Avengers: Doomsday ranks among the most highly anticipated superhero movies ever made, and it's on Marvel Studios to keep its biggest secrets under wraps before December 18.
During the Multiverse Saga, several MCU movies have been spoiled in advance, with entire plot breakdowns appearing on Reddit thanks to test screenings. There have already been some pretty big leaks, but filmmaker Joe Russo isn't too worried about potential spoilers showing up online.
Talking to Metro, Russo explained his thinking behind keeping the movie's biggest secrets under wraps. He also touched on why it's more important to him and Anthony that they make something more than just a series of surprises.
"On one hand, audiences want to be surprised, and that’s part of what makes the theatrical experience exciting," the Avengers: Doomsday co-director told the site. "On the other hand, it can become a little over-policed, where people are anxious about engaging with anything."
"We design these films to unfold in a certain way, and we want audiences to feel those moments as intended," Russo added. "But at the same time, you can’t control everything. You have to focus on making something that holds up beyond the initial surprise."
Unlike the previous Avengers movies helmed by Joe and Anthony, the duo's production company AGBO is closely involved with Doomsday and Secret Wars. For Angela Russo-Otstot, who is the current Chief Creative Officer of AGBO, protecting the big-screen experience is key.
"We go to great lengths to plot out the most exciting way to reveal certain aspects, especially when you’re working with a known IP that people have such strong connections to and may have expectations around," she shared. "And so, a lot of thought goes into those twists and turns and reveals when it comes to not spoiling it for others."
"We’re big believers in that and protecting the sanctity of the experience for everybody to enjoy it in the same way," Russo-Otstot continued. "So many of the things that we aspire to do are really us taking lessons from them. I take spoilers around those films incredibly seriously because I never would want anything to be coming on our end."
The best way to avoid being spoiled is to see Avengers: Doomsday on opening night and to stay away from social media in the days leading up to its release. Leaks and spoilers are inevitable, of course, especially with international release schedules and press screenings with fans and influencers attending.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.