Avengers: Doomsday's Super Bowl 2026 Absence Ended A Long Marvel Tradition
Judging by Marvel Studios' marketing track record alone, the one surefire trailer for Super Bowl 2026 should have been "Avengers: Doomsday." Every single "Avengers" movie has dropped a high-profile Super Bowl trailer, and even on non-"Avengers" years, the studio's had a major presence at the event. In fact, it's been releasing Super Bowl trailers since 2010.
Yet, in 2026 we got no Super Bowl trailers for either of the two upcoming 2026 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" had no presence, and the only "Avengers: Doomsday"-adjacent thing we saw was Robert Downey Jr.'s custom Super Bowl jersey, as posted on the Doctor Doom actor's Instagram.
In a way, this makes sense. Marvel only recently dropped four "Avengers: Doomsday" trailers and the movie isn't due until December 18, 2026. As such, there's no real need for a Super Bowl trailer drop this year. Still, fans who were expecting Marvel Studios to continue the tradition of big MCU Super Bowl moments may very well have been disappointed by this marketing approach.
Disney's major franchises had an underwhelming presence at the 2026 Super Bowl
Looking at the movie trailers of Super Bowl 2026, a theme emerges: Disney's heaviest franchise hitters had a seriously underwhelming showing. Apart from the studio's "Avengers: Doomsday" presence being reduced to a themed jersey, "Star Wars" didn't have much to offer, either. "The Mandalorian and Grogu" Super Bowl trailer is the worst "Star Wars" spot we've ever seen, and consists of little more than Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu traversing a snowy landscape in a tauntaun-drawn wagon. Oh, and what about a "Toy Story 5" trailer? Nope — instead, Woody made a cameo in a Levis commercial.
Of course, Disney did deliver on one important front. The "Hoppers" Super Bowl trailer teases the funniest Pixar movie yet, and there's hope that the woodland creature feature will provide an important win for the studio after Disney's disastrous "Elio" marketing failed the perfectly good movie. Both "The Mandalorian and Grogu" and "Avengers: Doomsday" have plenty of franchise weight behind them, so who knows? Perhaps Disney was right to give "Hoppers" a chance to shine.