Having the Russo Brothers coming back to the fold at Marvel Studios had been a long time coming after they had teased a desire to return to the MCU after “Avengers: Endgame,” but it didn’t look like they were going to be back when it was announced that Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi”) was brought on to tackle “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” before the big pivot to “Avengers: Doomsday” and Cretton being recruited for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (coming out this weekend).
Co-director Joe Russo attended the big promotional push for “Doomsday” at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend and shared some insights on the fifth installment that sees Robert Downey Jr. back in a mask, but this time as Doctor Doom. An operatic yet dangerous Marvel Comics villain that has been seen in two other live-action cinematic iterations. Russo talked to TheMovieReporter about Doom, the stakes of the movie, and the ultimate tone they’re going for with the latest event picture.
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“Stakes are always high. But in this movie, I think everything is at stake, and everyone. Doom is so formidable. He’s so intelligent. He’s so powerful. He combines so many different aspects of his personality that make him formidable. I think they’re going to have a very, very difficult time stopping him. This is really by far and away Marvel’s most ambitious movie.
One of the key aspects the Russos have expressed in the past that could draw them back to the MCU would be tackling the “X-Men,” which is now happening as we’ll see OG cast members in more comic-accurate costumes and even the return of Channing Tatum as Gambit (after appearing in “Deadpool & Wolverine“). Joe shared his thoughts on the crossover finally happening: “It’s 25 years in the making, this crossover. I was a young man when those ‘X-Men’ movies came out, and I grew up with them. So it’s amazing to see that cast on set. I was filled with such joy. I was a fan before I made these movies, and I got to be a fan again sitting there on set with this incredible cast.”
Lastly, Russo talked up the tone and their new take on the iconic villain: “Doom dictates a certain tone, the type of character that he is. He’s a character marked by tragedy, and there’s a lot of Sturm und Drang [Storm and Stress] and anger inside of him. And so I think the tone is aggressive.”
Being both dark and “aggressive” are certainly descriptors we would use for the previous works from The Russo Brothers, as they were able to push the tonal limits of the PG-13 and shocked audiences by killing off a bunch of characters without us truly knowing if they’d be coming back or not. “Avengers: Doomsday” hits theaters December 18, and we’re curious to see if Disney will attempt some Doom-focused promotion in the coming months leading up to release to help differentiate this version of the supervillain.
