Anthony Russo Explains Why He Won’t Promise ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Will Fix the McU’s Recent Stumbles

The Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t had it easy since ‘Avengers: Endgame’ closed out the Infinity Saga back in 2019. Between uneven reception to some post-Endgame releases and persistent chatter about superhero fatigue, fans have spent years wondering whether Marvel could ever recapture the kind of culture-dominating momentum that defined its earlier era.

That question naturally follows Anthony and Joe Russo back into the franchise, given their track record directing some of the MCU’s most beloved and financially dominant entries, including ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ and ‘Endgame’ itself. With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ now positioned as the franchise’s biggest swing in years, expectations for the film carry the weight of fixing more than just its own story.

When directly asked whether ‘Doomsday‘ will restore order in the MCU after some recent stumbles, Anthony Russo offered a notably measured response rather than a confident guarantee. Speaking to AP News, he called it a great question and part of the unique challenge the brothers face, explaining that what he and Joe have always appreciated about working with Marvel is that their job isn’t to answer for the entirety of the MCU, but rather to intersect it in a very specific way, and that intersection is where things start to make sense.

That careful framing suggests the Russos see their contribution to ‘Doomsday’ as something more focused than a total franchise reset, even as marketing around the film has leaned into language describing it as “back to zero” and “a profound shift” for the MCU. Rather than positioning themselves as the ones tasked with course-correcting years of scattered storytelling across dozens of interconnected films, Anthony’s comments suggest the brothers are approaching ‘Doomsday’ as their own distinct chapter within that larger tapestry.

That distinction matters given just how much continuity ‘Doomsday’ is pulling together. The film brings in the core Avengers lineup, the Fantastic Four cast from ‘First Steps,’ the Thunderbolts ensemble, and legacy X-Men actors making their official MCU debut following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, creating one of the largest ensembles the franchise has ever assembled.

Part of what makes the Russos’ hands-off framing believable is how they’ve described their actual filmmaking process on ‘Doomsday.’ Joe Russo has separately explained that the brothers went into production with an unfinished script, describing themselves as improvisation-based, rehearsal-based directors who prefer discovering what actors bring to their characters rather than locking everything down in advance.

That approach fits neatly with Anthony’s comments about intersecting the MCU rather than trying to control its entire trajectory. If the Russos are building the film around actor chemistry and evolving character work rather than a rigid predetermined plan meant to retroactively fix past missteps, it explains why Anthony resisted framing ‘Doomsday’ as a cure-all for the franchise’s recent struggles.

Given how much pressure surrounds any Avengers-level release, Anthony’s answer reads less like deflection and more like an attempt to set realistic expectations before the film even arrives. Rather than promising ‘Doomsday’ will single-handedly repair years of accumulated franchise fatigue, he’s positioning the film as one meaningful piece within an ongoing, much larger story that no single movie could fully resolve on its own.

With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ set for its December 18 release and the Russos already working on its 2027 follow-up, ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ fans will have to wait and see whether that intersection Anthony described ends up being enough to satisfy expectations.

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