Russo Brothers: Avengers' Doomsday and Secret Wars Mark MCU's New Beginning

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is poised for an exciting new chapter, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo at the helm of the upcoming films, *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. In a recent interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers shared insights into how these films will diverge from their previous works, *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*.

Joe Russo highlighted the unique position of the new films, stating, "The greatest thing that ever happened is we got to get immersed in a 20 movie arc and see an ending to that arc. What's compelling about these two new Avengers movies is they're a beginning. It's a new beginning. We told an ending story [with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame] and now we're going to tell a beginning story. Who knows where we’ll go from there?" This shift marks a fresh start for the MCU, setting the stage for Phase 7.

Anthony Russo discussed their return to the Marvel universe, explaining, "We didn’t know what our road forward was in the MCU after we finished Endgame. What happened was, a creative idea just came to us and that ended up feeling like the right idea. It motivated us to do it again. We feel like we have something fresh, we feel like we have a story that’s important and needs to be told. We have an amazing group of collaborators again, some old and some new. We’re very excited."

Joe Russo also touched on the challenges of *Doomsday*, noting the high expectations to revitalize the theatrical experience post-pandemic. Interestingly, the decision to bring back Robert Downey Jr. was spearheaded by Marvel producer Kevin Feige. Joe Russo recounted, "That conversation was had a while ago, and Robert tried to talk us into doing it and we said no. We just didn’t have a story, we didn’t have a way in, so we were resistant for a while. And then one day, [Endgame writer] Steve McFeely called us and said, ‘I have an idea.’"

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Joe Russo concluded the interview by emphasizing their approach to villains, saying, "The only thing I’ll say about the movie is this: we love villains who think they’re the heroes of their own stories. That’s when they become three-dimensional and they become more interesting. When you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a three-dimensional, well-shaped character for the audience. That’s where a lot of our focus is going."

*Avengers: Doomsday* is slated for release on May 1, 2026, with *Secret Wars* following on May 2027. Fans will have to wait patiently to see what the Russo brothers have in store.

In other MCU news, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has teased the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige hinted, "I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize." He further elaborated on the role of the X-Men in the MCU's future, particularly post-*Secret Wars*: "Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back."

Feige emphasized the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's narrative arc, stating, "When we were preparing for Avengers: Endgame years ago, it was a question of getting to the grand finale of our narrative, and then we had to start all over again after that. This time, on the road to Secret Wars, we already know very well what the story is going to be until then and afterwards. The X-Men are an important part of that future."

Phase 7 of the MCU appears set to be heavily influenced by the X-Men, with Storm already making an appearance in *What If...? Season 3*. Additionally, Marvel Studios has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028, with speculation that one of these could be an X-Men film.