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

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is poised for an exciting new chapter with the upcoming films *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who previously helmed *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*, have provided insights into how these new films will set the stage for the future of the MCU, particularly in Phase 7. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers described *Avengers 5* and *Avengers 6* as a "new beginning," a stark contrast to the conclusion they crafted in their previous Marvel outings.

Joe Russo highlighted the unique position of being part of a 20-movie arc and now embarking on a fresh narrative journey. "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 Russos also shared their journey back into the Marvel fold. Anthony Russo noted, "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 mentioned the challenges of *Doomsday*, saying it's a "difficult" movie due to the "expectations on it" to revitalize the cinema experience post-pandemic. Additionally, they revealed that it was Marvel producer Kevin Feige’s idea to bring Robert Downey Jr. back for *Doomsday*. Joe explained, "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.’"

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Joe Russo concluded the interview by emphasizing their approach to 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."

*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 what the Russo brothers have in store.

In other MCU news, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has teased the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige hinted that fans would see "some X-Men players that you might recognize" in upcoming films, though he did not specify which characters or movies. He further elaborated on the role of the X-Men in the MCU's future, stating, "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 emphasized the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's trajectory 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."

It appears that Phase 7 of the MCU will be heavily influenced by the X-Men, with Storm already making an appearance in *What If...? Season 3*. Additionally, Marvel Studios has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028, with speculation that one of these could be an X-Men film.