SPOILER alert on what's in the Avengers: Endgame re-release.
Avengers: Endgame is back in theaters, having never actually left, and this time the "bonus edition" re-release has about six minutes of new footage. The total runtime now is said to be 188 minutes. What's a few extra minutes when you've already been there over three hours? But what are you getting for this extra time and money -- besides the knowledge that you are helping to make cinematic history if/when Endgame beats Avatar? Here's what Marvel Studios added in the re-release.
A Sweet Tribute to Stan Lee
Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee died in November 2018, but he lives on through his work, fans, and the MCU. Lee is already in Avengers: Endgame through his cameo in the 1970s era, but the re-release includes a new tribute, and it's the first thing that's added after the credits. The tribute features behind-the-scenes footage of Stan Lee filming his cameos. It sounds like this is what Kevin Feige was talking about when he said the studio put a video together -- a behind-the-scenes look at Lee's cameos and the B-roll that was shot.
An Unfinished Hulk Deleted Scene
Next up is a clearly unfinished scene with The Hulk that never made the final cut. Anthony Russo, who directed Avengers: Endgame with brother Joe, introduces the short Hulk scene with these words (via CNBC):
Thanks for sticking around. As you may have noticed, we packed a lot into this movie. There are a lot of characters, a lot of action, a lot of emotion, and I think a lot of fun. But, believe it or not, we shot some scenes that we needed to cut out. I know, the movie could have been even longer!
The unfinished scene is set at a burning building. The Hulk jumps down into the street holding a satellite dish, which he uses to carry people away from the fire. After that heroic act, we see him get a phone call, saying, "Steve who?" So that's apparently meant to be set right before Hulk has his meeting with Steve Rogers and the other Avengers at the diner, where he takes a photo with fans, etc.
A Scene From Spider-Man: Far From Home
One point of the re-release is just to try to beat Avatar for the title of highest-grossing movie of all time. Another point is to help promote Spider-Man: Far From Home, the MCU movie that directly follows and is tied to Avengers: Endgame. So the last thing added to the Avengers 4 bonus release is the opening scene to Far From Home. The scene is set in a Mexican town that was devastated by a cyclone -- except this cyclone seemed to have a face. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) show up on scene, and Jake Gyllenhaal's new character Mysterio also arrives. The cyclone monster (really the Earth Elemental) appears, and Mysterio tells Hill and Fury, "You don't want any part of this," and starts fighting the monster.
What do you think, worth the extra time and money to be part of cinematic history? Avengers: Endgame now needs less than $38 million to pass Avatar's money to take the new title of highest-grossing movie of all time. According to Box Office Mojo, Avatar's total gross is $2,787,965,087 so that's the number to beat. We'll have to see if that happens. Spider-Man: Far From Home opens in theaters this Tuesday, July 2.
