Back in 2012 genre icon Joss Whedon brought to our screens the unprecedented first meeting of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's heroes in The Avengers. The film was the culmination of the franchise's very first "Phase" and smashed both expectations and the box-office.
Whedon then only naturally returned to helm its sequel, the equally successful but less well-received Avengers: Age of Ultron. Famously Whedon was frustrated during the production of the sequel and was burnt out afterward, making it clear that he would be taking a break from those sorts of films.
Enter the Russo Brothers, who exploded onto the scene with what many consider to still be the best MCU film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The directing duo then delivered Captain America: Civil War, to similar a film that could easily have been called Avengers 2.5 to similar fanfare.
So it made sense when they were announced to direct the most ambitious film in the franchise - the finale event that Avengers: Infinity War. Speaking to ScreenRant during a set visit on the aforementioned film, Elizabeth Olsen who made her MCU debut in the Whedon directed Avengers: Age of Ultron spoke about how working the Russos differs from the Firefly creator:
"The biggest difference is that Joss wrote everything. When he writes them, he plays every single character in, like, a cabin and he does the fighting sequences as much as he can and then he writes it. I think the main difference is that the Russos delegate and they trust everything that they’ve delegated things to. Not saying Joss didn’t, but that’s a lot of pressure to be a director and then go home to also do rewrites for the next week. So I think it’s just as it gets bigger, things become more specific to different departments and I think it allows maybe even a freedom within the dialogue sometimes, because there’s a space some of us have the ability to step out and not be on the page. Not saying that one’s better than the other because Joss knows these characters better than maybe each one of the individuals do because he lives it and breathes it, and the Russos at the beginning of filming are like, “You’re in control of your character. If there are things you think we missed, please participate, please say.”
What do you think of Olsen's comments? Have you preferred the Russo Bros films to Whedon's? Are you upset that he didn't return to helm Avengers: Infinity War? Leave your thoughts below.