The Russo Brothers Talk ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

The veteran Marvel movie makers on keeping spies away from locations and how RDJ is impacting the next character he’ll bring to the MCU.

(L to R) Joe Russo and Anthony Russo at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

Preview:

Joe and Anthony Russo are talking up some of their plans for the next ‘Avengers’ movie.
The directors are committed to keeping secrets safe.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ are scheduled for release in 2026 and 2027.

With ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ stumbling somewhat out of the gate (even a $344 million worldwide box office so far isn’t considered crushing it by Marvel Cinematic Universe standards), the pressure is further on the likes of the upcoming ‘Thunderbolts*’ and ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ to deliver in terms of ticket sales and audience reactions.

So too, is there increased focus on the next two ‘Avengers’ movies, which have long been the big tentpole events in Disney and Marvel’s release calendars, also proving to be profitable money spinners.

Avengers: Doomsday

Not Yet RatedMay 1st, 2026

An upcoming film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) sixth Phase and part of The Multiverse Saga. Plot TBA. Read the Plot

Back making the next two major team-up movies having brought us the ultra-successful likes of ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (itself more an Avengers movie than a truly Cap-focused one), ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ are directors Joe and Anthony Russo.

Making the press rounds for their latest film, Netflix sci-fi title ‘The Electric State,’ the pair have naturally been fielding questions about their plans for the new ‘Avengers’ entries.

Speaking to Empire magazine, Anthony revealed that what lured them to return:

“We’re very close with Kevin 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. Really what happened was, we ended up stumbling upon a [‘Secret Wars’] idea that activated all of us, 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.’ ”

And that creative spark extended to regular collaborator Stephen McFeely, who is also back writing the new movies.

While other co-writer Christopher Markus is so far sticking with the Russos’ AGBO company to keep it running, McFeely was tempted back into the MCU machine.

Here’s what Joe told Empire:

“There were ideas that we were trying to wrap our heads around that preceded this one, and we just never found the story. I remember calling Steve and said, ‘Hey, crazy idea. What do you think if we all go back and do Secret Wars?’ He was like, ‘F*** no. Absolutely not.’ And then he hung up. And the next morning at 7.30 he called and were like, ‘Alright, I have an idea…’ ”

What did the Russos say about preserving ‘Avengers’ on-set secrets?

(L to R) Joe Russo, Anthony Russo and Kevin Feige present 'Avengers: Doomsday' at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

While a lot of both ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and its follow-up, ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ will naturally film inside soundstages (which are much easier in terms of protecting cameos or plot developments), there will be some location based work in the UK where the production is being based.

And according to the Russos, they’re ready to defeat snoopers.

Here’s what the brothers told Collider:

“We’re pretty good about shutting that down. We’ve sort of strategized to hopefully be effective with that. We don’t want people getting photographs, so we are being pretty stringent. The location work we are doing, we have picked those locations with that in mind, as well.”

According to the pair, each of the two new movies will take around six months to shoot, which means their lives are about to be very ‘Avengers’-centric for the next couple of years at least.

‘Avengers: Doomsday’: The Russos talk Robert Downey Jr.

(L to R) Joe Russo, Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Russo present 'Avengers: Doomsday' at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

Of course, one of the biggest plot elements for the new movies has already been revealed on Marvel’s terms, with Robert Downey Jr. taking the stage at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con to confirm he’s playing Victor Von Doom.

And according to the directors he’s very involved in helping to shape the character.

This is what they told Entertainment Tonight:

“It’s a very intense process developing the character. He’s so immersed in it. He is so dialed in. That’s the kind of artist he is. That’s the kind of actor he is. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters and I think he sees a real opportunity here with that character.”

Who else will be in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?

Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios' 'Captain America: Brave New World'. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 Marvel.

Alongside Downey and freshly-introduced ‘Fantastic Four’ cast, rumors have swirled about Chris Evans (whether as Steve Rogers or another character), though he has since denied them, and Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter.

Anthony Mackie is very likely to show up as Cap, and Benedict Cumberbatch has been talked about to return as Doctor Strange. We’ll have to wait and see whether the likes of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man or any of the other stalwarts will be back.

There’s good money on Chris Hemsworth as Thor (since he’s still active) and hopefully the likes of Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes will report for duty.

And following ‘Doomsday,’ of course, will be ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’

What is Marvel’s ‘Secret Wars?

(L to R) Joe Russo, Anthony Russo and Kevin Feige present 'Avengers: Secret Wars' at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

‘Secret Wars’ would draw from (through the usual Marvel movie filter where changes will be made) a pair of 1980s comic book series focused on an all-powerful antagonist known as the Beyonder, who in the first installment pitted Marvel’s heroes and villains against each other on a planet known as Battleworld.

In a 2015 revival by Jonathan Hickman, the resulting conflict left the multiverse collapsed, the survivors living on a single planet ruled by classic villain Doctor Doom.

The Russos have previously talked about their enthusiasm for ‘Secret Wars,’ so this one made sense.