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

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is on the brink of a new era, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo hinting at the distinct direction of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. In an insightful interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers discussed how these upcoming films will serve as a "new beginning" for the MCU, setting the stage for Phase 7.

"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?"

The Russo brothers also shared how they found themselves returning to the Marvel fold. “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's a "difficult" film due to the "expectations on it" to revitalize the theater-going experience post-COVID. Additionally, the Russos disclosed that Marvel producer Kevin Feige proposed 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 with a tantalizing hint about the film's direction: "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 for release on May 1, 2026, with Secret Wars following in May 2027, leaving fans eagerly anticipating what the Russo brothers have in store.

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has teased the inclusion of X-Men characters in upcoming MCU films. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige hinted that fans would see “some X-Men players that you might recognize” in the near future, though he refrained from specifying which characters or films.

On the integration of the X-Men into the MCU, Feige stated, “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 emphasized the significance of the X-Men in the MCU's future beyond Secret Wars, saying, "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 seemingly poised to focus on the X-Men, a notable precursor was Storm's appearance in What If...? Season 3, marking her debut in the broader MCU.

Additionally, Marvel Studios recently added three untitled projects to its 2028 schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028. Speculation is rife that one of these could be an X-Men film, further solidifying the team's pivotal role in the MCU's future.