When the films were announced by Marvel Studios, they were known as AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART 1 and 2. And by the time audiences reached the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, they were left on a cliffhanger, while also realizing that the movie worked as a complete story — just a story where the villain (Josh Brolin) happened to win.

The story continues, and concludes, when Joe and Anthony Russo’s AVENGERS: ENDGAME opens in theatres on April 26, and as of today, you can buy your tickets to the anticipated blockbuster. To help tease the arrival of ENDGAME, co-director Anthony Russo spoke to AMC about how this movie will evolve the story of Thanos and the Avengers, while also establishing itself as its own movie.

Anthony Russo said that he and his brother, Joe, needed AVENGERS: ENDGAME to work on its own because it could be the first movie an audience member is seeing in the MCU.

“My brother and I were fans of the MCU long before we became part of the MCU as filmmakers,” Anthony said. “But because we got into the MCU after it had begun, we were coming into it as first timers, mid-stream. So, I think we've always been very sensitive to others who come to these stories mid-stream. We always want to make these stories work for fresh audiences who aren't familiar with the previous films … We think it's important that we build these movies and design the storytelling in a way that you can come to it as a fresh viewer.”

With the success of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, it’s unlikely ENDGAME will be viewers’ first Marvel experience. The blockbuster earned a staggering $2 billion in worldwide tickets sold. It’s the highest-grossing MCU movie on the global scale. It had a massive audience, and most of those people will want to check out AVENGERS: ENDGAME to see how Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) triumph over the Titan who beat them.

Anthony Russo explained that AVENGERS: ENDGAME has to continue the story that was started in INFINITY WAR, so as to meet the expectations of the rabid Marvel fan base.

“We're also obviously very focused on carrying this story forward from where it's gone previously,” he said. “We do a bit of both. If you are tuned into the story, you're going to get a whole lot out of that. Because everything that is in the history of these characters and these narratives can possibly inform where we are going with the narrative at any given time. But at the same time, we designed it in a way where these movies can be experienced and understood and appreciated by people without that history.”

What we might run into is AVENGERS: ENDGAME playing for casual audience members who didn’t make it to BLACK PANTHER, DOCTOR STRANGE, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING or the most recent CAPTAIN MARVEL. Some fans only circle back for the AVENGERS stories and skip the solo endeavors.

But it sounds like no matter your level of Marvel fandom, you will find plenty to like in AVENGERS: ENDGAME as it continues the story of INFINITY WAR, but also serves characters who audiences have been following for 11 years.

Find out where the story goes when Joe and Anthony Russo’s AVENGERS: ENDGAME opens in theatres on April 26. Tickets are on sale as we speak, so make sure to get yours at your favorite AMC location while they last.