hulk persona, and so he’s locked himself deep in an underground bunker to test a new “gamma suppression system.”
But no sooner does Banner begin his test than the lights flicker and a certain armored villain makes his presence known. We hear (but don’t see) Downey’s Doom, who proclaims “I’ve come to collect you.” Both men then vanish, leaving only a glowing green rune on the ground (similar to the ones left when Asgardians travel on the Rainbow Bridge).
So the obvious question here is what Doom wants with Banner. He seems to be building some sort of team, but to what end? Is he more interested in Banner’s brains or Hulk’s brawn? We’d guess the former, as past movies have already set up the character as a voice of authority in the growing multiverse crisis. And judging from the Doomsday trailers and the fact that Doom can deflect Thor’s mighty Stormbreaker with ease, we doubt he’s in need of any extra muscle.
Is Doom assembling his own team of Avengers here? If so, what other characters might he be recruiting? Is it possible he’s building a version of the Illuminati as a brain trust to deal with Incursions? In the lead-up to the 2015 Secret Wars comic, the Illuminati also included members like Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Beast, Namor, Black Panther, and Black Bolt. Doom himself wasn’t a member of that team, but he was working toward similar goals and forged his own alliances. Will the MCU Doom seek these heroes out on Earth-616?
Or is Doom planning for a post-multiverse future here? We have to wonder if Downey’s character has already given up on saving reality as it currently exists and is building his Battleworld contingency plan. Perhaps he wants Banner to serve as one of the barons on Battleworld (a role that a version of Hulk did fill in the comic).
Whatever the case, it seems that Ruffalo has a bigger part to play in Avengers: Doomsday than we realized. Ruffalo wasn’t even part of the initial cast chair announcement. But if there’s one takeaway from Avengers: Endgame Encore, it’s that Doomsday’s cast is going to be even bigger than we thought.
Why Is the Multiverse Collapsing?Another new scene shows us the current state of things at the TVA, as Mr. Mobius (Owen Wilson), Casey (Eugene Cordero), and Ouroboros (Ke Huy Quan) confront the rapidly deteriorating situation with the multiverse. They can only watch their charmingly low-res computer displays as worlds begin colliding and some Earths declare all-out war on each other. By the end of the scene, it’s reported that no fewer than 3000 Incursions are happening simultaneously. One of those looks to be Earth-10005, the home of Fox’s X-Men.This scene makes it clear that, even with Marvel pivoting away from Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror as the central villain of the Multiverse Saga, the Loki series is going to be an important precursor to Doomsday. That series chronicled the rebirth of the multiverse and placed Tom Hiddleston’s redeemed Loki at the heart of creation. But no sooner has the multiverse been restored than it’s started to come apart at the seams.Why is that, exactly? What’s the root cause of the multiverse’s collapse and the threat of Incursions? Why does it seem to be happening all at once rather than gradually? Is this why Doom is suddenly making his presence known on Earth-616?This scene may hold an important clue. Early on, we hear TVA mascot Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) reminding her employees that it’s essential for all beings to remain within their home universes for the sake of existence. Unfortunately, there’s one pivotal character who doesn’t seem to have followed the rules. What Is Loki Doing at Steve and Peggy’s House?Endgame Encore puts the heartwarming ending of the original Endgame in a very different context. This time, the film lingers longer with the dancing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), as a tender kiss is interrupted by a knock at the door. Steve quickly hides while Peggy answers, only to realize the person at the door is none other than Loki.We can infer from Loki’s TVA attire that this is a version of the character from sometime in the middle of the Loki series. He’s committed to the TVA’s mission, but hasn’t yet taken his place atop the multiversal throne. And echoing Miss Minutes’ warning broadcast, we can only assume that Loki has come to tell Steve that he’s violating the laws of existence by travelling back in time to be with Peggy.That said, we don’t think Loki is there to force Steve to return to his rightful place and time. Obviously, Steve has remained MIA in the present-day MCU ever since journeying back in time with the Infinity Stones. And we know from the very first Doomsday trailer that Steve and Peggy remain together long enough to raise a baby together. By the time Steve does reunite with the Avengers in Doomsday, he’s clearly older and sporting his beard again.So what exactly is Loki’s intention here? Has he found some loophole that will allow Steve to remain in the past with Peggy? If so, why is he so committed to letting one man violate the basic laws of the TVA? Is it just his way of thanking Steve for helping to restore the lives Thanos took? Most importantly, does this mean Captain America is the catalyst causing all these Incursions? Given Miss Minutes’ ominous warning, we have to assume that Steve’s decision to do something for himself for a change has cost the multiverse dearly. Hot Toys Avengers: Doomsday Victor von Doom FigureWhat Is the Significance of Doom’s Armor?Avengers: Endgame Encore wraps with one final addition to the original film. Endgame originally had no post-credits scenes (a rarity for the MCU, to be sure). All it had to offer fans who stuck around through the credits was the sound of a hammer striking metal, a callback to Downey’s Tony Stark forging his original suit of armor in 2008’s Iron Man.But here again, Encore presents this ending in a very different context. This version ends with that same sound, but this time we see Doom forging his metal mask. It’s a fun way of subverting the original Endgame, and it almost tricks you into believing that introducing Doom was the plan way back in 2019.Apart from ending Encore on a fitting note, this scene does highlight one particular question. What is the actual significance of Doom’s armor? Why is he wearing it in the first place? We can see from the trailers and the aforementioned Hulk scene that Doom is gifted with immense magical abilities, so why is it so important that he also be decked out in a technologically advanced suit?In the comics, of course, Doom used the armor to hide his scarred face. Is he masking similar injuries here? Based on one of the Doomsday posters and Vanessa Kirby’s dialogue in the second trailer, we’re assuming Doom is also mourning the deaths of his family. Does the armor somehow tie back to that tragedy? The presence of a sash on his left arm (a relic of his late wife?) certainly seems to suggest so. Answers to these questions will have to wait until Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18. Until then, let us know your theories about the new Avengers: Endgame Encore footage in the comments below.Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.
