Avengers Endgame Encore Runtime Confirmed at 3 Hours 5 Minutes as Robert Downey Jr.'s Doom Runes Get Decoded

Avengers Endgame Encore now has an official runtime straight from AMC Theatres: 3 hours and 5 minutes. That means roughly four minutes of new footage has been added to the 2019 film, and all of it is reportedly focused on Loki and Steve Rogers.

That focus makes sense as a way to bridge the gap between the ending of Endgame and the start of Avengers Doomsday. The Russo brothers have said things that make it sound like Doomsday is picking up from Endgame, which is true, but they are not ignoring everything that has happened since in the multiverse saga. The Thunderbolts and the Fantastic Four are obviously going to play huge roles in the movie, so this new footage has to do some careful work to connect the two eras, and that work runs through Loki and Steve.

Rumored New Scenes Reportedly Show Steve's Goodbyes and Loki's Warning About Nexus Events

According to the rumored breakdown of the new scenes, Steve talks with Pepper and with Scott Lang at Tony's funeral, likely asking Scott about the quantum realm since that is how he plans to go back in time, even though the deeper science of the quantum realm is more of a Hank Pym question than a Scott Lang one. Steve probably says his goodbyes to Pepper and may tell her he plans to stay in the past. He and Thor also reportedly get a brotherly conversation, which fits given how long the two have been together since the first Avengers film.

From there, Steve stays back in time, and Loki visits him and Peggy. Loki reportedly explains that the Avengers may have created Nexus events not by traveling back within their own timeline, but by traveling to other universes entirely. Based on what has been shown in the multiverse so far, that could happen, and it sounds like Marvel is setting up multiversal rules for this movie. One universe apparently shows Thanos dying, Gamora disappearing, and Nebula being killed.

Steve is then said to be moved to a timeline similar to Earth 616, most likely Earth 828, the Fantastic Four's universe. There, Steve and Peggy reportedly have a son named James Rogers, named after Bucky, and the movie ends with the three of them living in a futuristic universe. The rumor holds that when the Fantastic Four eventually cross over to Earth 616, they bring Steve Rogers along with them.

Robert Downey Jr.'s SDCC Doom Runes Reportedly Spell Out Revenge and Justice

Away from the runtime news, Doom's runes, teased through the coffee shop promos and other appearances, got a proper decode after Downey wore a specific shirt and blazer covered in runes at SDCC. Credit for cracking it goes to a user called Edit with Ego, who built a key for translating the runes. According to that decode, the text on Downey's right pocket spells out "revenge," while the left pocket spells out "justice."

Both words line up with the Steve Rogers theory. Based on everything heard from leaks, reports and rumors, Steve being in the wrong universe reportedly caused an incursion, and per the rules shown in Multiverse of Madness, being in a universe that is not yours destabilizes it. The reporting suggests Doom builds a machine to try to stop an incursion, the machine explodes, and that is what kills his family, though it is not clear exactly how directly that connects to Steve. Regardless of the specifics, Doom is said to blame Steve Rogers, which makes "revenge" track. Sue Storm's trailer line that everything Doom loved was taken from him supports this, and while some believe the imagery could reference his mother, the belief here is that it points to his wife and son, making "justice" for them make sense too.

The Lapel and Cuffs Read "There Is No Promise of Tomorrow" and Play on Doom's Name

The text running along Downey's lapel reportedly reads "there is no promise of tomorrow," and the writing on his cuffs reads "to the victor go the spoilers," a pun on Victor Doom's name as both the conqueror and the winner. It is a little disappointing not to expect a "King" title for Doomsday, because based on everything shown in the trailers, there does not seem to be a way the Avengers stop Dr. Doom. He appears to have a strong following of witches including Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and possibly Clea and Sylvie, and he himself looks extremely powerful.

A symbol under the pocket text also turns up elsewhere: on the back of Doom's hand in the Doomsday trailer when he stops Thor's Stormbreaker with two fingers, and on the floor as well in the second trailer's special look. It appears to be some kind of protective rune. What is printed on the shirt underneath the blazer has not been decoded yet.

The lapel line fits the broader theme of the multiverse being destroyed, tied to a rumored countdown clock built by Reed Richards, Hank McCoy and Shuri, which lines up with the countdown clock currently running on Marvel's official channel toward Doomsday. There is no promise of tomorrow, but Doom can offer a new one, since everything reportedly dies before he brings it back in Secret Wars on Battle World. To the victor go the spoilers: at this point it seems clear he wins, creates Battle World, and rules over it, setting up the story for Secret Wars.

Young Avengers Clues Are Piling Up Across Marvel's Doomsday Promotion

Cassie Lang's involvement is already confirmed, with Kathryn Newton addressing it in an Instagram live rather than an official Marvel announcement, and she has since appeared in a trailer. A photo of Kevin Feige with Hailee Steinfeld from Disney's D23 does not confirm anything outright, but Kate Bishop is already set up for a Young Avengers return since she appeared in the post-credits scene of The Marvels alongside Kamala Khan trying to put the team together.

Iman Vellani, who plays Kamala Khan, is hosting Countdown to Avengers Doomsday, an official podcast revisiting some of the MCU's most iconic moments. It seems unlikely she would host a Doomsday podcast without being part of the film, especially with the Young Avengers reportedly playing a decent-sized role in Doomsday and a bigger one in Secret Wars.

Vision Quest also appears to be bringing back Wanda's family. Billy, also known as Wiccan, has already returned, and now Tommy, also known as Speed, is coming back alongside Vision, essentially reuniting the whole Maximoff family except for Scarlet Witch, who is believed to return more heavily in Secret Wars and possibly in a smaller capacity in Doomsday if she turns out to be one of Doom's witches. Everyone involved is staying coy publicly because of NDAs, but between Cassie Lang, Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, and the Vision Quest cast, it feels inevitable that the Young Avengers show up in Doomsday with a real role to play toward the end of that film and into Secret Wars.

What do you think Steve Rogers' path through the multiverse means for Dr. Doom's grudge against him?