The Russo Brothers Used ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST as Inspiration for AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
Of all the movies you might expect to influence Avengers: Doomsday, Sergio Leone’s 1968 spaghetti Western Once Upon a Time in the West probably isn’t anywhere near the top of the list.
Yet that’s one of the films directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo looked to while developing Marvel Studios’ next massive Avengers event.
That makes Doomsday a little more interesting. The Russos recently spoke with the Associated Press about the upcoming Marvel movie and revealed their love of Westerns, specifically pointing to Leone’s classic as an inspiration.
“Joe and I grew up fans of all types of cinema, but Westerns have always been very special to us. Throughout cinema history, the Western has been declared dead for decades, and then you can still make one of the greatest examples of the genre.”
Once Upon a Time in the West is one hell of a great movie to pull inspiration from. It’s one of my all-time favorite Westerns and one of the greatest examples of the genre ever made.
The film stars Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, and Gabriele Ferzetti in a sprawling story involving outlaws, revenge, murder, greed, land, and the arrival of the railroad.
Leone had previously directed the legendary Dollars Trilogy with Clint Eastwood and initially moved away from Westerns before Paramount Pictures convinced him to return. He developed the story with Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci, then wrote the screenplay with Sergio Donati.
The movie wasn’t a financial success when it first arrived, but its reputation grew enormously over the years. Today, it’s widely considered a masterpiece. The performances, cinematography, pacing, Ennio Morricone’s incredible score, and Leone’s ability to build tension make it a phenomenal piece of filmmaking.
So how the hell does any of this connect to Avengers: Doomsday? The connection could come from the structure of Leone’s story. Once Upon a Time in the West follows several characters with conflicting motivations who are drawn toward the same valuable piece of land.
Alliances shift, personal agendas collide, people betray each other, and everything eventually comes together in violent fashion.
With the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and other Marvel characters potentially fighting to protect their respective corners of the multiverse, the Russos could be using Leone’s film as a model for bringing several competing factions together around one central conflict.
There’s also Bronson’s mysterious Harmonica, whose involvement is fueled by personal trauma and revenge. It’ll be interesting to see whether Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom fills a similar dramatic position, with something intensely personal driving his actions while the larger multiversal war unfolds around him.
Of course, comparing Doom to Fonda’s Frank sets an incredibly high bar. Frank is one of cinema’s great villains, made even more effective by casting Fonda completely against type.
The Russos have made unusual comparisons like this before. While making Avengers: Infinity War, they cited movies such as Get Shorty and 2 Days in the Valley as influences.
I’m excited to see Avengers: Doomsday. I enjoy Marvel movies and I’m hoping the Russos deliver something great. But there’s no universe in the multiverse where I expect it to be as good as Once Upon a Time in the West. Leone’s movie is operating on another level.
Still, if the Russos are going to raid the cinematic history books for inspiration, they picked one of the best damn Westerns ever made.
I’m down with that.