THEY shattered the box office records and brought the Infinity Saga to an unforgettable close, but for the Russo brothers, the story doesn’t end there. With a legacy already assured, Joe and Anthony Russo are gearing up to reassemble the Avengers. 

And this time, they’re aiming to outdo even themselves. 

After directing several films that helped shape the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the global phenomenon it is today—including Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019)—the Russo brothers are returning to Marvel Studios to helm two highly anticipated Avengers films: Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret War. 

Doomsday is slated to hit theaters in 2026, with Secret War following closely behind in 2027—setting the stage for what could be the MCU’s next groundbreaking saga.

Official plot details for the two films are still under wraps. However, it was confirmed during last year’s San Diego Comic-Con that Robert Downey Jr. will appear in Doomsday, alongside the main cast of The Fantastic Four—Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach—joined as well by Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America. 

During an interview with Collider, the Russo brothers teased about the estimated runtime of the new Avenger films. 

“If I were a betting man, I would say the first one is two and a half, and the second one’s three hours,” they said. 

Both were aiming to outdo themselves and their direction of the previous Avengers films. 

In a separate interview with GamesRadar, Joe said they wanted to beat their old selves. 

“Absolutely, we want to beat those younger versions of ourselves. We have to be, right? Because we have to outdo those movies in a way, or we at least have to take you on an equally engaging journey,” he said. 

Anthony added that directing these new Avengers films is an “incredible opportunity”. 

“These movies are an incredible opportunity for us, and they’re an incredible opportunity for audiences. So we’re doing what we can to deliver the experience everyone, I think, hopes for,” said Anthony. 

For those wondering what convinced the Russo brothers to return for another Avengers film, the answer is simple: the story.

In an interview with The Playlist, they shared what drew them back into the Marvel universe.

“We’re exclusively focused on the storytelling right now,” Joe explained.

“And that’s the thing that brought us back—an idea for a story where we thought, ‘That’s a really, really interesting story to tell.’”