The Russo Brothers Say ‘Secret Wars’ Brought Them Back To Marvel With “A Story We Need To Tell”

One of the biggest news stories of 2024 is the return of the Russo Brothers to Marvel Studios to direct the next two ‘Avengers’ films, ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars.’ But outside of the original announcement at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, we really don’t have a lot of information about what the directing duo has lined up or even how they decided to return. Well, until now. 

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In a new interview with Empire, Joe and Anthony Russo talk about the decision to return to Marvel Studios for the next two ‘Avengers’ films. It sounds as if the duo has been in talks with Marvel about future projects for a while now, but the decision to return didn’t happen until they cracked the code for ‘Secret Wars.’

“We’re very close with Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito, Marvel Studios’ Co-President] and the entire Marvel team and we’ve had conversations through the years. We’ve talked about a lot of ideas,” Anthony Russo said. “Really what happened was, we ended up stumbling upon an idea that activated all of us. “You couldn’t see it coming until it came, and once it came it was like, ‘Well, that’s a story we need to tell.’”

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Joining the Russo Brothers in their return to the MCU is Stephen McFeely, a writer who worked with the Russos on all of their Marvel projects. According to Joe Russo, he initially thought it was a crazy idea, but he came around when he found an idea for ‘Secret Wars’ that stuck.

“I remember calling Steve and said, ‘Hey, crazy idea. What do you think if we all go back and do “Secret Wars?”’” Joe Russo said. “You were like, ‘Fuck no. Absolutely not.’ And then you hung up. And the next morning at 7:30 you called and were like, ‘Alright, I have an idea.’”

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For those who are wondering where Christopher Markus is, as he was a co-writer along with McFeely on those Marvel Studios projects, apparently he has to stay behind to help run AGBO, the production company started by the Russo Brothers. 

We still don’t know much about the next two ‘Avengers’ films. Other than what is said above, we know that Robert Downey, Jr. is set to take on the role of Doctor Doom. There have been reports that say that Hayley Atwell and Chris Evans are also set to return to the fold, as well. But we’ll inevitably learn more this year, as ‘Doomsday’ is supposed to enter production in the first half of 2025.