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

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is poised for a thrilling new chapter as directors Anthony and Joe Russo tease the upcoming films *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. These movies, set to release in 2026 and 2027 respectively, are described by the Russo brothers as a "new beginning" that will pave the way for Phase 7 of the MCU. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, Joe Russo highlighted the excitement of transitioning from concluding a 20-movie arc with *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame* to launching a fresh narrative with these new films.

"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 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?"

Anthony Russo shared insights into their return to the Marvel fold, explaining how a new creative idea reignited their passion for the franchise. "We didn’t know what our road forward was in the MCU after we finished Endgame," he said. "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 to revive the theatrical experience post-pandemic. Additionally, he revealed that Marvel producer Kevin Feige suggested bringing back Robert Downey Jr. for the film. "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 the importance of complex 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."

Fans will have to wait until *Avengers: Doomsday* premieres on May 1, 2026, and *Secret Wars* follows on May 2027 to see what the Russo brothers have in store. In the meantime, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has hinted at the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. At the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige mentioned that "some X-Men players that you might recognize" will appear in upcoming MCU films, though he did not specify which characters or movies.

Feige elaborated on the future role of the X-Men, 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." He further emphasized the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's future post-*Secret Wars*, noting, "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 seems poised to 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 has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule, increasing speculation that one of these films will focus on the X-Men.