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Credit: Marvel StudiosNew information has just dropped regarding the upcoming Avengers movies helmed by the Russo brothers, and Marvel fans should be prepared for a major blockbuster on par with its predecessors.
At San Diego Comic-Con this year, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that Anthony and Joe Russo, AKA the Russo brothers, would be returning to helm the next installments in the Avengers series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The masterminds were, of course, behind the box office giants Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), and their return to the MCU has come at a tenuous time for the franchise. Not only did the filmmaking siblings step back into the limelight, but so did Robert Downey Jr.–the charismatic star beloved for his 11-year-long portrayal as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
The trio, acclaimed in their professions, generated immense excitement when they joined Feige on the Hall H stage this past July, and now new information has come to light regarding the future of the MCU’s Avengers movies.
Four months ago, Avengers: Doomsday did not exist. Prior to the confirmation of the Russo Brothers’ involvement in the future MCU, the fifth Avengers movie was known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or simply Avengers 5.
The retooling of the film’s name came after the arrest, verdict, and ousting of Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors, and while the movie hung in limbo for a while there, the ball is now rolling on Doomsday.
And it wouldn’t be Doomsday without Doom.
Despite some thinking that John Malkovich may be portraying the character in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), it would end up being Downey Jr taking on the role of the classic villain, Victor Von Doom. Downey Jr.’s casting did not go down with unanimous praise, however, as some fans felt like Marvel was ignoring Doom’s Romani heritage and using the popular actor to draw in audiences.
It’s no secret that the return of the Russos and Downey Jr. comes at a fragile time for the MCU. While 2024 has had a 100% success rate on the big screen, thanks to the studio’s only movie—Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)—becoming a box office sensation and the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, Phase Five has hardly been a home run.
Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) failed to open the new chapter with a bang, while The Marvels (2023) severely crashed and burned following its November 2023 release. On the TV front, Secret Invasion surprisingly bombed last year, but the return of Agatha Harkness in Agatha All Along has seen a spark of excitement injected back into Marvel’s streaming efforts.
With four movies to go (Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and an untitled February 2026 release) before Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters, anticipation is already building. If the Russo’s own words are anything to go by, it will be worth the wait.
“We’re all very close,” Joe Russo told GamesRadar on reuniting with Robert Downey Jr. “We had been working on another project before Marvel approached all of us–so we’re working on another project with Robert–and there was a story that evolved through conversations that we got very excited about. Because it’s always got to be the story.”
The filmmaker also promised something special with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the second Phase Six movie they are directing.
“Why would we come back if we didn’t feel like we had a story that had that possibility of being on an equal footing with Infinity War and Endgame unless there’s a kernel there for an idea that’s really explosive?” he added during the MCM Comic Con interview.
Even without the Jonathan Majors debacle, Avengers 5 hasn’t had the most straightforward journey. Jeff Loveness, scribe of Ant-Man 3, was originally attached to pen the script but then exited, as did Destin Daniel Cretton, who was on to direct.
Cretton pivoted to Wonder Man and Shang-Chi 2, while Loveness was replaced with Loki head writer Michael Waldron, who was also on board for Secret Wars. With the Russos now here, the whole thing has been dismantled and rebuilt, hopefully for good.
While some may think Avengers: Secret Wars, with its May 2027 release date, is the furthest Marvel Studios has planned for the MCU, the reality is that the sixth Avengers movie will be the springboard into Phase Seven and beyond. There are four open slots for MCU movies post-Secret Wars—one in November 2027 and three across February, May, and November 2028.
Related: Report: Captain Marvel Will Become “Leading Avenger” in Upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
The rest of Phase Six is also slowly getting updated. With Blade now off the schedule, Marvel has an opening next November, although if Bob Iger’s recent edict is anything to go by, it won’t be filled. That said, the previously removed July 2026 slot is back on the table, where it will host Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4.
The close proximity of an Avengers movie featuring the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the next chapter of the Spider-Man series will surely keep audiences tethered to the MCU for a little while longer.
How do you feel about this next chapter of the Avengers franchise being on par with Endgame? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!