The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is beginning to crystallize, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo shedding light on how Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will set themselves apart from their previous works, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In a recent interview with the Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers described Avengers 5 and 6 as a "new beginning," poised to lay the groundwork for Phase 7 of the MCU.
Joe Russo expressed enthusiasm about transitioning from an epic 20-movie arc's conclusion to launching a fresh narrative. "The greatest thing that ever happened is we got to get immersed in a 20 movie arc and see an ending to that arc," he stated. "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?"
Anthony Russo shared insights into their return to the MCU, 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."
The directors also addressed the challenges of Avengers: Doomsday, which faces high expectations to revitalize the theatrical experience post-COVID-19. Additionally, they revealed that Marvel producer Kevin Feige suggested bringing Robert Downey Jr. back for Doomsday. Joe Russo recalled, "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.’"
Who Will Be the New Avengers in the MCU?
15 Images
Joe Russo emphasized their approach to villains, noting, "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 a May 1, 2026 release, with Avengers: Secret Wars following in May 2027, indicating a long wait before fans can witness the Russo brothers' latest contributions to the MCU.
In related news, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige hinted at the integration of X-Men characters in the "next few" MCU projects during the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore. Feige promised that fans would see "some X-Men players that you might recognize" but did not specify which characters or films. He also stated that the narrative of Secret Wars would lead into a "new age of mutants and of the X-Men," marking their significant role in the MCU's future.
Feige further elaborated on the MCU's trajectory post-Endgame, 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 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 movie projects to its 2028 schedule, with release dates on February 18, 2028, May 5, 2028, and November 10, 2028, increasing speculation that one of these films could introduce the X-Men to the MCU.
