The Russos Almost Quit As Captain America: Civil War Directors

GreekFire

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Sep 18, 2021
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Captain America: Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo almost quit working on the film. After joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Russo Brothers were brought back to finish the Star-Spangled Avenger's trilogy of films. Doing the crossover-heavy Civil War was a stepping-stone to the duo eventually helming Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but if they had pushed forward with their decision to quit in 2015, the MCU could've looked very different.

In terms of scope, Civil War was almost like an Avengers film. It assembled a massive ensemble, with its core story being about the team-dividing conflict over the Sokovia Accords, and the fight had become personal by the end of the film, after Tony Stark learned that Steve Rogers purposefully hid the truth about Bucky Barnes having killed his parents while still the Winter Soldier. Their disagreement resulted in the Avengers splitting up, leaving Earth at its most vulnerable when Thanos made his move in Infinity War.

The film was both a critical and box office hit, and as the primary creative force alongside writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the Russos are credited with Civil War's success. But, as revealed in The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was a time that they almost quit the project. Apparently, they were unhappy with the many changes that the Marvel Creative Committee wanted, including significantly altering the film's third act:


"We reached a point where we said, out loud in a room, 'We're not interested in continuing as directors of this movie if it is going to be about managing politics and a third act," Joe Russo says in the book. Anthony chimes in, "And I think Kevin was very energized by that. And also, maybe it gave him some leverage in the situation, because we were so clear about our point of view."

It's a testament to how much the Russos value creative freedom when it comes to working on their films, with the brothers willing to abandon a high-profile project over internal issues. Fortunately for them, MCU mastermind Kevin Feige was on their side, and he decided to take matters all the way to then-Disney chairman Alan Horn, who ultimately ruled in their favor. In hindsight, the Russos might've even helped Marvel Studios gain autonomy from the original Marvel Creative Committee, which was eventually abolished. Obviously, things worked out for the best, as the directing duo was also brought in to close the Infinity Saga.

Knowing full well that Feige is committed to preserving their creative freedom, as proven by their experience while working on Captain America: Civil War, it's not outside the realm of possibility to see the directors come back and do another MCU film. Recent report have claimed that work on the Russos' new contract is already underway, only for it to be briefly derailed by Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow lawsuit. But with that now resolved, there's really nothing else hindering the filmmakers from rejoining Marvel Studios - if they want to, that is.