Joe and Anthony Russo congratulated the creators of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" on setting a new North American box office record. The superhero film earned $360 million in its opening weekend, surpassing the $357.1 million debut of "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019.
The directors of "Endgame" published an illustration by artist BossLogic dedicated to the achievement. In it, Spider-Man is wrapped in an American flag, holding a chess king piece, and the Infinity Stones shine on his fingers:
"Huge congratulations to Destin, Tom, Zendaya, Jacob, Jon, Mark, Sadie, Florence, Michael, Marisa, producers Kevin, Amy, Avi and Rachel, and the entire cast and crew of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' on a record-breaking North American opening. The gauntlet has been passed."
The Russos' phrase about the gauntlet being passed seems like a symbolic reference to "Avengers: Endgame" and at the same time a challenge to the directors themselves. Now the Russos will have to prove that a crossover of the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four can handle the friendly neighborhood hero, as the premiere of "Avengers: Doctor Doom" is set for December 18, 2026.