Last month, Captain America: The Winter Soldier celebrated its 10th anniversary - a film many cite as the best MCU movie to date.
Not only did it set a new precedent for the much beloved superhero franchise, but it also introduced director duo the Russo Brothers to that world, one which they would then continue to play a crucial role in.
After impressing Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige with the impressive action, storytelling, and general brilliance of the second Captain America movie, the pair were handed the reins to both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (as well as Captain America: Civil War).
Reflecting on the film which started their remarkable MCU journey during a conversation with GamesRadar+ at the Sands: International Film Festival in St Andrews, Scotland, it's very clear that the Russos have fond memories of The Winter Soldier.
What is also evident is that they really can't believe it has been 10 years since the film released, as Anthony laughingly tells us: "It makes me feel really old! It was honestly a thrill. I mean that whole period was so immersive and thrilling for us. We basically entered the MCU on that movie and exited it seven years later with Endgame. That whole ride was like a rollercoaster that more and more people kept joining. We started working with Marvel in 2012 and Endgame released in 2019. I mean, when you think about it only being seven years, that’s a lot to pack in - four movies in seven years."
As Anthony notes, "more and more people" kept coming on-board during their MCU journey. However, despite the increasingly growing sheer size of the cast and crew lists on their Marvel movies, the Russos emphasize that it always felt like family - just one that so happened to be particularly big.
When asking the pair which aspect of their MCU careers particularly stands out as a highlight, the answer was all about family. Anthony explained why: "Family is really important to us. We grew up in a big Italian family and we have always seen our movies and our work as an extension of our family. If you're gonna go spend time away from the ones you love, you want it to be with other people that you love. The thing that stands out to me most is how long our relationships have lasted coming out of those movies - our creative collaborators, our actor friends, everyone that we worked with, we still spend a great deal of time with them, are very close to them, and share a lot of memories with them."
That's very true as when you look at the Russo Brothers' post-MCU projects, Marvel stars frequently feature. For example, they collaborated with Spider-Man himself on 2021's Cherry and Captain America star Chris Evans on Netflix's The Gray Man.
On those films, the Russo Brothers have attempted to continue with something that they also call a "stand-out experience" from their time with the MCU - which is how those movies were in conversation with fans.
As Joe emphasizes, they always aim for their films to be "in dialogue with the audience", adding "that's how we've always approached it and you can see this in different ways through our work".
Elaborating further, Anthony points to Avengers: Endgame as a specific example of where audiences have connected with a film on another level, saying he's never experienced screenings quite like it before. He concludes: "We like active audiences because we grew up as film fans and as pop culture fans in general. We love the way that fandoms can make storytelling their own and the creative process that you can bring to it as a fan. To be able to sit in those movie theaters, for Avengers: Endgame, and to feel the volume and the energy, and just that intensity of audience reaction within a movie theater, I don't think Joe and I had ever experienced that level of intensity before in a theater. And that was special."
Keep your eyes peeled for more from our exclusive interview with the Russo Brothers on our website throughout the week.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is available to stream now on Disney Plus. For more from the world of the MCU, check out our guides to how to watch the Marvel movies in order and all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows.
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