Avengers: Doomsday Directors Filmed with an Unfinished Script
Joe and Anthony Russo made some remarkable statements about the production process of Avengers: Doomsday. The film, which will bring together Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four characters in the same story, will, according to the directors, be one of the most complex collective narratives they have undertaken to date. Moreover, filming began before the script was fully completed, following the change from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday.
The Avengers: Doomsday Script Takes Shape During Filming
Joe Russo says they never approached the script as a fixed text. The director states that they see the script as a “living organism,” and that they can make changes to scenes based on the elements the actors add to their characters during rehearsals. The fact that some actors only join the crew days or weeks before filming makes this method even more important.
Anthony Russo emphasizes that the film’s scale is even larger than previous Marvel projects. Following large-scale films like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, he states that they pushed the boundaries of this approach even further with Doomsday. The brothers are also working on Avengers: Secret Wars and are therefore in a position to develop two massive projects back-to-back.
The return of the Russo brothers has created a separate expectation due to the mixed reactions the MCU has received in recent years. However, the directors say they haven’t taken on the task of “saving” the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Anthony Russo, their goal is to meaningfully bring together the characters and stories their films touch upon within the broader MCU.
One of the film’s inspirations is quite far removed from superhero cinema. The directors specifically cite Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West as an example. The ability of the Western genre to combine large-scale storylines with calmer character moments has been one of the elements shaping Doomsday’s tone. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released on December 18, 2026.
