It was announced during Disney’s presentation at Cinemacon that Joe and Anthony Russo’s theatrical re-release of Avengers: Endgame will feature previously unreleased footage, but there was no signal of what that footage might entail. 

Saturday night at the Sands Film Festival in St Andrews, Scotland, however, Joe Russo revealed, during a session with Deadline’s Mike Fleming and Angela Russo-Otstot, Chief Creative Officer at the Russos’ AGBO, exactly what audiences can expect to see on the big screen on Sept. 25 when Endgame is re-released. 

“It’s critically important to re-release the movie, and, in fact, we’ll be re-releasing the film with footage that is set in the Doomsday story that we have added to Avengers: Endgame,” Joe Russo told a packed crowd in St Andrews. The veteran filmmaker was speaking via Zoom link after being held up in the States following the Cinemacon presentation in Las Vegas. 

“It’s an opportunity to create a bridge from Endgame to Doomsday in a very unique way, and because the movie was so successful, we have an opportunity to re-release it. You don’t always get the chance to re-release because it costs money, so the fact that we can enhance the story of Doomsday by bridging it to Endgame and these characters that we worked with for years that we love so much, and continue their story: It’s a really unique opportunity.” 

Joe continued to describe the upcoming Endgame re-release as a “critical companion story” and a “setup for what you’re gonna watch in December when you see Avengers Doomsday.” 

Endgame has grossed over $2.799 billion and wrapped up phase three of the Marvel Universe. The film focused on Josh Brolin’s Thanos wreaking havoc across the universe, and the fight to stop him. Some character storylines ended in Avengers: Endgame, including that of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man. In a multiverse twist, Downey Jr. will return as the villain Dr. Doom in Doomsday. 

Joe said the decision for Downey Jr. to return as Dr. Doom was the result of “a long conversation between Marvel, Kevin Feige, and Robert.” 

“Downey started contemplating his return about 2 years ago, maybe 2.5 years ago,” Joe said. 

“I was at dinner with him in New York, and he had mentioned to me that he was thinking about this, and the concept was for him to play the ultimate villain. He played the ultimate hero, and now he’s going to play the ultimate villain. I thought it was a very clever idea.” 

Joe added that it wasn’t until he and Anthony connected once again with longtime Marvel screenwriter Stephen McFeely that they locked a story structure that allowed for Downey Jr. to return as Dr. Doom. 

Joe said the upcoming Avengers films will unfold in a similar structure to the “comics from which they’re inspired.” 

“Serialized storytelling is the goal here,” he said. “That’s the fun, that’s the mission, alongside making movies that bring people together. I’d argue there are very few movie companies in history that have brought people together the way that Marvel movies have, fostering a sense of community in a theater.”

He added: “The ultimate reward is fostering community at a time where community is in short supply.”

Avengers: Endgame is the second-highest-grossing MPA film of all time internationally with $1.94B (behind only Avatar‘s $2.138 billion). Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all-time with $2.924 billion. Avengers: Endgame also owns the record for the biggest opening ever around the globe with $1.2 billion.

Sands end tonight.