Marvel crossovers with X-Men and Deadpool are sure to come, Russo brothers say – CNET

19-avengers-infinity-war-y4ujck

The Russo brothers directed Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. 

Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios

The Russo brothers don’t know when the X-Men will meet the Avengers, but they’re certain that day will come. 

“We haven’t talked to him [Disney CEO Bob Iger] about when that will happen,” Joe Russo said, speaking Tuesday at the Business Insider Ignition conference in New York. But Russo said he’s “sure” Disney will bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe together with 21st Century Fox’s X-Men and Deadpool, after the two companies combine. 

Earlier this year, Disney won a deal to buy most of 21st Century Fox after a bidding war with Comcast. The companies are trying to build a Hollywood superpower with the resources to take on deep-pocketed rising stars in streaming, like Amazon and Netflix. But the combination, expected next year, also raises the prospect of marrying the hyperpopular franchises of Disney — Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and others — with those of Fox, like X-Men, Deadpool, the Simpsons, Planet of the Apes and more. 

The Russos, Joe and brother Anthony, have directed three Marvel movies, including this year’s blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War — the fourth highest-grossing blockbuster movie ever — and its coming sequel, commonly referred to as Avengers 4.

And no, they didn’t give any other hints about the title of the sequel

Despite Disney’s legacy as a company that ends its stories with a happily ever after, the Russos said they didn’t meet with any resistance as they plotted out Infinity War to include the deaths of a swath of major Marvel characters

“The main cultural driver today … is driving conversation,” Anthony Russo said. “We killed half the characters — these are pop culture talking points but also just good narrative.”

CNET’s Holiday Gift Guide: The place to find the best tech gifts for 2018.

Everything we think we know about the Avengers sequel: Think Avengers: Infinity War was intense? Stay tuned for part two.