The Russo Brothers Refuse to Comment on Marvel Return Rumors for Avengers 5 

When it comes to MCU behind-the-scenes talent, directors Joe and Anthony Russo are two of the most prominent individuals to have ever worked on a Marvel Studios movie. Following their work on the past two Captain America films, they oversaw perhaps the two greatest superhero films in history, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. 

Even after finishing their roles in Endgame, the Russo brothers remain involved with the MCU, mostly through providing insight into what the franchise is planning for Phase 4 and beyond. From applauding Spider-Man: No Way Home’s efforts to supporting Scarlett Johansson in her Black Widow-related lawsuit, the directorial pair is never far from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. 

More recently, speculations suggested that the Russos may return for the fifth Avengers picture, which could still be a few years away regardless of who directors it. 

Now that the two have cleared the air on some of those rumors, fans are hoping to see them return to Marvel Studios for a fifth round of filmmaking. 

Return of the Russo Brothers to Marvel? There are no comments. 

Following the litigation between Disney and Scarlett Johansson over the release of Black Widow, a September 2021 Wall Street Journal story said that the Russo Brothers were upset with Disney for their treatment of Johansson as a creative collaborator. This apparently forced the directors to temporarily halt negotiations with Disney-owned Marvel Studios regarding their prospective return to the MCU director’s chair, which many have assumed to be a fifth Avengers film based on Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars event. 

Before going to court, Johansson and Disney reached an amicable settlement. But have the Russos’ tensions subsided sufficiently for their Marvel negotiations to resume? 

Joe Russo was recently interviewed by Den of Geek about these Avengers-sized speculations. Unfortunately, during the Disney-Johansson public spat last year, Russo “declined to comment on whether they were actively in conversations about returning to Marvel Studios,” leaving fans fully in the dark about the potential of the Russos returning for Avengers 5 or another Marvel film. 

Following this silence, Russo turned the topic toward his and his brother’s production firm, AGBO. The two have collaborated on smaller projects such as the immensely famous Everything Everywhere All at Once, which has resulted in lots of success for the pair: 

“Our autonomy is unprecedented in history.” We have our own firm, it’s incredibly well-funded, and we can assist films like Everything Everywhere All at Once complete.” This success enables them to “return to original IP” rather than returning to franchises like the MCU. Russo sees a tendency of people wanting to watch more movies with “fresh concepts,” even with so many other large blockbusters still coming out on a regular basis: 

“I believe we will begin to return to original IP.” I believe it’s a fantastic opportunity… I believe that as firms grow more meticulous and factory-like in the implementation of their present IP, unique IP will begin to emerge in this industry. “I simply believe people will be hungry for fresh ideas.” Russo had claimed in December 2021 that he and his brother would be open to a reunion with Marvel Studios, but he couldn’t say whether or not it would happen. 

The Russo Brothers Will Direct Avengers 5?

After directing four of the MCU’s greatest successes, two of which earned almost $5 billion combined, Joe and Anthony Russo seem to be in a good position away from the blockbuster superhero movie industry. 

After making their mark on the successful TV show Community, the Russos appeared rather unexpectedly in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, delivering perhaps one of the MCU’s greatest films. Even after the 2014 sequel, their experience with Marvel Studios prepared them for even bigger achievements outside of the Marvel realm. 

Although it will be a long time until Avengers 5 becomes a reality, even if things change for the Russos, there may be another huge name to take over when that time comes. More information won’t be available until the next team-up film is finalized, but for the time being, the Russo brothers should not be on fans’ shortlist for who will helm. 

Disney+ now offers access to all four of the Russo brothers’ MCU films.