Doctor Doom has marched down a Tokyo boulevard, appeared in 2,000 drones over Seoul’s Han River and sat on a throne in an Osaka cinema lobby. With Avengers Doomsday weeks from release, Marvel and its partners are staging events and tie-ins from Japan to India, the UK and the US. Almost every one of them puts the villain at the front.
The Parade Through Tokyo
On November 1, a parade ran about 1.4 km along Chuo-dori, from Kyobashi to Nihonbashi, as part of the local Nihonbashi Kyobashi Festival. About 280 people took part, including professional cosplayers and a high school marching band. The band played the Avengers theme and the Marvel Studios fanfare.
The centrepiece was a Doctor Doom float about 4 metres long, 4.5 metres high and roughly 1.5 tons. It recreates Doom on his throne from the trailer. About 60 cloaked “Doom Corps” members marched behind it carrying Avengers flags, and cosplayers dressed as Iron Man, Thor and Cyclops worked the crowd. At the kickoff ceremony, Marvel introduced Nobu of the comedy duo Chidori as the film’s new Avengers ambassador.
Doom Takes a Seat Across Japan
The parade came days after a Doom statue went on display in the lobby of 109 Cinemas Osaka Expo City. The cinema asked visitors not to touch it, joking that doing so could anger Doom, and invited them to take photos instead.
Photos shared on November 1 showed a much larger outdoor statue of Doom on a throne, with the Marvel Studios logo at its base. Coverage of that installation does not name its exact location. The film opens in Japan on December 18, the same day as the US.
2,000 Drones Over the Han River
Seoul closed its Han River drone show season on Halloween night with a Marvel show at Ttukseom Hangang Park. The show used 2,000 drones, the most in the series, and ran for 15 minutes. One formation showed Thor’s hammer passing to Steve Rogers. Another showed Thanos becoming Iron Man and then Doctor Doom, tracing Robert Downey Jr.’s path through the franchise.
Marvel Studios posted the clip with the line “He used to be different.” Disney Korea paired the show with Marvel Run Korea in Gangwon and a photo zone modelled on Doom’s throne. The film opens in Korea on December 16.
A Diwali Greeting and an Early Release in India
Marvel India marked Diwali with a 40-second video in which Downey opens with “Namaste India” and Chris Evans says the festival marks the end of one chapter and the start of another. The video also confirmed that India gets the film a day early, on December 17, in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
Kinder Schoko Bons Crispy launched its first licensed campaign in India with Marvel, under the theme “Pop a Bon Together.” It has 3 limited packs inspired by the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four teams, all featuring Doom, and a QR code contest with weekly prizes. “We are delighted to introduce Kinder Schoko-Bons Crispy’s first-ever licensed campaign in India with Marvel,” said Zoher Kapuswala, marketing head of Ferrero India.
Burger King India teased a “Doomsday Whopper” in a short clip that parodies the film’s cast reveal. A staff member sets out director’s chairs, each printed with a menu item, including a “Magneto Crunchy Chicken Burger.”
Doom’s Coffee Shop in London
In June, at SXSW London, the Russo brothers promised fans a surprise. It was a pop-up called Dom Latveria Coffee. Menu items were named after Doom’s comic book history, from Fortunov to Cynthia’s Blend and Hassenstadt, and one menu carried the line “Richards is Wrong.” The Russos met fans and signed coffee bags.
In UK supermarkets, Walkers runs an “Assemble Your Snacks” on pack promotion across Wotsits, Monster Munch, Quavers and Squares, with £250 cash prizes and instant wins.
The American Menu
Smirnoff’s “Assemble Your Night” brings back the brand’s 2014 house party idea, which the Russo brothers directed, with actor Karan Soni. It offers themed cocktails, 1,800 movie ticket prizes through Fandango and a planned “Super House Party.” “Doomsday is coming, so we might as well throw a party first,” said Holly Frank, VP of global marketing partnerships and promotions at Disney.
Dunkin’ launches a Doomsday menu on November 4 with a Doomsday Donut, a Doom Cloud Latte and a Doctor Doom Munchkins tin. Jack in the Box follows on November 5 with a Doomsday Dipping Box that comes with a mystery magnet. M&M’s dressed its characters as Marvel heroes, with a Walmart exclusive pack showing Yellow as Doom. Oreo’s Stuf of Doom has a creme that turns the tongue green. Pop Secret is offering Fandango discounts, and happy, the coffee brand Downey founded with Craig Dubitsky, has 8 collector cans.
Earlier Stops on the Road to Doomsday
The push started long before November. At San Diego Comic-Con in July, Marvel decorated the Gaslamp Quarter archway, a stunt that drew a $160,000 city fine, and handed fans Doom masks and capes. The full trailer drew 503 million views in 24 hours. Lego recreated it brick by brick. Avengers Endgame Encore returned to cinemas on September 25 with 2 minutes of new footage.
Across countries, formats and partners, every activation sells the same face. Marvel has made the villain the star of its own launch.
Campaign Name: Not mentioned (multiple global activations for Avengers Doomsday)
Agency Name: Not mentioned (Marvel Studios, Disney regional teams and brand partners)
Brand Name: Marvel Studios / Disney
Location: Japan, South Korea, India, UK, US
