Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Avengers Endgame: Encore.Avengers Endgame: Encore is returning moviegoers to a high point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it's also laying the groundwork for Avengers: Doomsday on Dec. 18.
Avengers Endgame: Encore, which serves as a re-release of the 2019 film, hit theaters on Sept. 25, delivering several minutes of new content in the process.
There are also a couple featuring Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.).
Avengers Endgame: Encore recontextualizes this, featuring that same sound with imagery of Doom forging his mask instead.
It's a means of welcoming Downey Jr. back into the MCU, but it also confirms that Doom's first appearance actually took place in Avengers: Endgame.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Avengers Endgame: Encore.Avengers Endgame: Encore is returning moviegoers to a high point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it's also laying the groundwork for Avengers: Doomsday on Dec. 18. Avengers Endgame: Encore, which serves as a re-release of the 2019 film, hit theaters on Sept. 25, delivering several minutes of new content in the process. That includes four new end-credits scenes that connect Endgame and Doomsday more directly. These sequences offer a clearer idea of the upcoming film's core plot, as well as what returning characters like Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) will be up to.
There are also a couple featuring Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.). One even sees him abducting the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), confirming another original Avenger will be back for the Multiverse Saga's grand finale. The more interesting Doom scene is a brief and subtle one, however, confirming his earliest MCU appearance took place well before the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Doctor Doom's First Appearance Was at the End of 'Avengers: Endgame'
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Close Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
One of Avengers Endgame: Encore's post-credits scenes alters the meaning behind the original cut's homage to Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, and it confirms that Doom has been around longer than we thought — or, at least, that's what Marvel seems to be implying. The original release of the film features an ode to Downey Jr.'s Marvel hero, featuring the sound of metal striking metal, a callback to Tony Stark creating the Iron Man suit.
Avengers Endgame: Encore recontextualizes this, featuring that same sound with imagery of Doom forging his mask instead. It's a means of welcoming Downey Jr. back into the MCU, but it also confirms that Doom's first appearance actually took place in Avengers: Endgame. That hammer sound now serves as a send-off to one of Downey Jr.'s Marvel characters and a welcome to the other.
And with Steve remaining behind with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) seemingly contributing to the disaster that unfolds in Doomsday — Anthony Russo confirmed Steve's choice is "where Doomsday is born" (via Avengers Updates on X) — it's not far-fetched to believe Doom is lurking right after Endgame. Although it's dubious that this was always Marvel's plan, inserting Doom into Endgame's post-credits moment is yet another way of showing how the prior Avengers movie shapes his actions and philosophy.
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What Avengers Endgame: Encore's Post-Credits Retcon Means for the MCU
Marvel Studios
Avengers Endgame: Encore's Doom revelation retcons the original ending, and there are undoubtedly viewers who will feel it ruins Endgame to reignite the excitement surrounding the MCU. There's certainly an argument to be made there. However, confirming that Doom is present toward the end of the Infinity Saga does give Phases 4–6 a greater sense of continuity heading into Doomsday. It's reminiscent of all the Thanos (Josh Brolin) teases prior to his actual crusade, though it feels less natural in its execution. After all, the Infinity Saga builds towards Thanos over multiple movies. After its Kang pivot, the Multiverse Saga is working Doom into its overarching story more retroactively.
Drawing a line between Endgame's Iron Man tribute and Downey Jr.'s Doomsday villain also raises questions about possible connections between the two characters. The MCU could simply be acknowledging the actor's return to the franchise, but the choice to insert Doom into a scene so focused on Tony feels intentional. There have been numerous theories about Doom being a Tony variant. And there must be some reason Downey Jr. is playing Doom — and that Marvel is explicitly connecting the villain to his final moments on-screen — beyond the nostalgia of it all.
