Doctor Doom is coming for more than Bruce Banner, the Russo brothers hint
Joe and Anthony Russo have teased what Endgame: Encore’s post-credits scene might spell for Avengers: Doomsday — and it all pivots on Bruce Banner meeting a mysterious figure.
Time for another round of Marvel speculation — and this one comes straight off the back of the Avengers: Endgame: Encore theatrical rerelease. Apparently, even in 2026, Marvel can’t resist threading a post-credits sting into its old blockbusters, and this latest one is getting fans all worked up about what’s coming in Avengers: Doomsday. The Russo brothers have jumped in to pour a bit more petrol on the fire.
Post-Credits Scene: Who Was That?
If you’ve not seen Endgame: Encore in cinemas (again), the fresh bit everyone’s dissecting is a new post-credits scene featuring a shadowy figure running into Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner. He’s told — quite pointedly — ‘I’ve come to collect you.’ Diehard fans reckon this is our first cheeky on-screen moment with Doctor Doom, who’s set to be played by Robert Downey Jr. in the next instalment.
During an interview with Empire, Joe Russo gave the not-quite-confirmation we all expected: "I mean, look, his interest may extend beyond just Banner. So, that’s what we’ll say about that."
Basically, it sounds like Doom’s sights are set on more than just old Bruce, and there’s every chance more familiar faces are getting dragged into whatever he’s cooking up.
Keeping Surprises Up Their Sleeve
The chat with Empire didn’t stop there. There’s been some fuss about Mark Ruffalo’s absence from the standard Avengers: Doomsday cast chair photo reveals (yes, they really do those for every new film now). When pressed, Joe Russo more or less nudged us to keep guessing — and keep buying tickets:
‘Yeah, you’ve got to save some surprises. [laughs]’ was Joe’s exact line when asked if there’s a reason Ruffalo’s not been officially paraded with the others.
He also said, rather vaguely, that every bit of new footage from the Encore release ties in somehow to what’s coming in Doomsday. There are ‘clues in every piece of that new footage that can lead you to a greater story in Doomsday’. If you want my translation: Marvel’s still obsessed with breadcrumb trails and Easter eggs, and they want you obsessively rewatching everything for hints.
Avengers: Doomsday is due to hit UK cinemas on 18 December 2026.
The post-credits tease in Endgame: Encore is Ruffalo’s formal confirmation back as Hulk, even if Marvel’s not spelling out his role yet.
The Usual (and Unusual) Suspects
Ruffalo is back, but Marvel’s keeping his part tightly under wraps. The last time we saw him was in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where he showed up alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, very much still an essential bit of the ensemble rather than just a cameo. Before this latest batch of footage, there was a bit of uncertainty over whether Ruffalo was sticking around in the MCU — consider that answered.
Who else is showing up in Avengers: Doomsday? Here’s the line-up so far:
- Robert Downey Jr. now as Victor von Doom
- Chris Evans back as Steve Rogers
- Chris Hemsworth once again swinging the hammer as Thor
- Florence Pugh as the new Black Widow (Yelena Belova)
- Tom Hiddleston still chewing the scenery as Loki
- Anthony Mackie flying the flag as the current Captain America (Sam Wilson)
- Vanessa Kirby joining as Sue Storm
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
You can bet there’ll be more, but Marvel are keeping plenty behind the curtain for now.
Read more: Avengers Endgame’s Encore ending sets up a precedent the MCU could regret