Russo Brothers Say ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ Is “Required Viewing” Before ‘Doomsday’ Hits Theaters

Joe and Anthony Russo have never been shy about the scale of what they’re building toward with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next chapter. After stepping away following ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in 2019, the directing duo made their return official at San Diego Comic-Con, revealing they’d found a story significant enough to pull them back into the franchise that made their careers.

That story is now taking shape as ‘Avengers: Doomsday,‘ with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU in a dramatically different role as Victor Von Doom. As anticipation builds toward the film’s December release, the Russos have been laying groundwork for how audiences should approach it, and that groundwork starts with a movie many fans have already seen.

Speaking with Fandango, the brothers made clear that ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore,’ the theatrical rerelease of their 2019 blockbuster, isn’t just a nostalgia play. Joe Russo said the rerelease will directly bridge the story into ‘Doomsday,’ explaining, “It’s gonna connect the story of the two movies.” He added that there’s a natural progression from ‘Endgame’ into ‘Doomsday,’ one that also ties into the other MCU storylines that have unfolded since, calling it required viewing for following what happens in ‘Doomsday.’

Anthony Russo echoed that sentiment with a more cryptic tease of his own, noting that anyone who saw ‘Endgame’ during its original 2019 run wouldn’t have seen where the story is headed next. That kind of framing suggests the new footage attached to ‘Encore’ isn’t simply a victory lap through old favorite moments, but something that meaningfully reshapes how audiences understand the road to ‘Doomsday.’

Part of what makes ‘Encore’ different from a standard rerelease is the technical work that’s gone into it. The presentation has been freshly color-graded, and its confirmed runtime of 185 minutes points to four minutes of new footage, a more modest addition than the seven to ten minutes some fans had speculated ahead of the announcement.

Even without exact plot details, the timing carries plenty of weight on its own. ‘Doomsday’ marks the first Avengers team-up film since ‘Endgame’ closed out the Infinity Saga seven years ago, making a proper refresher especially useful for casual fans who haven’t kept up with everything Marvel has released since. Whether the added footage centers on Tony Stark’s legacy given Downey’s unexpected return as Doom, or ties into any of the other threads teased across the franchise, remains one of the more hotly debated questions among fans right now.

‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ returns to theaters on September 25, giving audiences a few months to catch up before ‘Doomsday’ arrives on December 18. With the Russos framing the rerelease as essential rather than optional, Marvel appears to be positioning ‘Encore’ as more than just a marketing tool ahead of its next big tentpole.

For a franchise gearing up for what’s being pitched as one of its most significant chapters yet, treating a seven-year-old film as mandatory homework is a bold move, but it’s one that fits the scale the Russos have promised since announcing their return. Whether that new footage delivers on the hype remains to be seen once audiences actually get back in theaters.

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