Russo brothers call Avengers: Doomsday 'Phase Zero,' sparking skepticism

In a recent interview promoting Avengers: Doomsday, directors Joe and Anthony Russo said the film marks a "phase zero" — "starting over from scratch" — and insisted "this isn’t leaning on anything from the past." Joe Russo added that viewers should "get ready for" more shifting and changing, and the brothers discussed the idea while meeting with Robert Downey Jr.

The claim that the movie is untethered to what came before is described in the piece as implausible. The Russos are making a film that functions as a culmination of the MCU and Fox's X-Men films, and the returns of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers act as explicit ties to earlier entries.

The write-up argues that unless the film explains why Doctor Doom looks so much like Iron Man, many viewers will be left wondering, and notes that the sensation of culmination, which peaked with Avengers: Endgame, has felt burdensome amid recent missteps.

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