The Russo brothers addressed whether the alleged Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars concept art leaks are real and belong to Marvel Studios. A couple of MCU concept art images were published on ArtStation, and the leaks quickly made their way online. The high-quality photos depict several MCU characters, such as Hulk, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and the MCU’s next big bad, Dr. Doom. The leaks seem to give a glimpse of what looks like the MCU’s Battleworld war during the events of the following two Avengers films. The images have been taken down, but questions remain about the legitimacy of the images.
Russo Brothers Clamp Down on Leaked Concept Art
The Russo brothers were asked if the leaks spoiled any details of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Joe revealed that the images aren’t content from Marvel. Joe said, “No, because that artwork was not from Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars.” Anthony chimed in, confirming Joe’s statement, “Nothing spoiling in there. That’s not our concept art.” Considering that Avengers 5 & Avengers 6 won’t hit theatres until 2026 and 2027, respectively, there is plenty of time for the plot to evolve and develop.
At first, the leaks seemed to spoil many key details from both upcoming films and other MCU projects. The Russo brothers will again lead the way with the Avengers, directing Doomsday and Secret Wars. Other details include photos depicting Star-Lord hanging out with White Vision, Wong and Star-Lord guiding the Young Avengers, and Smart Hulk and She-Hulk inhabiting a society with other Hulks. Based on the statements from the Russo Brothers, it looks like we will not see the scenarios depicted in the images, and if that is the case, it will ruin the element of surprise for moviegoers and critics alike.
Marvel is known to commit to secrecy with their projects, but unfortunately, with this fast-paced age we live in today, they can’t stop everything about their projects from being spoiled on the internet. The year before it was released in theatres, key plot details of Avengers: Infinity War were leaked online. It’s safe to assume that Marvel has taken many steps to prevent crucial information from getting leaked online. Even if the concept art belonged to Marvel, it would probably be just some ideas and probably not make the final cut.
Endgame spoilers were leaked online right before the film came out on the big screens. Speaking with TechRadar, the Russo brothers detailed how the films will be inspired by the comics. Joe said, “Well, we always create our own version of the story, so we use the comics as loose inspiration. But, you know, I grew up on the original run. That’s something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Johnathan 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.”
What This Means For Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars
Based on Joe’s statement, the following two Avengers movies will have loose inspirations from the original and the 2015 versions of Secret Wars. The statement is unsurprising, as Marvel Studios has a history of reworking major comic storylines rather than directly adapting them on-screen. Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, & Avengers: Infinity War all saw deviations from their comic book storylines, and it looks like the Russo brothers will take the same approach with Avengers: Secret Wars.
The storyline was introduced in 1984 by Jim Shooter as a 12-issue series featuring major villains and heroes battling each other on Battleworld. Hickman’s 2015 version merged many Marvel universes into one, completely reshaping the Marvel comics. The road to the Multiverse has not been easy for Marvel Studios, from actor controversies, changing writers, changing directors, delays, and the feeling that the MCU was losing its touch with the fans. These factors gave the studio a sense that it needed a spark to regain its touch. This led to Feige bringing back the Russo brothers and Robert Downey Jr. to play Dr. Doom.
Now that the franchise is expanding with the Multiverse, the Russo brothers are dealing with the task of grappling with multiple storylines. Infinity War and Endgame brought a conclusion to the Infinity Saga; Doomsday and Secret Wars will start a new beginning for the MCU. Also, the studio has already teased what could come next following the conclusion of Secret Wars. Feige said the MCU will bring in the X-Men to usher in the Mutant Saga. Also, he teased that fans might see the X-Men before the Multiverse Saga comes to a close. Deadpool & Wolverine, last year’s box office smash, teased the appearance of mutants in the MCU.
Since then, there have been many rumors of new and legacy characters appearing in Secret Wars. In teasing the difference between the upcoming Avengers films and its predecessors, Joe said, “The greatest thing that ever happened is we got to, you know, get immersed in a 20-movie arc and see an ending to that arc,” Joe Russo said. “What’s compelling about these two new Avengers movies is they’re a beginning. It’s a new beginning. We told an ending story with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and now we’re going to tell a beginning story.”
Final Thoughts
We can only speculate what the MCU reboot will look like, but it will most likely be a soft reboot. We could see a mix of new and original actors, new actors taking on known roles, and brand-new characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the concept art was quickly taken down after it was uploaded, the Russos made it clear that it was not Marvel’s. Could they be saving face for some bigger tricks up their sleeve? Who knows? The Russo brothers have plenty of time to map out their plans for the following two Avengers films. Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026; Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters on May 7, 2027.
