Russo Brothers Embrace Improvisation for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

For Joe and Anthony Russo, the unfinished script for “Avengers: Doomsday” is not a problem. The directors say they prefer to discover what performers bring to their characters during rehearsals and filming.

“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 a few weeks before you shoot them. And a lot of the time, that’s when the magic happens,” Joe Russo said.

The film represents the brothers’ return to Marvel and their first major Marvel Cinematic Universe project since “Avengers: Endgame.” They had previously not planned to direct another “Avengers” movie.

“

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 a few weeks before you shoot them. And a lot of the time, that’s when the magic happens.

The project has also changed substantially from its original plan. It was initially titled “The Kang Dynasty” and was expected to feature Jonathan Majors as a new villain. After Majors was removed from Marvel amid legal issues, the fifth “Avengers” film underwent a major overhaul. Robert Downey Jr. has since returned to the MCU, but this time he will play Doctor Doom rather than Iron Man.

Anthony Russo said the brothers value working with Marvel because they do not need to account for the entire MCU. Their role, he said, is to shape a specific part of the wider universe. The film is set for release on December 18, 2026.

“

The thing that Joe and I have always appreciated about our collaboration with Marvel is: Our job isn’t to answer for the entirety of the MCU. We intersect it in a very specific way. It’s that intersection which is where we can make sense of things.