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, in an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, have provided insights into how these films will diverge from their previous works, *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*. They describe *Avengers 5* and *Avengers 6* as a "new beginning" that will set the stage for the MCU's Phase 7.
Joe Russo highlighted the unique position of these films, 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?" This shift in narrative focus suggests an exciting evolution for the MCU.
The Russo brothers also shared how they found themselves drawn back into 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 further elaborated on the challenges of *Avengers: Doomsday*, noting it as a "difficult" film due to the high "expectations on it" to revitalize the cinematic experience post-pandemic. Interestingly, Marvel producer Kevin Feige proposed bringing back Robert Downey Jr. for *Doomsday*. Joe Russo recalled, "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 also touched on the thematic focus of the upcoming films, saying, "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 on May 2027. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see what the Russo brothers have planned.
In other news, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige hinted at the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU. At the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige teased, "You will see some X-Men players that you might recognize in the next few MCU movies," without specifying which characters or films. He further elaborated, "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 importance of the X-Men in the MCU's future post-*Secret Wars*, 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."
It appears that Phase 7 of the MCU will be heavily influenced by the X-Men. In the interim, Storm made her debut in the MCU in *What If...? Season 3*. Moreover, Marvel Studios has scheduled three untitled movie projects for 2028, with dates on February 18, May 5, and November 10, suggesting one of these might be an X-Men film.
