The Russo brothers, Joe and Anthony, who took Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame to unprecedented financial success, are rumoured to be considering a return to the MCU.

MCU's current projects

The Hollywood Reporter reports that the brothers are currently in the early stages of production for Avengers (formerly titled The Kang Dynasty), which they plan to direct in 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will conclude the Multiverse Saga of the MCU in 2027. The films are likely to interconnect, akin to the two-part plot of Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019).

The entertainment portal reported that after Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) left Kang Dynasty in 2023, Marvel Studios began searching for filmmakers to take on the massive back-to-back tentpoles. Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool & Wolverine, received an offer for the role but reportedly declined it. Michael Waldron, the creator of Loki, recently commissioned the screenplay for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, while Secret Wars currently lacks a writer.

Speculation and controversy

Speculation about Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars has persisted beyond the director's hunt. This is due to the fact that Jonathan Majors, who played several incarnations of the titular antagonist Kang in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania last year, is considered the Thanos of this MCU period. However, following Majors' conviction for domestic harassment and assault, Marvel severed relations with him and plans to retitle the film.

The exact date that Marvel intends to commence filming the forthcoming Avengers chapters remains unknown. Production on The Electric State, a science fiction adventure starring Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown that Anthony and Joe Russo produced for Netflix, wrapped up in the latter half of 2022.

Previous Marvel success

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016) are two of the four Marvel films that the Russos have directed. Infinity War racked up $2.05 billion, putting it in sixth place, while Avengers: Endgame racked up $2.79 billion, putting it in second place. They are the only directors to have two $2 billion blockbusters, joining James Cameron in that exclusive club.

Following the success of Endgame, the brothers shifted their focus to streaming, with projects including The Gray Man (Netflix) and Cherry (Apple TV+ crime thriller) starring Tom Holland, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas, respectively. 

Their credits also include Everything Everywhere All at Once, Citadel (Prime Video series), and Extraction (Netflix film series).

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