The world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was forever changed by the Russo brothers when they delivered the most successful, emotional, and epic superhero movie in history with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. In fact, the film was so big that Marvel Studios has struggled to follow it with anything that has been received in quite the same way. Now the Russo’s are back to do it all over again with the double-header of Avengers: Doomsday

and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, that was not always the plan, so why did the dynamic directing duo return to the Marvel fold?

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The road to Secret Wars has been as tumultuous as the one to Endgame was mostly plain sailing. Actor controversies and deaths, changing writers and directors, and the increasing feel that Marvel Studios was losing control of its sprawling cash cow all made it feel like something radical had to happen to bring the Multiverse Saga to a worthwhile and coherent conclusion. Which seemingly led back to Anthony and Joe Russo, as well as Robert Downey Jr., who will also be returning for what could be the greatest comic book movie ever made, or an incredibly expensive misfire. The pressure of the task is something the Russos are well aware of, as they explained to Playlist. Joe Russo said of their return:

“We definitely try to—I mean, we did so many of those movies in a row that you sort of forget about the pressure. The job is so all-encompassing and so intense that you can’t really think about, ‘Well, what are people going to feel or think about this?’ All you can think about is, ‘Is this a good story that we want to tell or not? Why are we doing it?’ So we’re exclusively focused on the storytelling right now, and that’s the thing that brought us back— an idea for a story where we went, ‘That’s a really, really interesting story to tell.’”

The Connectivity of the Multiverse Saga Was a Big Draw For the Russos

Marvel Studios

Although some fans complain about the ludicrous sprawl that is now the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are others that still relish the small tendons linking seemingly unconnected stories within the MCU. Just like Brave New World pulled together strands of 2008’s black sheep movie, The Incredible Hulk, as well as Eternals, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and a post-credit link to the multiverse (something that many people forget is something Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson has no knowledge of at this point in the timeline), Doomsday and Secret Wars has the almost impossible job of grasping dozens of floating threads and weaving them into a comic book equivalent of the Bayeux Tapestry.
As Joe Russo explained, with their story locked down, the task is now one that requires a lot of calm to prevent things going awry. He said:

“And now we’re just focused on executing that idea. Pressure and fear usually make for very poor decision-making. So hopefully we just stay calm and keep making the stories the way we like to see them.”

Anthony Russo added that there is something about coming back to Marvel, who are unique in having their continuing saga playing out across multiple shows and movies, which brings with it the one thing that no other franchise does.

“Look, what you’re describing is like one of the most valuable aspects of the experience for us as fans and as storytellers. So, we lean into that in a strong way and we really feel like [the connective throughline is] one of the most unique things the MCU can do that other forms of cinematic storytelling can’t do.”

The interconnectivity of the MCU is certainly the biggest draw for the Russos, and, as Anthony concluded, it has “reactivated” them to continue the journey and move the franchise towards a new future.

“Part of the reason why we became reactivated—like Joe was describing in terms of like falling in love with a story that we felt was powerful and needed to be told—is exactly what you’re describing is that there is a narrative through everything. Even that portion of the narrative that has been unfolding since the end of Endgame. We’re hopeful that we can pick up the story in a way that kind of honors what’s happened between now and then, but also moves it forward.”

Source: The Playlist