The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is gearing up for a thrilling new chapter with the upcoming films, *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have shared insights on how these movies will diverge from their previous works, *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers described the upcoming films as a "new beginning" that will set the stage for Phase 7 of the MCU.
Joe Russo remarked, "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?" This fresh start promises to redefine the MCU's narrative landscape.
Anthony Russo explained their return to the Marvel world, saying, "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 highlighted the challenges of *Doomsday*, noting it as a "difficult" movie due to the "expectations on it" to revive theater attendance to pre-pandemic levels. Interestingly, Marvel producer Kevin Feige proposed the return of Robert Downey Jr. for *Doomsday*. Joe Russo shared, "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.’"
Who Will Be the New Avengers in the MCU?
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Joe Russo concluded the interview by emphasizing their approach to 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."
*Avengers: Doomsday* is slated to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, with *Secret Wars* following on May 2027. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the Russo brothers' latest vision for the MCU.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has hinted at the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU in the "next few" movies. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige mentioned, "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 future of the X-Men post-*Secret Wars*, 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."
Feige also noted the importance of the X-Men in the MCU's future, 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."
It seems that Phase 7 will be heavily influenced by the X-Men, with Storm already making her debut in *What If...? Season 3*. Additionally, Marvel Studios has added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule on February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028, increasing the likelihood of an X-Men film among them.
