In anticipation of “Avengers: Doomsday,” which will be released Dec. 18, Marvel Studios decided to rerelease “Avengers: Endgame” with a slight narrative twist. This fan favorite was initially released in theaters in 2019 and grossed nearly $2.8 billion during its first theater run, despite running for three hours.
It was exciting to see Marvel fans united to rewatch what was once a huge hit, but the rerelease only featured around two minutes of new material. The new scenes were tacked on to the end of the movie and then continued through post-credit scenes.
I initially thought it might be a cash-grab for Marvel, and I was right. It was only in theaters for less than a week and in order to see the new scenes, customers had to buy IMAX or Infinity Vision tickets. More than anything, it seemed like a marketing technique to promote “Avengers: Doomsday.”
With that being said, the extra scenes might have been intended to help fans understand what is happening if they have not been watching the Marvel universe’s TV shows and movies that have come out since the first release of “Avengers: Endgame.”
Many of the series that have come out in the past seven years are going to be important to the new plotline, but fans have a hard time keeping up with the changing directions.
Spoilers ahead for the “Avengers: Endgame” post-credit scenes.
The major change was featured at the end: in the original movie, Steve and Peggy are dancing in their home after Steve stays in the past to be with her. In the re-release, Loki comes in and disturbs their moment, which has implications for how time will work in “Avengers: Doomsday.” I thought this new scene was great, but I think it would have been cooler at the start of “Avengers: Doomsday” instead.
The first post-credit scene showed Bruce Banner locking himself up in an impenetrable complex after turning into the Hulk, but then Doctor Doom presumably kidnaps him. This scene seemed to help set up where Banner will be at the start of the next movie, but felt insignificant overall.
The next one featured employees of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) who were a part of the plotline for “Loki.” The employees began freaking out because they discovered that a multiversal collapse was happening. They shouted out the names of two Earths that were part of this catastrophe, which I assume will be important places to note.
The last scene was a callback to the hammering of metal in Iron Man, except it wasn’t Tony Stark. Doctor Doom in his own mask is the last image of the entire film. This scene, while very simple, was ironically one of the most important. Fans have been speculating whether Doctor Doom will be an evil variant of Tony Stark or using his identity.
While fans wonder about the Iron Man and Doctor Doom connection, I’m wondering why every scene wasn’t available in normal formats. This just seems like greed on Disney and Marvel’s part because several theaters do not have an IMAX or Infinity Vision screen. Movie tickets are already pricey, and this re-release felt unnecessary.
Despite the cost, it was fun to see so many Marvel fans come together to watch. Big groups of friends and families filled the seats, and kids wore costumes. There was an exuberant amount of applause and cheering during famous moments in the movie. While it may have been more about money and marketing for “Avengers: Doomsday,” it was still an entertaining watch.
