Theatergoers will be treated to an Avengers: Doomsday scene featuring two MCU characters following a big-screen rewatch of Avengers: Endgame. Touted by directors the Russo Brothers as required viewing ahead of this winter’s Avengers film, Avengers Endgame: Encore brings the culmination of the Infinity Saga back to theaters with a reported three additional minutes of footage designed to bridge the last Avengers film with the next. Naturally, speculation over what those added minutes will entail has run rampant, with theories ranging from extended versions of previous post-credits scenes to Steve Rogers returning the Infinity Stones.
During the week of Avengers Endgame: Encore’s Friday, September 25 release, reports about its exclusive Doomsday footage surfaced online. According to Robert Meyer Burnett, an associate of insider/commentator John Campea, Endgame: Encore will feature a Doomsday scene between the MCU’s Hulk and Doctor Doom, with the latter reportedly attempting to recruit Bruce Banner.
Hulk was last seen in this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where Mark Ruffalo’s character turned savage for the first time since 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Following the outburst, Bruce Banner was loaded into an ambulance, with reports claiming he was being taken to a psychiatric facility and leaving his MCU future uncertain.
Meanwhile, Victor von Doom will make his full debut in Avengers: Doomsday, due December 18. Played by MCU veteran Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ), Doom was previously glimpsed in the post-credits scene of 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, seemingly attempting to get his hands on Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. RDJ’s face was not shown during the brief scene, and so far, only his eyes behind the mask and voice have been heard in Doomsday trailers.
Ruffalo's Hulk was notably absent from Doomsday's initial March 2025 mega-casting announcement, leaving some to believe that he will instead appear in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars instead. However, if this report is to believed, then it's possible that the scientist-turned-monster will be a surprise addition to this year's crossover flick.
How Could Hulk Help Doctor Doom in Doomsday & Secret Wars?
If this report is accurate, Doctor Doom and Hulk teaming up suggests that Bruce Banner has a role to play in whatever larger plan Doom is orchestrating in Avengers: Doomsday. Hulk’s strength would make him valuable in battle against the Avengers and other superpowered teams, particularly if Doom needs someone capable of confronting the MCU’s strongest heroes.
However, Doom may have more targeted reasons for seeking out Banner. Given that the MCU's Multiverse Saga expected to culminate in Avengers: Secret Wars, Doom could be assembling his own team for a mission that connects to the fate of multiple universes. Banner's scientific expertise could also make him valuable to Doom as RDJ's villain navigates the consequences of constructing Battleworld.
Whether Banner willingly joins Doom, is manipulated into helping him, or eventually turns against him remains unclear. Nonetheless, the reported scene would also provide a continuation of Banner's storyline following Brand New Day.
Though only a doctor in self-titled terms, perhaps Doom finds a way into the facility Bruce is being kept at to recruit him at his weakest, at least emotionally, convincing him he will create a universe in which either he or the Hulk ceases to harm anyone ever again. Such a promise could make Doom's offer tempting to Banner, who has spent much of his MCU journey trying to reconcile his two identities.
