Marvel fans seem hellbent on Joe and Anthony Russo one day returning to the MCU. Some even have the dream project in mind. It’s understandable. The Russos are responsible for three of the most ambitious team up movies in the Infinity Saga: Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. If they wanted another crack at a Phase Four or Phase Five project, the door should be open… and the brothers appear to be keeping it open, as well.
Joe Russo was attending the world premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home in Los Angeles when he was stopped on the red carpet by ComicBook and asked if there have been any discussions about he and Anthony directing an adaptation of the Secret Wars storyline. Before we get into what that story entails, here’s what Joe Russo said about a potential return to Marvel:
What can I say? Look, we love those guys. You know I can't say one way or the other, but I'd work with them in a heartbeat. It's the best working experience of our careers. They're like family to us and we love them, the material, and the fans.
Such a political answer. But do you know what it isn’t? A denial. Joe Russo easily could have taken that opportunity to say, “You know, we had a blast with Marvel, and it came at the perfect time in our career. But we directed Cherry, and we’re producing the Extraction movies, as well as many more dream projects. Let some other filmmakers tackle Marvel’s future!” Joe did the exact opposite. In fact, given the fact that No Way Home opened up a multiverse that could allow any other character to spill over into the MCU, he went to far as to push a pin into the potential Secret Wars movie by saying:
One of these days. We'll have to see how all this shakes out. I don't know what they're going to do with all these characters.
Secret Wars would require a LOT of Marvel characters, which is part of the reason why many fans point to the story arc as one of the few that could prop up an Infinity Saga sized blockbuster. Especially because the Skrull-centric Secret Invasion is being told on Disney+ with Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn. There were two Secret Wars storylines told in the Marvel Comics over the years, with the second one being far more ambitious as it leaned on the multiverse. They both, in a nutshell, depended on the heroes of the Marvel universe teaming up to fight every villain (well, all of the major ones), and in the initial run, the battle took place on a far off planet where the contest was monitored by a mysterious being known as The Beyonder.
A Secret Wars movie likely would have to be broken up into two parts, and would require the combinations of several characters from key MCU franchises. The emphasis could be on the cosmic side of the MCU, where Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Time Variance Authority, the Eternals (and all of their counterparts) and Adam Warlock could kick off the contest. But it would get interesting when top Marvel icons like Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the new Black Panther get involved. Nevermind the introduction of the MCU Fantastic Four. Very exciting.
If this happens, it will be several years away. Marvel’s slate is programmed through 2023, at the very least, and you know Kevin Feige has dates reserved for everything else for years to come. Keep up with what we know by bookmarking our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide, and checking it often.
