The Russo Brothers recently gave a pretty interesting description of the MCU’s Avengers: Doomsday, describing the movie as the start of “Phase Zero.” Since 2008’s Iron Man, the MCU has been split up into various phases. While the first three make up what’s known as the Infinity Saga, Phases 4-6 make up the current Multiverse Saga, which is set to culminate with both Doomsday and Secret Wars (so how does this new “Phase Zero” idea come into play?)
Speaking about the upcoming Marvel blockbuster at SXSW London, Joe Russo claimed that Avengers: Doomsday would be the start of Phase Zero:
“Look, we were with Rob [Downey Jr.] earlier today. We were both talking about this concept that we are back to phase zero. This is starting over from scratch. We want to make sure everybody feels like this isn’t leaning on anything from the past.”
All things considered, it’s a pretty fascinating statement considering the current state of the MCU right now. Following the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios expanded at an unprecedented rate. New heroes, streaming series, multiversal storylines, and multiple new regions have all been introduced in a very short amount of time. While some projects have been successful, the franchise has still struggled to maintain the same level of focus and direction as seen with the MCU’s first saga.
While a fresh start has some merits, the concept of Doomsday serving as a fresh start for audiences does feel odd and pretty contradictory at the same time. Keeping that in mind, here are 5 ways the Russos’ new “Phase Zero” comments make sense, and 5 where they really don’t when it comes to Avengers: Doomsday.
10
The Multiverse Saga Hasn’t Had A Strong Central Narrative
One of the biggest strengths of the Infinity Saga was its clear direction and overarching narrative. Even when individual films told more self-contained stories, there were more often than not connections to the larger story being told that was gradually building toward Thanos and the collection of the Infinity Stones, spectacularly culminating with both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Unfortunately, The Multiverse Saga simply hasn’t had that same level of focus. Plans have massively changed since the dawn of Phase Four, the biggest and most notable being the major pivot from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday itself, with the major villain Kang the Conqueror more than likely being out of the picture for good after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Keeping that in mind, a “Phase Zero” approach could help Marvel establish a stronger overarching storyline moving forward. Rather than trying to continue several competing plot lines, Doomsday could serve as a much-needed narrative reset, providing an overarching narrative going forward into Secret Wars and beyond.
9
The MCU Has Become Intimidating For Mainstream Audiences
In the Multiverse Saga, one of the MCU’s greatest strengths has become one of its key challenges. With so many movies and shows having been released at such a rapid pace, it’s arguably harder to lean on past projects as much compared to the Infinity Saga, and many in the mainstream have justifiably become intimidated.
As such, the Russos’ new comments do suggest an awareness of that problem. If Doomsday can successfully function as a new entry point, Marvel Studios may be able to attract viewers who drifted away after Avengers: Endgame and/or those who couldn’t commit to keeping up with the daunting pace of releases.
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Newer Avengers Can Become Bigger Leads
One of the best things about the Multiverse Saga is that so many potential franchise leads have been introduced in the post-Endgame MCU era: Shang-Chi, Yelena Belova, Sam Wilson, Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, and many more were introduced in their own projects either as brand-new heroes or existing MCU heroes with all-new status quos. However, not every Multiverse Saga hero has been well utilized.
As such, a new Phase Zero reset era beginning with Doomsday could help elevate many of these heroes into their deserved spotlights (in theory).
7
Doctor Doom’s Debut Can Kick Off A New Era
If Marvel Studios is drawing from 2015’s Secret Wars storyline by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic, RDJ’s Doctor Doom could easily serve as a major catalyst for a “Phase Zero” soft-reboot.
In the comics, multiversal incursions destroy countless realities at the beginning of Secret Wars before Doctor Doom uses the power of the Beyonders to salvage various remnants to create Battleworld, saving countless lives (while making himself the new world’s God Emperor).
If the MCU is set to follow a similar path as many have theorized, Avengers: Doomsday could indeed be the beginning of Phase Zero-type rest, laying the groundwork for an entirely new version of the MCU going forward in Secret Wars’ once reality is eventually restored/remade.
6
Marvel Needs Some Renewed Energy/Engagement
There’s no denying that audience enthusiasm has cooled/diminished somewhat since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. While the MCU has not stopped delivering some truly great projects on the big and small screen, there have been enough misfires and major creative struggles that the MCU’s cultural dominance has certainly lessened during the Multiverse Saga.
As such, positioning Avengers: Doomsday as “starting from scratch” could reinvigorate excitement with a new era that feels more aligned with when the MCU was at its peak, which does make sense.
However, there are some pretty crucial ways in which the “Phase Zero” concept doesn’t really work when it comes to this upcoming crossover, not to mention Secret Wars…
5
Doomsday Literally Stars Major Legacy Characters
The cast of Avengers: Doomsday includes returning MCU veterans as major leads, like Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers coming out of retirement, and his happy ending with Peggy Carter seen in Endgame. Likewise, RDJ is coming back despite Iron Man’s death in Endgame to play Doctor Doom, a decision that has generated all kinds of different reactions. It’s also been confirmed that several actors from Fox’s original X-Men franchise will be reprising their roles, including James Marsden’s Cyclops, Patrick Stewart’s Xavier, and Ian McKellen’s Magneto.
All things considered, it’s pretty hard to argue that Avengers: Doomday won’t be leaning on the past when so much of its appeal comes from audiences already having emotional connections to all these major legacy characters. Nostalgia is absolutely a major part of the equation, and it’s here where this new “Phase Zero” concept becomes difficult to reconcile.
4
Some Past Multiverse Saga Stories Feel Unavoidable
Even if Marvel wants to create a fresh starting point with Doomsday, certain stories simply cannot be ignored. The biggest example that comes to mind is Loki, seeing how God of Mischief’s Disney+ show ended with Tom Hiddleston’s character becoming a major multiversal figure, holding various realities together himself. With Hiddleston confirmed to appear in Doomsday, the events of his series will no doubt have to be addressed in some fashion. Likewise, several other Multiverse Saga storylines are still likely to play important roles as the Multiverse Saga comes to a close.
3
Interconnectivity Has Always Been A Major MCU Strength
At its core, the MCU became one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood because of its interconnectivity with everything being in a shared Marvel Universe. That interconnectivity became a detriment during the Multiverse Saga due to a lack of connection in some projects, and arguably too much in others (the result of a lack of guidance and clear focus). However, it’s still one of the franchise’s biggest strengths and biggest foundations at the end of the day.
Even if Avengers: Doomsday introduces a new era, it’s still bringing together heroes and storylines that have been developing and evolving for years. The movie’s existence is inherently dependent on that interconnected history, so a Phase Zero where “the past isn’t leaned on” doesn’t quite add up unless the MCU really does go for a full reboot (which feels highly doubtful).
2
Secret Wars Is Expected To Be An Even Bigger Legacy Film
While Doomsday is already bringing back major legacy characters, Secret Wars is very much expected to take things even further as the major culmination of the entire Multiverse Saga. Rumors and speculation surrounding the film have consistently been centered on multiple variants and returning actors like Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, a massive celebration of Marvel’s entire legacy on screen.
As such, it certainly makes this new Phase Zero language somewhat confusing, especially with the next two Avengers movies being set to connect more to Marvel’s cinematic history going back even further than the MCU itself.
1
The MCU Needs More Focus (Not A Full Reset)
Ultimately, the MCU’s biggest issue is not necessarily that it became too large to handle during the Multiverse Saga. The real problem is that it often lacked clear focus during its rapid expansion post-Endgame. Marvel introduced numerous concepts, characters, and storylines without always making it clear how they connected to a larger plan. That’s certainly a challenge, though not one that has to mean that Doomsday needs to start the franchise over entirely.
A more focused MCU going forward feels much more welcome than a fully rest franchise that starts from scratch. Hopefully, that’s what the Russos ultimately mean with these new “Phase Zero” comments.
Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters on December 18th from Marvel Studios.
- Release Date
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December 18, 2026
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Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
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Johnny Storm / Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing