Though specific plot details are still under wraps, we do have some idea of what to expect from Marvel Studios' next Avengers movies, and the recent concept art that was mistakenly shared online appeared to confirm reports that several characters from the TV side of the MCU will be making the jump to the big screen.
While speaking to Tech Radar about their plans for Doomsday and Secret Wars, directors Joe and Anthony Russo were asked about a number of heroes such as Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, Billy Maximoff and Moon Knight potentially showing up in the movies.
While Anthony wasn't about to confirm anything outright, he did indicate - in a roundabout way - that we will indeed be seeing a few familiar faces from the Disney+ shows.
"In terms of what we're drawing on for our storytelling, we take the comprehensive view of the MCU. So, without getting into anything more specific than that, this is the universe we're telling a story within. You can read into that what you like."
Right now, the only actor that has been officially announced as being a part of the cast is Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), but the trades have reported that Chris Evans will also be back, and rumors persist that they will be joined by the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth as an "evil" group of OG Earth's Mightiest Heroes variants.
In a separate interview with the site. Joe Russo revealed that the duo will "draw inspiration" from both the first Jim Shooter-written Secret Wars that was published in 1984, and the Jonathan Hickman-penned version that was released in 2015.
"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," he added. "That's something that got me into Marvel comic books. The 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."
Based on what we've seen from the recent concept art, certain elements of Hickman's run will inform Avengers: Secret Wars, but we wouldn't be at all surprised if Doomsday introduced the likes of the Beyonder and Battleword, which were staples of Shooter's original tale.
The '80s run also saw the debut of Spider-Man's black suit, which ultimately led to the introduction of Venom. With Spider-Man 4 set to release between Doomsday and Secret Wars, we might just see Tom Holland's webhead finally don that symbiote costume.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
Have another look at some photos Downey Jr. shared to Instagram after the big reveal below.