Marvel Is Bringing Back The Russo Brothers For New Avengers Movies

You might say that this was inevitable, as a certain purple-colored Mad Titan once put it. Just when things were looking as dark as they have in a while over at Marvel Studios, a pair of very familiar figures are set to make their triumphant return ... not unlike half the Marvel Cinematic Universe popping out of those portals when all seemed lost in "Avengers: Endgame." You may have heard of Anthony and Joe Russo, the filmmakers entrusted with the latter two "Captain America" movies and ultimately took over the mega-blockbuster "Avengers" movies. Well, they're now closing in on a grand encore, if you can believe this latest shocking bit of news.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Russo Brothers are currently in "early talks" to direct not just one, but the next two "Avengers" movies. This follows months of uncertainty over at Marvel over who would step up to take on the fifth "Avengers" installment, particularly since original director and Marvel veteran Destin Daniel Cretton ended up dropping out of the film — which was once titled "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" — while the villainous star of the show, Jonathan Majors, was unceremoniously fired by Kevin Feige upon being officially charged with domestic violence. The sixth "Avengers" movie, meanwhile, is slated to be titled "Avengers: Secret Wars" and is set to drop in 2026.

Whatever version of the film the Russos have now inherited will likely be much different than originally envisioned (THR notes that, "The feature is expected to get a new name and a new focus"), but fans will undoubtedly be thrilled to hear that the minds behind "Infinity War" and "Endgame" will once again come back to the Marvel fold.

Thanos might as well have been a prophet in "Avengers: Endgame" when he had that famous line about how, "You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me." The Russo brothers will very likely assemble once again, as they are currently in the "early stages" of talks to direct both "Avengers 5" and "Avengers 6." Although certainly unexpected, it's also a somewhat predictable twist as Marvel has shown a propensity for sticking with the same talent to helm its films. "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy was previously rumored to be on Kevin Feige's shortlist for the next "Avengers" film, but it would appear that comfort and familiarity with the Russos ultimately won out.

There's no dancing around the fact that Marvel has had a rough go of things lately, as a number of high-profile blockbusters rolled into theaters and ended up disappointing — both critically and even financially, putting a black mark on the studio's otherwise sterling streak of pumping out one box-office hit after another. The upcoming "Deadpool & Wolverine" is positioned to right the ship in a big way, and clearly Feige hopes to keep that momentum going by returning to what worked so well the first time around. With the Russos nearing a comeback, it's safe to say that the next two "Avengers" movies will bring more of the same ... for better or worse. Stay tuned for updates as they come in!