Seven years later, Avengers: Endgame remains one of the best—if not the best—superhero movies ever made. While many Marvel or DC blockbusters are contenders for that title, few compare to what the Russo Brothers delivered in 2019. Beyond being a perfect ending to the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame is a thrilling, emotional, action-packed rollercoaster, bursting with memorable character moments and scenes that, for comic book fans, feel like a dream come true.
Of course, the reason we’re talking about the movie again is that it’s now returned to theaters as Avengers Endgame: Encore. Everything that worked the first time proves just as much of a thrill here, with the "Portals" scene (and the battle that follows) a moment of pure, unadulterated fan service that works on every level. It’s breathtakingly epic, and a sequence as worthy of the big screen now as it was in 2019. That’s not the only standout sequence—the team’s trip through time remains a highlight—but it alone is worth the price of admission.
As for the additional content, the new final scene adds additional intrigue to Avengers: Doomsday and completely reframes what we thought we knew about Steve’s reunion with Peggy Carter in the past. That happy ending? It might just doom the Multiverse. The two post-credits scenes add important context and exposition, along with a mystery that only serves to make Doomsday all the more exciting. As re-releases go, Marvel Studios has made it easy to justify buying a ticket to watch this Encore edition of Avengers: Endgame.
Beyond that, it's a movie obviously full of scenes destined to forever rank among the greatest ever committed to film in a comic book adaptation. The combination of sublime directing, a top-tier script, and stellar performances, meanwhile, makes you fall in love with these characters like you're meeting them for the first time all over again. Singling out any actor in a movie where everyone is giving it their all isn't easy. Still, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson all steal the show in very different ways in this follow-up to 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. The same could be said for supporting players like Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, and Bradley Cooper, among others.
Given the nature of the story, Josh Brolin's Thanos isn't quite the tour de force he was in that movie, especially as he's tasked with playing a Variant of the Man Titan with a relatively straightforward plan to avoid his eventual death and once again unleash the power of the Infinity Stones. Still, he remains one of the MCU's best big bads, and an example of special effects at their best.
Ultimately, this sequel belongs to Earth Mightiest Heroes. Captain America was a little shortchanged in Infinity War, but in Avengers: Endgame, Steve gets considerably more to do in a movie that prioritises the original six Avengers.
Regardless of whether you look at Avengers: Endgame as the end of a story or the beginning of a new one—the point of this re-release is to set the stage for December's Avengers: Doomsday, after all—it fires on all cylinders and that three-hour runtime still flies by. The movie remains a rousing success, a game-changer for the genre, and an adventure it's hard to imagine Marvel ever topping. Of course, you just know they'll do their damnedest to try as the Multiverse Saga nears its end.
Avengers: Endgame is a masterpiece which not only delivers on every expectation you had but exceeds ones you didn't even think about. This isn't just a movie, it's an experience and one that only gets better for this Encore. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐