Fans poke fun as Joe Russo claims the next 'Avengers' films will blend 1980s and 2010s ‘Secret Wars’ comics

Directors Anthony And Joe Russo Handprint And Footprint In Cement Ceremony At TCL Chinese Theatre - Source: Getty
Joe Russo attends their Handprint and Footprint in Cement Ceremony (Source: Getty)

The Russo Brothers have revealed that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will be taking their inspiration from TWO alternate takes on Secret Wars. The classic 1980s original and the more convoluted 2015 reboot will both be used as influences for future MCU movies.

Talking to TechRadar to promote their latest film, The Electric State, Joe and Anthony Russo teased their method—drawing inspiration from the comics but not necessarily adapting them.

And now, if you've been around long enough, you already know that "inspired by" can sometimes equal faithful adaptation (Infinity War) or sometimes loosely connected (Thor: Love and Thunder).

Of course, the fans have gone into full-on paranoia mode. Social media is abuzz with a mix of excitement, guarded optimism, and straight-out panic.

Some are jokingly warning the Russos not to "mess this up," while others are breaking down what "influenced by" actually is.

Are they taking the greatest parts and cherry-picking them, or are they going to "reinterpret" this into something that no longer resembles the original?

With the Secret Wars comic epic being one of the largest crossover events in Marvel history, the hype is high.

A user (@BillyBlokchain) stated:

"So in other words "were using this story, but are gonna leave out all comic book connections"."

While we are unsure about why they are treating the comics like IKEA instructions, let's hope it doesn’t fall apart.

Another user (@debayo_xx) added:

"marvel: “we always create our own version” aka we makin’ it up as we go."

Marvel is about to drop a ‘creative reimagining’ nobody asked for.

A user (@pmwithyom) thinks:

"So it's a derivative. Got it."

A user (@The_Epic_Scenes) joked:

"Can’t wait for Secret Wars (loosely inspired by Secret Wars)."

The only thing ‘secret’ is how they keep getting away with this.

A user (@friezsnake) humorously warned:

"Don't ruin this Joe."

Meanwhile, this user (@stellarquanta) speculates:

"“Our own version” usually means “it’s gonna be a**”."

A bold prediction, yet statistically accurate.


Russo Brothers' Approach for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars

Joe Russo stressed that they always make their own version of the story while drawing inspiration from both comic series.

He informed the media outlet:

“Well, we always create our own version of the story. So, we use the comics as loose inspiration.”
“But, you know, I grew up on the original run. That's something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Hickman run is also fantastic [and they're] very different from each other in a lot of ways, so we'll draw inspiration from both of them.”

1980s Secret Wars comic series

The first Secret Wars series by Jim Shooter with artwork by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton ran from May 1984 to April 1985. This 12-issue crossover took the idea of Battleworld, a world brought into being by the cosmic force known as The Beyonder.

The Beyonder brings a variety of Marvel heroes and villains to Battleworld and makes them fight one another. The series included a vast range of characters, such as the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the X-Men.

One of the most notable results of this run was the first appearance of Spider-Man's black suit, which would go on to become the alien symbiote that attached itself to Eddie Brock to create the evil character Venom.


2010s Secret Wars comic series

Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić wrote the 2010s Secret Wars series, which operated from May 2015 through January 2016.

The series had a darker and more complicated tone and dealt with the devastation of the Marvel Multiverse as a result of incursions, apocalyptic events in which universes crash into one another and annihilate each other.

What is left of these worlds is sewn together to create a new Battleworld, which is governed by Doctor Doom as his God Emperor persona.

Edited by Ishita Banerjee
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