Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have explained their unexpected return to Marvel for the upcoming Avengers movies.
The pair, who oversaw Avengers blockbusters Infinity War and Endgame, were confirmed over the weekend to be returning for new films Doomsday and Secret Wars – which will also see the MCU comeback of Robert Downey Jr, this time as Doctor Doom.
Taking to Instagram after the reveal, the Russos opened up about their decision to come back, admitting that the Secret Wars storyline was the "reason we fell in love with comic books in the first place".
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"You're the best damn fans in the world, and we've missed you," they began, explaining that after 2019's Endgame, they "truly believed that it was the end of the road for us in the Marvel Cinematic Universe".
"We had put all the passion, love and imagination that we had into the Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and then culminated it all with Endgame. All within a few years," they continued.
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"We had spent everything we had creatively, and we left all our emotions on the floor. But in the time since, we began to feel that there was perhaps one story where we could find a new narrative path forward.
"It's the reason we fell in love with comic books in the first place. That story is Secret Wars."
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The directors said they were "excited" to "dive back into this world and explore such a deliciously complex character like Victor Von Doom", before paying tribute to Downey Jr.
"And there is no better friend or collaborator to do that with, then THE great @robertdowneyjr," they added. "Marvel fam, let's do this…."
The big Marvel returns were unveiled at Comic-Con, with Downey Jr appearing on stage as he unmasked himself as the villainous Marvel character.
"New mask, same task," Downey Jr said. "I like playing complicated characters."
Avengers: Doomsday will be released in cinemas on May 1, 2026. All four Avengers movies are streaming on Disney+.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
