Avengers: Doomsday: why did the Russos agree to return?

One of the biggest wins, not just for Marvel Studios but for us fans as well, was Marvel's decision to bring back Joe and Anthony Russo to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After hearing the Russo brothers talk about why they returned, I believe these movies can't fail. The reason is simple: they are putting the story before anything else, which many studios have failed to do over and over again.

Marvel also brought back Robert Downey Jr. alongside the Russos, and that has drawn mixed reactions. The fandom, though, typically believes the Russos returning is an absolute win. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are writing Doomsday and Secret Wars, which is another win. Together, that team made Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. But this is more than just them returning. It's about making sure these two films can't fail.

The Russo brothers only returned after an idea for the story clicked

According to the Russos, the only reason they agreed to return is that they and Stephen McFeely had an aha moment about what the story could be. It clicked one day, they talked to McFeely on the phone, and they decided this was it. Only after that moment did they agree to come back. If you're one of the people still doubting whether Marvel can return to its peak, I hope what they said gives you a little more confidence.

The brothers made The Electric State, which released on Netflix in March 2025, and they did a round of press interviews to promote it. Luckily for us, most of the people interviewing them asked about Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. In a podcast interview, they talked specifically about why they returned and why this particular story is so important to them.

They were asked whether they felt pressure from fans to get these films right. The brothers said they did so many of those movies in a row that you forget about the pressure. In their words, the job is "so all-encompassing and so intense" that all you can think about is whether this is a good story you want to tell, and why you're doing it.

Joe Russo says the story is what brought them back

Once again, the Russos suggested it was falling in love with the story they came up with that made the difference. Speaking on a podcast while promoting The Electric State, Joe Russo said at the time that they were exclusively focused on the storytelling, and that what brought them back was "an idea for a story where we went that's a really really interesting story to tell and now we're just focused on executing that idea."

He added a line about how they wanted to work under that pressure: "pressure and fear usually make for very poor decision-making so hopefully we just stay calm and keep making the stories the way we like to see them."

Anthony Russo on the MCU's connective through line and the Multiverse Saga

Interestingly, the podcast asked what the Russos thought of the Multiverse Saga so far, and whether it lacked the through line of the Infinity Saga. That's certainly been a big debate in the fandom. The question was about the connective tissue that Marvel stories allow, and whether the Multiverse Saga had done a decent job with it.

Anthony Russo replied that what was being described is one of the most valuable aspects of the experience for them as fans and as storytellers, so they lean into it in a strong way. He said they feel "the connective through line is one of the most unique things the MCU can do that other forms of cinematic storytelling can't do."

Anthony then reiterated what Joe said. Part of the reason they became reactivated, he explained, was falling in love with a story they felt was powerful and needed to be told, and the fact that there is a narrative running through everything, including what has unfolded since the end of Endgame. "We're hopeful that we can pick up that story in a way that kind of honors what's happened between now and then but also moves it forward," he said.

Why putting story first sets the Russos apart from other MCU projects

This is so different from anything we've heard recently when it comes to storytelling in the MCU. Marvel Studios, Disney and other studios have hired directors for movies and shows who had little to no experience directing, or little to no experience directing superhero films. Sometimes that can be bad, as with She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel. Studios have also sometimes prioritized messaging over storytelling.

It looks like that is mostly done, as studios realize fans don't necessarily care about messaging. They want a good story. Everybody is here for a good message, but it has to be worked into a good story. The story has to be the priority, and with the Russo brothers it's the absolute priority, above cameos, above fan service and above what has already happened in the Multiverse Saga. They're making it about this one specific story they're excited about and feel they need to tell.

On top of that, they realize what makes the MCU great: the connectivity of it all. They've said they will honor what came before, which they have to do. They can't get rid of everything that's happened in the Multiverse Saga or in the Infinity Saga, where they played a huge part. But, as it should be, they're going to wrap everything around the story they have in mind. That is 100% what makes a great film: having a great story and shaping everything around it to make it even better.

We know there will be cameos and fan service, hopefully done in a great way. I think back to Captain America wielding Mjolnir and saying "Avengers Assemble." That's fan service, but it was done in an incredible way that wasn't cheesy, and fans can appreciate that.

Kevin Feige let the Russos start over from the Kang Dynasty script

The Russos came in and completely started over with the script. Marvel already had a script for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so the studio already had an idea of what it wanted Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars to be. The Russo brothers said no, they would make their own story and start from scratch, and Kevin Feige was smart enough to agree, tell that story and tie everything else into it.

Feige would only say that if he thought the story was fantastic, and he clearly did. We have seen Marvel Studios delay and cancel projects, both movies and shows, because they didn't fit into the overall story the Russos were about to tell. Other movies that were on the way, like Spider-Man 4 and Doctor Strange 3, were set to tie into that overall story.

Why I don't think Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars can fail

Marvel and the Russo brothers are going about this the 100% correct way. Marvel brought back directors who care deeply about what they're creating and who have already proved they can direct MCU films that rank among the greatest the MCU has made. They've also proven they can handle an enormous cast, because that's what they did with Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame.

We possibly have the best directors we could get for these next two Avengers films. They're tried and true, they're huge fans of the comic stories, and they didn't come back just to come back. They only agreed after finding the perfect story they say needed to be told. There's no real interference with that story either. Marvel has told them to do what it takes to make it work for the current MCU.

To top it all off, we know there's going to be fan service, and we know the Russos can do that well. It's the Multiverse Saga, and we've already seen some awesome variants. I'm sure the Russos will bring in more in a cool way. Besides, they have pretty much every character they could want at their disposal: the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and almost anybody else they'd like to use.

So to me, I don't think these next two Avengers films and the end of the Multiverse Saga can fail. I think everything is set up for it to be perfect. I hope I'm right.