Russo Brothers: Infinity War Was More Challenging Than Avengers 4

Avengers: Infinity War was more challenging to work on than its sequel, the Russo brothers reveal. After a string of hits such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, directors Joe and Anthony reteam with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for the MCU's biggest and boldest projects yet. The dream team caps off a decade's worth of Marvel storytelling, and while fans would still have to wait more than a year to know how it all pans out with Avengers 4, the road to the end will begin in just a week with Avengers 3 all geared up for its theatrical debut.

Originally a two-parter, it was eventually decided that Infinity War and it's untitled sequel will technically be separated and will be "very different" from one another. It's uncertain how the current set-up now is different from how Marvel Studios intended it to be (if there's any change at all), but the Russos explained that while the upcoming twin Avengers sequel will have a clear divide, there is a narrative thread that connects the both of them, similar to how all films in the MCU are somehow related with each other.

The Russos caught up with GamesRadar during the London stop of Infinity War's worldwide press tour where they opened up about the challenges of filming Avengers 3 and Avengers 4 back-to-back for one whole year. While on that subject, the brothers were asked which film is more difficult to make, and apparently, the two are in unison that the former is definitely more challenging. "I think [Infinity War] only because it was a compressed time frame and we were posting it while we were shooting Avengers 4,” Joe said, while Anthony backed him up explaining that they “were really doing double duty while we [they] were making that movie.”

The Russos' answer may be rooted on the technicality and time aspect of filming Infinity War but the same can be said when it comes to the creative process of making Avengers 3 given that it basically lays the foundation of what goes down in the untitled Avengers sequel. Chances are that once the directors, and writers Markus and McFeely decided on the narrative trajectory of the upcoming Marvel flick, everything sort of followed with regard to where they want to take their story for Avengers 4. Unless, of course, they conceptualized both films backward, meaning they knew the ending that they wanted, and they started crafting the story from there. Further, on top of setting the stage for the Phase 3 capper, Infinity War also has the responsibility of nailing the introduction of Mad Titan Thanos.

It's important to note, however, that despite Avengers 4 wrapping up principal photography earlier this year, additional filming and reshoots are expected for the film sometime later this year. While it's unlikely that Marvel Studios will drastically change their course in case that Avengers: Infinity War doesn't necessarily get the reception that they're expecting, it's possible that they'll incorporate minor tweaks or perhaps add some things to improve next year's offering.