Marvel's cinematic universe may have begun with Iron Man, but it was writer/director Joss Whedon's The Avengers that launched the MCU to an unprecedented level of success. He has served as one of the universe's creative architects throughout Phase 2, including writing and directing this summer's The Avengers: Age of Ultron, which is expected to be even more successful than its predecessor.
However, with Whedon not expected to write and direct Marvel's next Avengers team-up - the two-part event The Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1 and 2 - there was speculation as to who would step into those roles. Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Anthony and Joe Russo were recently announced to be directing Infinity War. Now, it seems their Captain America collaborators will be joining them for the next Avengers installments.
Badass Digest is reporting Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who worked on both Captain America: The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier, will re-team with the Russos for The Avengers: Infinity War. Badass Digest first mentioned Markus and McFeely were in talks to write Infinity War when it was announced that the Russos would direct.
The writing duo have plenty of experience working both with the Russos and within the MCU. In addition to the first two Captain America films, they wrote Thor: The Dark World and helped create Agent Carter. Furthermore, prior to Infinity War, Markus and McFeely will reunite with the Russos again on Captain America: Civil War.
Civil War will likely act as a lead in to Infinity War since the film will include other Avengers characters - Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) - as well as introduce new faces like T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and (possibly) the new Spider-Man. Given its Avengers ties, reuniting the creative foursome will help to weave the stories of Civil War and both parts of Infinity War together more seamlessly.
While Marvel has yet to announce Markus and McFeely’s creative role in Infinity War, the pair are the obvious choice for the next Avengers film. They have proven themselves to be integral to the MCU because of how well they work with the Russos, their writing skill (The Winter Soldier is one of the most critically well-received Marvel Studios films), and their love of the source material.
However, outside of the Captain America films, Markus and McFeely’s work is arguably less polished, specifically in Thor: The Dark World. That being said, with Whedon stepping down as one of the MCU architects, Markus, McFeely, and the Russos may be the best team to take the helm.
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The Avengers: Age of Ultron will be in theaters May 1, 2015; Ant-Man on July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War - May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther - July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 - May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.
Source: Badass Digest