The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is gearing up for an exciting future, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo providing insights into the upcoming Avengers films, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. These movies are set to diverge significantly from the Russo brothers' previous works, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the duo described these new films as a "new beginning" that will set the stage for Phase 7 of the MCU.
Joe Russo highlighted the unique position of these 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?"
The Russo brothers also shared how they returned to the Marvel fold for another Avengers project. 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 further noted the challenges of Doomsday, describing it as a "difficult" movie due to the "expectations on it" to revive the theatrical experience to pre-pandemic levels. Interestingly, the Russos revealed that it was Marvel producer Kevin Feige's idea to bring back Robert Downey Jr. for Doomsday. 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, stating, "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 a bit longer to see what the Russo brothers have in store.
Meanwhile, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has hinted at the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. During the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige teased, "You will see some X-Men players that you might recognize in the next few MCU movies," though he did not specify which characters or films. He further elaborated on the X-Men's role, stating, "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 also emphasized the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's future post-Secret Wars, saying, "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.
