The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is poised for an exciting evolution as directors Anthony and Joe Russo have unveiled insights into the upcoming films, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. These projects are set to diverge significantly from their previous endeavors, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In a recent discussion with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Russo brothers described Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 as a "new beginning," marking the start of Phase 7 of the MCU.

"The greatest thing that ever happened is we got to get immersed in a 20 movie arc and see an ending to that arc," Joe Russo stated. "What's compelling about these two new Avengers movies is they're a beginning. It's a new beginning. We told an ending story [with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame] and now we're going to tell a beginning story. Who knows where we’ll go from there?"

Reflecting on their return to the MCU, Anthony Russo shared, “We didn’t know what our road forward was in the MCU after we finished Endgame. What happened was, a creative idea just came to us and that ended up feeling like the right idea. It motivated us to do it again. We feel like we have something fresh, we feel like we have a story that’s important and needs to be told. We have an amazing group of collaborators again, some old and some new. We’re very excited."

Joe Russo highlighted the challenges of Doomsday, noting it as a "difficult" film due to the high "expectations on it" to revitalize theater attendance post-pandemic. Interestingly, the Russos also disclosed that Marvel producer Kevin Feige proposed bringing Robert Downey Jr. back for Doomsday. "That conversation was had a while ago, and Robert tried to talk us into doing it and we said no," Joe revealed. "We just didn’t have a story, we didn’t have a way in, so we were resistant for a while. And then one day, [Endgame writer] Steve McFeely called us and said, ‘I have an idea.’"

Who Will Be the New Avengers in the MCU?

15 Images"The only thing I’ll say about the movie is this: we love villains who think they’re the heroes of their own stories," Joe Russo concluded the interview. "That’s when they become three-dimensional and they become more interesting. When you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a three-dimensional, well shaped character for the audience. That’s where a lot of our focus is going."

Avengers: Doomsday is slated for release on May 1, 2026, with Secret Wars following a year later on May 27, 2027. Fans will need to exercise patience to witness the Russo brothers' latest creations.

Last year, Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige hinted at the integration of X-Men characters into the MCU's upcoming films. Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige mentioned that fans would soon see "some X-Men players that you might recognize" in the next few MCU movies, though he refrained from specifying which characters or films.

On the topic of incorporating the X-Men, Feige added, “I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize. Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”

Feige emphasized that the X-Men will play a crucial role in the MCU's future post-Secret Wars. "When we were preparing for Avengers: Endgame years ago, it was a question of getting to the grand finale of our narrative, and then we had to start all over again after that,” Feige explained. “This time, on the road to Secret Wars, we already know very well what the story is going to be until then and afterwards. The X-Men are an important part of that future."

It appears that Phase 7 of the MCU will be heavily influenced by the X-Men, and in the near future, Storm made her debut in the broader MCU through What If...? Season 3.

Additionally, Marvel Studios has scheduled three untitled movie projects for 2028, with release dates on February 18, May 5, and November 10. There's a growing speculation that one of these films might be dedicated to the X-Men.