Joe Russo, co-director of ‘Avengers: Endgame’, opens up about the growing multiverse trend in films. Marvel has recently opened the doors to the multiverse, beginning with Marvel's What If... on Disney+, which introduced audiences to the Guardians of the Multiverse, a team of heroes assembled from different universes to stop Ultron from ending them all. The Marvel Cinematic Universe expanded on these ideas in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which sees prior iterations of Spider-Man, played by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, return when a spell goes awry, opening the multiverse. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, slated for release in May, wholly embraces the multiverse, already giving small teases to audiences, like the newest trailer featuring Patrick Stewart's voice, presumably as Professor X/Charles Xavier.
Russo is no stranger to the world of comic book films, having c0-directed several with his brother, Anthony Russo. The two directors first entered the realm of superheroes with 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which they followed with 2016's Captain America: Civil War. After tackling the massive hero clash seen in Civil War, the Russos were tapped for Marvel's most ambitious films to date, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Endgame's massive battle, assembling all the Marvel heroes, helped the film become the highest-grossing comic book film of all time. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home is now nipping at its heels, as the multiverse trend is proving itself profitable.
While speaking at DICE 2022 (via IGN), Joe Russo talked about the lack of innovation in corporate agendas. Russo likened the agenda to corporations catching wind that people enjoy chocolate ice cream, saying, "Well here's chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, here's chocolate ice cream with fudge...It's their job to turn the money printer on." Placing some responsibility on creators, Russo added, "It's the creative's job to say, 'Well shit, I don't know if I want to watch that.'" While also stating that too much of one thing can be harmful, he said, "I think there are enough creators and innovators in the space where you can expect to be surprised."
Screen Rant
