According to Marvel, Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo and Downey Jr. recently spoke with CBR at length, looking back at Avengers: Infinity War while detailing their mission to ensure Avengers: Doomsday packs an absolute wallop. Presales numbers for the upcoming film are already eclipsing recent titles like Spider-Man: Brand New Day four months out, despite mixed online trailer reactions.
Emotional Complexity as the Antidote to Letdown
Finding a way forward after the monumental success of Infinity War and Endgame required deliberate experimentation. According to Robert Downey Jr., the creative team needed to address a central question: how to prevent the films from feeling like a letdown.
“It’s not even about how I executed it. It’s about the way it’s been structured and the other characters,” Downey told CBR. “There’s something going on in Doomsday and forward that is literally the only antidote to, ‘How do you not have these films be a letdown after an Infinity War and Endgame?’ And boy, have we laboured long and hard to bring that.”
Pro Tip for Marvel Fans: Keep an eye on runtime announcements and re-release schedules. Extended cuts often contain crucial narrative bridges that directly tie older milestones into upcoming franchise phases.
Adopting the ‘Brand New Day’ Approach to Filmmaking
According to Joe Russo, Doomsday and Secret Wars have been the hardest Marvel films to make to date because the stakes continually increase. Instead of trying to top the previous films on scale, the directors adopted the Brand New Day approach—focusing rather with greater emotional depth.
“As the stakes keep going up, emotional complexity is always the answer,” Russo stated. “You bring emotional complexity to anything, and it enriches it and makes it a fuller experience for the audience. It surprises you. There are a lot of surprises in this, and I think it’s the most emotionally complex of all of them. In a lot of ways, the most mature of all of them.”
Did you know? Around the fourth day of filming, Robert Downey Jr. listened to Alan Silvestri’s Doctor Doom theme for the first time, noting an immediate shift in his acting that prompted him to keep replaying the track to stay anchored in Doom’s perspective.
Production Timelines and the Endgame Encore Re-Release
As production marches forward, schedules continue to shift across the slate. According to FilmBase, Avengers: Secret Wars is currently on hiatus from production until the end of September. Meanwhile, Avengers: Doomsday opens in cinemas on December 18th.
In addition to new entries, past milestones are returning to the big screen. A listing on the AMC website confirmed that Avengers: Endgame Encore, the upcoming re-release of 2019’s fourth Avengers film Avengers: Endgame, will open when it opens September 25th. The title will reportedly clock in at 185 minutes—four minutes longer than the theatrical cut—and will play a crucial role in establishing its connection to Doomsday.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Avengers: Doomsday open in cinemas?
Avengers: Doomsday opens in cinemas on December 18th.
What is the runtime of Avengers: Endgame Encore?
Why is Avengers: Secret Wars currently on hiatus?
According to FilmBase, Avengers: Secret Wars is currently on hiatus from production until the end of September.
Join the Conversation
What are your expectations for the emotional depth and character arcs in Avengers: Doomsday? Share your thoughts in the comments below, explore more of our Marvel coverage, and subscribe to our newsletter for real-time updates.