Here's what to expect from Marvel Studios during this year's Super Bowl. After numerous delays brought about by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally kicked off its Phase 4 in January with WandaVision debuting on Disney+. The show's premiere ushered in a new era for the franchise, taking the property in fresh and exciting directions. There's still a full slate of new movies and TV series to come, with Marvel looking to add to their ever-growing lineup of characters (Eternals, Shang-Chi, etc.) and continuing to develop familiar faces (Thor: Love and Thunder, Loki, etc.).
With Marvel arguably the biggest name in the entertainment industry right now, there's always a lot of interest in what they have coming out. That's why Marvel typically has a sizable presence at major events like San Diego Comic-Con, but because of the pandemic, those types of conventions didn't take place last year. Save for a flurry of announcements taking place at Disney's Investor Day in December, much of the Marvel news in 2020 was about how much longer people had to wait to watch their projects, as opposed to generating hype for what's to come. With the Super Bowl taking place this weekend, the expectation is Marvel will use the platform to promote Phase 4, but it may not be as big in years past.
In the past, Disney typically secured multiple Super Bowl TV spots. On the Marvel front over the last couple of years, there have been commercials for Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow, and a sizzle reel for the Disney+ shows. This year will likely be different, as there probably won't be as much of an emphasis on the film slate. That's because the movie release dates remain uncertain and are subject to change with a majority of U.S. theaters still closed. Recently, there's been talk of Black Widow being delayed again.
This year, a 30-second Super Bowl commercial costs $5.6 million. That is a hefty investment for a short spot, so from a business perspective it'd be far more logical to use that money to market projects that are all but guaranteed to make their currently scheduled release dates. It wouldn't be surprising if the Super Bowl featured new looks at The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (March 19), Loki (May 2021), and maybe even Hawkeye. As streaming shows, those projects' premieres are virtually set in stone, meaning Disney can confidently state when audiences will be able to see them. Conversely, it wouldn't make much sense to spend this much to something that may have to be pushed back again. Disney and Marvel probably won't move forward in earnest on Black Widow marketing until they know for sure when it will hit theaters. After all, Disney spent millions on last year's Black Widow TV spot, which hyped up the movie's original May 2020 release date. They don't want to go through with that again.
Of course, it's always possible Disney uses the Super Bowl to make a big statement and fully commit to Black Widow's planned May 2021 debut, but that is highly unlikely given the circumstances. It's also been reported there's no plans for a surprise announcement of Black Widow going to Disney+ during the Super Bowl, which makes sense. For now, putting Black Widow on Disney+ is a last-ditch effort and isn't immediately in the cards. With so many questions surrounding the movie side of Marvel, it'd be a much safer bet to expect they will use the Super Bowl to instead focus on their various TV shows, which will be coming straight into viewers' living rooms later this year.
