Today in No Duh News, it’s been reported that sibling filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo are returning to Marvel to direct Avengers 5 and 6. This after Shawn Levy, director of Deadpool & Wolverine, was being considered—maybe even offered?—the job, but honestly, the Russos returning makes all kinds of sense.
The Russos are very familiar with Marvel and the MCU, having previously directed four Marvel movies, including their most well-regarded film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and two of their most successful, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Had Marvel’s last few years been nothing but hits, maybe they would have brought in new directors for the next Avengers movies, but given where they are, with a shaken foundation and a need to remind audiences what they love about Marvel, bringing back the Russos is the safest thing to do.
It is probable that the Russos will be on stage in Hall H next weekend to confirm their return and announce the titles of Avengers 5 and 6. The sixth film is believed to be Secret Wars, a multi-team battle royale that would see members of the Avengers fighting members of the Fantastic Four, X-Men, various villains, and solo characters like Spider-Man and Deadpool (from a more recent take on the storyline) in space. But Avengers 5 was supposed to be the film that featured Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror as the big bad in The Kang Dynasty, that is now, obviously, scratched. “What is Avengers 5” is a BIG question to answer at Comic-Con.
Let’s be honest, though, the Russos need Marvel right now, too. While their production company, AGBO, has made some hits, most notably Everything Everywhere All At Once, as directors, they’ve been working in the world of streaming mediocrity, making stuff like the Tom Holland drama series Cherry, and Netflix slop The Gray Man. Their next film, The Electric State, is also for Netflix, and hopefully it won’t be slop. But it’s not like they’ve been smashing home runs since Endgame either, so the Russos and Marvel are both in need of a reset. Might as well do it together.
