Contains spoilers for “Avengers: Endgame Encore”

“Avengers: Doomsday” is generating major box-office momentum long before its official theatrical launch, underscoring the enormous anticipation surrounding Marvel’s next crossover event. The film is expected to unite several branches of the studio’s live-action universe while bringing a turbulent chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe toward a conclusion. With fans constantly debating theories and possible story developments, the excitement has received another boost from the return of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”

Now playing as “Avengers: Endgame Encore,” the re-release gives audiences another chance to experience the cultural phenomenon on the big screen while adding several glimpses at what’s ahead in “Avengers: Doomsday.” In addition to a slightly extended conclusion, the new version includes multiple post-credit scenes designed to set up the next “Avengers” movie. Those additions are particularly intriguing because they may confirm the involvement of familiar MCU characters whose presence in “Doomsday” had previously been rumored.

So, what unfolds in the new “Endgame Encore” material, and how might those scenes connect to the story of “Avengers: Doomsday?” Here’s a closer look at the footage and the clues it appears to offer about Marvel’s upcoming multiverse event.

The first “Avengers: Doomsday” hint arrives before the new credit scenes even begin. During the familiar ending of “Avengers: Endgame,” Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) share a dance in their home within an alternate timeline. The moment initially plays exactly as it did in the 2019 release, with the couple enjoying the life they were denied for so long. Just before the image fades out, however, an unexpected knock sounds at the door.

Steve quickly steps out of sight, suggesting that he may not truly belong in this reality, while Peggy goes to answer. Standing outside is Tom Hiddleston’s Loki—the version seen across both seasons of “Loki” and the same variant who escaped with the Tesseract during the original “Endgame” storyline.

Wearing his TVA uniform, Loki tells Peggy that he can help “both of you.” Steve then emerges from hiding and comes face to face with the former enemy he once battled, bringing the scene to an abrupt close. The exact nature of Loki’s assistance remains unknown, but his extensive experience navigating the multiverse could prove vital to whatever comes next.

Loki’s unexpected offer to Steve and Peggy reinforces one of the apparent ideas behind “Avengers: Doomsday”: allies and adversaries may switch sides in surprising ways. That concept is especially relevant with Robert Downey Jr. stepping into a new villainous role as a figure positioned to fill the kind of threat once represented by Thanos.

Bruce Banner’s future looks even bleaker after “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” In that film, Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey uses telekinesis to break through the control Banner (Mark Ruffalo) had maintained over his Hulk identity for years. The controlled Smart Hulk seen in “Avengers: Endgame” disappears, replaced by the more savage version previously seen in films such as “The Avengers,” who ends up battling Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. By the end, Banner is taken away in an ambulance, anxiously asking whether he injured anyone. The movie offers no further explanation of his fate.

One of the new “Avengers: Doomsday” scenes finally appears to pick up that thread. Banner is shown filming a message inside an underground military site, explaining that he has spent his time away from the public studying gamma science. As he begins, the lights start to flicker and a sinister green radiance spreads across the floor. The image briefly cuts away, but Banner can be heard asking an unseen visitor to identify himself. Doctor Doom then answers that he has come to “collect” Banner.

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A Hulk roar suddenly echoes through the facility as broken flashes reveal the green portal Doom used to reach Banner’s reality. Whatever problems Banner faced before, his latest encounter suggests that his circumstances have taken a far more terrifying turn.

Several major characters introduced through Marvel’s Disney+ series—including Moon Knight and She-Hulk—have yet to appear in a theatrical MCU movie. Owen Wilson’s Mobius, therefore, stands out as one of the few streaming characters to make the jump to the big screen, joining Wyatt Russell’s John Walker and Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres. Aside from the repurposed “Loki” footage used in the “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” post-credit scene, Mobius’ true theatrical debut arrives in a new “Avengers: Endgame” credits sequence.

The scene unfolds inside the TVA, where Mobius enters a control room filled with screens showing two Earths attacking one another. One of those worlds is the reality associated with Fox’s “X-Men” characters, most recently seen in “Deadpool and Wolverine.” Ke Huy Quan’s O.B. explains that each universe is attempting to destroy the other before an Incursion can take place. Then the monitors begin filling with countless additional realities—thousands of them. The TVA’s long-standing warnings about keeping universes from interfering with one another have clearly failed.

As Mobius looks on, O.B. delivers the devastating conclusion: the multiverse is collapsing. That catastrophe appears likely to serve as the foundation for the collisions between different corners of Marvel’s reality in “Avengers: Doomsday.” It also suggests that Owen Wilson’s Mobius may have a much larger role to play in the coming chaos.

Together, these three sequences—and a brief reuse of Tony Stark’s original “Endgame” audio, now reframed to show Victor von Doom crafting his metal mask—make up the primary new material in “Avengers: Endgame Encore.” Their clearest message is that the mythology established in “Loki” remains deeply important to Marvel’s next major crossover.

When the first season of “Loki” premiered, fans immediately speculated that its TVA and timeline revelations could influence much of MCU Phase Four. Those long-term consequences now appear to be taking shape, with the organization once again positioned at the center of the franchise’s multiverse storyline.

Marvel has indicated that its television projects and theatrical films will operate more independently, but the TVA’s major presence in “Deadpool and Wolverine” made its return to the multiverse saga seem increasingly likely. The possibility was further reinforced by an interactive attraction at Disney’s 2026 D23 fan expo, which allowed visitors to explore a heavily damaged TVA. The new Mobius and O.B. scene in “Endgame Encore” strengthens the impression that these “Loki” characters will be essential to the events of “Avengers: Doomsday.”

That does not necessarily mean every MCU series will be required preparation for “Avengers: Doomsday.” However, the story threads introduced in “Loki” are clearly being positioned as important background for the film. The bigger question now is whether other characters, locations or concepts from the series will also enter the massive crossover.

Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom has already signaled that “Avengers: Doomsday” will explore the shifting line between heroism and villainy. Ian McKellen’s Magneto reportedly appears aligned with the heroic mutants, while former antagonists such as John Walker’s U.S. Agent and Ava Starr’s Ghost are expected to fight alongside the Avengers. Doom’s arrival to take Hulk for himself in the new “Endgame Encore” footage adds another layer to that reversal-of-allegiances theme.

The scene also lends weight to one of the more plausible “Avengers: Doomsday” theories: that Doom could recruit former Avengers, potentially including Doctor Strange or Wanda Maximoff, to serve at his side. Neither possibility has been confirmed, but Doom’s plan to “collect” Hulk establishes that at least one familiar Marvel hero may be forced into his service. It leaves the door open for other powerful figures to join him before the multiverse showdown begins.

If Hulk is just the tip of the iceberg for the super-powered pre-existing characters Doom is working with, then “Doomsday” will become a tragic enterprise full of multiverse calamities, leading former friends to turn on one another. Doomsday truly does bring out unexpected alliances.

Did you grow up solving “Clue” — or “Cluedo,” depending on where you live — and trying to identify the killer before anyone else? Maybe Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were constant companions, or perhaps you have an uncanny knack for spotting the culprit in every murder mystery you watch. Either way, you’ve come to the right place: this is our guide to the best mystery movies of 2026 so far.

This year’s lineup takes a wonderfully unconventional approach to the genre. (Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” the third entry in his acclaimed series of elegant, delightfully convoluted whodunits, premiered in late 2025 and therefore doesn’t qualify.) The movies below include an alien thriller that examines humanity, a feverish tale involving a pop star and a dressmaker, and a murder investigation conducted by sheep. There are also, rather notably, several films starring Anne Hathaway — 2026 may well be her year. One final note: the titles appear in alphabetical order rather than by rank, and we’ll continue updating this list as the year’s best mysteries arrive. With that in mind, here are 2026’s standout mystery movies so far.

Steven Spielberg’s hugely entertaining and surprisingly thoughtful summer spectacle, “Disclosure Day,” opens with cybersecurity whistleblower Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) barely escaping a pursuit led by technology executive Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Alongside his girlfriend, Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson), Daniel steals a device that appears to hold enormous importance. At first, his story seems unrelated to that of Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), an on-air meteorologist at an NBC affiliate in Kansas City. Then Margaret begins suffering bizarre symptoms. During a live broadcast, she speaks in clicks and other incomprehensible sounds before collapsing. Later, while hospitalized with her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell), she escapes just before agents from Scanlon’s ominous company, Wardex, can abduct her while posing as FBI officials.

Margaret and Daniel eventually discover that they are central figures in a sweeping conspiracy created by the U.S. government and Wardex to conceal proof of extraterrestrial life. The cover-up goes far beyond hiding aliens from the public: both organizations have also subjected them to decades of physical abuse. As the pair races to expose — or “disclose” — the existence of alien life, they uncover startling truths about themselves and the parts they have played in this vast mystery. “Disclosure Day” works as a carefully constructed sci-fi thriller, revealing its secrets piece by piece, while also serving as a dark examination of human nature and our seemingly limitless willingness to destroy whatever stands in our way.

David Robert Mitchell, the filmmaker behind the inventive horror hit “It Follows,” was always likely to deliver an unusual mystery. What makes “The End of Oak Street” such a surprise is that this latest puzzle arrives in the form of a dinosaur-filled summer blockbuster. Mitchell’s gloriously strange story follows the Platt family: Greg (Ewan McGregor), Denise (Anne Hathaway), Audrey (Maisy Stella), Brian (Christian Convery), and their dog, Starbuck. The family is already under strain, with Greg and Denise’s conflict becoming increasingly obvious to their children. Greg is working as a pizza delivery driver after losing his job, while Denise secretly dreams of becoming a successful novelist. Their lives are troubled but recognizable — until a bizarre storm transforms the neighborhood into a prehistoric jungle packed with ravenous, deadly dinosaurs.

The film’s advertising did little to prepare audiences for just how grisly “The End of Oak Street” becomes. Beneath the mountains of blood and gore, however, lies a genuine mystery that both the Platts and viewers must piece together. Even after the final credits, several questions remain deliberately unresolved. That lingering uncertainty is part of the film’s appeal, leaving you to ponder how the impossible events actually unfolded long after you’ve left the theater.

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Na Hong-jin’s “Hope” arrived at the Cannes Film Festival to near-universal praise, quickly establishing itself as one of 2026’s essential thrillers. Na wrote and directed the film, bringing together a remarkably international ensemble. South Korean stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon appear alongside Michael Fassbender, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, and Alicia Vikander. But what exactly is “Hope,” and what makes it stand out in an especially strong year for thrillers?

At its core, “Hope” is a monster movie. Ko Bum-seok (Hwang), the police chief of Hope Harbor — a community near the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea — becomes alarmed when cows begin turning up dead under increasingly strange conditions. He fears that the isolated town, whose residents are largely elderly, is facing a much greater threat. His concerns prove justified when an exceptionally powerful creature unleashes terror across Hope Harbor. The film piles on twist after twist, sometimes to the point of overwhelming the viewer, but that disorientation appears intentional. By the time Na brings his startling, wholly original mystery to its terrifying conclusion, “Hope” leaves you rattled in the best possible way.

With genre-defying films such as “The Green Knight,” “The Old Man and the Gun,” and “A Ghost Story” on his résumé, David Lowery has become one of independent cinema’s most compelling directors. His 2026 release, “Mother Mary,” further confirms that reputation. Anne Hathaway plays the titular pop superstar, who is attempting a major comeback with an enormous performance after an onstage incident damaged her career. Dissatisfied with the costumes available to her, Mary seeks out an old friend for a custom design. That friend is Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), a reclusive designer with a deeply complicated history with Mary: the two were once lovers.

“Mother Mary” refuses to settle into a single category. It is a psychosexual drama about estranged former partners who still care for each other, a story of artistic transformation and reinvention, and a horror thriller in which ghosts embody the distance separating them. It is also a gripping mystery, powered by the electric performances of Hathaway and Coel. Both actors are magnetic, and together they help make Lowery’s ambitious film one of 2026’s finest genre-bending mysteries.

“The Sheep Detectives” ranks among 2026’s best mysteries — and, quite possibly, among the year’s best films in any genre. Directed by Kyle Balda and written, surprisingly, by “Chernobyl” and “The Last of Us” showrunner Craig Mazin, the movie stars Hugh Jackman as George Hardy, a shepherd living in a remote cabin outside the quiet English village of Denbrook. Each night, George reads murder mysteries to his devoted flock. What he doesn’t realize is that the sheep understand every word. They also adore George, whose kindness and generosity make his sudden death on the property all the more devastating.

Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) assumes command of the flock and draws on the herd’s extensive knowledge of detective fiction to identify George’s killer. She is joined by Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), Cloud (Regina Hall), Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), and Zora (Bella Ramsey), among others. The human cast also features Nicholas Galitzine, Nicholas Braun, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and the legendary Emma Thompson. Beneath its playful premise, “The Sheep Detectives” delivers a surprisingly moving story about grief: the sheep must uncover the truth about George’s death while learning what death itself means. The result is warm, funny, and unexpectedly profound. If you haven’t seen it yet, this delightful mystery deserves to be your next watch.