The Russo Brothers Explain Why They Came Back to Marvel

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, it looked like Anthony and Joe Russo’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was at an end. After helming perhaps the greatest cinematic event of all time, the Russos began to look to other projects.

To that end, they directed Cherry for Apple TV and The Gray Man and The Electric State for Netflix.

Source: Marvel Studios

Marvel, meanwhile, moved on to its Multiversal Saga, which was set up to feature Kang the Conqueror as the next big bad. Following Marvel’s disappointing 2023 that saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Qunatumania underperform, The Marvels bomb, and Secret Invasion derided, Marvel needed to change. When Jonathan Majors was convicted of domestic violence, the studio decided to pivot.

Return of the Russos

Then, the previously unthinkable happened. At last year’s San Deigo Comic-Con, Marvel head Kevin Feige took the stage and announced that the Russo Brothers were returning to Marvel Studios to direct 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

Source: Variety

While the news that the Russos were returning shocked the Marvel world, it turns out that the directors had been in contact with Feige and discussed numerous ideas.

“Endgame was the end, and it took a little time for us to begin to think about it as something other than an end,” Anthony explained in a recent interview with Empire Magazine.

“We’re very close with Kevin and Lou [D’Esposito] and the entire Marvel team and we’ve had conversations through the years. We’ve talked about a lot of ideas. Really what happened was, we ended up stumbling upon an idea that activated all of us. You couldn’t see it coming until it came, and once it came it was like, ‘Well, that’s a story we need to tell.’”

‘Secret Wars’

The Russo Brothers have long been open about their affinity for the story of Secret Wars. Growing up as fans of the Marvel comic arcs, this connection brought them back to the MCU.

Marvel Comics

“Why would we come back if we didn’t feel like we had a story that had that possibility of being on an equal footing with Infinity War and Endgame unless there’s a kernel there for an idea that’s really explosive?,” Joe Russo told GamesRadar+.

Photo: BBC

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on May 1, 2026.