Ever since Avengers Endgame was released, many fans are asking if Joe and Anthony Russo will ever make a return to Marvel Cinematic Universe. The two Captain America movies The Winter Soldier and Civil War , were their first films. But it was their portrayal of the Avengers that took them to the top in the superhero world.
While it’s not clear if the Russo siblings will be leaving Marvel Studios, they are still intrinsically linked to the franchise due to their work during the Infinity Saga. Although there was some criticism from fans, they lived up to their lofty expectations and produced some of the most highly-reviewed MCU films to date.
But what is the secret to their success? What was the secret to their success in elevating one of Hollywood’s most iconic names (the MCU), to an entirely new level? The pair recently met to discuss the matter.
The Russo Brothers’ Recipe
In an interview with GQ Avengers Endgame directors Joe Russo discussed how they dealt with fan pressure while working in the MCU.
Anthony said that when they were crafting their Marvel blockbusters they made sure to keep asking “how do we surprise ourselves,” as the two are “huge fans” of the franchise themselves:
” There was pressure. But, we knew that the one thing we could always rely on to help us get through all of it, and which allowed us to move past any thoughts of external pressure was ourselves. We were big fans of each other. The only thing we could focus on was, “How can we surprise ourselves?” What can we do to challenge ourselves? How can we challenge ourselves to find the best version of our story? It’s possible to go many different directions in this storytelling. There are endless possibilities. To find the way, we had to use our inner meter
Joe followed this up by comparing his Avengers: Endgame experience to “diving off of like, a 12-story building into a cup of water,” saying that “it’s not easy to please” everyone:
“It really was like diving off of like, a 12-story building into a cup of water. You can’t please everyone. They all have different tastes. It’s always easy to piss off someone. We learned early that fans are always going to be inconsistent. Look, we poured our heart and souls into those movies, because we wanted to pass along the feelings that we had, watching large-scale movies as children in theaters, to other kids… The goal for us was to make sure that, you know, a new generation could walk out of those theaters, and have lifetime memories from being there, watching it with their family, or their friends, and having, you know, a true theatrical experience, you know, at 2: 00 in the morning in New Jersey.”
The pair then finished off by mentioning that, as fans, they just try to create movies that will ignite “interest, and excitement, and joy,” and after seeing fans “waiting in line for hours” to see their movies ” over and over and over again” it’s pretty easy to let you “forget all the sort of manufactured divisiveness” in the world:
Anthony – “We fell in Love with Movies as Fans, Not as Filmmakers, To be able to Activate That Level of Interest, Excitement, and Joy .”
Joe said: “We were able to sit in several of these theaters, and it brought us tears of joy that so many people had been waiting for hours to go to the movies, and then going back to the same place over and again. It doesn’t really matter from where or who you are. You’re having the same experience. It also lets you forget about all of the manufactured division that exists in today’s world .”
Marvel by the Fans, for the Fans
It is easy to see how passionate the Russo Brothers are about Marvel movies and other films. But it is incredible to hear how that passion played a role in their MCU filmmaking process. Although most major-IP creatives like those involved with the MCU have some fandom, it isn’t always true.
At its heart, Avengers Endgame represented a celebration of the fans. This was an ode to the first ten year of this iconic film. It was essential that the movie’s creators were just as passionate about the film as those in the seats.
This effort by the directors to make something they wanted is apparent when you watch the film. You only have to see the portal scene at the end of Endgame. It is possible that a director not under the same mandate might have seen this sequence in a case of IP-grandstanding. The Russo Brothers did not think so. Fans got the scene they wanted, which felt like an end result of many years spent following these characters and viewing these films.
Avengers Endgame can be streamed now on Disney+
