Nerd Alert! The Russo Brothers Might Take ‘Avengers’ Reigns from Joss Whedon and Direct ‘Infinity War’

The final two films from Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe still don't hit theaters until this spring (Avengers: Age of Ultron) and summer (Ant-Man). But it's not too early to start thinking about the development of Phase 3—especially given the interesting rumor flying around the web today.

According to Deadline, after Joss Whedon completes Age of Ultron, he'll hand over the Avengers reins to the Russo Brothers—i.e., Joe and Anthony.

At first blush that may seem like surprising news, given the fact the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe would have imploded and turned into a black hole (sucking up all Disney's money) had Joss Whedon not hit the first Avengers flick out of the park. However, when you think about it, handing the reins to somebody else makes all kinds of sense.

First of all, this doesn't mean Marvel is kicking Whedon out. He's a key member of the Marvel brain trust, and in all likelihood he's totally ready to work on something else.

More importantly, the Russo-directed Captain America: Civil War is going to be a pretty huge turning point for the MCU. Why not hand off the next big Marvel superhero jamboree over to the guys who are basically laying the foundation for Phase 3?

At this point, the switch is all just conjecture. But don't be surprised when they make it official.