Avengers: Endgame Directors Reveal Their Biggest Star Wars Role Models

One of the joys of the Star Wars saga is that, over the course of 10 films, multiple TV series, and dozens of novels and comic books, countless characters have debuted for fans to connect with. Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Avengers: Endgame, have regularly professed their love for the galaxy far, far away, not only as movie fans but also as creators, with the franchise having inspired their artistic vision. The filmmakers are currently promoting the home video release of Endgame, leading them to an appearance on The Star Wars Show to reveal the characters in the franchise that they most looked up to growing up.

“Han Solo was the biggest influence on me as far as a role model,” Anthony admitted.

Joe pointed out, “Mine was Boba Fett, so there was no competition there.”

The admiration didn’t stop there, as they continued to point out other powerful characters in the series.

“I think Luke Skywalker is the most quintessential hero and the most identifiable hero,” Joe explained.

Anthony added, “And certainly Darth Vader. We love complicated villains and complicated relationships between protagonists and antagonists. And it’s as good as it gets with Darth Vader.”

In Endgame, Thanos is the adoptive father of Gamora and Nebula, which added complexity to that film’s narrative. The Russo brothers made their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which explored one of the most complicated and now beloved relationships in the whole franchise.

“When we sat down with Marvel the first time, we met with them about it and talked about the relationship between Cap and Bucky,” Joe recalled. “And we said, ‘It’s a Star Wars relationship.’ You have a villain that is related to the hero. Although they’re not actual relations, they grew up together. They’re like brothers. That creates the richest, most profound kind of storytelling when you have that close of a relationship between your hero and villain.”

This conversation with the filmmakers might not have revealed if they have a future with the franchise, but they have previously confirmed their desire to enter that world.

“I sat in a theater when I was 11 years old and watched [Star Wars:] The Empire Strikes Back from 10 in the morning until 10 at night the day it came out,” Joe revealed to Variety. “To say we’re obsessed with Star Wars is an understatement. We’d absolutely love to do a Star Wars film.”

Stay tuned for details on the Russo brothers’ upcoming projects.

Would you like to see the duo take on a Star Wars film? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!