The Endgame cut with Doctor Doom in it reaches Disney+ on Friday, five weeks before Doomsday

The Avengers are about to be back on the couch, and this time Doctor Doom comes with them.

Disney has confirmed that Avengers: Endgame Encore, the reworked version of the 2019 film that closed out Marvel’s Infinity Saga, will stream exclusively on Disney+ from Friday 13 November. The announcement came two days before the release, alongside a new “Countdown to Doomsday” trailer and poster.

What is actually new?

Encore is not a director’s cut, and the new material is not deleted scenes. Disney says the film has a new colour grade and additional scenes linking it to Avengers: Doomsday, and runs about four minutes longer than the original’s roughly three hours.

When Encore reached cinemas in September, its four new scenes were laid out in detail. Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter appear in their alternate timeline, while Loki turns up at the Time Variance Authority. A second TVA scene deals with two Earths colliding. A new end-credits scene shows Bruce Banner working on a serum in a bunker before Doom breaks in and Banner turns into the Hulk. And the famous end-credits sound of Iron Man’s armour being forged is now paired with images of Doom forging his mask.

That last change is the one fans have argued about most. Downey, who played Tony Stark for 11 years, returns in Doomsday as the villain.

Why stream it now?

Timing. Doomsday opens in US cinemas on 18 December, and Disney is building a run of countdown material on Disney+, including a collection of earlier films and a five-episode podcast hosted by Iman Vellani and Frank Alvarez.

The re-release has already proved there is an audience. Encore opened at number one globally when it reached cinemas on 25 September, with an estimated US$86 million worldwide across its first weekend. The original Endgame took about US$2.7 billion in 2019, and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made.

What does it mean for Australian fans?

Anyone who missed Encore in cinemas in September, or wants to study the Doom scenes frame by frame, can now do so at home. Australian demand for the next instalment is already strong: Disney said pre-sales for Doomsday passed $1 million in Australia within the first 24 hours.

Disney has not announced a separate Australian streaming date or time for Encore, and says availability can vary by region. Disney+ subscribers should look for it from Friday.

Who is in Doomsday?

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who made Endgame, are back. The cast includes Downey as Doom, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh and Pedro Pascal, along with returning members of the X-Men film cast.