Joe and Anthony Russo have teased a “complete new direction” for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with their upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday.

The filmmaker duo made the remarks during a panel discussion at SXSW London alongside Fortnite co-creator Donald Mustard and moderated by Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh.

While refraining from revealing plot details about the film, currently being shot at Pinewood Studios in the UK, the Russo brothers shared their excitement about Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Doctor Doom.

The directors said the villain's costume is their favourite among all five Marvel films they have helmed. “It’s representative of the character in a way that the costume and the character really, really fit,” Anthony Russo said.

Joe Russo said the filmmakers have attempted to strike a balance between staying true to the comic books and bringing something original to the screen.

“Part of our challenge has always been that there’s something that we love from the comics, and there’s something that you know other fans of the comics love; sometimes those things are the same thing, sometimes they’re different things,” he said.

“A lot of times, what our expression in the movie ends up being is what we love most about the comics, but then what is original to our storytelling, what is brand new — because we always look at it as our job to not tell you a story that you’ve heard before, we’re never translating directly from the comics, we’re always adding a new experience that hasn’t been written yet in terms of who these characters can be.”

Referring to the iconic Marvel villain, he added, “But I would say Doom hits that sweet spot between being very specific and unique to the original story that happens within this film but also delivering on what the most awesome things are about Doom in the comics.”

Speaking about the broader direction of the MCU, Anthony Russo said the film would not rely heavily on previous storylines.

“We’re back to phase zero, we’re starting over from scratch. We’re not leaning on anything from the past. It’s a complete new direction,” he said.

“You’re going to see some shifting and changing in the Avengers. Get ready for it,” he added.