By Luke Paglia · Managing Editor
‘Avengers Endgame’ returns to theaters
It is the year 2019. You have been waiting since April 2018 for the final installment in the Avengers franchise to come out, “Avengers: Endgame.” You sit through three hours of runtime to see Steve Rogers travel back in time and get his dance with Peggy Carter. Then the screen goes black.
The film “Avengers: Endgame” ended by concluding the storylines of many original Avengers with the thought that they would not be returning to the big screen. Of course, we still see the newer members of the franchise getting successful movies and paving their own paths in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
A few years after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” took place, Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, announced an upcoming new class of Avengers movies, beginning with “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” Originally set to release in 2026, “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” was scrapped in 2024 because of a leading actor’s legal issues. They then announced its replacement, “Avengers: Doomsday.”
“Avengers: Doomsday” will dive into the story of the infamous Fantastic Four villain Dr. Doom. This movie is set to release in December and is the most highly anticipated premiere since “Avengers: Endgame.”
“Avengers: Endgame” was the last time we expected to see the mainstream Marvel actors like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU. The writers began to focus on characters like Peter Parker (Spider-Man), played by Tom Holland, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston and Sam Wilson (Falcon/Captain America), played by Anthony Mackie. Holland starred in a few solo movies, Hiddleston got two seasons of a TV show and Mackie was the face of a TV show and a film. These characters were set to be the future of the MCU.
When the writers changed direction to start working on “Avengers: Doomsday,” they had to release a cast to the public. Marvel unveiled who would play Dr. Doom at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. It was none other than the actor that formerly played Iron Man in the MCU for 10 years, Robert Downey Jr. This came as one of the biggest shocks to many MCU fans, but fans quickly came to love the decision.
As the cast list continued to be released, familiar names like Mackie and Hiddleston were expected. But a name that caught many by surprise was Chris Evans. He was thought to have retired from the MCU after playing Captain America for seven years. This created its own problem: how would they bring his character back into the storyline after concluding his story at the end of “Avengers: Endgame”?
They re-released “Avengers: Endgame” in theaters … with an extra five minutes of added footage. These scenes brought back characters that were seemingly out of the story so that they would be able to be part of the biggest MCU movie since 2019.
The first extended scene is an extension of the original closing scene from the 2019 “Avengers: Endgame.” Rogers and Carter dance “happily ever after” when the screen would typically go black. Instead, the film continues, and there is a knock at the door. In walks Loki, who is leaving his post as the Temporal Loom where he is holding all of time together as we see in the TV show “Loki.” Loki says that he needs to help them with the timeline. Then the first of the extended scenes cuts off. This reintroduces both Rogers and Carter back into the upcoming storyline in “Avengers: Doomsday.”
The next scene is a mid-credits scene where we see Bruce Banner, the Hulk, in a self-containment facility after his Hulk incident in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” He seems to be conducting some sort of testing on himself when we hear the ominous voice of Dr. Doom say, “Mr. Banner, I’ve come to collect you.” Then the Hulk is gone and all that is left are the glowing green runes of Dr. Doom. This sets up the return of the Banner into “Avengers: Doomsday.”
The final two added scenes are of less relevance. The third is a look into the Time Variance Authority where there are multiple incursions that pop up. This foreshadows the timeline problems that will be faced in “Avengers: Doomsday.” The final added scene is a callback to what was heard at the end of the original “Avengers: Endgame” credits: the sound of metal being hammered. Initially, this was believed to be a flashback of Iron Man forging his suit in the cave from “Iron Man 1;” however, this time around, there were flashes of Dr. Doom’s helmet being forged. Whether this was their original intent when that sound was added is unknown and left for the viewer to decide for themselves.
Marvel has gone to great efforts since 2022, when “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” was canceled to continue to build up the storyline with movies and TV shows to get to where it is now. The stage is almost set for “Avengers: Doomsday” to release. “VisionQuest,” which premiered on Wednesday, is the last piece of the puzzle that the avid MCU fan needs to be ready for “Avengers: Doomsday.”
