The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine that constantly treats fans to new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. All eyes are on the upcoming Marvel movies, especially Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel Secret Wars. Moviegoers are hyped about The Russo Brothers returning to the MCU for those titles, but they just keep getting asked if they'll do more Marvel movies afterward.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that The Russo Brothers are behind some of the best titles in the entire shared universe. That includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, and of course Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, with the latter becoming the highest grossing movie of all time. While appearing at SXSW in London (via Deadline) Anthony Russo responded to questions about their potential Marvel future, saying:

This makes a ton of sense. Endgame's ending wrapped up a number of stories, including Cap's happy ending and the death of both Iron Man and Black Widow. So no one would have blamed The Russos for retiring from Marvel forever. Luckily for fans, they ended up being convinced to return for the next two Avengers movies.

Anthony Russo went on to share how they're approaching Doomsday and Secret Wars, which will tell another full storyline. In his words:

While The Russo Brothers aren't setting any rules about their involvement in the MCU moving forward, it sounds like they're approaching their third and fourth Avengers movie as one narrative. Only time will tell if they're convinced to do more Marvel projects after Doomsday and Secret Wars are both released.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but that'll change when it hits theaters hits coming December. Moviegoers are largely in the dark about its contents, but The Russo Brothers have earned good will among among fans that's helping to buoy excitement. Hopefully we are treated to more footage (and a full trailer) sooner rather than later.

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Secret Wars, it is set to follow suit on December 17th, 2027. Hopefully they won't mark The Russos' last time directing a Marvel movie.

After Peter Parker stresses himself to keep New York safe in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fate of seemingly every other upcoming Marvel movie (and a large majority of major characters) will be affected by Anthony and Joe Russo’s Avengers: Doomsday, only for the status quo to get shaken up once again when Avengers: Secret Wars drops in 2027. It’s impossible to think about where the MCU will be at that point, but is it possible the Russos will still be involved?

According to a new rumor, the blockbuster-directing siblings could very well hitch their talents to yet another big-budget Marvel project, with the caveat that this hypothetical third movie may just be an extension of what we already know about. Per CosmicCircus and scooper Alex Perez when asked about any recent Secret Wars details:

Wowza boom-bowza! Even though we're obviously going to take those comments with the necessary grain of salt that comes embedded with all unverified reports, it would indeed be huge and then some for Marvel to confirm that the Russo brothers have agreed to remain at the helm for yet another Avengers-centric feature. Even if they haven't been involved with the MCU since Endgame, their value has been proven a million times over, and the buzz building up ahead of Doomsday is only helping.

It's still way too early to even know which characters will survive long enough to still be called Avengers after Secret Wars, much less to guess what villains or comic storylines might be utilized. But that's only if the alleged third movie actually stands apart from its predecessor.

As the rumor notes, it's possible any noise about the Russos' third Avengers movie could actually play into the idea that Secret Wars will be split into two different features. That claim isn't all that unbelievable, considering Avengers: Endgame was initially Infinity War: Part 2 before the decision was made to go with a different moniker. Of course, that just makes me think that Kevin Feige would once again choose a fresh title rather than settling for an ordinal subtitle.

I really want to put on my theory cap and start making wild guesses, but it's just too early for all that. I'm also not sure who Spider-Man's big bad will be in Brand New Day, but it's definitely easier to make guesses about that one with its release just around the corner.

Avengers: Doomsday will bring Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom across the multiverse on December 17, 2026.

Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Victor von Doom a.k.a. Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Of course, the last time Downey appeared in an MCU flick, he was playing Iron Man, and the beloved hero sacrificed himself at the end of Avengers: Endgame. It’s a watershed moment in the continuity, but it turns out Stark's demise actually could’ve happened in a different movie. So, now, I have some questions following this major revelation.

Tony Stark’s Original Death Was To Happen In Another Massive MCU Film

Let’s be real, Downey’s Stark found himself in more than a few precarious situations throughout the Multiverse Saga, from his encounter with Obadiah Stane to the Avengers’ war with Ultron. However, the battle between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Thanos was particularly intense, and fans more than got a taste of that back in 2018 when Infinity War hit theaters. And, believe it or not, that’s the film co-director Joe Russo said was initially meant to feature Stark’s death, and he and Downey had a funny-back-and-forth about it:

• Joe Russo: This happens a lot in these rooms, right? We try to... I'm feeling the heat now. We try to investigate. We try to investigate all angles, right? Everything's up for grabs. We always say, ‘Best idea wins.’ And a lot of the times you gotta stretch…
• Robert Downey Jr.: It's mine.
• Russo: We have to stretch…
• Downey: Mine is just, ‘Don't kill me.’

Consider me pleasantly surprised by all this! The revelation, which was revealed during a sit-down interview held by CBR, coincided with the eighth anniversary of Infinity War’s release. It’s interesting to hear that Joe Russo and brother/co-director Anthony considered having Stark die in that particular movie, though I guess it tracks, considering there’s a scene in which Thanos stabs Tony through his armor only for him to survive. As for why the Russos eventually decided against it, Joe said:

It sounds like it all came down to the Russos possibly being faced with the challenge of having to include Stark in Endgame posthumously. All in all, I’m glad they settled on their chosen direction, especially since it would’ve robbed us of Stark’s eventual sacrifice, but I still have some questions.

What Are Some Questions To Consider About This “What If” Scenario?

For starters, when exactly was Stark’s death going to take place in Infinity War? I mean, would it have been the moment he was stabbed by Thanos on Titan? Of course, there’s also the possibility that he could’ve died in a totally different way that might not have involved Thanos at all. I find it very interesting that Joe Russo doesn’t divulge any specifics, but that may be due to his desire to have fans speculate as I’m doing right now.

Something I also want to know is whether Robert Downey Jr. was aware of his character’s initial fate during the development process. And, if he knew, I’d love to know how he felt. It’s unclear based on this conversation, but I get the feeling Downey wouldn’t have been too pleased, considering the comments he’s sharing now.

Regardless of any of that, though, I’d say everything worked out just as it should’ve. And, in any case, Downey still has the opportunity to further spread his wings by way of his villainous character. I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall and watched Downey work on set. Here’s hoping that Doom’s introduction is glorious and that Tony Stark’s memory is preserved within the MCU amid his cohort’s latest battle.

Fans can check out Stark’s sacrifice by streaming Avengers: Endgame with a Disney+ subscription. Also, see Robert Downey Jr. return in Avengers: Doomsday, which opens in theaters on December 18 amid the 2026 movie schedule.

Tom Holland has been open about how much Robert Downey Jr. meant to his early Marvel run, and the whole thing still has a very sweet mentor-student glow. Holland entered the MCU as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War, and Downey’s Tony Stark was there both in the movie and behind the scenes, helping him find his footing.

In an Instagram video posted by Marvel, Joe and Anthony Russo talked about filming Holland’s MCU introduction and explained that Downey’s guidance shaped the scene in real time. Joe Russo said:

According to The Russos, one of the greatest things a filmmaker can do for an actor is put them in a scene with Robert Downey Jr.. And hey, it seems to have paid off for Holland, who is now a global superstar looking to headline two major summer tentpole films on the 2026 movie calendar.

Tom Holland Wants To Pay That Forward

That lines up beautifully with Holland’s own recent comments about the future of Spider-Man. In a statement, Holland said that whenever Marvel brings in the next web-slinger, whether that is Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman or someone else, he would love to be part of setting up that next chapter.

His reasoning was simple and very full-circle. In recent viral comments, Holland said that if he could do for another actor what Downey did for him, he would be “so content swinging off into the sunset.”

That is the kind of comment that is both adorable and slightly alarming for fans. On the one hand, it is lovely to hear Holland thinking about mentorship rather than just franchise ownership. On the other hand, whenever an actor in new superhero movies starts talking about sunsets, Marvel fans start bracing for some emotional damage.

But it makes sense. Holland’s first MCU scenes worked partly because Peter Parker felt overwhelmed in the best possible way. He was a kid from Queens, suddenly standing across from Tony Stark/Iron Man, and the nervous energy did not feel fake. Downey could play confidence in his sleep, but he also knew how to make room for Holland’s jittery charm. Their dynamic became the backbone of the MCU’s Spider-Man story, from Homecoming through the heartbreak of Avengers: Endgame.

The Russos Saw The Same Thing

The Russo Brothers’ comments help explain why that introduction landed so well. Putting a new actor opposite Downey was not just a casting flex. It was a way of giving Holland a scene partner who could set the pace, keep the scene alive and help define the character’s place in the larger MCU.

That matters because Spider-Man was entering a universe that was already crowded with stars, lore and audience expectations. Holland had to feel new without feeling disconnected, and Downey’s presence gave him an immediate anchor. Tony Stark was the MCU’s biggest personality at the time, so if he took Peter seriously, audiences were invited to do the same.

It also helped that the relationship echoed the characters. Tony became a mentor to Peter on screen, while Downey seems to have done something similar for Holland off-screen. Sometimes the movie machine gets lucky, and the behind-the-scenes chemistry hums at the same frequency as the story.

Spider-Man’s Future Is Starting To Look Generational

That is why Holland’s comments about a future Spider-Man hit harder than a normal franchise tease. The MCU has been around long enough that its young heroes are becoming veterans, and older heroes, like Ant-Man, are the old guard and mentors. Holland was once the new kid being welcomed into the clubhouse. Now, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the way, he is talking about helping whoever comes next.

That could mean Miles Morales. It could mean Spider-Gwen. It could mean another Spider-person entirely. Marvel has not laid out those plans yet, but the animated Spider-Verse movies and the television hit Spider-Noir have already proved there is a huge appetite for more than one web-slinger.

For now, Holland is still Peter Parker, and fans are waiting to see what Brand New Day does with him after the lonely ending of No Way Home. But between Holland’s comments and the Russos’ praise for Downey, one thing feels clear: RDJ’s influence on the MCU did not end with Tony Stark’s sacrifice.

And hey, we will get to see RDJ back in the MCU, albeit in a very different kind of mask, when he appears as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday on Dec. 18. Holland’s Spidey has not been confirmed for the movie, but with the Russo brothers back behind the camera, one can only hope for that kind of full-circle reunion.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since the release of Captain America: Civil War as, for me, it feels like just yesterday that the superhero crossover film hit cinemas. Even today, Joe and Anthony Russo’s 2016 flick ranks as one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. There are so many reasons to “marvel” at the film, from its adept juggling of the various characters to its spectacular action sequences. One particular wild piece of lore pertaining to the Russos’ film, though, is its contribution to a real “civil war” at Marvel.

Amid the 10th anniversary of Civil War, the Russo brothers participated in a screening and Q&A session moderated by CBR. During the wide-ranging conversation, the brothers were asked about some of the creative compromises that needed to be made while they were developing the movie. Joe Russo explained that the movie’s development represented a case study in how to be “uncompromising.” From there, the Gray Man co-director, recalled the discussions that were had behind the scenes:

“Marvel New York” is in reference to the company’s creative committee, and that governing body provided notes on the MCU films for years. Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter oversaw the group and, at times, there were clashes between the group and studio president Kevin Feige and co. The discussions regarding Civil War ultimately led to that tension coming to a head. Despite that, Russo explained that he, his brother and the folks at the studio were holding steady to their opinion on how the movie should end:

Captain America: Civil War ends with the Avengers divided as a result of the machinations set in motion by Helmut Zemo, who’s incarcerated by the conclusion of the film. As a fan, I’m personally glad that the Russos and their collaborators stuck to their guns. Because they did so, the film also laid the groundwork for the two MCU event films that would follow it – Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Of course, aside from the third act, a certain spider-themed hero also figured into the creative conflicts, as Anthony Russo recalled:

Of course, as history tells us, the Marvel/Sony deal for Spider-Man worked out and, at present, a fourth Spidey film starring Tom Holland is set to hit the 2026 movie schedule. Introducing Peter Parker into the MCU could’ve gone sideways, but it definitely seemed to pay off. Additionally, the Russos deserve credit for taking a number of swings in the film, from getting Robert Downey Jr. to give a more antagonistic performance as Tony Stark to having the main villain be a non-powered man with a vendetta.

As for the corporate side of all this, Marvel Studios was eventually inserted into Walt Disney Studios proper, with Kevin Feige eventually reporting to then-chairman Alan Horn instead of Perlmutter. That move provided Feige and his team with more creative autonomy and set the stage for the projects that would come in the following years.

It’s easy to see why Civil War has had such a serious influence on the MCU, and I’m glad it exists in its current form. Yes, it may have sparked something of a war within Marvel, but I’d say the film’s $1.1 billion worldwide haul and the critical acclaim eventually proved that it was smart for the company to go with the Russos’ instincts.

Captain America: Civil War is now available to stream using a Disney+ subscription. Anyone looking forward to upcoming Marvel movies should know that the Russos are helming Avengers: Doomsday, which opens in theaters on December 18.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always keeping fans on their toes, thanks to the steady release of content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is Avengers: Doomsday, which will be a multiversal crossover event. The Russo Brothers are back behind the camera, and they recently offered a cryptic comment about Chris Evans' return to the MCU. And while it didn't reveal anything about the movie itself, they explained him returning as Steve Rogers for the first time since Endgame's ending.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, leading to plenty of rumors and fan theories arriving online. Following the Doomsday cast announcement, a teaser featuring Chris Evans' Steve Rogers confirmed his return in the blockbuster. In a conversation with Empire Magazine (via Twitter), The Russo Brothers explained their choice to bring the beloved hero back. In their words:

While being careful to guard the movie's secrets, it sounds like the story being told in Avengers: Doomsday is what warranted Chris Evans' return as his signature character. This might be a relief for skeptics, who were worried that the Russos were tarnishing Steve Roger's happy ending with Peggy. Of course, we'll have to wait and see how this all shakes out when the title hits theaters this coming December.

While we haven't gotten a full trailer for the next Avengers movie, fans were treated to a number of brief Doomsday teasers, revealing some crossovers and the return of the stars of the X-Men movies. And it sounds like not only will Evans be back, but Steve Rogers is essential to the project's story.

While the next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, fans are definitely invested in what's coming down the line with Avengers: Doomsday. Folks are eager for The Russo Brothers' movie to get a full trailer, and hopefully reveal more about what the actual story will entail. That includes exactly how Chris Evans' Captain America will join the narrative and presumably help in the fight against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

With both RDJ and Chris Evans back for the next Avengers movie, there's plenty of reasons why longtime fans of the MCU might show up to theaters. I have to assume this is purposeful, especially after projects like The Marvels bombed at the box office. Hopefully some more information comes sooner rather than later.

Avengers: Doomsday is expected to arrive in theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Fingers crossed that we get a full trailer in the near future.

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have been buzzing about Avengers: Doomsday as of late in great part due to the flurry of teasers that have hit the web. Among those highlighted in the footage is Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, who headlined the first of the four clips released thus far. There’s been plenty of talk amongst fans about Steve’s return to the MCU, and there’s still so much we don’t know. Now, directors Joe and Anthony Russo are teasing the size of Rogers’ role, and one concern I’ve had is growing a bit more.

What Was Said About The Size Of Steve Rogers’ Role?

It’s no secret that Doomsday has an extensive cast and will have a considerable amount of characters to service. So it’s hard not to wonder which ones the Russo brothers will zero in on in this film, which is set to be one half of the culmination of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. The Russos, of course, aren’t exactly keen on spilling the beans on their plans for the upcoming superhero movie. During an interview with Empire Magazine, one of the siblings shared (via ComicBook) their feelings on Steve’s role:

“Central” appears to be the key word here and, while the comments are brief, they do speak volumes. These sentiments seemingly suggest that Steve won’t just be popping in for a handful of scenes. So those who are eager to see their fair share of Steve may indeed have a lot to celebrate. I’ve long been a fan of the heroic (and highly quotable) Rogers, and I’m curious as to what part he’ll play in this next Avengers movie. However, due to his return, I’ve also been concerned about another character’s place within the story.

Amid Steve’s Return, I’ve Been Thinking About Another Doomsday Character

Right now, the MCU has a new Captain America, and his name is Sam Wilson. Anthony Mackie’s wing pack-wearing hero is set to return in Doomsday though, with Steve back in the picture, I’ve been concerned that Wilson could get shortchanged in this latest team-up film. It’s true that we’ve yet to receive confirmation that Steve will indeed don his red, white and blue uniform again, though it did appear in his teaser. So it's hard not to wonder what this all means for Sam.

Given the Russos’ emphasis on Rogers being a “central” element within Doomsday, I can’t help but feel more concerned about the prospect of Sam being somewhat sidelined. It’d be unfortunate if Wilson were to not receive his due as a result of his predecessor coming back into the picture. Honestly, one of the last scenes I want to see in this film is an exchange between Sam and Steve that results in the former handing his shield over to the latter.

I could, of course, just be getting ahead of myself with all of this. The Russos are, after all, skilled when it comes to balancing characters and giving them their just due. So there’s a chance that these two Caps will operate in a balanced way throughout the film. Until I see that, though, I won’t let go of my worries.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18 as part of the 2026 movie schedule. In the meantime, fans can stream the Captain America films and other MCU installments using a Disney+ subscription.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, thanks to projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is definitely Avengers: Doomsday, especially since The Russo Brothers are back behind the camera. The filmmakers recently posted a cryptic photo from the set, and fans are having big reactions because it's almost identical to the tease for Endgame. Let's break it down.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, and fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are having a serious case of deja vu right now. Namely because of the filmmakers' cryptic post on Instagram, which seriously resembled a set photo they shared years ago. You can check out the new photo below:

How delightfully cryptic. Moviegoers out there are collectively squinting to see what clues about Doomsday can be gleaned from this photo. And in it we see the shape of an A and the shape of an X, possibly hinting at the long-awaited crossover of The Avengers and the X-Men.

Fans will recall that a similar post was shared by The Russo Brothers years ago. In fact, the comments section is filled with moviegoers clocking this fact. Some responses read:

• NOT THIS AGAIN 😫 - palomaordaz
• Cooked again like 2019 👾🔥 - sarthakk.fr_
• Is that Tobey Maguire???????? - thecinematicuniverse
• GUY'S REMEMBER THEY DID THE SAME THING WITH ENDGAME BTW🤓🤓 - itzstark_am
• Let the Marvel conspiracy theories begin - domhecht

For those who don't remember, the previous post by The Russo Brothers back in 2018. Another black and white cryptic set photo was shared, which fans also dissected for clues about Endgame. You can check out the OG post below:

Fans surmised that this set photo actually spelled the world Endgame, which as we know was the title of their last Avengers movie. So what are they teasing with the more recent Doomsday set photo? As previously mentioned, some folks think all that the shape of the A and various X's mean that Earth's Mightiest Heroes will be coming to blows with the cast of the X-Men movies. We'll just have to wait for concrete information as the blockbuster slowly inches closer to its December 2026 release.

There are countless questions about the next Avengers flick, especially after Doomsday's cast announcement confirmed that entire teams of heroes will be colliding. The specifics of how they'll interact remains to be seen, but The Russo Brothers have proven their ability to balance a giant ensemble cast.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th of next year as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully the Russo Brothers' new post is decoded sooner rather than later.

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday is currently in production, with directors Joe and Anthony Russo overseeing the shoot. Aside from the massive cast (which was revealed via chairs earlier this year) and a general synopsis, few specific details are known about the story. The Russo Brothers have mostly remained tight-lipped on what they have planned, yet they’ve now graced fans with an extremely cryptic tease. It’s a tough post to decipher, but I have a theory about what it might mean.

The Russos Drop A Mysterious Pic On Social Media Along With A Telling Caption

It’s rare that the Russos post to their shared social media accounts. However, when they do drop something related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they tend to break the Internet. Early Tuesday morning, the sibling filmmakers took to Instagram to drop a somewhat blurry photo, which seems to showcase markings of some sort. Anyone questioning whether this actually has anything to do with their upcoming Marvel movie should also make note of the Doomsday is Coming hashtag. Check it out:

Anyone scratching their head after looking at that post shouldn’t feel bad about that. Based on the comment section, plenty of fans are doing their best to decipher the meaning behind this strange update. It’d be an understatement to say that this pic is far more mysterious than the first set photo the Russos shared, which revealed Victor Von Doom’s set chair (which belongs to returning MCU veteran Robert Downey Jr.).

Of course, this latest post is ultimately doing exactly what the Russos and Marvel Studios as a whole probably want, which is for fans to be talking and speculating about its meaning. In that regard, I’m like a moth to a flame, as my gears quickly started turning after I saw the photo for the first time. With that, I’m currently of the belief that this picture has ties to one specific MCU character — one who isn’t the villainous Doctor Doom.

What Might This Doomsday Tease Mean?

Avengers: Doomsday is primed to be one half of the culmination of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. With that, multiversal affairs are sure to play heavily into the upcoming superhero epic. Fans who’ve been following the continuity up to this point surely know that there are several characters who’ve been studying the multiverse, with one of them being Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.

On that note, I think the image the Russos shared on social media is a blurred and cropped photo of Reed’s chalkboard from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In that film, Reed uses the board to break down complex topics, and a shot from an early FF trailer even teased his examination of the multiverse using the board. So the Russos could possibly be alluding to Richards’ observations, which may or may not be crucial to protecting various realities from the threat of Doctor Doom.

This is, of course, all just a theory on my part, and Joe and Anthony Russo’s tease could pertain to something else entirely. Still, until I’m convinced otherwise, I’m sticking to the Reed Richards assertion, even if it’s a stretch (no pun intended). I’m also willing to bet that this won’t be the last little nugget that the Russos share as Doomsday filming continues and, if that’s the case, I’ll surely pore over that as well alongside fellow fans.

Avengers: Doomsday is set to open in theaters on December 18 as part of the 2026 movie schedule. In the meantime, stream past MCU movies and TV shows using a Disney+ subscription.

Major spoilers for Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, so be warned as you read about one of the biggest scenes from the film.

Thunderbolts* has finally arrived amid the 2025 movie schedule, and it’s causing quite a stir. Fans and critics alike have been high on the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, with many praising Florence Pugh’s standout performance. If you saw the film, you surely know there was some excellent "shawarma” to partake in via that post-credits scene (which muddies up one MCU relationship). It turns out the Russo Brothers directed the scene, but it’s the speed with which it came together that really has me impressed.

Following a mid-credits scene that sees Red Guardian trying to impress someone in a grocery store, Thunderbolts* lengthy post-credits scene jumps 14 months into the future. The bit shows the titular team – who’ve since been dubbed the New Avengers – discussing Sam Wilson’s copyright lawsuit against them as well as an ongoing issue in outer space. They then receive a distress signal from an interdimensional spacecraft with a “4” logo, indicating the arrival of the Fantastic Four in the sacred timeline.

Director Jake Schreier was asked about that massive moment in the film, and he dropped some very intriguing details. As mentioned, filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo were actually behind the camera to direct it. The comments that Schreier shared with Variety also seemingly confirm that this won’t be the last time audiences see this scene in an MCU film:

I honestly assumed the Russos filmed that post-credits stinger. The Disney-owned studio has a long history of using dailies from upcoming Marvel movies as credits scenes in other films. Yet the situation was a bit different this time around, as the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday hadn’t officially commenced filming at the time. So the crew had to work fast, and I’m in utter disbelief that the scene was only filmed around a month ago. That’s a break-neck turnaround, to say the least. Jake Schrier also shared more details:

Principal photography for Doomsday kicked off last week, with the Russo Brothers sharing a photo of Robert Downey Jr.’s set chair. The prospect of another film that unites Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is certainly exciting, and it’s likely that fans are also curious to see what Downey brings to the role of Doctor Doom. Of course, we’re now aware that there are freshly christened New Avengers in the mix, and their presence is sure to shake things up a bit for Sam Wilson (Captain America) and his fellow OGs.

I’m still reveling in the release of Thunderbolts*, which is indeed a fun ride and an excellent addition to the MCU. Jake Schrier and his team deserve a lot of credit for pulling off such a massive film, and kudos to the Russo Brothers for stepping in to handle that post-credits scene so close to release. If you haven’t seen the film already or just want to see it again, know that it’s playing in theaters nationwide now. Also, check out other MCU movies by streaming them with a Disney+ subscription.

When it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Doctor Doom in the MCU, the internet went crazy. To this day, his choice to return to this cinematic universe has been hotly debated, and many have questions about him playing a character who is not Tony Stark in upcoming Marvel movies. Now, while we still don’t know much about Downey's Doom, the Russo Brothers have reassured us that nobody but RDJ can play the character. However, some fans still aren’t convinced.

What The Russo Brothers Recently Said About Robert Downey Jr. Playing Doctor Doom

Anthony and Joe Russo recently shared their thoughts about the current state of the MCU in an interview with The Times. When they were asked how they intended to bring in RDJ to play Doctor Doom, given that he already portrayed the beloved Tony Stark (who is now deceased because of the events of Endgame), Anthony Russo gave us this tidbit as a response:

Overall, this is a sentiment the Russo Brothers have maintained. In this case, the comments also came alongside their goal to have a more succinct story at the heart of the movies. So, they are seemingly very confident in their choice to bring the Oscar winner back to play a new character.

In the past, the Russo Brothers have shared which comics they have drawn inspiration from and they have given some insight into the ‘radical vision’ they have for the franchise going forward. Overall, more solid information about Doomsday and Secret Wars as a whole is still rather slim, but, their confidence in Downey is obvious.

However, considering the rocky track record the MCU has had recently and the past RDJ has with this universe, fans on social media don't share the same sentiment as the Russo Brothers.

What The Fans Have To Say About Robert Downey Jr. Playing Doctor Doom

As mentioned, ever since the initial reveal that RDJ would be taking up the mantle of Doctor Doom, reception has been mixed, to say the least. Some have been worried about his presence as Doom, citing that it feels as though the MCU isn’t confident in the stars they have currently. Meanwhile, others are excited but are still aware of the glaring concerns this immediately brings.

Since the initial announcement, fans across the internet have not been holding back when it comes to their thoughts and opinions on the casting of Doctor Doom. So of course, following this newest statement from the Russo Brothers, many had the opposite opinion of them, as they commented on Comicbook's post:

• Nobody? I mean lotsa people can lol don't get me wrong, I am very much excited for RDJ DrDoom, but still, you got options lol – kingdomcome.art
• “there’s no one else that could play this part” mads mikkelsen sitting around being the perfect victor von doom - _nickolasanthony_
• I want victor von doom, not some evil stark variant. – nelson025
• Respectfully, DOOM should’ve been a different actor and a character that has his own roots and backstory, unrelated to a “variant “ tie in. Still gonna be there opening night! 😂 – mrmattly
• The way Dr. Doom is such an iconic and top tier villain, this is the LAST role that should’ve had stunt casting 😵‍💫 could’ve had a books of doom show to really set him up, introduce the rivalry a bit more in the F4 film, then bam you have a great jumping off point for doomsday and secret wars – cupid.cosplay
• Charlie Clapham Michael Fassbender, Cillian Murphy, Jon Hamm, Nikolai Coster Waldau, Mads Mikklesen, Vigo Morrtenson, Antony Starr, Sam Witwer, the list goes on... – skull101ify

While these are only a few handpicked comments, the general consensus is that fans would like to have an original MCU Doctor Doom rather than a possible Tony Stark variant.

However, this isn’t the first time the comics have had the titular character portrayed by someone else, see Superior Spiderman or even the current ‘Ultimates’ comic where Doctor Doom is actually a version of Reed Richards. There are plenty of comic books where this kind of idea -- if it is indeed where the Russo Brothers are leaning -- has been done successfully.

Overall, fans are concerned about seeing Robert Downey Jr. back in the MCU. However, the Russos are seemingly very confident in their choice. So, when the movie comes out in 2026, we'll have to see who is right.

Joe and Anthony Russo have tackled massive films during their careers, but the two upcoming superhero movies they’re about to helm could be their biggest undertaking yet. The sibling filmmakers are reuniting with Marvel Studios to direct the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. While many of the specifics are being kept under wraps, the duo have provided some insight into their approach to the blockbusters. As part of that, they explained the incredibly tedious way they’re keeping track of the characters at their disposal.

When they made Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, the Russos were also in a position in which they had to balance a copious amount of characters. So they had to establish a method of tracking heroes and villains at that point as well. It’s been said that the directors had to rely on cards in order to account for everyone involved in the narratives. And, as they just revealed, that’ll still be their process when it comes to these news flicks:

Anthony Russo: Yes, we continue to use the baseball cards.

Joe Russo: Now they have magnets on them so we can put ‘em on a board and look at ‘em. It’s the only way to keep track of the amount of characters that we’re working with.

Considering it’s “the only way” for the Russos to manage the characters, I’d hope that this method is helpful. Still, the thought of being in a room surrounded by all of those cards just sounds daunting. I’m a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, who’s quite familiar with the biggest players in the franchise, but the level of problem-solving involved in this creative process seems like a lot. During the brothers’ interview with THR, Anthony Russo shared more thoughts on their approach to handling characters:

The Russo Brothers and their collaborators have mostly been tight-lipped in regard to which characters are set to be featured in Doomsday and Secret Wars. Sam Wilson (Captain America), the Fantastic Four and a handful of others have been confirmed for the upcoming Marvel movies. However, there are still plenty of familiar faces (and some newcomers) that could be in the fold as well. One also has to consider that heroes from the various TV shows are now in play, too. As time-consuming as the character-picking process seems to be, I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the Russos are going through the process.

What is known about the pair of films is that they’ll draw inspiration from Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars storyline of the comics. If I could take an educated guess, the stories will probably bring together various heroes of the MCU and involve multiversal elements. Doctor Doom, played by the returning Robert Downey Jr., is touted as the Big Bad. Anthony and Joe Russo have discussed the process of crafting Doom and say that Downey has been very hands on.

I’m curious to see who the Russos end up plugging into the films and how. Although this may be a massive task, their prior experience with this process likely benefits them immensely. Let’s just hope they don’t end up buried under a mountain of cards. Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars open in theaters on May 1, 2026 and May 7, 2027, respectively. In the meantime, grab a Disney+ subscription to stream the Marvel movies in order.

First brought to life (as it were) in 2018 as a photography-filled text by acclaimed Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, The Electric State is a singular journey about a past era that never existed but still feels as real as anything in a history book. The inspiring mix of past, present and future aesthetics isn’t entirely unlike other recent alt-history media, from Fallout to The Last of Us to another Stålenhag adaptation, Tales from the Loop.

In making the leap from the page to the screen as a 1990s-set adaptation that stretches the definition of “live-action” as much as some Disney’s modern-era remakes, The Electric State unfortunately falls short of matching the source material’s uniqueness and whimsy – despite boasting myriad talents both in front of the camera and behind it. It’d be no small feat for anyone to fully capture the book’s inherent charms, but one might think that Netflix’s seemingly depthless pockets would have allowed for something less fleeting.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, filmmakers who honed their talents with brilliant TV comedies before vaulting into big-budget Marvel Studios fare, The Electric State often feels like the equivalent of prettied-up meals in fast food commercials: a feast for the eyes, but lacking most of the caloric value that keeps one’s brain on track. This would be perfectly fine if we were all robots without functioning biologies, but my human tastes desire something more substantial.

Anthony and Joe Russo are as skilled as can be at directing CGI-filled spectacles.

The Electric State is set in a Jetsons-esque reality where household bots were the norm until a worldwide Us Vs. Them war destroyed all the good vibes, leaving the remaining automatons to congregate in the “Exclusion Zone,” in which humans are not welcome. Millie Bobby Brown plays the tech-rejecting teen Michelle, whose family was seemingly killed off years earlier during the big war, and she still mourns the loss of her brainiac brother Christopher (Woody Norman).

After the robotic avatar of a beloved cartoon character crosses paths with Michelle, she discovers that it somehow appears to contain the life essence of her brother, which ties into some deep-state conspiracy plotting involving a VR-esque company run by Stanley Tucci’s Ethan Skate that allows users’ to split their brainpower between functioning in a virtual realm and powering mecha-drones in the real world. Shades of Ready Player One and District 9 shine through the semi-frequent exposition dumps.

Having acquired the rights to Stålenhag’s book back in 2017, while still in post-production on Avengers: Infinity War, the Russos weren’t even originally planning to helm the adaptation themselves, despite their Marvel collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely handling the script. They officially signed on to spearhead the project in 2020 as a follow-up to their Chris Evans-starring actioner The Gray Man, with Netflix joining the fray in 2022.

All of this is to say that a lot of time was spent in preparation mode for this movie, which required a massive amount of pre-production design work for the multitudes of droids and mechanoids populating the Exclusion Zone, as well as a variety of touched-up landscapes and U.S. skylines. And it’s abundantly clear that vast amounts of meticulous efforts were made to guarantee the best-looking CGI creations and effects possible. In a soundless vacuum-bot, this certainly qualifies as one of the Russo brothers’ best looking movies to date.

For all the gorgeous visuals that honor the source material, The Electric State’s story and dialogue are entirely predictable and forgettable.

The eye-popping and personality-speckled assortment of digitally designed machinery is a wonder only made possible through modern means, but the same cannot be said for the screenplay credited to the Russos’ frequent collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The Electric State’s big-picture themes of overcoming adversities and being skeptical of capitalist consumerism are timeless enough, the story beats and dialogue might as well have come from a 1993 screenplay that someone in this very movie finds near a busted printer in the EZ.

I’ve already seen plenty of iterations of the story that Brown’s Michelle is both showing with her performance, and also needlessly telling through clunky conversations. And I’m not even sure that Chris Pratt’s Keats has a story to be told, with a performance that’s a MAD Magazine fold-in of Star-Lord and Andy Dwyer. The excellent supporting cast of Stanley Tucci, Giancarlo Esposito, Jason Alexander and Ke Huy Quan are unfortunately saddled with one-dimensional roles that do nothing beyond further the plot, and a lot of their work is further hindered by being delivered through low-res face screens.

Too early into the runtime — like, barely past the opening chunk of exposition delivered by the late MTV News great Kurt Loder and a Bill Clinton impersonator — I wanted to ignore all the humans and take my time exploring the shapes, sizes and intelligence levels of every bot in this world, silently hoping to run into Futurama’s Hedonism bot somewhere. As Michelle’s sidekick, the Alan Tudyk voiced Cosmo Kid boasts a fixed expression and a limited number of pre-recorded phrases, and it’s just flat-out a better performance than what we get from the rest of the ensemble.

This version of The Electric State should have been a spinoff focusing entirely on imaginative creations like the stage-magician bot Perplexo (voiced by Hank Azaria), aging baseball-oriented droid Popfly (Brian Cox), do-good postal worker Penny Pal (Jenny Slate), and monocled local leader Mr. Peanut (Woody Harrelson). As Herman, the nesting-robot sidekick of Chris Pratt’s Keats, Anthony Mackie is the bot with the most amount of dialogue, and thus sounds the most like a Saturday Morning cartoon.

Perhaps the most baffling thing about this wildly expensive movie is that I can only remember a dozen or so instances where my brain actively recognized some form of humor being attempted, and at no point was I laughing at any of it. I suppose I can appreciate that Pratt isn’t horking quips the entire time, but one of the key verbally comedic sequences involves Keats instructing Michelle to temporarily go by the fake name “Veronica,” and she questions whether he said “Beronica.”

To be clear, that joke would only ever work in the very first issue of Archie Comics, which would have still been published 55 years before that hi-larious misunderstanding happened.

The Russos should always make memorable characters a bigger priority than complicated plots or special effects.

It's undeniable that Markus and McFeely's script could have used some exposition snips and an infusion of comedic festiveness. But I also think one of The Electric State's imbalances lies in Anthony and Joe Russo having come so far from their directing roots that high-effort splendor and magnificence seem to take precedence over creating memorable characters – at least outside the MCU.

To be sure, I fully understand that most of their past directorial efforts that I happen to love the most were part of TV comedies that are notorious for intentionally complicated plotting and boundary-pushing stories: Arrested Development and Community. But those are both also ensemble-driven affairs, and much like the Avengers movies, a ton of characters are able to shine in memorable ways that complement the surrounding chaos.

But for all the quirky CGI bits and bobs sprinkled throughout, The Electric State doesn’t give any of its living and breathing characters a single hero moment that feels destined to inspire any fan art, and there isn’t a single line of dialogue that I can imagine ever entering the pop culture lexicon. I honestly can’t remember if Pratt’s character had a purpose or a goal, and that’s not the kind of thing that fans of the Russos expect.

The brothers’ work within the MCU is not yet done, of course, but once they return to non-Marvel storytelling, I can only hope they find a way to return to character-first storytelling, and if the plots also happen to be amazing and full of digital effects wizardry, so be it. Now, somebody pass me one of those VR helmets.

As we inch closer and closer to the release of Avengers: Doomsday, although we've been given little snippets and clues here and there, for the most part, this Doctor Doom-centric story remains a mystery. Details are slim in order to avoid any major spoilers and leaks, which is known to happen. But that also means comic book fans aren’t really sure what to expect, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo shared where some of their inspiration is coming from, and it makes me cautiously optimistic.

In recent months, the Russo Brothers have been sharing more snippets into their thought process behind Doomsday, as well as Avengers: Secret Wars. They have spoken before about how crafting Doctor Doom has been ‘very intense’, as well as about how they have a ‘radical vision’ for these two movies. On the subject of source material inspiration, they informed TechRadar that they are drawing from both the 1980s and 2010s comic book series that bear the Secret Wars title, which obviously makes sense. On the topic of how closely to those comic books the movie is gonna follow, Joe Russo had this to say:

If you’re like and have only read summaries of these comic books, to just give you a quick rundown of those stories. The 1980s Secret Wars series by Jim Shooter tells the story of The Beyonder, a cosmic entity that is determined to find the best superpowered being of them all to do battle in a distant galaxy called Battleworld.

The 2010 Secret Wars series by Jonathan Hickman involves the destruction of the Marvel multiverse. This is due to a cataclysmic event that causes the various universes to collide and destroy each other. The fragments of whatever is left from these realities are stitched together to form a Battleworld that is ruled over by an iteration of Doctor Doom. Based on this bare bones knowledge, it’s safe to say that we’re probably going to see some combined iteration of these stories reflected in Doomsday and Secret Wars.

The MCU's Multiverse Saga, unlike its predecessor, The Infinity Saga, has had some issues with finding its footing when it comes to resonating with the audience. Since the announcement of Robert Downey Jr. coming back to play Doctor Doom, many have been wary about the future of Doomsday and Secret Wars. Some of this is because Doctor Doom completely replaced Kang, who was set up in Loki Season 1 and the Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania end-credits scene to be the next Thanos level threat. However, because Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel due to his legal issues, Doctor Doom was brought in to fill that big bad role, something Majors has commented on.

This kind of massive, full story change instead of a simple switch of actors has me and other fans weary on whether or not this will be a success. But I remain cautiously optimistic solely because the original source material that the Russo Brothers are drawing inspiration from already seem like compelling stories. As a writer myself, I will trust the process until more information is given.

There are rumors as to why Doctor Doom will be the main antagonist, but only time will tell if those rumors are correct. Seeing as we still have The Fantastic Four: First Steps coming up as part of the 2025 movies schedule, and Doom is that team's arch-nemesis, fingers are crossed that we might see a teaser in that movie for what’s to come in regard to his involvement in Doomsday. Only time will tell.

It has been years since we saw the greatest heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe fight together, but the wait will be over soon upon the release of Avengers: Doomsday. However, the upcoming Marvel movie is not just bringing back the usual favorites.

Because this 39th installment of the long-running franchise of acclaimed superhero movies is finally bringing in one of the most feared villains in comic book history, Kevin Feige and co. is assembling a team unlike anything the MCU has seen before, combining familiar faces, newcomers, and even a few people from other corners of the Marvel multiverse. Let’s get into who is avenging this time and what else we know about the upcoming superhero movie in the following guide to Avengers: Doomsday.

What Is The Avengers: Doomsday Release Date?

Currently, Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026. Also, as of March 2025, we know that the MCU’s fifth epic crossover film is now in production.

Avengers: Doomsday is one of only two Marvel movies scheduled to arrive in 2026, the other being an upcoming Spider-Man movie, the currently untitled Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland, which will play on the big screen a few months earlier. However, the MCU has already had a big year with the 2025 movie schedule so far, with the release of Captain America: Brave New World, and on the 2025 TV premiere schedule too, with new Marvel TV shows on Disney+ like Daredevil: Brave New World. This year will also see Thunderbolts* hitting theaters in May and The Fantastic Four: First Steps debuting in July.

What Avengers: Doomsday Is About

As per usual, very little regarding the plot of Avengers: Doomsday has been revealed, save that the main villain of the story is Victor von Doom, otherwise known as Doctor Doom. Going to war against the ruthless Latverian monarch will not be just one team of vigilantes, but a supergroup, if you will, comprised of several veterans from the Avengers, a few established MCU characters who have never officially fought with team, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and members of the Thunderbolts.

So, the characters involved are the only concrete details we can speak of at the moment, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo did share with TechRadar that they are taking inspiration from Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars arcs, including one published in the 1980s and another from the 2010s. Previously, the plot of the fifth Avengers film was intended to revolve around a different “big bad” and was going to be called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel in 2023 following high-profile legal troubles.

The Avengers: Doomsday Cast

Fans received the first, and easily the most shocking, announcement regarding who would be in the Avengers: Doomsday cast in Summer 2024 at San Diego Comic Con. The Hall H crowd erupted into a roar of excitement and confusion when it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but not as Iron Man. Instead, the Academy Award winner (for his supporting role in Oppenheimer) is the one putting the “doom” in Avengers: Doomsday by starring as Doctor Doom.

In March of this year, Marvel Studios revealed who would be taking on the dastardly foe with a live-streamed video on X (formerly Twitter), which is now available on YouTube, lasting more than five hours, in which foldout chairs bearing the actors’ names were placed next to each other, one by one, every 15 minutes. In addition to established veterans of the franchise, the previewed ensemble also includes the stars of upcoming flicks Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as a few who are making their MCU debuts but not their Marvel debuts, having previously starred in the live-action X-Men movies.

Check out the full Avengers: Doomsday cast, complete with character names, below:

• Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
• Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm / Invisible Woman)
• Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson / Captain America)
• Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes)
• Letitia Wright (Shuri / Black Panther)
• Paul Rudd (Scott Lang / Ant-Man)
• Wyatt Russell (John Walker / U.S. Agent)
• Tenoch Huerta (Namor)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm / The Thing)
• Simu Liu (Xu Shang-Chi)
• Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)
• Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy / Beast)
• Lewis Pullman (Bob / Sentry)
• Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres / Falcon)
• Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm / Human Torch)
• David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian)
• Winston Duke (M'Baku)
• Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr / Ghost)
• Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
• Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier / Professor X)
• Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto)
• Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler)
• Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkhölme / Mystique)
• James Marsden (Scott Summers / Cyclops)
• Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau / Gambit)
• Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic)
• Robert Downey Jr. (Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom)

Avengers: Secret Wars Has Also Been Announced

Joe and Anthony Russo revealed to Omelete that, while Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were two halves of a finale to the MCU’s first saga, Avengers: Doomsday will be the first half of a new beginning for the franchise. Avengers: Secret Wars (currently set to release in December 2027) will be the finale to Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga overall.

The sixth Avengers movie shares its name with the aforementioned comic book arc, which ran for 12 issues from 1984 to 1985, in which an omnipotent being called the Beyonder brings various heroes and villains (including Doctor Doom) to the planet Battleworld and pits them against each other like gladiators. I can only assume (or hope) that the MCU actors who were not named in the casting announcement (such as Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, Hawkeye’s Jeremy Renner, or Elizabeth Olsen of Scarlet Witch fame) will be involved in that story. I wonder if we will also see any unnamed stars of the Fox-era X-Men movies, such as Halle Berry as Storm or Ryan Reynolds, who made his MCU debut alongside Hugh Jackman in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.

Joe And Anthony Russo Are Directing Avengers: Doomsday

Some of the titles considered to be the absolute best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame – all of which are directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. The brotherly duo previously claimed they would be walking away from the franchise for good after their 2019 smash, but it looks like you should never say never. The Russos are directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which, according to Variety, was a top condition for Robert Downey Jr.’s return.

After most recently working with the Russos as the co-writer for their Netflix original movies, The Gray Man and The Electric State, Stephen McFeely is reteaming with them to pen Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. He had previously written several classic MCU movies, including Endgame, with his frequent partner, Christopher Markus, but this will be his first solo effort with the franchise. Loki creator Michael Waldron was previously serving as the screenwriter when Daniel Destin Cretton was still on board as the director.

How To Watch All The Previous Avengers Movies

You still have plenty of time to catch up on or revisit all of the Marvel movies in order before Avengers: Doomsday is released. However, if you are only in the mood to see the installment in which the team comes together, all you need is a Disney+ subscription. Of course, there are also other ways to watch The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, as seen below:

I was already pretty jazzed by the idea of Robert Downey Jr. coming back to the MCU as Doctor Doom, but now that the Fox-era X-Men will be joining in on the fun, I could not be more excited. And this is only the beginning of what we have to learn about Avengers: Doomsday.

It's no secret that projects inspired by comic books continue to be a powerful force in the entertainment industry. But with various cinematic universes competing with each other, there have been some concerns over superhero fatigue, especially as certain MCU projects like The Marvels bombed at the box office. The Russo Brothers are responsible for some of the best Marvel movies, recently sharing their thoughts about superhero fatigue. And I think they brought up a great point.

Those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen as the franchise has ebbed and flowed. The Russo Brothers' movies (which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription) were critically and financially successful, so they know the genre well. But after some recent missteps, some moviegoers are worried about the upcoming Marvel movies. The Russo Brothers addressed superhero fatigue while speaking with our sister site GamesRadar, with Joe Russo offering:

Points were made. While there are some naysayers who are worried about superhero projects, Joe Russo explained that this trend of disinterest has been around for years, and affected a number of different genres. So it's not unique to projects ripped from comic book pages and adapted for film and TV. 

Russo's comments help to offer some more context to exactly why certain MCU projects have bombed recently-- a first for the cinematic universe. After every single installment of Phase Three was a success, there have been recent missteps including Eternals, Ant-Man 3, and The Marvels. 

Of course, there have also been exceptions to this trend. Both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made great money at the box office, so it's not all MCU projects. But it also seems like moviegoing audiences aren't blindly seeing every new chapter of the shared universe like they used to. 

So exactly how does one combat the growing fatigue in the superhero genre, even after getting context from the Russo Brothers? I guess it all depends on each individual project. Additionally, if the MCU embraces more serialized storytelling and if those infamous post-credit scenes. After all, we've gotten a ton of teases that have gone nowhere recently.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool & Wolverine, which will arrive in theaters on July 26th. And smart money says the highly anticipated threequel is going to do just fine in theaters. In the meantime, check the 2024 movie release dates. 

10 years ago, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the ninth of the Marvel movies in order, was released to the public, and it was a major landmark for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to being met with a wave of critical acclaim (including the 5/5 score from CinemaBlend’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier review) and making over $714 million worldwide, it also marked Joe and Antony Russo’s MCU directorial debut, with the directing duo later helming Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. So naturally the Russo Brothers shared their thoughts on The Winter Soldier turning 10 years old, and understandably, it’s making them feel “old.”

The Russos chatted with Total Film while attending the Sands: International Film Festival in St. Andrews, Scotland, and starting off, Joe Russo recollected how being tapped to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier (which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription) launched them on a professional journey that saw them overseeing four movies within less than a decade, which is a lot to ask for from any director. In his words:

Picking up several years after the events of The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier followed Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers learning that Bucky Barnes, his best friend, was still alive, albeit brainwashed into the Winter Soldier, HYDRA’s top assassin. Making matters worse, it was revealed that HYDRA, which was originally thought to have collapsed at the end of World War II, had been embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D. since its inception, and its operatives, led by Alexander Pierce, intended to use Project Insight to eliminate present and future threats to them. Fortunately, Steve was able to foil their plan alongside Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Nick Fury and Maria Hill, though S.H.I.E.L.D. was left in disarray.

During the interview, Anthony Russo mentioned that “more and more people” kept coming aboard with each new Marvel movie they made, but despite these gigantic casts and crews, he and his brother considered these people “family.” As he put it:

Following Avengers: Endgame’s release, Joe and Anthony left the MCU and directed movies like Cherry, The Gray Man and the upcoming The Electric State, which Netflix subscribers will be able to watch. While the brothers haven’t ruled out ever working with Marvel again, Joe Russo did say in 2022 that they wouldn’t be ready to do anything with the company until “the end of the decade.” Still, Captain America: The Winter Soldier undeniably remains one of the most consequential MCU movies, and considering how well it was received 10 years ago and continues to be appreciated, fans can be thankful the Russos were the ones to helm it.

Following Steve Rogers’ retirement in Avengers: Endgame and the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the MCU’s Captain America saga will continue with the upcoming Marvel movie Captain America: Brave New World, with Sam Wilson now filling the star-spangled mantle. It comes out on February 14, 2025, but the next immediate MCU movie lined up is Deadpool & Wolverine for July 26.

After dedicating many years and four movies to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Joe and Anthony Russo have given a semi-straight answer as to if they’d come back to work on upcoming Marvel projects. Since the incredible success of their last MCU movie Avengers: Endgame, the directors have gone on to other massive projects. However, the question of if they’ll ever come back to the MCU is always looming.

The brothers were recently interviewed by Variety to discuss their studio AGBO, and all their upcoming projects. During the interview, they were asked if they’d return to Marvel, and Joe Russo responded with: 

That seems fair, the directors and producers have a lot on their plates in the coming years. Since Avengers: Endgame, the pair have directed Cherry and The Gray Man, and are working on a TV series and another film. On top of directing, they have also been producing. They had a producer credit on the 2022 movie schedule hit Everything Everywhere All At Once earlier this year, and have over ten projects in development according to IMDb where they're listed as producers. So, waiting until 2030 to direct another Marvel movie makes sense logistically. I’d also assume they are taxing productions to work on because of how massive they are, so that also could factor into why the brothers have decided to step back from the MCU for a bit. 

By watching the Marvel movies in order, you can see that the Russo brothers have been the guys behind some of the most successful and acclaimed MCU movies. The duo began their tenure at Marvel with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they then went on to helm Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Making four massive movies has to take it out of the people running the show, and I’d imagine it can be creatively draining working on similar projects all the time. 

It’s important to note that Marvel Studios has a tendency to bring back its directors. For example, Ryan Coogler helmed both Black Panther movies, Jon Watts led the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, and Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed the first Shang-Chi, has been tapped to direct its sequel and Avengers: Kang Dynasty, and there are many more. So, it makes sense why they’d want to keep the Russos around for more Avengers movies. It doesn't sound like the Russos have completely ruled it out, we’ll just have to wait a while before we see another Russo-led Marvel film. 

While it won’t be with Marvel Studios, there are a lot of projects to look forward to from the brothers. They have projects that will appear on both the 2022 and 2023 movie schedules, and it’s been announced that Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown will star in one of their Netflix original movies. So, there is still a lot to look forward to from the directing duo, and maybe in ten years or so, that could include another Marvel project. 

Since Chris Evans hung up his Captain America shield in 2019, the actor has been outstretching his acting muscles to new territories beyond the traditional hero and up next he’ll play a villain. The actor is reteaming with Marvel’s Russo Brothers for The Gray Man, which is among July’s Netflix releases. As we await their action movie, the Russos have shared its connection to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

The Winter Soldier is of course the first time Joe and Anthony Russo partnered with Marvel Studios, and the movie remains among our top ranking Marvel films. While speaking about The Gray Man, the filmmakers shared how the two movies fit together for them: 

In an interview with ComicBook, the Russos revealed that they’ve been trying to adapt The Gray Man from Mark Greaney's novel since they were hired on their first Marvel project. However, they were not expecting to end up subsequently helming Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame following that. Four massive Marvel films took up their time, but they were eventually able to come back to The Gray Man and cast their Marvel star for a completely different role than Steve Rogers. 

Chris Evans was told of The Gray Man role at the end of Endgame’s production, when they asked him what he was going to do next and he shared with them he wanted to “take risks moving forward.” His mustache-wearing villain fit the bill of a “risk” with the character apparently being a “complete sociopath,” and here he is, starring in another Russo Brothers movie! 

The movie stars Ryan Gosling as the titular Gray Man, who is a skilled CIA mercenary who becomes the target of Chris Evans’ Lloyd Hansen. Evans also describes his character as someone who is “so liberated, and free, and honest,” making him an especially great villain to not only watch, but to play around with on set. 

Since the Russos had the major job of concluding the first era of Marvel films with Avengers: Endgame, they have been stepping away from heroics to pursue a string of adaptations and bringing Marvel actors along the ride. They made Cherry with Tom Holland, Extraction with Chris Hemsworth (as writer/producers) and they recently cast Chris Pratt in sci-fi project, The Electric State. 

The Gray Man is coming to limited theaters and will be available to stream with a Netflix subscription on July 15. 

In the past, we’ve seen Chris Evans clean shaven, sporting a goatee, and going a full beard in various movies, but for the upcoming thriller The Gray Man, the actor is sporting a noticeably different kind of facial hair look. Playing the sociopathic Lloyd in the globe-trotting feature, he is featured with a classic villain look: a mustache. It’s unquestionably a standout feature of the character’s aesthetic, and according to Anthony and Joe Russo, it was Evans’ call to implement it as part of Lloyd’s look.

I interviewed the sibling directors last month at the AGBO Productions office in Downtown Los Angeles, and during a nice long chat about their work on The Gray Man we spent a good amount of time talking about Chris Evans’ performers. I felt compelled to ask the Russos about the mustache, given that it’s not exactly the most common style choice in the 21st century, and Anthony Russo explained not only that it was Evans call to wear that facial hair, but that it was grown to match a specific aesthetic that the actor and the filmmakers were going for with the character:

In The Gray Man, Chris Evans’ Lloyd is what could be called a functioning lunatic who is tasked by the CIA to organize a manhunt searching for Court Gentry a.k.a. Sierra Six (Ryan Gosling), a black ops mercenary who has come in possession of evidence that is a sincere threat to a whole lot of people.

Playing an unhinged killer, Chris Evans was given a chance to really cut loose in the role and have fun with villainy – particularly because he had spent the last decade-plus playing Captain America (the pinnacle of moral rectitude). Joe Russo explained how it was that the sibling filmmakers reunited with the actor after Avengers: Endgame, noting that Evans had told them about a desire to branch out and do very different kinds of roles following his tenure with Marvel:

Continuing, Joe Russo added that Lloyd is (strange as it may sound) a bit closer to Chris Evans in personality than Captain America is – not when it comes to being out of his mind, but just in terms of energy and flash. Once the idea of having Evans play the part came together, that was something of which the filmmakers wanted to take advantage. Said Joe Russo,

Chris Evans’ Lloyd is about as far away from Captain America on the moral spectrum as you can get, and while he never actually twirls his mustache in The Gray Man, that’s 100 percent the energy the character gives of – making the upper lip accessory quite apt.

Based on the book of the same name by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man sports an outrageously talented cast including Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, and Ana de Armas, and it’s coming very soon. The movie will be getting a limited theatrical release starting on July 15, and then after that you should be sure to make to have a Netflix subscription because the globe-trotting action feature will be online starting July 22.

Learn more about The Gray Man with our quick things guide, and check out our 2022 Netflix Release Movie Schedule to discover more films that are on the way from the streaming service in the coming months.

Joe and Anthony Russo are known for directing two Captain America films and the last two Avengers films. The latest project from these brothers is Netflix's The Gray Man, where Chris Evans won't be playing a Captain America-type again, but rather a sociopath named Lloyd Hansen who leads a manhunt to capture a CIA mercenary after discovering the agency’s dark secrets. While the Russo Brothers know these two roles couldn’t be further apart from each other, they've also proven that you can take Chris Evans away from the Avengers, but you can’t take the Avengers away from Chris Evans. The Russo Brothers hyped Chris Evans in The Gray Man by throwing us an Avengers: Endgame A+ reference.

Fans couldn’t get enough of Captain America’s ass in the Marvel films, and apparently neither can the Russo Brothers. These directors retweeted an interview they did with Den of Geek about Chris Evans’ new role as a sociopath by referencing a unique connection between Captain America and Lloyd Hansen.

Captain America is known for a lot of things, like being a WWII soldier brought to the present after being frozen for decades, his romance with Peggy Carter, his star-centered shield and also… his ass. He's probably one of the few superheroes to earn that kind of attention for those buns of steel. You can thank Avengers: Endgame for putting this on our radar, as Captain America fights the 2012 version of himself in the movie while trying to retrieve the Mind Stone. The fight had a hilarious conclusion, as our favorite Captain gave his butt its deserving recognition.

The story behind that recognition in Avengers: Endgame was that Chris Evans never felt like his costume in the first Avengers movie complimented his ass very much. This moment was referenced and added during reshoots for Avengers: Endgame, and it took advantage of the defeated 2012 Cap down on the ground with his butt in the air. We all thought the same thing- “That is America’s ass.”  

Chris Evans' role in The Gray Man will be a far cry from Captain America, in that this will be an antagonistic role that will add flexibility to the Marvel actor’s talents. Based on the gnarly bruises Evans acquired during filming and that distinguishable ‘stache, I think it’s safe to say that we’re likely to see Chris Evans in a whole new light, or in this case, darkness. Based on how Chris Evans describes his character’s villainous personality, Lloyd Hansen thinks that the bad things he does are for the best, and that we should “almost fear his smile more than his scowl.” I think it's safe to say we can trust the Russo Brothers' judgment in being able to recognize Chris Evans' potential with portraying both good and evil.

Something tells me we’ll all be too distracted seeing Chris Evans as a sociopath than his butt in this upcoming movie. You can watch The Gray Man with your Netflix subscription on July 22nd, and the movie also stars Ryan Gosling, Regé-Jean Page, Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, and more. 

Towards the beginning of year, the 2022 Netflix movie schedule was teased with a promising reel of footage that showed off the studio’s slate of originals. One of the most anticipated movies on that docket has to be The Russo Brothers’ cinematic adaptation of Mark Greaney’s novel The Gray Man. Knowing that the film’s impressive cast includes the likes of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, among others, that’s enough to make someone eager to know when they can see such a movie. 

If you find yourself in that particular boat, I hope your July calendar is open, as The Russos revealed that we’ll be seeing The Gray Man that month. Announced through their official Twitter feed, the Avengers: Endgame directing duo revealed that Netflix will offer The Gray Man on its streaming library as of July 22nd. Even better, Joe and Anthony Russo also shared some photos out with the public, teasing Evans and de Armas’ looks, as well as those of other cast members: 

While we have an awesome new look at The Gray Man, there’s still plenty being hidden from the public. Again, Joe and Anthony Russo have assembled a killer cast for The Gray Man, and we haven’t even seen our first looks at Alfre Woodard, Julia Butters, or Billy Bob Thornton in their respective roles. Perhaps that’s something we can look forward to in the first trailer for the film, which has to be on its way soon, right? Why else would the Russos tease such badass glimpses, along with a release date? 

The short pitch for The Gray Man is basically the following: Chris Evans is trying to kill Ryan Gosling, with Ana de Aramas and Bridgerton alum Regé-Jean Page taking sides in the globe-trotting tale. Story-wise, it’s a bit more complicated, as Gosling’s clandestine operative, Court Gentry, has apparently learned something he shouldn’t have been allowed to discover. This leads to Evans’ Lloyd Hansen trying to clean up the mess via a bounty put on Gentry. 

Whether or not that sweet mustache is essential to Lloyd’s process or merely just a personal touch, remains to be seen. Just to be on the safe side, let's watch that 2022 Netflix promo reel again to see The Gray Man in action: 

Should Netflix’s uber expensive gamble pay off, there’s 10 more books in the Gray Man series waiting to be adapted. That, of course, rides on how well audiences respond to Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans’ global spy game when it makes its big debut. Keeping that in mind, Netflix probably hopes it has something akin to the next series of James Bond movies on its hands, while silently hoping things aren’t cut down before it can begin. Otherwise, this book-based bonanza could go the way of The Rhythm Section. 

The Gray Man will debut in select theaters on July 15th, and it'll join the lineup of other Netflix movies a week later on July 22nd. Waiting that long for the movie is going to be painful enough, but let’s cross our fingers that a trailer does drop soon. Otherwise, the world might just burn out its monitors looking at this batch of photos in the coming weeks. 

Ok, so Avengers: Endgame was already long. Over three hours long to be more precise. But as soon as the Russo brothers’ film reached its final moments, we admit we would have held on a bit longer just to get a few more minutes of Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter’s happy ending. As you likely remember, once Thanos is defeated at the end of the movie Cap signs himself up to return all of the Infinity Stones back to their proper places in time, and in the process decides to stay in the past and have the life he always dreamed of.

For the past year we’ve certainly been curious what Cap’s time travel trip would have been like, but we certainly understand why it wasn’t included in the blockbuster: it could easily be an entirely separate Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure to tell. But is it a story that Joe and Anthony Russo would actually want to tell? When the directors were asked if they would would be interested in exploring that specific storyline further at some point down the line, they told ComicBookMovie,

This is a double-edged sword of a question that is understandably complicated for the filmmaking brothers to answer. One one side of things, the Russos certainly love making movies centered on Chris Evans’ Captain America, and his time travel journey has the opportunity to create a ton of fun Easter Eggs within the MCU. But as they say, it may not need to be told due to how masterfully the writers wrapped up the First Avenger’s arc.

Since Avengers: Endgame came out, fans have been a bit confused about how exactly the time travel “science” works when Captain America uses it at the end of the film. There’s certainly been questions surrounding how Steve Rogers can end up with Peggy Carter and deal with his budding romance with Sharon Carter earlier the films. Sounds like a really awkward situation… Endgame writers Christopher McFeely and Stephen Markus once explained their reasoning for the time travel moment saying,

It’s true that by the time the OG Steve Rogers got carved out of the ice, the other one would have already been the happy old man who gives Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson his shield. Apparently Old Man Cap was 112 years old in that scene, meaning he was probably just about one hundred around the time that the events of The Avengers occur. The MCU is coming off about a decade of focusing on Cap and Iron Man and moving forward the universe will get to explore more characters from the comics including with the Eternals, Shang-Chi, Blade and at some point maybe the X-Men and Fantastic Four since Disney has the rights to those characters now.

The upcoming Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier is sure to deal with Cap’s legacy in some way once it drops on the streaming service. As for the MCU Phase 4 in general, the first project released will be Black Widow, hitting theaters on November 6. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more Marvel updates.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

Brie Larson's time making Avengers: Endgame was much different than all of the other principal actors aboard the production. After all, due to scheduling the experience was actually her first time playing Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel, and everyone else in the cast was a Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran by the time they stepped foot on the set of the blockbuster capstone project. That made her presence somewhat special – so it's awesome that we now have video of her first day on set:

Last night, directors Joe and Anthony Russo took to social media for a special watch party on the one year anniversary of Avengers: Endgame's release, and while they had many fun stories to share, one of the highlights was the clip posted above. As it notes in the caption, the video was shot on the first day that Brie Larson played Captain Marvel, and she definitely looks delighted to be there – giving Scarlett Johansson a hug in the cockpit of the Quinjet that the titular team takes into space for a showdown with Thanos.

Some of you may be confused as to why Brie Larson was working on Avengers: Endgame before her own solo superhero adventure, despite the fact that Captain Marvel was released a couple of months prior to the Russo brothers-directed hit. It stems from the fact that Endgame was shot back-to-back with Avengers: Infinity War in spring/summer/fall 2017, which was a year prior to the production of the Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck movie.

Now, of course, Brie Larson is on a trajectory to go from being a newbie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to becoming one of the most important characters. At this point we don't know what Kevin Feige and the other big picture thinkers have in store for Phase 4, but just the schedule they've released alone suggests the big influence that Captain Marvel will have.

Not only has a sequel been announced, set to be released in the wake of the untitled Black Panther II in summer 2022, but it's also been confirmed that Ms. Marvel will be getting her own Disney+ show in the years ahead, and it's heavily expected that the two characters will be tightly knit in the future of the MCU.

The years ahead are bright for Captain Marvel fans, and for the time being fans everywhere can enjoy her existing big screen adventures – including her solo feature and her first team-up adventure. In addition to being available for rental and purchase from digital retailers, as well as on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD, both Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame are streaming on Disney+ (if you don't have a subscription already, you can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service).

It has to be pretty stressful watching a character you created make their debut in a feature film – and a film you have no control over. How will your “baby” be interpreted? Will all of your hard work, your blood and sweat, be tossed out like bathwater in favor of a new director’s vision? Will it all turn out so very wrong?

These were the fears flowing through legendary comic-book writer Jim Starlin’s creative brain as Marvel Studios mounted both Avengers: Infinity War and its conclusion, Avengers: Endgame. The movies were going to be based on a story Starlin wrote in 1991 (The Infinity Gauntlet), and would be the first MCU movie to fully feature Thanos (Josh Brolin) as a significant character.

When we recently had the chance to sit down and interview Jim Starlin as Avengers: Endgame was making its way to DVD and Blu-ray, we asked him the moment that he realized that Thanos worked, and he could stop worrying. He told us:

If you can’t recall, Avengers: Infinity War begins where Thor: Ragnarok ends. Thanos and his Black Order have boarded a ship piloted by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). He’s seeking the Tesseract, and he lays waste to a community of Asgardians. It’s a fantastic introduction for the iconic character.

So Jim Starlin admits that he was able to breathe easy almost immediately, as this opening scene – written by the brilliant Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely – eased him mind and made him realize that Marvel Studios was going to do justice to the Mad Titan. Even though the MCU required some major changes to the Infinity Gauntlet story, due to characters the studio does not own (like The Silver Surfer and Mephisto).

But there was another concern lingering in Jim Starlin’s mind as he approached the release of Avengers: Infinity War, and it had to do with the way that DC had tried, and failed, to being their major team to the big screen in Justice League the year prior. As Starlin told us:

Yeah, that’d be cause for alarm. Much like Steppenwolf and Darkseid in the DC universe, Thanos is a complicated character with a rich backstory. We get hints of it in Avengers: Infinity War. But the movie could have used more, as the books lend more layers to the dominant villain.

Want to watch our full interview with Jim Starlin? Then press play on the video down below:

Avengers: Endgame concludes the current run of Thanos in the MCU. Do you think that the Mad Titan will return in another Marvel series? Like, say, Eternals? Anything’s possible, so we’ll see where the future takes us as the MCU continues to grow on screen.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has given us, over the course of 23 movies, the best representations on the silver screen of some of the most beloved Marvel characters. It’s to the point where very few casual fans can separate the character of Tony Stark from Robert Downey Jr., or Captain America from Chris Evans. The portrayals are that accurate. However, the men and women who work on Marvel Comics for a living sometimes nitpick details, as when famed writer Dan Slott pointed out this one flaw – to him – in Avengers: Endgame.

Should superheroes kill? It’s a great debate. And the use of the “Kill Mode” in the Iron Spider suit does rub this particular Spider-Man fan the wrong way… and that traces all the way back to the MCU Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) being blessed with too much tech thanks to his tie to Tony Stark.

Traditionally, Peter Parker is supposed to be a struggling teenager from Queens who needs to sew (and constantly repair) his own suit. It’s part of his innocent charm, that while super teams like The Avengers or The Fantastic Four have all sorts of access, Spidey must revert to his meager means in his aunt’s Queens abode.

MCU Peter, however, was gifted with amazing tech from the get-go when he was brought under the wing of Tony Stark. His initial suit came with Jarvis-like A.I. He had a built in parachute, a small drone on his chest, and a “Kill Mode” that he could engage.

Now, the joke of Spider-Man: Homecoming is that he repeatedly stopped his suit from engaging in this destructive cheat code.

And this pays off in Avengers: Endgame when Spider-Man is overwhelmed by Thanos’ minions.

But Dan Slott, who wrote multiple Spider-Man comics for years, disagreed with the choice – and I’d be lying if I said I disagreed with him. I never loved Peter having access to all of Stark’s tech, and him initiating a kill mode in any instance feels false. Like Slott, I don’t think it felt false enough to ruin Avengers: Endgame. Not in the slightest. But it’s better seeing Spider-Man in a suit that’s more his design by the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. In fact, that red-and-black number is now my new favorite on-screen Spidey suit. What’s yours?

The fans seem to love Avengers: Endgame. The movie finally surpassed Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all time. And now we wait patiently for the next MCU movie, which will be Black Widow on May 1, 2020. And then we can start nitpicking that one.

Throughout the last decade and change of filmmaking, Tony Stark/Iron Man has been at the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Robert Downey Jr.'s character kickstarted the entire shared universe, appearing in a whopping ten movies before sacrificing himself at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Tony was given en epic sendoff, and perhaps the most badass final line in the history of the MCU.

Clearly Infinity War and Endgame co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo had an affinity for Tony Stark, giving him the most emotional story arc in the entirety of pair of Avengers movies. It's for this reason that fans were surprised to see a quote floating around the internet where Joe claimed to have disdain for a line of dialogue from the first movie. Now the Russos have officially shut down the fabricated comment on social media. Check it out.

Mic drop. According to the Brothers' joint Twitter account, Joe Russo never had a problem with Tony's Avengers line. And it definitely didn't provide the reason why Iron Man sacrificed himself in the final moments of Endgame's last battle.

The quote in question was reportedly from Joe Russo's appearance on The Tonight Show, and saw the director take shots at The Avengers, where Tony lists himself as a "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist" without his Iron Man armor. It's a line that truly highlights Tony's ego, and highlights the underlying conflict between himself and Steve Rogers/ Captain America.

The Russo Brothers deny Joe Russo's comments about the dialogue, which makes sense given how well that one line has aged in the years since The Avengers arrived in theaters. What's more, Tony's story in Endgame and ultimate fate extend far beyond any personal grudges the directors might be holding for the character. It showed his growth across the entirety of his tenure on the screen, and how much he was always willing to give for the greater good.

The deaths that occurred in Avengers: Endgame were also due to practical reasons. Robert Downey Jr. reached the end of his long contract with Marvel Studios, so Iron Man needed to be written out, one way or another. The character ended up doing so in a moment of destiny and self-sacrifice, and was given an emotional funeral scene at Tony's cabin. It was a hero's ending, not one based off a petty vendetta and one simple line.

Related: Apparently Robert Downey Jr. Didn’t Want To Do Tony Stark’s Last Big Line In Avengers: Endgame

It should be interesting to see how Tony's death continues to play a role in the MCU in Phase Four. His sacrifice was looming above the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, with Peter Parker, Happy Hogan, and the entire world mourning the loss of the Avenger. It's a new world in the wake of The Blip, one without Iron Man, Steve Roger's Captain America, or Black Widow.

Avengers: Endgame is available digitally now and available here. The will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 13th. In the meantime, check out out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

What a year for directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Actually, what a past five years with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It all culminated in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame. After three months in theaters, Endgame managed to defeat James Cameron's Avatar as the highest-grossing movie of all time.

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced the big news last night during the jam-packed MCU panel at San Diego Comic-Con. But it took until this morning for the actual box office numbers to be official.

Here are the numbers as of Sunday, July 21, per Box Office Mojo (not adjusted for inflation):

Amazing.

The Russo Brothers screen-shot an article announcing the big Avengers/Avatar news, adding this praise on social media for the people who really made it possible:

(Side note: It looks like Tom Brady, who knows from victories, replied to that with "Amazing. Congrats. Hard earned and well deserved!!!")

Chris Hemsworth, who is far from done as Thor in the MCU, did something similar by screen-shotting another news story with his own praise for fans:

Yes, the sweet rabbits of the world came through for Thor and friends. Teamwork made the dream work.

Chris Hemsworth was on the Comic-Con stage last night for Thor 4, which was revealed to be titled Thor: Love and Thunder. The movie will also bring back the new Asgard ruler Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and even Jane Foster herself (Natalie Portman).

Chris Hemsworth also reunited with the Russo Brothers for Dhaka, which was produced by the brothers and written by Joe Russo. We'll see that one on Netflix at some point. The Russos also recently announced a bunch of other post-Endgame projects, including some with more MCU heroes.

The Russo Brothers entered the MCU after directing Welcome to Collinwood and You, Me and Dupree, along with producing and directing episodes of Community and directing other TV shows like Arrested Development. It took some pretty inspired vision to see them as the right choices for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but damn did they knock that 2014 film out of the park. The Russos continued for Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War before Avengers: Endgame. A perfect track record. After so much time with Cap, it's no wonder he had their favorite character arc.

It's going to be hard for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to top Avengers: Endgame, especially now that it's the new king of the world. (James Cameron has yet to weigh in on Avengers 4 defeating Avatar, like he did for Titanic, but stay tuned.) Keep up with everything ahead in the MCU with our handy guide. You're going to need it.

In the last five years, Joe and Anthony Russo have become two of the most famous filmmakers in the world. While they had previously been best known for their work on beloved cult television shows like Community and Arrested Development, everything changed when Marvel Studios hired them to take the helm of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Since then they have not just directed three more Marvel movies– including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame – but turned those projects into some of the biggest blockbusters of all time.

That kind of success has some major benefits in Hollywood, and now the directing duo is taking full advantage. The brothers have used their clout to start their own production company called AGBO Films, they are now they are now developing a full slate of projects to both produce and direct. Much of the work is still in the early stages and just starting to come together, but this morning at San Diego Comic-Con the two filmmakers did a great job preparing audiences for what to expect in the future.

Joe and Anthony Russo took the stage for their very own Hall H panel earlier today, and they revealed some interesting details about what is coming up for them – and for your digestion we’ve compiled all of the key information here:

Cherry

The Russos are only a few months removed now from the insane back-to-back productions of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but already they have settled on the film that they want to direct next. Cherry is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Nico Walker, and is particularly special to the Russos because it’s a story that brings them back to their home city: Cleveland, Ohio. Dealing with some intense subject matter like the on-going opioid crisis and the lives of veterans, the film follows an army medic with PTSD who becomes a serial bank robber in support of a deepening drug addiction. Tom Holland, who the directors notably cast as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, is set to star, but the project won’t be quite as kid-friendly as the web-slinging adventures, as it is going to be made with an R-rating in mind.

Dhaka

During the panel, Joe and Anthony Russo both noted that a big part of their mission with AGBO Films is creating a place where filmmakers can have opportunities that they might not find elsewhere in the industry, and the development of Dhaka is a great example. The movie is based on a script that Joe Russo wrote, but it is being helmed by Sam Hargrave – who is making his directorial debut after having previously been a part of the stunt department on all four of the Russos’ Marvel movies. The film is set in India and centers on a mercenary (Chris Hemsworth a.k.a. Thor) who is hired by a businessman to try and rescue his kidnapped son.

Magic: The Gathering

Despite the name of the company, AGBO Films won’t just be making features, as they are also dedicated to developing small screen projects as well. One they are making, for example, is based on one of the great geek properties of the modern era: Magic: The Gathering. The show is being developed as an animated property for Netflix, with the possibility of someday spinning off into something in live-action. It’s still very much in the early days, but Joe Russo noted that those who are fans of characters Jace and Chandra should get very excited.

21 Bridges

Most of the projects discussed during the panel are not going to be released until at least 2020, but that’s not the case for director Brian Kirk’s 21 Bridges – which will be hitting theaters on September 27th. The film features yet another major Marvel star, in this case Chadwick Boseman, and in addition to featuring a quick video with the actor discussing his experience working with the Russo brothers, we also got a brand new trailer, which you can watch below:

The Thomas Crown Affair

It was back in early 2016 that we first learned that a new version of The Thomas Crown Affair was in development with Michael B. Jordan set to star, and today the Russo brothers confirmed that it is still very much a thing that is coming together. Both filmmakers expressed real appreciation for both previous big screen versions of the story – famously starring Steve McQueen and Pierce Brosnan, respectively – but added that this new take will be brand new. Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote the movies State of Play and Deepwater Horizon in addition to 21 Bridges, is currently working on the screenplay.

The Electric State

All four of the Russo brothers’ Marvel Studios films were based on scripts by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and their collaboration will soon continue in the making of the new graphic novel adaptation The Electric State. Not much was said about what to expect from the project, but Markus and McFeely are writing it, and in the words of Joe Russo, “that alone is the reason to be excited about that project.”

Grimjack

It was also further noted that the Russo brothers definitely aren’t done developing properties based on comic books. While it’s a bit of a deep cut, they are now getting ready to produce a movie based around the First Comics character Grimjack – who was created by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman back in the early 1980s. The story centers on a grizzled hero named John Gaunt a.k.a. Grimjack, who lives in a world that blends science-fiction and fantasy and operates as a pan-dimensional mercenary.

The Battle Of The Planets

For right now Cherry is the primary focus of the Russo brothers when it comes to directing, but after that it’s possible that the siblings might try and bring The Battle Of The Planets to the big screen as a directorial effort. From the 1970s, the original show was an American adaptation of the Japanese anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, and it’s a big bombastic science-fiction adventure that centers on an intergalactic team called G-Force that works to protect the Earth from constant threats originating from the planet Spectra. This is a project that Hollywood has been trying to make for years and years, but now the Russos are doing their best to make it a reality.

Which of these projects are you most excited for? Hit the comments section below with all of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for a whole lot more of our coverage out of San Diego Comic-Con 2019! Don't forget to also look through our 2019 release schedule.

It’s natural for studios to want to keep certain parts of their blockbusters secret until the movie actually comes out, but Marvel Studios took this to the next level with Avengers: Endgame. Not only were the previews for the highly-anticipated MCU movie incredibly vague, but even after Endgame came out, directors Joe and Anthony Russo asked fans to not drop any spoilers about it publicly until after it finished its second weekend in theaters.

It’s now been over a month since Avengers: Endgame came out, and not only is it still a popular topic of conversation among MCU enthusiasts, but Marvel hasn’t been shy about using a lot of spoilery footage within post-release TV spots. Now Joe Russo is defending the institution of this Endgame spoiler ban, saying:

Joe Russo is right; given how prevalent the internet and social media are in our lives, it’s harder than ever to avoid spoilers, whether it’s for a movie, TV show, comic book or novel. Sometimes people drop spoilers accidentally while others do it just to be malicious, but either way, learning specific plot twists ahead of time can often lead to the theatrical experience being diminished or outright ruined.

Obviously it’s impossible to clamp down on spoilers 100%, but as Joe Russo explained to THR, he and his brother were just doing their best to ensure that etiquette was followed and that people were respectful to one another. The Russos sent out a similar ‘no spoilers’ request when Avengers: Infinity War came out, as four months earlier during test screenings, they realized that the impact of the movie was going to be more significant than they realized and wanted to nip this issue in the bud as much as possible.

As for the Avengers: Endgame spoiler ban being lifted after the movie was in theaters for two weekends, Joe Russo said he and Anthony had “no choice” with choosing that date. Had it been up to them, they would have keep the ban in effect for three weeks.

The Russos aren’t the only directors who have recently requested folks not spoil anything about their upcoming movies. Last month, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, and beforehand, Tarantino asked those who would be attending that screening not to reveal any story details since the general public won’t get to see the movie until late July.

Avengers: Endgame is winding down its run in theaters, but it’ll be arriving on home media soon and will be available on Disney+ starting December 11. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates regarding future MCU movies, and be sure to check out our 2019 release schedule to learn what non-Marvel movies are on the way.

Fresh off of directing the second-highest-grossing film of all time with Avengers: Endgame, brothers Anthony and Joe Russo could feasibly get their hands dirty with any conceivable project possible. On top of reportedly directing the upcoming drama adaptation Cherry with Spider-Man: Far From Home's Tom Holland, the Russo brothers are apparently now teaming up with Netflix to develop an animated series based on the globally renowned role-playing game Magic: The Gathering.

Netflix announced that Anthony and Joe Russo will be serving as executive producers on the new animated series that will apparently be titled Magic: The Gathering. (Probably smart not to confuse people with an alternate title.) It's apparent that this Magic TV project has been in development behind the scenes ahead of the news going public, too, as the rest of the creative team is also already lined up.

In one corner of Magic: The Gathering's writing team is Henry Gilroy, a former writer and executive producer on Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars, as well as for a variety of Marvel's animated series such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Ultimate Spider-Man. He started out on shows such as Tiny Toon Adventures and Taz-Mania, too, so he knows humor as well as action beats.

In the other corner is Jose Molina, who is more known for live-action shows over animated series, though he also worked on Clone Wars. Molina has written and been a co-EP on hits such as Law and Order: SVU, The Vampire Diaries, Sleepy Hollow and, most recently, Amazon's The Tick. (Henry Gilroy wrote a pair of episodes for the original animated Tick series, for what that's worth.)

Along with Netflix, the Russo brothers will also be partnering with game publisher Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro's Allspark Animation for the Magic: The Gathering TV show, which will be produced by the animation network Octopie. The actual animation for Magic will be produced by Bardel Entertainment, which also works on current hits such as Rick and Morty and Teen Titans Go! for Cartoon Network.

While the actual plotline for the TV show isn't being promoted in full, the announcement teases that Magic: The Gathering will introduce an all new storyline that expands the story of the Planeswalkers, which are the power-wielding wizards that are contending "with stakes larger than any one world can hold." One might also expect for the TV series to be engineered to introduce new characters and character types that will inevitably get brought into the card game's future expansions.

Take a gander at Netflix's sneak peek image below.

In Netflix's announcement, here's what Anthony and Joe Russo had to say about signing on for a Magic TV series.

Get ready for lots of largely clueless older people to pipe up with comments like "How can you make a TV show out of a card game?" or "What's next, Netflix's Go Fish: The Series?" or "This isn't the kind of magic that David Copperfield does." Here's hoping everyone becomes a convert whenever Magic: The Gathering debuts on Netflix. That'll presumably in 2020, though no dates were specified.

Are you guys excited to see Magic: The Gathering finally getting adapted into a TV show after all this time?

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

It's been over a month since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and the public is still reeling from the dizzying narrative that The Russo Brothers crafted. And with the spoiler-ban long since lifted, collaborators from the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be more chatty about the movie's contents, revealing how the superheroic sausage gets made.

Endgame and Infinity War were filmed back to back, and with Captain Marvel set to arrive in the interim between releases. The latter movie was directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and they recently revealed to CinemaBlend how they collaborated on The Russo Brothers' pair of Avengers flicks, saying:

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine, and the Captain Marvel co-directors' comments to CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg prove just that. While the script for Infinity War and Endgame were kept largely under wraps, there was still room for collaboration with directors in the franchise.

Captain Marvel's long-awaited adaptation into live-action came about during a fascinating time in the MCU. Captain Marvel and Ant-Man and The Wasp were released after Avengers: Infinity War, helping to move the story forward and satiate the fans after Thanos snapped his fingers and wiped out half of all life. Brie Larson was cast years earlier, and all eyes were on what Carol Danvers would do with her super powerful abilities.

Brie Larson's role in Endgame was also fascinating because she had to play the role prior to actually filming Captain Marvel. The Oscar-winning actress jumped feet first into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it turns out that the co-directors of the origin movie were cued in to her role in the massive ensemble project. That's how you do serialized storytelling, folks.

Captain Marvel had a fairly limited role in Avengers: Endgame, as The Russo Brothers primarily focused on the original six team members. But she was a macguffin for some of the biggest moments in the blockbuster, starting off by saving Tony Stark and Nebula from certain death in the void of space.

She was noticeably absent from the Time Heist, with a bit of exposition revealing Carol Danvers was policing the galaxy during the fallout of Thanos' snap. But she came back during the knick of time during the final epic battle in the ruins of the Avengers compound. Captain Marvel singlehandedly destroyed Thanos ship, and engaged the Mad Titan directly. She was also in the all-female moment, which caused applause during countless screenings.

Related: One Marvel Hero Had To Be Added To Endgame's Women-Of-Marvel Sequence Via Digital Effects

It should be interesting to see how Captain Marvel factors into Phase Four. She should be in direct communication with the Avengers, and a sequel seems inevitable. The audience also hasn't been privy to how her conflict with the Supreme Intelligence went down, or where the Skrulls ended up taking up residence. And Brie Larson is hoping Ms. Marvel might be introduced in a future installment as well.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.

The Russo Brothers did the seemingly impossible with their pair of Avengers movies, expertly balancing a massive cast and keeping the movie remarkably character-driven. Endgame exceeded even the expectations set with Infinity War, as the survivors of Thanos' snap teamed up to Avenge the fallen and get back what they lost.

Endgame also brought Brie Larson's Captain Marvel to the greater MCU, following her first solo movie. And while she factored into both of the battles with Thanos in the movie, Carol Danvers wasn't a huge presence in the film. The Russo Brothers recently explained the character's lack of screen time compared to other heroes, with Joe Russo saying:

Well, that was honest. Captain Marvel may have had a strong origin story that made a ton of money at the box office, but The Russo Brothers simply weren't focusing on Carol Danvers much for Avengers: Endgame. It was primarily a story about the OG team, although Captain Marvel saved the day more than once.

Avengers: Endgame was deeply connected to the previous 21 movies in the MCU, especially when it came to the long tenure of the original lineup. Members of the first team like Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow were given the focus they deserve, while the other characters like Captain Marvel helped move that story forward.

Related: Captain Marvel Will Lead The MCU, Kevin Feige Says

In their same conversation with Empire (via Fatherly), The Russo Brothers also revealed that Carol Danvers' lack of a relationship with the surviving Avengers also prevented her from being essential to the main storyline. As Anthony Russo put it,

Time is money, and The Russo Brothers had to cram a ton of content into the runtime of Avengers: Endgame. And since Carol Danvers didn't have any super interesting personal dynamics with the rest of the survivors, she functioned on more of a tertiary level to the blockbuster. Still, Thanos' death wouldn't have been possible without her. Both times.

Carol Danvers first appeared in Avengers: Endgame in space, rescuing Nebula and Tony in the knick of time. Shortly after, she and the rest of the heroes boarded The Benatar to track down Thanos at The Farm. But after the time jump, she was absent from the Time Heist-- citing issues across the galaxy she had to tend to.

Captain Marvel returned to Earth in the knick of time, destroying Thanos' massive ship in the process. She also helped transport the Infinity Gauntlet through the warzone, before engaging with Thanos directly. She stopped the Mad Titan from snapping his finger, allowing the time for Tony to steal the stones and end him once and for all. Now we'll have to see what's next for Carol in the post-Endgame world.

Captain Marvel's presence in Avengers: Endgame wasn't all that substantial, but it was still exciting to see Carol Danvers crossing over and interacting with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And much of the film's events wouldn't have been possible without her role. After all, Tony Stark seemed moments away from death when she appeared to tow him and Nebula home to Earth.

While Brie Larson's fans might have been disappointed that the Room star didn't have as big a role in Avengers: Endgame as the original team, but her massive powers have the potential to complicate scenes like the Time Heist and Thanos' assault on the Avengers Compound. Captain Marvel is by far the most powerful hero in the MCU, surpassing the likes of Thor and Scarlet Witch. So she has the potential to end certain conflict before they start. Just look at how quickly Thanos was decapitated in Endgame.

Captain Marvel's big entrance in the Avengers: Endgame final battle was an epic one, and helped turn the tide of the battle for Earth. She evened the odds by destroying Thanos' ship, preventing him from raining fire on the battlefield. Thanos also could have snapped his fingers and ended everything, but was stopped by Captain Marvel. At least until he used the Power Stone to send her flying.

It should be interesting to see how Captain Marvel factors into the Marvel Cinematic Universe during its mysterious Phase Four. There's bound to be a passing of the guard in the new slate of movies, where the newer heroes step out of the background and into the main narrative. Iron Man and Captain America's tenures are up, and Black Widow likely won't be revived in the main timeline. As such, the newer characters should get more of a spotlight.

Considering the massive box office performance of Captain Marvel, we should expect the title character to have a big role in Phase Four and beyond. Additionally, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson was given the mantle of Captain America, and Spider-Man: Far From Home may be setting up Peter Parker as the next Iron Man. Smart money says that Doctor Strange and Black Panther also get their first sequels as well, transitioning the fandom to a new class of Avengers.

Captain Marvel's sequel could go seemingly anywhere, as there's decades of time between her solo movie and eventual appearance in Avengers: Endgame. She's been helping to police the entire galaxy, so there's plenty of stories to be explored. Plus, we never saw how her conflict with the Supreme Intelligence went.

There are some fans hoping that Ms. Marvel might be introduced in the follow-up to Captain Marvel, including Brie Larson herself. We'll just have to wait for Marvel Studios to finally reveal its plans for the future.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

MAJOR spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for weeks, providing countless plot twists and major payoffs for the hardcore Marvel fandom. The Russo Brothers brought an end to the Infinity Saga, killing off beloved characters and bringing back everyone who got dusted by Thanos in Infinity War. But there's one hero's fate that's currently unclear: Zoe Saldana's Gamora.

Gamora perished in Infinity War not through the snap, but by Thanos killing her on Vormir in order to procure the Soul Stone. But the fans were delighted to see her return in Endgame, although it was the 2014 version of the character who was still serving Thanos. She ultimately united with current day Nebula to take the Mad Titan down, although she wasn't seen after the battle ended. Now The Russo Brothers have addressed the ambiguity of Gamora's fate, saying:

Tricky, tricky. The Russo Brothers purposefully didn't reveal whether or not Tony dusted Gamora in the final moments of the Endgame battle. Although since she was so prominently featured in the epic battle and all-female moment, that fate would be a disservice to the character.

The Russo Brothers' comments to Business Insider help to get a glimpse behind the curtain of the MCU, and the co-directors' methodical way of filmmaking. Avengers: Endgame included just about every character imaginable, and the Russos had to juggle countless narratives. But Marvel characters also have their own franchises, so there was a tricky balance regarding how much ownership the brothers could take.

Because of this, Gamora's death in Infinity War it was truly a gut punch. And since she wasn't dusted by Thanos' snap, it didn't seem likely that she'd return from the dead once it was reversed. Luckily, time travel was a major macguffin in Endgame, and allowed for Zoe Saldana's signature Guardian to brought back to life.

Gamora had always hated Thanos, so it made sense that she would help out the future version of her sister, and try to stop him from getting the Infinity Stones again. This also reunited her with Peter Quill, although he was a total stranger to her. Gamora was last seen fighting alongside women of the MCU, as Captain Marvel got the Gauntlet through Thanos' army.

Related: How Does One Return The Soul Stone? We Asked The Avengers: Endgame Writers

The Russo Brothers' tease about Guardians 3 was set up during the final moments of Endgame, as Star-Lord was shown searching for Gamora's location back onboard The Benatar. Smart money says that's a major plot line in the upcoming threequel, as Gamora's family tries to find her. But since she doesn't know any of the motley crew besides Nebula, they'll be starting from scratch. That includes Peter Quill, who had finally broken down her walls and convinced the green girl to dance.

James Gunn is back behind the director's chair for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and has teased some big things for Rocket in the upcoming threequel. But he's no doubt got plans for every member of the group, including Gamora.

It's currently unclear when Guardians 3 will hit theaters, but you can watch Gamora and the rest in Avengers: Endgame now. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

It's been nearly three weeks since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and there are still a ton of questions floating above the fandom. The Russo Brothers did the impossible with their massive blockbuster, meeting every expectation that fans had, and providing countless plot twists. One of which involved the God of Mischief himself, Loki.

Tom Hiddleston's Loki was killed by Thanos in the opening sequence in Avengers: Infinity War, seemingly ending the character's story forever. But Hiddleston is attached to a Loki series for Disney+, and the macguffin for that possibility was provided during Endgame's time heist. The sequence saw 2012 Loki escape with the Space Stone, an outcome that should have a massive impact on that universe. Now The Russo Brothers have confirmed this created a new timeline, with Joe Russo recently saying:

Cue the Loki Disney + series. Loki's fate was one of the unclear aspects of Endgame's conclusion, although now that the Russo Brothers have lifted the spoiler ban, they can be more chatty an expansive about the film's contents.

Avengers: Endgame's time heist was super ambitious, and brought the surviving heroes back to various points across the MCU's long history. The biggest group traveled to the Battle of New York from The Avengers, and split up to acquire three Infinity Stones. Everything was going according to plan, until Hulk smashed into an incognito Tony Stark, sending the Space Stone flying.

Related: Marvel Updated Loki's Official Bio And Now We Have To Rethink Everything

True to character, Loki seized this opportunity, and vanished. It's unclear where he might have traveled to, and Tim Hiddleston's character wasn't mentioned at any point during the film's third act. But now The Russo Brothers have confirmed that he's got a new timeline in the works. In the same conversation with Business Insider, Anthony Russo echoed his brother's statement, saying:

The multiverse is a complicated concept to bring into the MCU, but the massive franchise has earned it at this point. And it's going to factor heavily into Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is the final installment in Phase Three. The newest trailer revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio was from another dimension, with the snap causing a tear in the multiverse. So it'll be fascinating to see how this type of storytelling moves the property forward, and if those tears become a recurring event in Phase Four.

It's currently unclear when Loki's Disney+ series will become available, as the future of the MCU is largely a mystery. But you can watch the God of Mischief's latest appearance on the big screen with Avengers: Endgame-- in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a fascinating place, as 21 movies collided with The Russo Brothers' Avengers: Endgame. The massive blockbuster was deeply connected to the MCU's past, and contained a ton of surprise cameos and long awaited moments. And aside from the narrative implications of Endgame, the latest Marvel release also contains its final cameo from comic book legend Stan Lee.

Stan Lee died in November of 2018, and it was a loss felt by generations of comic book fans. Lee's creations are currently dominating the movie landscape, and it's doubly sad that he didn't get to see Endgame in full. Now that spoiler ban on Avengers: Endgame has officially been lifted, The Russo Brothers shared a behind the scene glimpse at Lee's final appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Check it out.

As always, Stan Lee looks pleased to be back on set. The comic visionary thoroughly enjoyed his various onscreen appearances, totaling in 22 roles in the MCU. And that doesn't even include the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises.

Stan Lee pops up in Avengers: Endgame during the blockbuster's second act. During the masterfully crafted time heist, Iron Man and Captain America travel to the year 1970. As the S.H.I.E.L.D. location is shown to the audience, we also see a vintage car driving with the license plate "excelsior". That ride is being driven by none other than Lee himself, who encourages the agency to make love and not war.

While not quite as emotional as his role in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Stan Lee is quickly able to steal the scene, and make the audience laugh. Given how high the stakes of Avengers: Endgame are, moments of levity are sorely needed, and help to buoy the movie's complicated narrative. And Lee's message of love is all the more powerful in the wake of his death.

It's hard to imagine the Marvel Cinematic Universe without Stan Lee's presence, as his creativity and excitement over the genre flow through the franchise's blood. Lee passed shortly away before Captain Marvel arrived in theaters, with his cameo in that movie being super self-aware. Additionally, screenings of Captain Marvel opened with a tribute to Stan Lee, which was particularly touching.

Stan Lee has obviously had a ton of Marvel cameos, and he wasn't shy about sharing his excitement for each new one. Lee loved getting some screen time, listing his role in Avengers: Age of Ultron as his favorite before his passing. His reasoning? Because it was the most lines, as he had two smaller scenes instead of one.

When discussing his Age of Ultron role, Stan Lee previously made his feelings known, saying:

Stan Lee truly never disappointed the Marvel fandom, constantly showing his enthusiasm for the shared universe, as well as life on the page. This excitement obviously bled over to his onscreen roles, with the comic book visionary hoping to get even more screen time. But Age of Ultron remains his biggest role, unless you count the myriad hidden Stan Lees in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.

As a reminder, you can check out Stan Lee's Avengers: Age of Ultron cameo below. below.

Remember folks: when Thor offers you a drink, you might want to be careful. The God of Thunder has a far stronger tolerance for intoxication than we mere mortals.

Looking back on this Age of Ultron scene is quite different after seeing Avengers: Endgame, and for a multitude of reasons. To start, it seems to tease Thor's eventual problem with alcohol after the five year time jump. Thor sunk into a deep depression after Thanos' snap, and he relied heavily on beer and Fortnite to get him through.

Additionally, the rest of the party scene includes Captain America attempting to lift Thor's hammer. While he seemingly failed, Endgame revealed Steve Rogers was worthy all along. He was just sparing his friend's feelings.

Stan Lee's role(s) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe took an interesting turn during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Lee was shown in space, speaking with cosmic characters The Watchers. In the brief scene, Stan Lee made reference to multiple past cameos, not so subtly implying that he's actually been playing one character the whole time. Unfortunately, it looks like that plot point will likely not reach its fruition, as Lee died before he could record an appearance in the upcoming Guardians threequel.

Then again, James Gunn has been known to take creative risks, so it's doesn't seem out of the question that Stan Lee's Guardians 2 role and/or The Watchers. Gunn meticulously crafted the first two installments, and no doubt has a master plan for Vol. 3. So Lee might end up getting at least a reference in final addition to the Guardians trilogy.

It should be interesting to see how Marvel Studios continues to honor Stan Lee, as he'll no longer be able to film new appearances. But given the MCU's connection to the legendary icon, it wouldn't be surprising if Kevin Feige and company are finding a new way to pay tribute. The shared universe will need to continue strong not only without Stan Lee, but also its stars in the form of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, including Stan Lee's final Marvel cameo. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for three weekends, still maintaining the top spot at the box office over new releases like Detective Pikachu. The Russo Brothers did the impossible with the blockbuster, surpassing even Infinity War in regards to scope and character-driven story. Endgame was intimately connected to the previous 21 movies in the MCU, and that includes Phase Two's finale Avengers: Age of Ultron.

When Iron Man and Nebula were rescued by Captain Marvel and towed back to Earth in Endgame, Tony had an altercation with Steve Rogers. Exhausted and starving, he maintained he was right all along regarding the measures needed to properly protect the planet. Now The Russo Brothers have come to Tony's defense in regards to his Age of Ultron actions, with Joe Russo saying:

Captain America and Iron Man's relationship started becoming strained during Avengers: Age of Ultron, as they had idealogical differences to the morality of superheroics. Ultron's inception came as a result of Tony's singular focus on protecting the planet, although Earth could have used it when Thanos and his forcea came knocking in Infinity War.

Of course, Joe Russo's comments to Slate also point out that Captain America has his own valid points in the argument. Both heroes had the best of intentions, but were ultimately unable to come together and find viable compromises. That powder keg eventually exploded in Captain America: Civil War, and it broke up the Avengers in the process.

Related: How Spider-Man: Far From Home Can Wrap Up Marvel's Phase Three

Ultron may have ended up turning against his creators and the planet, but the thought behind his creation was a big picture idea. Tony and Bruce Banner wanted to provide a more comprehensive protection of the planet, with Iron Man knowing that the Battle of New York was no fluke. Unfortunately, Ultron had other plans-- although Vision was also born in the process.

But Thanos was only able to be defeated because the surviving heroes were able to work together. Despite Tony's initial reaction to arriving home, he was able to bury the hatchet with Steve Rogers, and they made the time heist happen together. The duo also faced off against Thanos during the epic final battle, and Cap even witnessed Iron Man's final breath.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

By now, you are likely more than a little familiar with Avengers: Endgame, the massive comic book movie that is climbing its way to being the highest-grossing film of all time. In that case, you also might know Joe Russo, the co-director of Endgame and three other of Marvel's best films. With Endgame out in theaters, Joe Russo and his partner/brother Anthony Russo are done with the MCU, but not necessarily with comic book movies. If given the chance to direct a DC movie, Joe Russo would like to take his shot at Batman.

Hot off of co-directing two massive and successful Avengers films, the Russo Brothers are taking a break from Marvel for the foreseeable future. The duos' next project will reunite them with Tom Holland for the drama film Cherry. While the two talked about what projects would bring them back to the MCU, nothing is in the works at the moment.

However, that doesn't mean that they are done with superheroes. There are plenty of non-Marvel options out there, with the biggest one being DC over at Warner Bros. While appearing in a live chat with ComicBook, Joe Russo was asked by a fan what DC Comics character he'd like to direct in a movie. The answer was one of the biggest superheroes of all time.

If Joe Russo wants to direct a Batman movie, he'll have to get in line. Matt Reeves is currently working on the next Batman film. The project has been a little touch-and-go, with Ben Affleck leaving the role and a few behind-the-scenes changes before Reeves stepped in.

There haven't been many updates about The Batman, but it'll be a noir detective-style story. The script is still being worked on and there's no shortage of casting rumors for Batman.

After tackling the Avengers franchise, there's little doubt the Russos are more than up to the task of directing a Batman movie. After handling a cast of over, like, 20 characters, I'm sure it'd be refreshing for the brothers to turn their gaze to just one superhero.

Given the almost unprecedented success of the MCU and the Russo Bros.' role in it, I would wager that Warner Bros. would offer them any superhero movie that struck their fancy. Much like with James Gunn taking over The Suicide Squad, I'm sure DC is willing to play ball with the Russos if they want. The door is wide open for the duo after Avengers: Endgame.

You can see the Russo Bros.' latest film (as if you haven't already) Avengers: Endgame in theaters right now. For everything else coming to theaters near you this year, check out our 2019 movie release guide.

A lot of things changed for a lot of our favorite heroes in Avengers: Endgame. Some heroes died, others exited the main stage in other ways. We knew the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was going to be something quite different, and now we know many of the ways those changes will manifest. However, one often overlooked Avengers is Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk, and the events of Endgame have also changed his life in a major way.

The Hulk is the one who risks his life by being the one to use the Infinity Stones to return life to the universe. The act very nearly kills him, and leaves him with one severely damaged arm. Endgame directors the Russo brothers have now confirmed that Hulk won't simply heal from this damage, instead, it's permanent damage that Bruce Banner will have to deal with going forward. According to Joe Russo...

An Incredible Hulk who has lost a lot of strength is certainly a very different Incredible Hulk. Mark Ruffalo's character is one who we expect will continue forward in the MCU, but this change will go with him.

Joe Russo admits to ComicBook.com there's really no such thing as truly "permanent" when it comes to this sort of thing in Marvel movies. In a world of magic and super advanced science, the possibility for Hulk being healed is certainly there, but the point is that Hulk will need to be actively healed in some way for this damage to go away, he's not simply going to heal if he puts some ointment on it and wraps it in a cast. Also, as Joe Russo puts it, for him the damage is permenant, because it's somebody else's job to figure out what happens next...

Joe Russo draws something of a parallel between Hulk's arm an Natasha Romanov. Both are gone, seemingly forever. One has left physical scars, the other has certainly done some emotional damage. While the relationship between Bruce Banner and Black Widow was never fully explored on screen, it was made clear that there were feelings there, and Bruce will now have to deal with them without her.

Of course, how the future of the MCU will deal with Hulk is a significant question on its own. Hulk has only been a supporting players in the various Avengers movies and Thor: Ragnarok since Mark Ruffalo took on the role. The only Hulk solo movie in the franchise was the second MCU movie made, and there has been no indication that a Ruffalo-led Hulk movie is even being considered. Marvel Studios shares the film right to the character with Universal, so making a Hulk focused movie is a bit tougher than it is with other characters.

Since the future of Avengers movies is also a big question mark, we have basically no idea wen we'll see Hulk again, or how this change in the character could manifest if and when we do.

Hopefully, we will see more of Mark Ruffalo and the Incredible Hulk very soon. Hopefully Marvel will give us a hint when that might be soon, since the entire future of the MCU is a big black box right now

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen it, look away.

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for nearly two weeks, and moviegoers haven't stopped discussing and dissecting every frame of The Russo Brothers' masterful blockbuster. The co-directors managed to do the impossible, crafting a complicated emotional story that had a a ton of connections to the greater MCU. And it's a story that included the epic death and funeral of Tony Stark.

Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man has been the heart and soul of the MCU since its inception, and the character went out in a truly epic way. The final moments of Avengers: Endgame showed Tony Stark's funeral, complete with some surprise cameos. But it turns out that The Russo Brothers had to lie to the talent in order to keep the secrets of Tony's fate under wraps. As Joe Russo recently explained:

Marvel Studios is known for its secrecy, and stakes were especially high for Avengers: Endgame. The blockbuster was the cumulation of 22 movies, so The Russo Brothers went to great length to keep the film's spoilers under wraps. Even from the cast.

Tony Stark's death was an emotionally devastating aspect of Endgame, and the OG MCU hero was given the respect he deserved after wielding the new Infinity Gauntlet, and snapping past-Thanos and his forces out of existence. The Russo Brothers added the "I am Iron Man" line very late into the film's process, while the funeral scene was exactly what moviegoers needed in the moment.

Related: The Russo Brothers Suggest How Long Avengers: Endgame Spoilers Should Be Protected

The funeral was a who's who of MCU characters, but that also meant a ton of actors who had the potential to spoil Tony's fate. In their same conversation with EW Radio, Anthony Russo spoke to the excitement of filming with such a great ensemble, while also be worried about Endgame's contents being kept under wraps. As he tell it,

Talk about a twist. It must have been quite the pivot in emotions going from a wedding to a funeral, but The Russo Brothers had to do everything they could to guard the secrets of their Avengers movies. And it's an effort that has paid off, as both Infinity War and Endgame delivered countless plot twists, and made an insane amount of money at the box office.

It should be interesting to see how the MCU continues on without Tony Stark. Spider-Man: Far From Home looks it'll address just that, and is set to arrive shortly.

Avengers: Endgame is out now, and Spider-Man: Far From Home will hit theaters on July 2nd. In the meantime, check out out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The following story contains massive spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. Stop reading now if you haven’t yet seen the movie.

It was the very last scene that Joe and Anthony Russo shot for Avengers: Endgame. For all that they know, it might go down as the last thing they ever filmed in the MCU. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), staring at Thanos (Josh Brolin) and snapping his fingers, reducing the Mad Titan and all of his minions to dust.

It was a reshoot. And according to the brothers, it almost didn’t happen. During a recent conversation the ReelBlend podcast had with Joe and Anthony Russo about the making of Avengers: Endgame, they revealed how the pivotal shot came about … and how it almost didn’t happen. Let’s start with Joe Russo, who told ReelBlend:

That’s incredible that the sequence of Tony’s snap, and the perfect line delivery, is a reshoot that the brothers didn’t originally have during the initial production. They always knew they needed a reply to Thanos. But it took them a few tries before they landed on the right reply. As the brother recalled to ReelBlend:

I knew this story when I went back to see Avengers: Endgame for my third time. And sure enough, knowing this, it looks like a reshot scene, though you’d never know unless you knew to look out for it. It’s such a monumental moment of sacrifice, a tragic and heroic act that redefines the legacy of Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it’s the idea callback to the final line of Jon Favreau’s first Iron Man movie.

As it turns out, though, the logistics of the reshoot also turned into an historic callback. As Anthony Russo elaborated to ReelBlend:

Chills. Goosebumps. Nerd tears.

You have to listen to all of the amazing stories like this one, told by Joe and Anthony Russo on our ReelBlend podcast. This one is truly special, if you are a Marvel fans.

Having the Russos on ReelBlend was an amazing accomplishment for us, and we are thrilled that they took the time out of their incredibly busy schedule to talk about the making of the biggest film in our lifetimes. The movie continues to destroy at the box office, setting new records left and right. And now we know some incredible behind-the-scenes trivia facts about the making of, and we hope you enjoyed it.

ReelBlend is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean O’Connell, Kevin McCarthy and Jake Hamilton. Find it on your normal podcast portals, and give us a subscribe if you liked what you heard here today.

The following story contains spoilers from Avengers: Endgame.

When the latest Marvel Studios movie drew to a close, Captain America (Chris Evans) embarked on one final mission. He agreed to be the one who traveled back in time to return the Infinity Stones from the moments in which they were borrowed, thereby eliminating any multiverses that might have sprung away from the main timeline.

In doing so, this means that Cap had to travel to the remote planet of Vormir to return the Soul Stone. And that should mean that Steve Rogers would encounter – for the first time in decades – the arch-nemesis who helped bury him in the ice way back in 1945: Red Skull. We have seen the Skull in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, where he stands guard over the pit where a sacrifice must be made to retrieve the Stone. So when ReelBlend sat down with Joe and Anthony Russo to talk Endgame spoilers, we asked if this meant that Cap encountered Red Skull again, and what the rules of Soul Stone returns actually are:

Captain America’s final trip through time is the biggest gap in storytelling that Avengers: Endgame doesn’t bother to address. Hulk sends Cap back in time using the technology that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) perfected. And he expects to bring Steve Rogers back… only, that doesn’t happen.

Instead, Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) notice that Old Man Rogers is waiting for him. It turns out, after returning the Stones, Cap decided to go back in time and live his life in full with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), and choosing not to elaborate on the steps that he took to bring the Stones back.

That leaves a LOT of story left to tell, and Marvel actually has ways to tell it. After all, with Disney+ as a new streaming service, Marvel fans already expect to see new stories branching out from Avengers: Endgame starring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, as well as Stan and Mackie. Why couldn’t Chris Evans choose to keep playing Captain America, just going on adventures in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and beyond?

Also, Marvel Studios easily could bring back the One Shots that they used to include on DVDs and Blu-rays. Who doesn’t want to see a short film that shows Steve encountering Red Skull, one last time?

The Russo brothers confirm that the meeting takes place in their version of the story, but they stop short from telling us when we might ever see it happen. To hear the rest of our conversation with the brothers, where we talk all things SPOILERY for Avengers: Endgame, press play on this bonus segment of the ReelBlend podcast.

As for Avengers: Endgame, that blockbuster is shattering records left and right, passing $2 billion in 11 days. Staggering. Have you seen it yet? What did you think?

The following story contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.

The 22nd official movie in the MCU had virtually every single character who appeared on screen before, from “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) and Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) to heroes like Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Most of them showed up for one of the final scenes – Tony Stark’s funeral, which was an all-star event. But there was one face at the funeral that was a bit of a head-scratcher for a lot of audience members, mainly because the actor playing the character had aged significantly since audiences last saw him.

Ty Simpkins (Jurassic World) was standing near the back of the gathered crowd at Tony Stark’s funeral. If you don’t recall that Simpkins played Harley Keener, the young inventor, in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, don’t worry… you weren’t alone in being confused. And that confusion, shared by several early test screeners, was giving the Russo brothers anxiety. During a spoiler-filled conversation with our ReelBlend podcast, the siblings shared a very funny story about filming that scene, where the stars of the MCU weren’t even sure who Simpkins was. They told us:

As if you needed another reason to go back and see Avengers: Endgame. Now you have to hunt for Easter eggs that haven’t been identified yet by fans.

As Joe and Anthony Russo elaborated in the set up of that jaw-dropping scene – a one-shot that traces over almost every facet of the MCU, in character form – Anthony elaborated on the sheer panic that the directors were feeling because as they were mapping it out, none of the famous actors on set understood who Ty Simpkins was supposed to represent. Anthony tells ReelBlend:

At the end of the day, the Russo realize that Easter eggs are a common occurrence in MCU movies, and fans would have something cool to discuss during what is one of the most heartfelt moments in all of Avengers: Endgame.

The Ty Simpkins story is just one of many gems included in this bonus episode of ReelBlend, which is all spoilers with Joe and Anthony Russo, so press play and dive in.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters as we speak, and based on the box office numbers, a good number of you have headed to theaters to check it out. What did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Can a comic book movie be too successful? The simple answer is probably, “No.” Especially if you happen to be a studio executive. And yet, for Joe and Anthony Russo, they did reflect on the recent historic run enjoyed by their new movie Avengers: Endgame and find one small reason to be disappointed. This came up when the brothers sat down with CinemaBlend’s own ReelBlend podcast, where Anthony Russo admitted:

We imagine all of that will change once the unofficial Spoiler Embargo on Avengers: Endgame lifts on Monday, May 6, and fans are able to speak openly about the massive swings that occur in this recent Avengers movie.

But Joe and Anthony Russo also understand fully why box office became the focal point of the discussion in the days following Avengers: Endgame, because their blockbuster was behaving in ways we’d never seen before – and may never see again. The movie earned more than $1.2 billion globally in its first five days of release. BoxOfficeMojo notes that the movie is heading into its second weekend looking to surpass the domestic grosses of the original The Avengers movie, which needed 154 days to pass $623.6 million. Endgame might reach that figure in 10 days.

Anthony Russo talked to the ReelBlend podcast about the box office performance of the movie, and their expectations for opening weekend. He elaborated:

While Joe Russo took it from a business standpoint, adding:

And yet, Avengers: Endgame is meeting those demands. And now we’re excited to see what the sequel can do in its second weekend. The goal, for most, is to see it surpass Avatar as the highest grossing global film. It has a while to go, but the record seems feasible.

Listen to the full, non-spoiler conversation with the Russo Brothers as part of this week’s ReelBlend podcast:

And if you haven’t yet, check out Avengers: Endgame, in theaters as we speak.

Avengers: Endgame has officially been out for a week now, and is making a ton of money at the box office. Plenty of moviegoers have been running to theaters to check out the 22nd installment in the MCU, hoping to get the full theatrical experience before any of the myriad twists were spoiled for them. Clearly, the stakes were sky high.

Ahead of Endgame's release, the Russo Brothers encouraged moviegoers to try and see a screening on opening weekend, to help ensure it's a spoiler-free experience. What's more, a social media campaign with #DontSpoilTheEndgame also went viral last week. But now that the movie is out, how long do we have to keep its secrets for? The co-directors recently appeared on CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast, where Joe Russo revealed how long he thinks the statute of limitations is. He said:

There you have it. There's no one more anti-spoiler than Joe and Anthony Russo, who have spent the past three years guarding the secrets of the secrets of their record-breaking pair of Avengers movies. And with Endgame marking the end of the Infinity Saga and containing a ton of crazy plot twists, they've had to keep especially tight lipped. Until now.

Joe Russo's comments on ReelBleend may surprise the fandom, as the directors don't expect the public to stay mum for much longer. Spoiler alerts might be in order, but Joe believes that those moviegoers truly invested and worried about spoilers will make their way to theaters within the first two weeks of Endgame's release.

The time for spoiler-filled conversation will come up after this coming weekend, with Monday being the official day the directors suggest breaking the fan imposed gag order. Aside from the Thursday opening night and various weekday screenings that have happened over the past few days, this date will also give moviegoers two weekends to make seeing Avengers: Endgame a priority.

Related: Avengers: Endgame Proved We Should Stop Worrying About Toy Spoilers

While these comments might jive well with the hardcore fandom who broke the internet by getting pre-sale tickets, it might not sit well with casual moviegoers. Not everyone is quite as into the MCU, and folks may be trying to catch up on the previous 21 movies ahead of seeing Endgame. But considering what a massive event Avengers: Endgame is, places like the water cooler and social media have become landmines for spoilers.

Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame are unique because there are simply so many surprising moments and plot twists. The Russo Brothers crafted an absolutely massive narrative, with deep cuts and connections to multiple movies in the MCU's history. Because there are so many mind-blowing moments throughout the movie's runtime, one spoiler can't really ruin Endgame's contents. So even if a few plot points end up revealed, there are still a plethora of big moments that should follow.

Since The Russo Brothers have such a specific date picked out to lift the ban on Avengers: Endgame spoilers, I have to wonder if the movie's marketing campaign will take a shift. Ahead of its release, the trailers revealed a small amount of footage, mostly coming from the first 30 mins of the Endgame. But after the two weekend mark, should we expect some of the movie's biggest moments appearing in TV spots and commercials?

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. You have been warned, click away!

This shift has already begun ahead of Monday, as a recent TV spot revealed some new footage of Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts. While the character was hidden from the first trailer, she was shown in her Rescue armor in the newest Avengers: Endgame commercials. This was a long awaited moment that happens super late into the film's runtime, so it's surprising that Marvel Studios loosened the reigns for Tony Stark's true love. But considering Paltrow essentially spoiled this while filming, perhaps Pepper's superhero debut wasn't the biggest plot point that had to be kept under wraps.

Since so little is known about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opening up the conversation regarding Avengers: Endgame is a way to satisfy the rabid fandom, and their endless questions. After Spider-Man: Far From Home, the public has no semblance of when the next Marvel movies will arrive, or what their titles might be. But Endgame is finally here, and moviegoers are eager to freely discuss the record-breaking blockbuster.

The secrets of Avengers: Endgame are finally out, but Marvel Studios is still keeping its cards close to the chest. Spider-Man: Far From Home will the final installment in Phase Three, and the first movie post Infinity Saga. While this project is arriving in a few months and will help to bring the MCU back into its regularly scheduled programming, no one is sure what comes next. What's more, there's been no clue as to when Phase Four might be reveled.

The Russo Brothers might hope that the public keeps Avengers: Endgame's secrets for a few more days, but they were happy to talk about the movie's contents with ReelBlend hosts Sean O'Connell, Kevin McCarthy, and Jake Hamilton. The pair of directors are no doubt relieved that the pressure of spoilers is gone-- a responsibility that seems to have weighed on the actors as well.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen the latest Marvel blockbuster, look away!

It's been nearly a week since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and moviegoers haven't stopped discussing and dissected every frame of the record-breaking blockbuster. The Russo Brothers brought everything imaginable to Endgame, including plenty of wild plot twists and surprise cameos. And following the film's runtime, there was one more surprise that gobsmacked the hardcore fandom.

Avengers: Endgame included an epic curtain call, which recognized just about everyone who has had a major role in the massive shared universe. Following that fitting sendoff, moviegoers stayed glued to their seats to see what the end-credits scene would tease for Phase Four. But the scene never came, a first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Russo Brothers recently explained this unexpected decision, with Anthony Russo recently saying:

As if the wild events of Avengers: Endgame weren't enough of a mic drop, the Russo Brothers delivered one more shocking twist. The new release was the cumulation of 22 Marvel movies, so the brothers decided the movie deserved a proper ending. No teases, no credits scene, just the end of the Infinity Saga and the MCU as we know it.

Anthony Russo's thoughts about Endgame's ending come from a Q&A that Joe and Anthony Russo did following an Endgame screening in Washington D.C. just last night-- with CinemaBlend in attendance. Now that the movie is finally in theaters, the Russos no longer have to worry about guarding its secrets, and giving cagey answers to fans and journalists. The cat is out of the bag, so the directors can finally be open about their creative process, and the myriad bold choices made throughout the course of the expansive film.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced the post-credits scene to moviegoers back with Iron Man, which featured the debut of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. These bonus clips have become commonplace since, teasing that's next for each franchise, and offering deeper connections to the shared universe. And considering how almost nothing is known about the MCU in Phase Four, moviegoers expected to get some idea through Avengers: Endgame's credits.

But it turns out that The Russo Brothers don't know much about the MCU's future either. While they set up a new Captain America and a path for Thor, the studio is gong to have new architects planning the next slate of movies. The Russo Brothers did masterful work with Phase Three, but it appears that Avengers: Endgame is their last entry for a while.

During the same Q&A in Washington D.C., Anthony Russo maintained just that: they couldn't tease the future of the MCU in Avengers: Endgame because they simply don't know what's coming next. As he explained:

Well, that's definitely not how Marvel fans expected things to go down. After crafting narratives that includes all of the MCU's biggest characters, they bid goodbye to the Avengers and Guardians following their pair of Avengers movies. And without speaking with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige about the future, they had no advanced knowledge to craft a credits scene from.

Related: The Guardians Of The Galaxy Cameo You Probably Missed In Avengers: Endgame

The Russo Brothers made their debut with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is widely considered one of the best installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following that movie's massive success, the brothers helped to craft the story of Phase Three, directing three large ensemble projects in the process. They've spent years worrying about the events of the MCU, so it stands to reason that they might want to have a break following the release (and insane success) of Endgame.

Clearly Marvel Studios is happy with what the Russo Brothers were able to accomplish within the MCU. And as such, Kevin Feige and the powers that be gave them the freedom to craft their Avengers movies, without worrying what may or may not be coming next dow the pipeline. As Anthony Russo went on to explain:

The stakes were extremely high for Infinity War and Endgame, so it's surprising to see how hands off the larger studio was regarding The Russo Brothers' narrative choices. But that relationship also functioned as a two-way street, because Anthony and Joe didn't look to the future or ask for details regarding what's next. So it looks like they'll be able to enjoy future Marvel movies just like the rest of us.

The future of the MCU remains a total mystery, in part thanks to the lack of an Avengers: Endgame post-credits scene. Smart money says the studio may keep their cards close to the chest at least until Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives in a few months.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, and the MCU will pick back up when Spider-Man: Far From Home arrives on July 2nd. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

MASSIVE ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen it, don't read on!

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for nearly a week, and moviegoers haven't stopped discussing every frame from The Russo Brothers' massive blockbuster. The co-directors threw everything and the kitchen sink into Endgame, resulting in a film with even more scope and heart than Infinity War. The movie ended the Infinity Saga forever, and gave touching endings to some of the OG Avengers.

Chief among them was Chris Evan's Captain America, who most fans were expecting to perish in the second war against Thanos. But The Russo Brothers kept the fandom on their toes, and Steve Rogers was given a much happier ending. Following the Avengers victory, Cap traveled back in time to return the Infinity Stones to their proper locations, but he decides to stay in the past and live with his true love, Peggy Carter. Now The Russo Brothers have clarified how that action affected the multiverse, with Joe recently saying:

Does anyone else have chills? While it seemed like Captain America's story was given closure, it looks like there are still some questions to ask following the events of Avengers: Endgame. And that includes why/how he managed to return to the present timeline, and pass off his shield to Anthony Mackie's Falcon.

Marvel fans were happy to see the constantly tortured Steve Rogers finally get the love and companionship he deserves, so few of us stopped to think about exactly why he would return to the MCU's main timeline. Perhaps he had to leave to avoid his younger self thawing from the ice in Captain America: The First Avenger? Or maybe there's a reason why it was the perfect time to pass on the mantle to Sam Wilson.

Related: The First Draft Of Avengers: Endgame Was Originally Very Different

In The Russo Brothers' same conversation with EW, Joe Russo went on to tease more possible story regarding Captain America's time travel and happy ending with Peggy, saying:

If there's one thing The Russo Brothers are good at, it's crafting blockbusters with layers of storytelling. Starting with Captain America: Civil War, the co-directors proved they could balance a large cast, and service each of the characters while telling a larger narrative. Their pair of Avengers flicks are truly remarkable in this way, and the final moments of Avengers: Endgame also set up storytelling possibilities for the future.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Major spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. Don't read on if you haven't seen it!

After a long year of waiting, Avengers: Endgame finally hit theaters this past weekend. The 22nd Marvel blockbuster has been breaking records left and right at the box office, and packed more surprises and plot twists than the rabid fandom could have anticipated. Tons of narrative threads were wrapped up, and the OG members of The Avengers were given special care for some of their final outings in the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame obviously went through a few drafts, and it turns out that the contents of the massive blockbuster could have been quite different. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely handled the script to both Infinity War and Endgame, and recently revealed some of the ways the story changed throughout its development. For instance, the heroes didn't originally travel back to The Avengers' Battle of New York, as McFeely explained:

Avengers: Endgame's time heist is massive and extremely ambitious, as the Avengers revisit some of the MCU's most iconic moments. The biggest part of that mission is in the Battle of New York, as three of the Infinity Stones were in the city during that first epic battle. It's hard to imagine the heist going off without visiting New York, although Stephen McFeely revealed they were originally were going to leave The Avengers out of the travel itinerary. Luckily, the duo of writers ultimately changed their mind.

The Avengers has a very important role in the story in the heist, and features a ton of surprising cameos. In addition to being the place where the surviving heroes could accrue a variety of Infinity Stones, the flashback to New York featured appearances by Crossbones, and fellow Captain America: Winter Soldier characters Alexander Pierce and Agent Jasper Sitwell. None of this would have been possible if Endgame's writers decided to avoid The Battle of New York.

Related: Avengers: Endgame Fan Reportedly Hospitalized For Uncontrollable Sobbing

Heimdall related FOMO aside, it sounds like Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely made the right call regarding how the journey through time would function in the story. This isn't exclusive to the Battle of New York, as moments in the Thor and Guardian of the Galaxy franchises also became more important. Of course, there are many Idris Elba fans out there who would have loved to see Heimdall briefly return to the world of the living in Endgame.

In their same conversation with the New York Times, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed the challenges of the time heist's other settings, and different iterations that were crafted. As the duo of writers said:

Avengers: Endgame's time heist was not only tricky for the surviving heroes, but also for the writers who had to plan out the easter egg-filled act of the film. Figuring out just how the Avengers would travel back and acquire the Infinity Stones was a major task for Marcus and McFeely. While some of the teams had long sequences like the Battle of New York, Nebula and War Machine's acquisition of the Power Stone was hilariously easy. At least, until Thanos showed up and made a mess of things.

While the original version of Endgame featured a longer scene with Natalie Portman's Jane, it was ultimately Thor's mother Frigga who had the biggest impact during the Thor: The Dark World revisit. Instead, Jane was brought back through old footage of Portman, as the Oscar winning actress has left her Marvel role behind.

Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely's struggle with the Avengers: Endgame time heist was partly because they didn't want to pander to the audience or go over the top with fan service. Quite a few misguided plot devices were considered in this process, as the duo attempted to craft a time traveling story that left out the Battle of New York. As they put it:

If you thought that Avengers: Endgame was dizzying in theaters, imagine what it was like to create the complicated story. The writing process ultimately worked out quite well for Markus and McFeely, as their work is being universally celebrated by both critics and moviegoers alike. They somehow pulled off the impossible with Infinity War and Endgame, crating a pair of blockbusters that balanced action with character-driven plot.

Avengers: Endgame managed to largely keep its secrets, and Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely packed in endless surprises and long awaited payoffs throughout the Russo Brothers' massive final movie. It was the true finale of the Infinity Saga, and there's no telling what's coming next for the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Now that Avengers: Endgame is in theaters, it was only a matter of time before the internet started making memes featuring it and the final season of Game of Thrones. Some are mashing the two worlds together to celebrate this magical time in pop culture, and the Russo brothers are loving it. The duo -- who directed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame -- shared a picture of Thanos staring down The Night King in some fan art, and admitted it's a fight they'd like to see.

The Russo brothers are down for seeing the Titan go toe to toe with the king of wights and White Walkers, despite the fact it looks as though it'd be a pretty quick fight. Thanos appears to have all of the Infinity Stones, and no amount of raising the dead is going to protect the Night King from that. It may be cool to watch The Night King attempt to do something, but him actually winning is somewhat laughable.

Of course, we can't really call it for Thanos until the Game of Thrones showrunners or George R.R. Martin have a chance to weigh in. Perhaps the Infinity Stones don't work in Westeros, or at least not in the same way they do in other places? Plus, if Thanos is making a play for world domination, he's not only going to be competing with The Night King. Can Thanos navigate the cutthroat politics of Westeros, or withstand dragon fire?

Perhaps he wouldn't have to, as one would think the Night King and Thanos would have more in common than not. Thanos is big on genocide and not wasting resources, so it's possible he would see The Night King as more of an ally than enemy. It's also worth noting he can't "snap" the Night King or his army away because they're not classified as living things. On paper, Thanos has no reason to hate these guys!

Villain showdown speculation aside, it really is great to see the Russo Brothers respecting Game of Thrones as Avengers: Endgame is smashing box office records left and right. Especially since they're posting this on Instagram hours ahead of the Battle of Winterfell episode, which may show that even in the midst of all this Endgame hype they're excited to see who all will die in the upcoming episode.

Any excitement anyone has for the Game of Thrones episode is justified, as the HBO drama has set the stage for a battle that could be more emotionally devastating than the Red Wedding. It also has massive implications for how the rest of the series will play out, so maybe even MCU fans who haven't watched Game of Thrones may be compelled to tune in.

Game of Thrones airs on HBO Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for analysis on the upcoming episodes, and the latest and greatest news on television, movies, and pop culture.

After 21 movies and a decade of filmmaking, it's finally here. Avengers: Endgame has arrived in theaters, bringing the long standing narrative to an end, and picking up on the surviving heroes after Thanos wiped out half the galaxy with the snap of his finger. These massive ensemble projects are only possible through the vision and ambition of co-directors The Russo Brothers, who have been the architects for Phase Three.

The Russo Brothers proved their ability to juggle massive casts with Captain America: Civil War, and their two Avengers movies have been universally acclaimed. So could they end up working on another MCU installment in the future? Probably not. As Anthony Russo recently said:

Well, that's a bummer. The Russo Brothers went above and beyond all expectations for their quartet of Marvel blockbusters, so the fandom would no doubt love to see more from them. But after working non-stop on Infinity War and Endgame over the past three years, you can't blame them for wanting a change of pace.

Anthony Russo's comments to GamesRadar make a great deal of sense. Given how much pressure has been on the brothers over the past 4-5 years, the time has come for them to step away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and work on different projects. Although, that doesn't mean they'll never return to helm another Marvel blockbuster. It's just the Endgame for now.

These comments might not surprise the fandom, but it highlights how little the public knows about the future of the MCU. Ahead of Avengers: Endgame's release, Marvel Studios was keeping its cards close to the chest. This was to protect the secrets of the highly anticipated blockbuster, despite the movie ultimately suffering a few leaks in the days before it hit theaters.

Related: 6 Incredibly Easy Ways To Avoid Avengers: Endgame Spoilers

But even revealing the titles of Phase Four's movies had the potential to spoil Endgame's biggest beats. A release schedule has certain implications just by what titles are on the way, and which franchises are potentially ending. The stakes are high and half of life was destroyed in Infinity War, so seemingly no one is safe from the rematch with Josh Brolin's Thanos.

Regardless of what's coming in Phase Four, one thing is clear: The Russo Brothers won't be a part of it. Instead, the co-directors will be able to work on non-Marvel projects, and bask in the light of their success. What's more, the duo can sit in theater to actually enjoy the next MCU installments, which should be a welcomed change of pace.

The Russo Brothers' (possibly) last Marvel project is currently on display, as Avengers: Endgame has finally arrived in theaters. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.