Back in 2019, Avengers: Endgame seemed to be the sendoff for both Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and also for directors Joe and Anthony Russo within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed Downey and the Russos were returning for Avengers: Doomsday. While all of these figures have gone on to explore other storytelling realms since 2019, Joe Russo recently teased that he wouldn’t have returned to the MCU if it wasn’t for good reason, claiming that the upcoming Doomsday is on “equal footing” for how game-changing both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame were for the superhero genre. Avengers: Doomsday currently has a release date of May 1, 2026.
“We’re all very close,” Joe Russo shared with GamesRadar+ of the connection between the filmmakers and Downey. “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.”
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He continued, “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?”
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Virtually ever since Endgame, the Russo brothers and Downey have been asked about the likelihood of a return in any capacity, which resulted in a broad spectrum of answers about such returns. The Russo brothers have often expressed that a project in which Secret Wars could be brought to life would be enticing to them, with those hopes being announced as a reality at this year’s SDCC.
While fans are understandably excited about the upcoming returns, it comes as a result of a tumultuous period for the studio. Before Feige confirmed that Avengers 5 would be Doomsday, the project was expected to be Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Much like the studio had done with Thanos, various installments in the MCU were poising Jonathon Majors’s Kang the Conqueror to be the multiverse-spanning threat, specifically with Kang’s inclusion in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In 2023, Majors was found guilty on charges of both assault and harassment, resulting in Marvel announcing that they were parting ways with the performer.
The narrative seeds of Kang’s importance in the MCU understandably caused a number of questions about how the franchise would handle the figure going forward. With Kang not having earned as significant of a footprint within the MCU as Thanos and with The Fantastic Four: First Steps set to be released in 2025, the franchise likely has a more organic opportunity to hint at Doctor Doom next year before Downey fully embraces the character for the 2026 Doomsday.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.
Are you looking forward to the return of the Russo brothers? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!