The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is gearing up 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*, are back to steer these pivotal projects. In a recent interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers shared their vision for these films, describing them as a "new beginning" that will set the stage for the MCU's Phase 7.
Joe Russo reflected on the journey, 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?"
The Russo brothers also discussed their return to the Marvel universe. Anthony Russo explained, "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 highlighted the challenges ahead, particularly with *Avengers: Doomsday*, noting it's a "difficult" movie due to the "expectations on it" to help revitalize theater attendance post-pandemic. Additionally, the Russos revealed that Marvel producer Kevin Feige proposed bringing Robert Downey Jr. back for *Doomsday*. Joe Russo elaborated, "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 character development, particularly 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. 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 to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, with *Secret Wars* following a year later on May 27, 2027. Fans will have to wait patiently to see what the Russo brothers have in store.
Meanwhile, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige teased the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. At the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige hinted, "I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize." He further elaborated on the role of X-Men in the MCU's future, particularly after *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. 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."
Feige's comments suggest 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. Speculation is rife that one of these films will introduce the X-Men to the MCU.
