Marvel fans have been wondering for years how the next Avengers movie could possibly raise the stakes after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
After all, we’ve already watched half the universe disappear, witnessed Earth’s Mightiest Heroes pull off a time-travel heist, and seen some of the most emotional moments in superhero movie history. According to Joe Russo, the answer isn’t simply making things bigger. It’s making them deeper.
While speaking with CBR, Russo opened up about what audiences can expect from Avengers: Doomsday and hinted that the film will lean heavily into emotional storytelling as it prepares to launch Marvel’s next massive event.
Russo explained: “The stakes keep going up. But, emotional complexity is always the answer. You bring emotional complexity to anything, and it enriches it. It makes it a fuller experience for the audience. It surprises you.”
That philosophy helped fuel some of the MCU’s biggest successes, and it sounds like the filmmakers are applying that same approach to Doomsday. Rather than trying to outdo previous films purely through spectacle, the goal appears to be creating a story with more emotional weight and character-driven conflict.
Russo went on to make an even bigger claim about where the film stands compared to every Marvel movie that has come before it:
“There are a lot of surprises in this. And I think [Doomsday is] the most emotionally complex of all of them. And in a lot of ways, the most mature of all of them.”
That’s a pretty big statement considering the MCU includes films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Infinity War, and Endgame, all of which balanced blockbuster action with some surprisingly heavy emotional themes.
Still, if there’s anyone who has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to delivering large-scale Marvel event movies, it’s Joe and Anthony Russo. Their track record with this franchise speaks for itself, and even though the films they’ve made outside have Marvel have been mostly mediocre, their return to the franchise is one of the biggest reasons fans are excited about what’s coming next.
The big draw is Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, a casting decision that instantly became one of the most talked-about moments in Marvel Studios history. Then there’s the return of several legacy Fox X-Men actors, which brings an extra layer of anticipation and nostalgia to the film.
On top of that, we’ve got The Avengers, The New Avengers, The Fantastic Four, and the Wakandans. Put all of that together, and Doomsday is shaping up to be one of the biggest Marvel projects ever assembled.
Of course, fans are still waiting for the first official trailer. If Marvel follows its usual playbook, July’s San Diego Comic-Con feels like the most likely place for that debut. Until then, audiences will reportedly get a small taste of what’s coming thanks to new footage attached to an upcoming Avengers: Endgame re-release later this year.
Whether you’re all-in on the MCU or still waiting for Marvel to recapture the magic of its biggest years, Russo’s comments suggest that Avengers: Doomsday won’t just be trying to top previous films with larger battles and bigger visual effects.
The filmmakers seem focused on delivering a story with real emotional impact, and if they can pull that off, Marvel may have another event movie on its hands that gets fans talking for years.
Avengers: Doomsday is currently scheduled to hit theaters on December 18.
