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

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is gearing up for an exciting new chapter with the upcoming films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have shared insights into how these projects will diverge from their previous works, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers described Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 as a "new beginning," setting the stage for Phase 7 of the MCU.

Joe Russo highlighted the unique narrative arc 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?"

The Russo brothers also discussed their return to the Marvel fold. 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 added that Doomsday is a "difficult" film due to the high "expectations on it" to revitalize the theatrical experience post-pandemic. He also revealed that Marvel producer Kevin Feige proposed 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 said. "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.’"

Who Will Be the New Avengers in the MCU?

15 Images

Joe Russo concluded the interview by emphasizing their approach to character development, particularly 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 on May 2027. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the Russo brothers' vision come to life.

In other MCU news, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has teased the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. At the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige hinted that "some X-Men players that you might recognize" would appear in upcoming films, though he did not specify which characters or movies. He further elaborated on the role of the X-Men post-Secret Wars, saying, "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 underscored the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's future beyond 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."

It appears that Phase 7 of the MCU will be heavily influenced by the X-Men. In the meantime, fans got a taste of this integration with Storm's appearance in What If...? Season 3, marking her first entry into the broader MCU.

Looking ahead, Marvel Studios has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028. Speculation is rife that one of these could be an X-Men film, further cementing their pivotal role in the MCU's future.