Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have an idea for how they plan to restore the MCU to its former glory in their new Avengers movies.
After leaving the MCU with the phenomenal success of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers sought out projects of their own like the recently released The Electric State.
That is until the MCU came calling again in 2024 and roped the veteran directors back in to helm the next two major superhero headliners, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Russo Brothers Will Refocus the MCU
In an interview with The Times, Joe and Anthony Russo unveiled their intention to refocus the MCU with a central narrative in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
A recurring concern from MCU fans is that the Multiverse Saga lacks the coherent vision that the Infinity Saga had.
The Russo Brothers revealed they "struggle with the same issue" and intend to change this by going back to a "central narrative" in their Avengers movies:
Anthony: "Yes, the MCU has got quite large, that’s for sure. I mean, frankly, we struggle with that same issue. But part of the reason Joe and I decided to go back is exactly what you’re talking about. There needs to be more of a central narrative. That was something we were very specific about when we worked with Marvel [before]. We would like to bring the focused narrative back."
Anthony added that while "every movie is hard" the brothers were excited to return to Marvel as they have "something to say."
The directors have previously spoken about Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars being a "new beginning" for the MCU rather than an ending like their previous Avengers movies, which hints at a way forward for the MCU beyond the Multiverse Saga.
Chris Pratt, who worked with the Russos on Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame and The Electric State, supported his directors, saying they know what "makes the Avengers great:"
"They know that it’s the mundane, human brokenness of characters that drives stories and makes the Avengers great. They have this ability to find the humanity."
The Russos added that despite some condescension from certain audiences (and major filmmakers) they see Marvel films as being "relevant for adults" and treat them with "maturity and complexity:"
Anthony: "Well, we love the genre. Some people wrote it off as a less comprehensive form of storytelling that’s more for children. But we think of it as relevant for adults, if it is treated with maturity and complexity. That’s really all it is — a commitment to storytelling."
Why Does the MCU Need Fixing?
One of the main differentiating factors of the Multiverse Saga is that the MCU has expanded beyond just feature films; it has also released TV series, animated series, and TV specials on Disney+.
With over 20 projects in this second saga and dozens of new heroes taking the spotlight, there's been a recurring complaint from fans that many of these projects don't connect in the ways they used to.
In particular, there's a resounding concern that the MCU has not been building up to a major crossover point like the Infinity Saga did, which called for all of the Avengers to unite to stop Thanos.
Attempts have been made at this throughout the Multiverse Saga. When Kang was intended to be the major villain of the piece he was seeded through multiple projects like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Loki.
However, those plans changed quickly after Marvel dropped Kang's actor Jonathan Majors and switched focus to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom instead.
With Avengers 5 set for release next year, this gives the MCU very little time to establish its new overarching threat in upcoming films and series, which puts a lot of the onus on the Russo Brothers in their upcoming movies.
Thankfully, the directors' comments suggest they are up for the task and will hopefully infuse the same magic that made Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame so great into their next Avengers films as well.
Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on May 1, 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars is planned for May 7, 2027.
