Joe Russo’s Cagey Battleworld Answer Just Fueled Every ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Theory
Marvel fans have spent years piecing together clues about where the Multiverse Saga is actually headed, and the Russo brothers have never made that easy. Anthony and Joe Russo are directing both ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ working from a screenplay credited to Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely. The films are set for release on December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027 respectively.
The anticipation only grows heavier the closer production gets to wrapping, especially with Kevin Feige himself dropping hints about the story’s direction. During a recent appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Feige addressed long standing speculation that these two Avengers films will wipe the MCU slate clean, and he firmly denied that a total reboot is coming. He instead pointed to Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 comic run, saying there is a clear roadmap in that story for where the franchise can go next.
That backdrop makes the latest tease from Joe Russo land even harder. Fan account Cosmic Marvel shared a clip via Joshua Horowitz in which Joe Russo was asked directly whether Battleworld, the patchwork planet at the center of Marvel’s Secret Wars mythology, will actually show up on screen. His response was a masterclass in saying nothing while confirming everything. “We won’t confirm or deny whether Battleworld appears in either of these films. And we cannot confirm or deny who appears in Battleworld, if Battleworld were to be in one of these films,” Russo said.
That kind of non answer tends to read as a soft yes in Marvel fandom, and the timing lines up with everything else circulating about ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’ Avengers Doomsday is currently in post production, with Battleworld rumors suggesting Doctor Doom creates the planet after a series of incursions tear through the Marvel Multiverse. In the source material, that collapse eventually leaves only two universes standing before Doctor Doom reforges what remains of reality into Battleworld and rules over it as a god.
The Russos have been transparent that they are not delivering a page for page adaptation of either the 1984 original or Hickman’s version. Joe Russo has confirmed the story will only be a loose inspiration drawn from both comic arcs, giving the films room to build their own narrative rather than replicate the books beat for beat. Getting to this point was not instant either, since Russo has said he and his brother initially turned down the project when Robert Downey Jr first approached them, only signing on after writer Stephen McFeely pitched a story they felt had to be told.
Robert Downey Jr’s casting as Doctor Doom remains the connective tissue fans keep circling back to whenever Battleworld comes up, given the character’s central role in both comic versions of the story. Whether or not the finished films use the name outright, Joe Russo’s refusal to rule it out is exactly the kind of breadcrumb that keeps ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ discourse burning through every slow news week between now and December.
Do you think we'll see Battleworld in 'Secret Wars?'
With Feige, McFeely, and both Russos all circling the same well of source material without giving away specifics, the guessing game around Battleworld is only going to intensify. Do you think ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ is building toward a full blown Battleworld reveal, or is Joe Russo just having fun with fans at this point?
