Earth’s mightiest heroes are assembling yet again. With Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps on the way, every piece of the puzzle is setting the stage for two back-to-back Avengers films, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, that will reshape the MCU. Both films will be helmed by the Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony Russo, marking their return to Marvel Studios after their success with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Excitement for the films is at an all-time high, but the road to production has not been without setbacks. Reports of filming delays raised concerns, though the Russo Brothers have now clarified how they plan to tackle the challenge of shooting two massive blockbusters in rapid succession. While attending the world premiere of The Electric State, their latest collaboration with Netflix, the directing duo addressed their upcoming return to Marvel Studios. Speaking with Deadline, Joe Russo confirmed that both Avengers films will be shot “fairly back-to-back”.
“It’s all in London, we’re shooting them fairly back-to-back, it’s a lot of work again, we may or may not survive, we’ll see. But we’re very excited about it,” he shared. “We found a way into the story that we think is gonna be challenging for audiences, it’s challenging for us to execute. And it’s really exciting for us, it gets us out of bed to do it.”
Filming two major blockbusters so close together presents a logistical challenge, but with only a year between their release dates, it makes sense for production to follow this schedule. Managing such an undertaking will require coordination from the entire cast and crew, but given the stakes, it’s clear that everyone involved understands the importance of these films to the MCU’s next chapter.
Speculation about potential character appearances continues to fuel discussions among fans. When asked whether familiar faces from the X-Men universe or Deadpool & Wolverine could make an appearance, Joe remained evasive. “Who knows? I don’t know. I don’t know who we’re gonna see. I still don’t know,” he said. “Anybody in the Marvel bag could show up in this movie.” Anthony added a more playful response: “If you close your eyes and use your imagination, you can see anyone you want. Whoever tickles your fancy.”
Multiversal elements are expected to play a key role in Avengers: Doomsday, making room for unexpected surprises. “I mean, that would probably be giving too much away. I think we’re always looking for new faces because there’s always new stories to tell. I think these movies are gonna be a surprise to people,” Joe explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We found a way into the story that’s very exciting to us but very radical. It’s going to challenge audiences.”
Avengers: Secret Wars is rumoured to bring the X-Men into the MCU, leading to speculation that mutant characters may have a presence even before that film’s release. Balancing so many storylines across two massive films will be no easy task, but the Russo Brothers have already proven their ability to juggle large-scale storylines.
Avengers: Doomsday is slated for release on 1 May 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars following a year later on 7 May 2027.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
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