Posted in: Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: anthony and joe russo, avengers: doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars

Avengers: Russo Brothers On Finding An Idea That "Activated All Of Us"

Anthony and Joe Russo say they returned to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars because once they had an idea, they knew, "That's a story we need to tell."

Last summer, coming off 2023, which really seemed to shake up everyone at Disney and Marvel Studios, it was announced that Anthony and Joe Russo would be returning to direct the next two Avengers films. It was one of those moves that wasn't that surprising after everything that had happened with the next two Avengers films and how the Kang storyline got thrown out the window after everything with Jonathan Majors. Since Avengers: Endgame, it seemed like the Russos were moving on, but it turns out that wasn't quite the case. They maintained close contact with everyone at Marvel Studios, as they revealed in a new interview with Empire. Anthony Russo explained, "We're very close with Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D'Esposito, Marvel Studios' Co-President] and the entire Marvel team, and we've had conversations through the years. We've talked about a lot of ideas." However, it was something about Secret Wars and how they decided to bring that idea together that solidified their desire to tell this story.

"Really, what happened was we ended up stumbling upon an idea that activated all of us," Anthony Russo said. "You couldn't see it coming until it came, and once it came, it was like, 'Well, that's a story we need to tell.'"

It was apparently something they had all been playing around with for a while, but once it all came together, everyone involved knew it was time. The Russos are returning with Steven McFeely, though not with Christopher Markus; Markus be "keeping projects running at the Russos' AGBO production company," and apparently, it was McFeely who really helped find the specific way Secret Wars could fit into the MCU.

"There were ideas that we were trying to wrap our heads around that preceded this one, and we just never found the story," Joe Russo admits. "I remember calling Steve and said, 'Hey, crazy idea. What do you think if we all go back and do Secret Wars?' You were like, 'Fuck no. Absolutely not.' And then you hung up. And the next morning at 7.30 you called and were like, 'Alright, I have an idea.'"

So now they aren't just returning for Secret Wars, but for Doomsday as well, and while we might be giving Marvel a hard time about picking the safest possible options, it's also not a bad idea. The Avengers film has become far too big for one big to take on, so a directing duo should have always been the way forward. That and the fact that none of the Russo's major projects with Netflix have really hit hard, it's not surprising that everyone involved managed to find a way to bring these Avengers back for another round.

Avengers: Doomsday Is Taking Steps Back Instead Of Forward

Over the summer, word came that Marvel and Disney were courting Anthony and Joe Russo to return and direct the next two Avengers films. It made sense in a way; they were coming off a year that didn't exactly go to plan, and no doubt they wanted to go with what they thought would be the safest option. It turned out that the reports were spot on and they were announced as the directors at San Diego Comic-Con. That was also where we learned that Robert Downey Jr. would be coming back as Doctor Doom, and it became very clear that Marvel was playing it safe by returning to what worked the first time. In December 2024, it was announced that Chris Evans would reportedly have some sort of role in the film as well, but it was unclear what kind of role he would have. A few days later, it was also reported that Hayley Atwell was also in talks to return as well. Avengers: Doomsday is set to start production this spring and will be released in theaters on May 1, 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars is set to be released on May 7, 2027.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!