The directors of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars have revealed one of their primary motivations for returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Anthony and Joe Russo acknowledged that the MCU has grown unwieldy in recent years and explicitly stated that bringing a “more central narrative” back to the franchise was a key factor in their decision to helm the upcoming Multiverse Saga conclusion. This candid admission comes as production for Avengers: Doomsday is set to begin this summer in the United Kingdom, with the film serving as one of the final chapters in the current phase of Marvel storytelling before culminating in Secret Wars in 2027. The Russo brothers, who previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, are returning to the MCU after a five-year absence during which the franchise expanded significantly across both theatrical releases and Disney+ streaming series.
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“Yes, the MCU has got quite large, that’s for sure. I mean, frankly, we struggle with that same issue,” Anthony Russo explained. “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.” This statement echoes concerns raised by both critics and fans regarding the increasingly fragmented storytelling across the MCU’s numerous projects since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
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“Well, we love the genre,” Anthony also said about the duo’s involvement in comic book media. “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.”
How the Russo Brothers Plan to Refocus the MCU’s Sprawling Narrative
The Russo brothers’ commitment to reestablishing a focused central narrative represents a potential course correction for Marvel Studios, which has faced increasing criticism for its expansive and sometimes disconnected storytelling since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. Following Avengers: Endgame, the MCU dramatically expanded its scope, introducing dozens of new characters across both theatrical releases and Disney+ series while simultaneously exploring multiverse concepts through projects like Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This expansion, while ambitious, has resulted in a narrative landscape that many viewers have found challenging to follow.
The upcoming Avengers: Doomsday will be filmed in the United Kingdom under the working title “For All Time Productions UK,” a reference to the popular line from the Loki series. This connection to Loki suggests the Russos may be looking to incorporate the groundwork laid by the Disney+ series into their more focused narrative approach, potentially bringing together disparate story threads from across the multiverse. The production is expected to be substantial, with Joe Russo previously suggesting an approximate runtime of two and a half hours for Doomsday and three hours for Secret Wars — comparable to their previous Marvel films Infinity War (149 minutes) and Endgame (181 minutes).
With Robert Downey Jr. returning to the franchise not as Tony Stark but as Doctor Doom, alongside a cast that’s expected to include Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and the new Fantastic Four introduced in this summer’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the directors will need to balance numerous character arcs while establishing Doctor Doom as the central threat of the Multiverse Saga. This task is particularly challenging given that Doom is being introduced relatively late in the saga, unlike Thanos (Josh Brolin), who was teased throughout multiple films before taking center stage in Infinity War.
The shift from Kang the Conqueror to Doctor Doom as the saga’s primary antagonist, followed Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles. While Kang had been established through appearances in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Doctor Doom remains largely unknown to MCU audiences, requiring the directors to efficiently introduce and develop the character while simultaneously bringing together the numerous narrative threads that have unfolded across Phase Four and beyond.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released on May 1, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars following on May 7, 2027.
Do you think the Russo Brothers will manage to tie every loose MCU thread? Are you excited about the upcoming Avengers movies? Let us know in the comments!
