Directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo have revealed which comics their upcoming Marvel projects, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, will follow due to there being two separate series titled Secret Wars.
“But, you know, I grew up on the original run. That’s something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Hickman run is also fantastic [and they’re] very different from each other in a lot of ways, so we’ll draw inspiration from both of them,” said Joe Russo to TechRadar.
Of course, the co-director is referring to both of the Marvel comic book collections which share the title Secret Wars, the ’80s series written by Jim Shooter and the newer version written by Jonathan Hickman which came to a close almost 9 years ago. Despite sharing a name, the runs follow different storylines.
Shooter’s series, which ran from May 1984 to April 1985, follows a cosmic being named The Beyonder who transports the Avengers, other heroes, and villains to a planet called Battleworld to find the best superpower.
Hickman’s run, which launched in May 2015 to January 2016, takes the heroes back to a new Battleworld, which has been stitched together from multiple realities broken up by a disruption to the Marvel Multiverse. However, the new planet is now ruled over by none other than Fantastic Four villain Doctor Victor von Doom.
This gives us a little hint as to what type of role Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom will play in the upcoming movies. However, don’t expect the Russos to follow the comic book storyline directly, as it sounds like the directors have a few surprises up their sleeves. “Well, we always create our own version of the story,” added Joe Russo. “So, we use the comics as loose inspiration.”
The first of the two movies due to hit the screen as part of Marvel Phase 6 is Avengers: Doomsday, which will premiere on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. However, we are still waiting on official loglines for both movies, as well as wider cast lists to be confirmed by Marvel Studios.
For more, check out our guide on how to watch Marvel movies in order, or keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows.