Russo Brothers: 'Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars Mark a New MCU Era'

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is gearing up for an exciting new chapter, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo at the helm of the upcoming films, *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. These movies promise to differ significantly from their previous works, *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*, as they aim to set the stage for Phase 7 of the MCU.

In an insightful interview with the Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers highlighted that *Avengers 5* and *Avengers 6* will serve as a "new beginning," laying the groundwork for future narratives. Joe Russo emphasized the completion of a 20-movie arc with *Infinity War* and *Endgame*, and expressed enthusiasm about starting fresh with these new films. "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?" he stated.

The Russo brothers also shared how they found themselves returning to the MCU. Anthony Russo explained, "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 acknowledged the high expectations for *Doomsday*, especially given its role in revitalizing the cinematic experience post-COVID. Interestingly, Marvel producer Kevin Feige proposed the idea of bringing back Robert Downey Jr. for *Doomsday*. "That conversation was had a while ago, and Robert tried to talk us into doing it and we said no," Joe revealed. "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 focus on crafting complex villains. "The only thing I’ll say about the movie is this: we love villains who think they’re the heroes of their own stories," he said. "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 in May 2027. As fans eagerly await these films, 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 that "some X-Men players that you might recognize" will appear in upcoming movies, without specifying which characters or films.

Feige also highlighted the significant role the X-Men will play in the MCU's future post-*Secret Wars*. "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," he said. "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 seems poised to be dominated by the X-Men, with Storm already making her debut in *What If...? Season 3*. Additionally, Marvel Studios has added three untitled projects to its 2028 release schedule on February 18, May 5, and November 10, with speculation rife that one of these could be an X-Men film.