Source: Entertainment Weekly

Joe Russo says it’s pivotal that Marvel fans see the updated Avengers: Endgame in theaters in preparation for Doomsday.

During a recent Fandango interview, the 55-year-old Endgame and Doomsday director explained that he considers the upcoming rerelease, titled Avengers Endgame: Encore, to be “required viewing” because it connects “the story of the two movies” together.

“There’s a natural progression from Endgame into Doomsday, which is also inclusive of all the other stories that have been playing out,” Joe elaborated. “But I think it’s important to see Endgame again in theaters for two reasons: One, you’re going to have a lot of fun… and two, I think it’s required viewing for following the story in Doomsday.”

Anthony Russo, who directed both projects with his brother, added, “If you saw Endgame when it was originally released, you couldn’t see this coming.”

Avengers Endgame: Encore, which returns to theaters on Sept. 25, isn’t showing up empty-handed. Disney confirmed in June that the film will now feature a custom introduction, additional footage, and a special end tag exclusive to its Infinity Vision and IMAX releases.

Speaking at the Sands Film Festival in April, Joe confirmed to the crowd that the Endgame rerelease will feature “footage that is set in the Doomsday story” for the very first time.

“It’s an opportunity to create a bridge from Endgame to Doomsday in a very unique way,” he said at the time, describing the rerelease as both “critical companion story” and a “setup for what you’re gonna watch in December when you see Avengers: Doomsday.”

Avengers: Endgame is currently sitting at the second highest-grossing movie of all time, with James Cameron’s Avatar holding onto the top spot by a narrow margin. However, with the rerelease of Endgame this fall, the Marvel film is likely to take the prestigious title.

The rerelease will be closely followed by Doomsday, which is set to explode into theaters on Dec. 18. The film will mark Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the nefarious Victor von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom, after his original character, Tony Stark/Iron Man, died at the end of Endgame.

He’s not the only familiar face entering the fray, either. Chris Evans, whose character Steve Rogers appeared to have gotten his happy ending at the end of Endgame, is also back in action for the film.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly at San Diego Comic-Con last month, Evans explained that he received a “dozen” pitches from Marvel about returning to the franchise, but that none felt right until he heard Downey was involved in Doomsday.

“I got a phone call from my team saying there’s a rumor [Downey’s] talking to Marvel, and I was like, ‘Uh, oh. What does this mean?’” he said at the time. “And all of a sudden it felt right. [Doomsday co-director Joe Russo] gave me the pitch, and Downey was [back]. It just all of a sudden… it was like, ‘This is it.’”