"Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars Mark MCU's New Era, Russo Brothers Declare"

The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is beginning to crystallize, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo teasing how their upcoming films, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, will differ from their previous MCU blockbusters, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers shared that they view these new Avengers films as a "new beginning," setting the stage for what's to come in Phase 7 of the MCU.

"The greatest thing that ever happened is we got to get immersed in a 20-movie arc and see an ending to that arc," Joe Russo 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?"

The Russo brothers also discussed their return to the Marvel world to helm another Avengers story. "We didn’t know what our road forward was in the MCU after we finished Endgame," Anthony Russo explained. "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 highlighted the challenges of Doomsday, noting it as a "difficult" movie due to the "expectations on it" to help revive the theatrical experience post-pandemic. The Russos also 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 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.’"

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Joe Russo concluded the interview by expressing their love for complex villains. "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 scheduled to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Secret Wars approximately a year later on May 27, 2027. Fans will have to wait patiently to see what the Russo brothers have in store.

Last year, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige hinted at the introduction of X-Men characters in the "next few" MCU movies. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige mentioned that audiences would see "some X-Men players that you might recognize" in upcoming films, though he did not specify which characters or movies. He added, "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 emphasized the significance of the X-Men in the MCU's future following 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 making her first appearance in the wider MCU in What If...? Season 3. Additionally, Marvel Studios added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028. It's increasingly likely that one of these films will feature the X-Men.