Doctor Doom was in the MCU years earlier than we thought — Marvel has rewritten Endgame to prove it

Here we go again — Avengers Endgame: Encore has landed in cinemas as a beefed-up re-release of the original 2019 film, dragging us all the way back to one of the MCU's highest peaks. But this isn't just about nostalgia: Marvel are using Encore to tee up the next big event, Avengers: Doomsday, set for a splashy arrival on 18 December. If you thought you knew where things ended, think again. They've not only smuggled in several extra minutes, but they've chucked in four new post-credits scenes to more directly connect Endgame to the future — and to muddy the waters while they're at it.

Avengers Endgame: Encore debuted in cinemas on 25 September with four new end-credits scenes designed to set up the next Avengers film.

What's Actually New?

The Encore cut's primary job is filling in the gaps between Endgame and the upcoming Doomsday free-for-all. The bonus end-credits scenes are where most of the action is, and they do three things: tease the core plot of Doomsday, set up the returning old guard like Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and — this is the headline — show us more of Doctor Doom (played, somewhat cheekily, by Robert Downey Jr. this time round).

If you're after surprises: one Doom-centric scene has him straight up kidnapping The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). So that's another OG Avenger confirmed for the Multiverse Saga's endgame, in case you thought Marvel were about to move on from their old toys. Another Doom sequence, more blink-and-you'll-miss-it in nature, claims he was skulking around the MCU much earlier than previously admitted. Which leads us to the weirdest bit of retconning Marvel's tried yet.

Doom Was There All Along, Apparently

This is where things start to get properly wobbly. A brief new Endgame: Encore scene repurposes the original film's send-off — you know, the metallic hammering noise that was a farewell to Tony Stark — but now it's actually Doom making his own mask. Turns out, Marvel are trying to say Doom's first real appearance wasn't Fantastic Four: First Steps as everyone thought, but instead right here, at the end of Endgame. Bit of a cheeky move, and a prime example of Marvel retconning as they go.

Read more: Doctor Doom is coming for more than Bruce Banner, the Russo brothers hint

So now, what was once a pure tribute to Iron Man suddenly doubles as an Easter egg for Downey Jr.'s new villain. It's a neat trick: the sound that ended Tony's arc now ushers in the next chapter for Downey, this time in full baddie mode.

There's more. Steve staying with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) at Endgame's close has officially been fingered as the starting point for the Doomsday crisis. In Anthony Russo's words, that's "where Doomsday is born," which is about as direct as Marvel's ever been with cause and effect. Suddenly, Doom's lurking there in the shadows, right after Endgame wraps, laying the groundwork for the next disaster. It's a textbook case of rewriting the past to suit the next film — not exactly subtle, but hardly out of character for the MCU lately.

What Does This Retcon Really Do?

The knock-on effect of all this is that the Infinity Saga's ending now lines up more cleanly with everything coming up in Phases 4–6, even if it does feel a bit penned-in after the fact. It's eerily similar to how Thanos was telegraphed years ahead, except back then the setup felt earned, whereas Doom's addition comes across a bit more shoehorned after the Kang detour. Marvel have clearly decided to make up for lost time.

• Encore introduces four new post-credits scenes, reshuffling character arcs and bridging the gap to Doomsday.
• Robert Downey Jr. pulls double duty as both Tony Stark (in tribute) and Doctor Doom (in setup), especially with that mask-forging scene.
• Hulk is confirmed as another comeback character after being snatched up by Doom, setting up more crossover mayhem.
• Steve’s retirement with Peggy is now directly cited as the spark for the next MCU catastrophe, tying the two films even tighter together, whether you buy it or not.
• Doom, by this accounting, has allegedly been present in the MCU since the very end of Endgame — a sly bit of historical revisionism.

There's also the matter of Downey Jr. now donning the Doom armour: the links between Tony Stark and Victor Von Doom are being played up, both through the actor and in the script itself. It could just be Marvel having fun with their casting, but given how it underlines Doom's arrival in a scene so iconic for Tony, they've got to be hinting at something more substantial. Fan theories are already swirling — is Doom a variant of Tony? Are we heading for an identity-twist down the road? There's every chance that Marvel's cooking up something weird purely for the sake of Twitter, but if any franchise can get away with this sort of narrative gymnastics, it’s the MCU.

Read more: Avengers Endgame’s Encore ending sets up a precedent the MCU could regret