Captain America star Anthony Mackie acknowledges the mᴀssive challenge that lies in outdoing Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in Phase 6. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are record-breaking MCU movies that wrapped up the Infinity Saga with a bang, gathering all major characters introduced across the MCU’s first three phases and providing some of them with an appropriate farewell. Now, Marvel Studios’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars aim to achieve a similar feat at the end of the Multiverse Saga, this time with the threat of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom looming over the multiverse.
In an interview with Esquire, Captain America: Brave New World‘s Anthony Mackie addresses the inherent difficulty of following up on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame‘s groundbreaking success with the even more ambitious Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Mackie praises the directors behind all four of these movies, Joe and Anthony Russo, and indicates he trusts their talent. Read Anthony Mackie’s full comments below:
“What you don’t want is Infinity War and Endgame 2.0. The Russos, they’re so smart, and they have such a hold on this universe and the history and the comic books that I know they have an idea. I mean, they better have an idea. I don’t know how you put all those people onscreen together and make it work.”
What Anthony Mackie’s Avengers: Doomsday And Secret Wars Comments Mean
Avengers: Infinity War And Endgame Left The Bar Too High
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are two mᴀssive feats inherently difficult to replicate. Both MCU movies feature crowds of beloved character portrayals who returned for a final battle against Thanos soon after their biggest solo appearances during the franchise’s prime. While the Multiverse Saga has offered behemoths like Spider-Man: No Way Home and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, it has also slipped up with a few box office flops such as The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The Multiverse Saga has no defined Avengers team, and no character has received the same level of prominence as Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man or Chris Evans’ Captain America.
Regardless of how well executed Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars could be, it will certainly be a challenge to match Avengers: Infinity War‘s $2.048-billion and Avengers: Endgame‘s $2.799-billion records. On the bright side, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will be directed by the Russo brothers, who not only helmed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but also Captain America: Civil War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier — two of the most popular installments in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. Joe and Anthony Russo have built strong relationships with Marvel Studios and each MCU actor, and they have followed the franchise since its early days.
Our Take On Anthony Mackie’s Avengers: Doomsday And Secret Wars Comments
Avengers: Doomsday And Secret Wars Will Probably Succeed, But They Need Something More
If there’s anyone who understands how to create a successful MCU crossover event, it’s Joe and Anthony Russo. The Russo bros.’ Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame brought together dozens of characters, all at different points in their MCU journey, and pushed their individual and collective stories in new directions. Still, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars can’t mirror Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame beat for beat. Both Phase 6 movies must find the right balance between familiar fanfare and groundbreaking storytelling in order to succeed.
Source: Esquire
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Captain America: Brave New World
- Release Date
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February 14, 2025
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027