Directors Joe and Anthony Russo kicked off their Marvel Cinematic Universe career with 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and after returning to helm Captain America: Civil War, they were tasked with overseeing both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. With two Captain America movies and two Avengers movies under their belt (though let's be honest, Civil War is basically Avengers 2.5), the Russos are/will be responsible for delivering some of the MCU's biggest movies ever, and as of right now, it remains to be officially seen if the duo will continue working in the franchise post-Phase Three. However, with Disney's purchase of Fox in the process of being finalized, the Russos have expressed interest in tackling Secret Wars, one of Marvel's most popular comic book storylines. As Anthony Russo put it:
If Disney's takeover of Fox ends, it's a lot more characters to work with at once, it might be interesting to see something like Secret Wars ...
While Anthony Russo noted in the interview with Linternaute that he hasn't fully thought out the future of his and his brother's career at Marvel following Avengers 4, evidently the two have at least talked about the prospect of directing a Secret Wars movie. There are few events that could top what's to come in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, but Secret Wars could definitely be part of that exclusive list if adapted correctly. Fortunately, if the Disney/Fox deal goes through, then Marvel would have a better chance of making this project happen, as the studio could include the X-Men and Fantastic Four in the craziness since members of both teams were involved in the original story.
Published across 12 issues from May 1984 to April 1985 (and tied into a toyline from Mattel), Secret Wars saw many of Marvel's greatest heroes and villains being transported to the alien planet known as Battleworld by Beyonder, an ancient cosmic entity. Stocking Battleworld with alien weapons and technology, The Beyonder wanted these heroes and villains to duke it out, but ultimately the members of both factions were transported back to Earth at the end of the event. Secret Wars resulted in many big developments for the Marvel Comics universe, most notably Spider-Man bonding with the alien symbiote, which would later bond with Eddie Brock and create the super villain Venom. It's also worth noting that Marvel published a massive crossover event in 2015 that was also called Secret Wars, but that was about the main Marvel universe being merged with numerous alternate universes to create a new Battleworld.
Even if Joe and Anthony Russo decide they don't want to direct a Secret Wars movie, Marvel would still be wise to consider adapting the storyline for Phase Four, Five or beyond. While we may not necessarily see as much interconnectivity between the MCU movies post-Phase Three, one would imagine that eventually there will be another cosmically-charged event that brings many of these protagonists together. Secret Wars could be that next event, and if Marvel has the X-Men and Fantastic Four at their disposal in the coming years, then a movie adaption would feel even more faithful.
You can see the Russo's latest contribution to the MCU when Avengers: Infinity War opens on April 27.
