Marvel’s lengthy search for the directors of its next two Avengers tentpoles seems to have come full circle, with The Hollywood Reporter stating that Joe and Anthony Russo have entered talks with the studio to direct both films. As previously announced, Marvel’s Phase 6 will end with the films Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027.

We don’t know how Marvel’s parting of ways with Jonathan Majors, who played the titular Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki, will affect Avengers 5. The Kang Dynasty was originally set to be directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, but he left the project late last year and was tapped to direct a live-action Naruto movie for Lionsgate instead.

Instead then, it appears Avengers 5 and 6 will be placed in the hands of the Russo brothers, who directed a number of the MCU’s best entries: Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

Returning to a tried-and-true partnership seems like a good call for Marvel, which has been struggling to keep up momentum (and audience interest) post-Endgame. While the successes of entries like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever indicate there is still an appetite for superhero blockbusters, the lukewarm reception and poor box office performance of titles like The Marvels, Eternals, and Black Widow is more representative of the franchise’s overall trajectory since 2019. The Russo’s’ return to the helm might just be the boost the MCU needs.