Paul Bettany And Elizabeth Olsen On 'Avengers: Infinity War' Directors Vs. Joss Whedon

Avengers: Infinity War will be the first Avengers film which Joss Whedon is not in charge of, as the Russo Brothers provide a unique on-set experience for the cast members who had previously worked with him.

During ComicBook.com's visit to the Marvel Studios film's set in June of 2017, Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen were among several cast members who described Anthony and Joe Russo's directing style as it compared to Whedon's.

"Yeah, they're really different," Bettany said. "It's not that one is better than the other."

The two actors made their Marvel Cinematic Universe debuts in the Whedon-directed Avengers: Age of Ultron. By now, though, they have worked with the Russo Brothers on three films, beginning with Captain America: Civil War and ending with Avengers 4.

"The biggest difference is that Joss wrote everything," Olsen added. "When he writes them, he plays every single character in, like, a cabin and he does the fighting sequences as much as he can and then he writes it. I think the main difference is that the Russos delegate and they trust everything that they've delegated things to. Not saying Joss didn't, but that's a lot of pressure to be a director and then go home to also do rewrites for the next week.

"So I think it's just as it gets bigger, things become more specific to different departments and I think it allows maybe even a freedom within the dialogue sometimes because there's a space some of us have the ability to step out and not be on the page. Not saying that one's better than the other because Joss knows these characters better than maybe each one of the individuals do because he lives it and breathes it, and the Russos at the beginning of filming are like, "You're in control of your character. If there are things you think we missed, please participate, please say."

"They really want you to be a collaborator and it's great," Bettany chimed in. "There's a huge upside for that. For [the Russo Brothers], when you're dealing with so many characters and actors to have two of them, and it's brilliant because you can play one off against the other."

The collaborative effort does allow the actors to make suggestions on-the-fly. "I think everybody does all the time and Marvel has really been open to that, surprisingly," Bettany said.

"People say it's not a creative environment, you just are a pawn," Olsen added. "They make it the most creative environment it can be within its parameters."

"There are people with very clear vision," Bettany said. "So they're able to hear you and yet maintain the course of the ship. I found it really open and creative and genuinely interested in what you would like to happen and have happened with your character."

As it turns out, Marvel films might just be so successful because of the passion from the people behind them. "I think the success of the Marvel films comes from the fact that they're made by fans," Bettany said. "They really love those characters. When I first came out dressed as Vision, Kevin Feige nearly cried. I didn't grow up reading comics but they make you fall in love with your character. They really do. Their love for these stories is really infectious and you become really invested, and there's a lot of invested people beyond the financials of it all. They really want to do a good job, and I think fans really trust that if they bend things that they're in safe hands."

Marvel Studios' Black Panther is now playing in theaters. Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27, 2018. It is followed by Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

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