Avengers: Endgame Encore Makes One Avengers: Doomsday Challenge Look Almost Impossible

Published Sep 23, 2026, 11:55 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention. Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Avengers: Endgame Encore releases in theaters this week, a re-release of the major 2019 MCU crossover featuring additional footage and new ties to Avengers: Doomsday, releasing at the end of the year. As fun as it is to revisit the epic ending to the Infinity Saga, Encore also highlights what will no doubt be one of Doomsday's biggest challenges by far. Like the Avengers movies of the past, Avengers: Doomsday is set to feature a large ensemble of MCU heroes, in this case assembling to prevent the end of the multiverse itself and take on the major threat of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. However, Doomsday will be facing an uphill battle when looking at the specific ensemble of characters compared to past MCU crossovers. Ultimately, Avengers: Endgame's new re-release completely highlights the fact that, as exciting as Doomsday looks, the biggest trick it has to pull off will be uniting its various characters to culminate a saga that has been far more fragmented in comparison to the original Infinity Saga. The Infinity Saga Always Had The OG 6 Avengers At Its Center (Grounding Bigger Ensembles) Across the board, the original six Avengers gave the MCU's initial Infinity Saga an ongoing emotional center and core group of characters. Although Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye weren't always together, their relationships developed across multiple movies and team-ups, allowing for years of investment from audiences. The same is just as true for even more of the MCU's beloved heroes like Scarlet Witch, Vision, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and so many more, though the original Earth's Mightiest Heroes remained the core, especially within the Avengers movies themselves, effectively the pillars of the MCU and its interconnected universe. S.H.I.E.L.D. · Clearance Assessment How Well Do You KnowThe Avengers? 🌏OriginsAssembled ☠VillainsInevitable ⚡BattlesEndgame 🛡TeamInitiative 💫LegacyForever AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! → 01 The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together? AUltron BThanos CLoki DKang the Conqueror ✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain. NEXT → 02 In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man? A2006 B2008 C2010 D2012 ✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed. NEXT → 03 Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet? ADestroyed the universe BSnapped away half of all life CBecame ruler of Earth DTraveled back in time ✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history. NEXT → 04 In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer? AStormbreaker BGungnir CMjolnir DJarnbjorn ✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer. NEXT → 05 Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program? AThe Red Room BHYDRA Academy CThe Winter Soldier Program DDepartment X ✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow. NEXT → 06 The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk? ACosmic Rays BPym Particles CGamma Radiation DTerrigen Mist ✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk. NEXT → 07 In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America? ABucky Barnes BSam Wilson CJohn Walker DIsaiah Bradley ✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past. NEXT → 08 Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron? ABruce Banner BHank Pym CTony Stark DVision ✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Debriefing Your Avengers Clearance Level / 8 Are you worthy of lifting Mjolnir — or still a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee? ↻ ASSEMBLE AGAIN By the time Avengers: Endgame was released in 2019, the MCU's various characters were more than established, with plenty of investment from fans. Likewise, it was primarily the original 6 Avengers (joined by Ant-Man, War Machine, Nebula, and Rocket) who brought everyone back for the final battle against Thanos, ensuring that everyone's favorite MCU heroes were featured, with almost every single one having multiple appearances and years of development behind them. Unfortunately, Avengers: Doomsday doesn't fully have that same luxury. Instead, Marvel Studios is going to have to establish relationships between certain MCU characters and teams who have barely interacted or have only just debuted in the Multiverse Saga, while simultaneously convincing audiences they can operate as a cohesive Avengers-level team. The Multiverse Saga Has Not Had A Core Group of Heroes For the most part, one of the biggest issues ahead of Avengers: Doomsday is that the MCU hasn't really had a replacement for the original Avengers as its central group in the Multiverse Saga, at least not until recently. The MCU's second saga of films (and shows) instead spent much of its attention debuting new characters. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, there just hasn't been any major MCU pillars to bring everything and everyone together until Doomsday itself, which is coming just before the Multiverse Saga's planned end. After all, Doomsday is the first Avengers movie in the Multiverse Saga, seven years after Endgame's initial theatrical release. Sam Wilson has become the new Captain America and intends to assemble a new Avengers team at the end of 2025's Brave New World, with Joaquin Torres as the only confirmed member thus far (though Shang-Chi and Ant-Man are likely part of his team). Meanwhile, Yelena Belova has emerged as one of the MCU's most important heroes as the leader of the New Avengers (which only just formed last year in 2025's Thunderbolts*). There are also the Wakandans who will be featured in Doomsday as well. We then have Thor, who's seemingly been operating independently, while Hawkeye and Hulk's current statuses remain big question marks (neither are part of Doomsday's confirmed cast). That said, Steve Rogers is coming back, giving us at least 2 original Avengers to work with. Throw in the X-Men and Fantastic Four from other realities, and it seems as though Doomsday will be more about teams from different Earths working together than anything else. Even so, it's still pretty strange that Earth-616's "ensemble" heroes feel so fragmented compared to past Avengers movies. At any rate, my fingers are definitely crossed that Doomsday manages to provide a crossover that feels just as satisfying and epic as we all want it to be, though a big part of that feels like giving enough time to make the roles and relationships of the characters as meaningful as they deserve. However, that essentially means making up for lost time and likely working harder than Endgame had to. Avengers: Endgame Encore releases in theaters on September 25th from Marvel Studios. Avengers: Endgame 9/10 Release Date April 26, 2019 Runtime 181 Minutes Avengers: Endgame, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, concludes the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity Saga. It follows the remaining Avengers as they attempt to reverse the destruction caused by Thanos. Avengers: Doomsday Release Date December 18, 2026 Runtime 165 Minutes Cast Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film and kicks off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A stacked cast of heroes both new and old to the MCU — including members of the X-Men — will face off against Victor von Doom, revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024 to be played by a returning Robert Downey Jr.