Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars 'A New Beginning' for the MCU, Russo Brothers Say

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is embarking on an exciting new chapter, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo teasing the upcoming films, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. In a recent interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers shared insights into how these films will mark a "new beginning" for the MCU, setting the stage for Phase 7.

Joe Russo highlighted the unique opportunity of being part of a 20-movie arc culminating in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, describing the new films as a fresh start. "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 remarked. "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 MCU after the monumental success of Endgame. 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 Avengers: Doomsday faces high expectations, particularly in its role in revitalizing the theatrical experience post-pandemic. He also revealed that the idea to bring back Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark originated from Marvel producer Kevin Feige. "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?

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Joe Russo concluded the interview by emphasizing the importance of complex villains in their storytelling approach. "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 Avengers: Secret Wars following on May 2027. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see what the Russo brothers have planned.

In other MCU news, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teased the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU's "next few" movies during the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore. While he did not specify which characters or films, Feige hinted at a significant role for the X-Men in the MCU's future, particularly following Avengers: Secret Wars. "I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize," he said. "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 emphasized the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's future, stating, "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 dominated by the X-Men, with Storm making her MCU debut in What If...? Season 3. Additionally, Marvel Studios has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule, slated for February 18, May 5, and November 10, 2028, increasing speculation that one of these films will feature the X-Men.