Avengers Endgame Encore Will Run Two Different Lengths, With IMAX and Infinity Vision Getting Extra Doomsday Setup Footage

The official runtimes for Avengers Endgame Encore are out, and they confirm something a lot of the fandom suspected: there are two different versions of this re-release, and they do not contain the same amount of new footage. The original cut of Avengers Endgame runs 3 hours, 1 minute and 11 seconds. The standard, non-IMAX, non-Infinity Vision version of Encore runs 3 hours, 3 minutes and 9 seconds, meaning it adds 1 minute and 58 seconds of bonus material. The IMAX and Infinity Vision version, Disney's new premium format built to compete with IMAX now that Avengers Doomsday will not be getting an IMAX release, runs 3 hours, 6 minutes and 9 seconds, which is an additional 3 minutes of footage on top of the standard cut, not on top of the original film.

So the premium format screenings get roughly 3 minutes more new footage than the standard screenings. My assumption is that whatever new footage shows up in the IMAX and Infinity Vision cut will also be present in the standard cut, just less of it, rather than being completely different scenes. If you already saw the IMAX or Infinity Vision version, you probably do not need to go back for the standard one. If you saw the standard version and have access to the premium formats, that is where you would go for the extra material.

Is Splitting the Footage Between Formats Just a Ploy to Chase Avatar's Box Office Record?

I will be honest, part of this is clearly designed to get people into theaters more than once, and to push audiences toward the premium formats specifically, which brings in more money as Marvel tries to reclaim the number one box office spot from Avatar. A lot of people online already do not like that the footage differs between versions. I get the frustration, especially for anyone who only has access to standard screenings in their area.

The Russo brothers have said watching Endgame is basically required homework to understand Doomsday, and that the new footage is part of that. I do not fully agree that it is required. If you have simply seen the regular version of Endgame, I think you will be fine going into Doomsday. Marvel has already said they are building Doomsday so audiences do not need to do a ton of homework beforehand, they will catch you up inside the movie itself. Obviously seeing Tony Stark's death and the general arc of Endgame matters, but I do not think this specific bonus footage is essential viewing.

What the New Footage Actually Shows: Steve Rogers, Dr. Doom's Family, and a Funeral

Based on what has been described, the footage focuses heavily on Steve Rogers, since Steve is the one whose choice to stay in the past and marry Peggy is understood to be a major cause of the incursions driving Avengers Doomsday. Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, has said that Robert Downey Jr.'s Dr. Doom believes he is the hero of his own story. I do not think that means Doom believed making everyone kneel before him was heroic, but from his perspective, the Avengers are the ones who caused universes to be destroyed, and he sees himself as the one trying to stop that.

I do think there is a difference between Doom and Thanos here. Thanos believed killing half the universe was doing everyone a favor. I think Doom genuinely sets out to save the multiverse, the way he does in the comics, but eventually realizes the damage from these incursions cannot be undone. That is when he takes matters into his own hands and builds Battleworld, forcing every universe into one. I expect that same arc to play out across Avengers Doomsday and Avengers Secret Wars.

The mural referenced in the marketing, the portrait of a woman and a child, is not Doom and his mother as some people have guessed. Sue Storm's comments about Doom losing everything only make sense if she met him after his mother had already died, which means that portrait shows his wife and his child, who died as a result of an incursion Steve Rogers caused. The new Encore footage is expected to show Steve at their funeral, speaking with Scott Lang, likely about how the quantum realm works since Steve already plans to stay in the past, and with Pepper Potts, likely offering condolences.

There should also be footage bridging the gap between Endgame and Doomsday, possibly Loki appearing to pull Steve out of the timeline, functioning as a kind of post credits scene Endgame never actually got. That would explain why the events of Endgame are tied directly to Doom's vendetta against Steve in Doomsday, and it puts Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth back at the center of the story, except now Downey Jr. is playing the villain opposite Steve Rogers and Thor.

What Marvel Fans in a Discord Are Saying About the Two Versions

I put the question to fans directly: is this a marketing ploy, and even if it is, are people still excited? One fan, Lumina, pushed back on having to pay more just to see the extra scenes teased for Doomsday, asking, "Isn't that a little stupid?" I think that is a fair reaction for anyone without easy access to IMAX or Infinity Vision. CH203 was simply happy about it, saying, "I like it. Just excited for new footage nonetheless." The Ohio Spider plans to see both versions, saying, "I'm going to go see both because there's going to be clues for Doom and Avengers Doomsday," though I still think the standard cut will not contain anything the premium cut does not already have.

DesiD said seeing the IMAX version is "honestly worth it," especially since they never saw Endgame in theaters the first time. Sufyan called it a stupid decision to pay extra for a few minutes, since you can see it online anyway. I added my own point that the footage will likely end up online regardless, the same way the Doomsday teasers leaked before their official release. Fallen Pick999 said they were excited but noted there is "not a lot of content really," which is fair since three extra minutes is not much even if the Russo brothers consider it important.

Yor Orio Gerero was unsure how to feel about the different runtimes, calling it a bold strategy that might not pay off for Disney and Marvel. I think it will pay off, honestly, it is a clear incentive to book the premium formats, and it also pushes people to see both versions, boosting the box office total as Marvel tries to market Doomsday as coming "from the people who brought you the biggest movie of all time." Katie felt both versions should run the same 3 hours 6 minutes and 9 seconds so nobody is left out, though she still plans to catch the IMAX screening after work. Tan man felt Marvel is "pushing it" by requiring specific theaters, which makes sense given this is the first film playing in the new Infinity Vision format and Doomsday will be the next. KT the King veteran dad said as a lifelong fan they would rather just wait for it on Disney Plus, while Hans Hans not noted their cinema in Manchester is only showing the Infinity Vision screening, meaning availability will vary a lot by location.

Which version are you planning to see, and do you think splitting the footage between formats is a smart way to build hype for Doomsday, or too greedy?