Marvel Studios is heading into its next Avengers movie with a very different plan.
Avengers: Doomsday is due to hit theaters on December 18, bringing the MCU’s biggest ensemble together for the first time since Avengers: Endgame (2019).
This time, the lineup stretches well beyond the traditional Avengers. The film will unite the Avengers, New Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, and characters from Fox’s X-Men movies as they face Doctor Doom, played by returning Marvel star Robert Downey Jr.
The film will also carry considerable responsibility for the future of the franchise. Doomsday is expected to resolve several ongoing Multiverse Saga storylines before leading directly into Avengers: Secret Wars, currently scheduled for 2027.
Getting there, however, has required Marvel to repeatedly reshape its plans.
The fifth Avengers movie was originally announced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, with Kang the Conqueror intended to anchor Marvel’s next major crossover. That changed after Jonathan Majors was fired following the verdict in his domestic violence trial.
Marvel subsequently rebuilt the film around Doctor Doom, bringing Downey back to the franchise in an entirely new role. The Russos also returned to direct after previously overseeing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Is Being Treated as a New Beginning
Joe and Anthony Russo have now offered more insight into just how differently they are approaching their latest Marvel movie.
During an interview with AP News, Anthony described Doomsday as a “back to zero” moment for the MCU. The brothers also spoke about “starting from scratch” and delivering “a profound shift” through the upcoming film.
That approach means the Russos are not simply attempting to recreate what worked with Infinity War and Endgame, despite both movies becoming defining releases for Marvel Studios.
Instead, Anthony said their decision to return was sparked by a “foundational narrative concept” developed by co-writer Stephen McFeely.
“We never want to coast on the capital that already exists,” Anthony explained. “We want the greatest value of the film to reside in the new thing it’s bringing to the table.”
That gives the Russos a difficult balancing act. Doomsday features numerous established characters and storylines, including heroes whose histories stretch back decades, while its directors are simultaneously trying to make the movie feel like something new.
It also arrives at a point when Marvel has already made substantial changes to the project behind the scenes.
Production Has Continued to Evolve
Principal photography began before the screenplay was fully completed.
Wyatt Russell, who returns as John Walker/U.S. Agent after appearing in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Thunderbolts, previously said the story had “changed about a thousand times.”
The movie has also undergone reshoots and additional filming close to its planned release date. Reports have claimed that further characters were added during this period, with Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff and Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton among the rumored appearances.
For Joe Russo, however, a screenplay continuing to evolve during production is not unusual.
He described the script as a “living organism,” explaining that the brothers prefer to develop scenes alongside their cast rather than treating the screenplay as completely fixed before cameras begin rolling.
“We’re improvisation-based, rehearsal-based directors,” he said. “We like to see what the actors bring to the characters, and sometimes you don’t get the actors until a few days or few weeks before you shoot them. And a lot of the time, that’s when the magic happens.”
The comments provide some context for a production that has changed considerably since Marvel first announced its fifth Avengers movie.
Fans will see the results when Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18.
Are you excited for Avengers: Doomsday?
