Anthony and Joe Russo say “Avengers: Doomsday” will be a “complete reinvention,” framing it as a bold tonal and storytelling shift. They describe how “Civil War” left audiences divided—and suggest the same character tensions will evolve as Robert Downey Jr. re
The Russo Brothers didn’t just talk about “Avengers: Doomsday.” They teased the feeling of stepping into it—where the audience might not be braced for what comes next.
In an exclusive conversation posted on their YouTube page Tuesday, Anthony and Joe Russo—directors behind some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest hits, from “Captain America: Civil War” to “Avengers: Endgame”—promised the highly anticipated “Avengers” movie would be a “complete reinvention.”
Their discussion circled back to “Civil War,” which marked its 10-year anniversary earlier in May. Anthony leaned into a detail that still lands: the characters’ emotional pull. “Tony Stark and Steve Rogers remain very empathetic and root-able and you’ll see to this day people are divided over who was was more relatable in that film. ” Anthony said.
The interviewer then pointed to how the brothers are still “exploring” that dynamic in “Doomsday,” even as Robert Downey Jr. changes the game by playing Doctor Doom, rather than Iron Man.
Anthony said the relationship between those characters’ aspirations and their flaws remains in motion. “Yeah, that’s a great point. It’s very much this sort of like. unresolved … both the aspirations of those characters. and flaws of those characters. continues to unfold as we move into ‘Doomsday. ’” he added.
Joe Russo followed up with a philosophy that sounded like it was aimed at the franchise’s shape as much as its story. “I mean, there’s a place for everything. There’s a place for close-ended expressions. There’s a place for serialized storytelling. It should all coexist. Why not?. I mean, I want a diversity of experiences. I don’t want to have to just get one thing over and over again. And what Marvel’s done better than anybody in history is that serialized storytelling at scale.”.
Then came the pivot back to the movie itself. “And ‘Doomsday’ is, you know, a complete reinvention. It’s another swing,” Joe continued. “I don’t think the audience is expecting it at all what happens in the movie — and its tone and its subject matter. I’m hoping it feels like another profound shift for them in that serialized story.”.
The brothers’ comments add a new kind of pressure to the anticipation already building around the next “Avengers” installment. Last month. Marvel Studios President and “Avengers: Doomsday” producer Kevin Feige said at CinemaCon that “Doomsday” would pick up where 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” left off—an idea that stirred eyebrows given the MCU has launched multiple projects since then.
The scale of the cast is, as expected, stacked. “Avengers: Doomsday” features Chris Hemsworth. Vanessa Kirby. Anthony Mackie. Sebastian Stan. Letitia Wright. Paul Rudd. Wyatt Russell. Tenoch Huerta Mejia. Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Simu Liu. Florence Pugh. Kelsey Grammer. Joseph Quinn. Danny Ramirez. Patrick Stewart. Ian McKellan. Channing Tatum. and many more. It also brings back Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, who made headlines after “Endgame” for concluding their runs as Iron Man and Captain America, respectively.
Directed by the Russo Brothers and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, “Avengers: Doomsday” is produced by Kevin Feige and the Russos. It will be followed immediately by a sequel titled “Avengers: Secret Wars,” slated for release on December 17, 2027.
For now, the date that’s driving the countdown is the one in front of it: “Avengers: Doomsday” arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026.
Russo Brothers Avengers: Doomsday Marvel Studios Avengers Doctor Doom Robert Downey Jr. Tony Stark Steve Rogers Civil War Avengers: Endgame Kevin Feige Avengers: Secret Wars CinemaCon