Russo Brothers Return to Marvel With Their Biggest Ensemble Yet

Long before they became the architects of Marvel's biggest blockbusters, Joe and Anthony Russo honed their craft on television comedies. Directing 14 episodes of "Arrested Development" and 34 of "Community," the brothers developed a sharp instinct for managing large, intersecting casts — a skill that would later define their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"For whatever reason, Joe and I have always really been drawn to ensemble storytelling," Anthony Russo said. "Maybe it speaks to the fact that we work as a team."

The brothers trace this fascination to their upbringing in a large Italian family in Ohio. "We grew up in a very large Italian family full of colorful personalities," Joe recalled. "It was complex family dynamics. We all grew up on the same street; people lived in different houses. We spent dinners together on Sundays."

That foundation proved invaluable for their work on "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019). But their upcoming film, "Avengers: Doomsday," releasing December 18, presents an unprecedented challenge. The movie assembles the Avengers, the Wakandans, the New Avengers from Earth-616, the Fantastic Four from Earth-828, and the original X-Men.

"The MCU is this massive experiment in how vast, how much scope can an ensemble really have?" Anthony said. "If we have a taste and talent for ensemble storytelling, we're certainly pushing ourselves further than we ever have before."

The brothers spoke separately while juggling post-production on "Doomsday" and early preparation for its 2027 sequel, "Avengers: Secret Wars." "When you're doing one of these movies it's the hardest thing you've ever done," Joe said. "When you're doing two of them, it's almost inconceivable."

Their return to Marvel comes after a period of turbulence for the studio. Following the record-breaking success of "Endgame," which grossed $2.8 billion worldwide, the MCU's subsequent phases have seen mixed results. "The Marvels" (2023) earned just $206 million, and "Captain America: Brave New World" (2025) received the franchise's worst CinemaScore.

"Doomsday" also marks the return of Robert Downey Jr., who will play the villain Doctor Doom after his iconic run as Iron Man. Downey has said he wouldn't have returned without the Russos at the helm.

The film was originally conceived as "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," but underwent significant retooling after Jonathan Majors was dropped from the franchise following his assault conviction. The revamped production meant shooting with an unfinished script.

"We always view the script as a living organism," Joe said. "We're improvisation-based, rehearsal-based directors. We like to see what the actors bring to the characters, and sometimes you don't get the actors until a few days or few weeks before you shoot them."

Since "Endgame," the Russos have directed streaming films including "Cherry," "The Gray Man," and "The Electric State." Their production company, AGBO, has also produced the Oscar-winning "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

For inspiration on "Doomsday," the brothers looked to the Western genre, particularly Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West." "Joe and I grew up fans of all types of cinema, but Westerns have always been very special to us," Joe said. "Throughout cinema history, the Western has been declared dead for decades, and then you can still make one of the greatest examples of the genre."