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

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is poised for an exciting evolution with the upcoming films *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, in an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, shared insights into how these movies will set a new tone for the franchise, marking a "new beginning" and paving the way for Phase 7 of the MCU.

Joe Russo highlighted the completion of a 20-movie arc with *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*, emphasizing the shift towards a fresh narrative. "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 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 fold, with Anthony Russo explaining, “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 touched on the challenges of *Avengers: Doomsday*, describing it as a "difficult" movie due to the high expectations to revitalize the cinematic experience post-pandemic. Interestingly, the film will see the return of Robert Downey Jr., a decision spearheaded by Marvel producer Kevin Feige. Joe Russo recounted, “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 with a focus on 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 *Avengers: Secret Wars* following on May 2027. Fans will need to wait patiently to witness the Russo brothers' latest vision for the MCU.

In other MCU news, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has teased the integration of X-Men characters into the "next few" MCU movies. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige hinted at the inclusion of familiar X-Men characters without specifying which ones or in which films. He elaborated on the role of the X-Men post-*Secret Wars*, saying, “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 underscored the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's future, stating, "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."

With Phase 7 likely to be dominated by the X-Men, fans have already seen a glimpse of this future with Storm's appearance in *What If...? Season 3*, marking her debut in the broader MCU. Additionally, Marvel Studios has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028. It's speculated that one of these films might be dedicated to the X-Men.