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

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is poised for an exciting new chapter as directors Anthony and Joe Russo tease the upcoming films, *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. These films, slated for release in May 2026 and May 2027 respectively, mark a significant departure from their previous works, *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*. In an interview with the Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers described these new entries as a "new beginning" that will set the stage for Phase 7 of the MCU.

Joe Russo highlighted the unique narrative arc 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?" This shift from conclusion to inception underscores the Russo brothers' vision for the future of the MCU.

Reflecting on their return to the Marvel universe, Anthony Russo shared, "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 also touched on the challenges of *Avengers: Doomsday*, noting the high expectations placed on the film to revitalize the theatrical experience post-pandemic. He revealed that Marvel producer Kevin Feige suggested 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 explained. "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 focus on creating compelling 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."

Looking ahead, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has teased the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. During the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige hinted at the appearance of "some X-Men players that you might recognize" in upcoming films. He elaborated, "I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize. 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 pivotal role the X-Men will play in the MCU's future post-*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."

With Phase 7 of the MCU set to be dominated by the X-Men, the groundwork has already been laid with Storm's appearance in *What If...? Season 3*. Additionally, Marvel Studios has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule, slated for February 18, 2028, May 5, 2028, and November 10, 2028, hinting at the potential inclusion of an X-Men film among these releases.