Thescreescore – The final whistle of Super Bowl LX didn’t just mark a victory for the Seattle Seahawks; it also signaled an unprecedented shift in Marvel Studios’ marketing playbook. For the first time in over a decade, an Avengers film slated for release that year failed to debut a new trailer during the highly coveted Super Bowl broadcast, effectively breaking a tradition that has stood firm since 2012.
This unexpected absence for Avengers: Doomsday marks a significant departure from a strategy that has become almost synonymous with the franchise’s biggest cinematic events. Since the original Avengers film captivated audiences in 2012, every subsequent installment in the saga — from Age of Ultron to Infinity War and Endgame — has leveraged the immense viewership of the Super Bowl to unveil fresh footage and build unparalleled hype. Doomsday, set to conclude the sprawling Multiverse Saga on December 18, 2026, and bringing back an all-star ensemble including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and James Marsden, was widely expected to continue this trend.
While Avengers titles have historically dominated these prime advertising slots, Marvel has consistently utilized the Super Bowl for other tentpole releases in recent years. Last year, *Thunderbolts* commanded attention during Super Bowl LIX, and the year prior, Deadpool & Wolverine made a splash. This consistent presence made Doomsday*’s silence even more conspicuous, prompting industry observers to question the strategic calculus behind the decision.
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Despite the Super Bowl snub, Avengers: Doomsday has hardly been absent from the public eye. The film has already launched several compelling trailers, showcasing fan-favorite characters like Steve Rogers, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Black Panther, indicating a robust marketing campaign already in full swing. Curiously, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is scheduled for a July 31, 2026 release – significantly sooner than Doomsday – has yet to reveal its first official teaser, adding another layer of intrigue to Marvel’s current promotional approach.
Interestingly, Marvel’s primary competitor, DC Studios, also opted out of the Super Bowl spotlight this year. Instead, DC chose a more unconventional route, premiering a trailer for Supergirl during Animal Planet’s popular Puppy Bowl. This mirrors their strategy from the previous year, when Superman also found its promotional home amidst the canine competition. This parallel move suggests a potential industry-wide re-evaluation of the traditional, high-cost Super Bowl advertising model for superhero blockbusters.
The prevailing theory among film analysts is that Marvel’s decision to bypass the Super Bowl for Doomsday stems from an already "atypical marketing campaign" that is well underway and proving effective. With Doomsday positioned as a monumental saga-ender, approximately seven and a half years after the last Avengers installment, the studio might be employing a more staggered, long-tail approach, perhaps reserving its most impactful reveals for dedicated fan events or standalone online drops. The timing of Brand New Day‘s first teaser remains a mystery, but with its theatrical debut just five months away, anticipation for new footage is rapidly building.
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