Since Avengers: Endgame concluded the Infinity Saga, the limitations of the Marvel system have become increasingly apparent. Whether due to the pandemic, the sprawling Multiverse, or a studio's overconfidence, Kevin Feige's guiding vision, once anchored by the Infinity Stones, seems to have wavered. Kang was initially slated as the main antagonist for Avengers 5, then titled The Kang Dynasty, but this plan was derailed by the critical reception of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the legal issues faced by actor Jonathan Majors.
Enter Doctor Doom (reportedly played by Robert Downey Jr.), prompting the MCU to urgently recall the Russo brothers. They're back to steer a franchise that had previously left them exhausted after the demanding back-to-back productions of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Meanwhile, the directing duo themselves had faced a series of streaming disappointments (The Gray Man, Cherry, The Electric State) after their box office dominance. Their return to this chaotic landscape to bring Doomsday and its sequel Secret Wars to life feels like a monumental, perhaps impossible, task.
No Script, No Problem?
The Russo brothers embody both the strengths and weaknesses of Marvel's production model. Their strength lies in their adaptability for such massive productions; their weakness, arguably, is the resulting lack of formal ambition. Crucially, given the studio's relentless schedule, they've become accustomed to working at speed with their screenwriters, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, often heading into production with significant gaps in dialogue and plot progression. A prime example is the iconic 'I am Iron Man' line delivered by Tony Stark at the end of Endgame, which was famously a reshoot performed just months before the film's release.
While this improvisational approach can certainly yield positive results, refining character interactions and resolving narrative arcs within the MCU's complex tapestry, Doomsday seems to be pushing these limits. The sheer number of characters involved makes a 'fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants' approach particularly challenging. Rumors persist that principal photography isn't even complete, raising concerns about the final product.
Speaking to Associated Press, the Russos defended this frequently criticized system, framing these constraints as a stylistic choice:
"We always see the script as a living organism. We are directors of improvisation, of rehearsal. We like to see what the actors bring to their characters, and sometimes, you only have the actors for a few days or weeks before filming them. Most of the time, that's where the magic happens."
However, numerous actors have voiced complaints about this method in interviews, especially when asked to react to a green screen without clear knowledge of the final CGI elements. Even beyond the Russo brothers, this constant revision technique has had detrimental effects, particularly on visual effects artists, who are often forced to redo scenes at the last minute – the climax of Black Panther being a notable example. Can such a disjointed filmmaking approach still produce exceptional results? We'll find out when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 16th.