For the actors of the MCU, the difference between writer-director Joss Whedon and Avengers: Infinity War directors The Russo Brothers comes down to delegation. When Joss Whedon was pulled up from the indies to tackle The Avengers, many had their doubts. But his film not only maintained his signature heart and humor amidst the spectacle, but it gave Marvel Studios their first billion dollar film. The strategy continued when it came to comedy television directors the Russo Brothers, and the success of both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War speaks to their skills.

With the Russos now tackling the third and fourth Avengers after Whedon handled the previous two, it will be up to both fans and critics to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the directors when it comes to blockbuster filmmaking. But given the Russos have a far more daunting task than Whedon as they need to unite dozens of characters while making sure that Avengers 3 ties together the MCU, they’ve naturally had to take a different approach.

During Screen Rant’s set visit to Avengers: Infinity War in June 2017, our own Rob Keyes heard from Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) and Paul Bettany (Vision) about just what separates Whedon from the Russos. And while both actors admitted that neither Whedon or the Russos is better than the other, that doesn’t mean there aren’t stark differences in their style.

They went on to joke about turning the brothers against one another, but the discussion of delegation reveals an interesting distinction between the Russos and Whedon. Though he performed admirably on The Avengers, many felt Avengers: Age of Ultron was a far less cohesive affair. With Whedon wearing so many hats, it could be he was simply stretched too thin. The Russos, meanwhile, always have each other to lean on and seem confident to allow others to tackle work for them. They also collaborate heavily with the actors and, of course, have another duo they’ve continued to work with in Avengers: Infinity War writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Elizabeth Olsen: The biggest difference is that Joss wrote everything. When he writes them, he plays every single character in, like, a cabin and he does the fighting sequences as much as he can and then he writes it. I think the main difference is that the Russos delegate and they trust everything that they’ve delegated things to. Not saying Joss didn’t, but that’s a lot of pressure to be a director and then go home to also do rewrites for the next week. So I think it’s just as it gets bigger, things become more specific to different departments and I think it allows maybe even a freedom within the dialogue sometimes, because there’s a space some of us have the ability to step out and not be on the page. Not saying that one’s better than the other because Joss knows these characters better than maybe each one of the individuals do because he lives it and breathes it, and the Russos at the beginning of filming are like, “You’re in control of your character. If there are things you think we missed, please participate, please say.”

Paul Bettany: They really want you to be a collaborator and it’s great. There’s a huge upside for that. For them [the Russos], when you’re dealing with so many characters and actors to have two of them, and it’s brilliant because you can play one off against the other.

Though we’ve seen the Russos work in the past two Captain America films, the latter of which operated as an Avengers movie in all but name, next month’s massive team-up will be a true test for the pair. Luckily, all signs point towards another smash hit for the director team and Marvel. Fellow MCU writer/director James Gunn has praised Avengers 3 and the footage and teases so far paint a flattering picture. And with only a month until it hits theaters, fans won’t have to wait long to judge Avengers: Infinity War for themselves.

MORE: Avengers 4 Writers Had Fun With Captain Marvel’s Unprecedented Power Level

 

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