Marvel Studios debuted a baseball-themed promotional spot for Avengers: Doomsday during Game 1 of the 2026 World Series on Fox, pitting the Milwaukee Brewers against the Tampa Bay Rays. The ad places current Major League Baseball players inside a crossover with the Marvel superhero lineup, a marketing move that signals how aggressively the studio is courting live audiences ahead of the film's December 18 release in theaters.
The promo is set at Ebbets Field, the former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, in a version of Earth designated Earth-828. The stadium was torn down on the real-world Earth in 1960, and the setting appears to share a time period with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with New York Giants players visible in the background. Mr. Fantastic, wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers cap, takes the mound to throw a stretchy-armed first pitch while The Thing hypes up the players. Modern MLB players Freddie Freeman, Jacob Misiorowski, Bryce Harper, Randy Arozarena, and Junior Caminero watch from the sidelines before the scene is interrupted when Dr. Doom attacks from the sky. Clips from the film are interspersed throughout the spot.
MLB promoted the exclusive preview on its own social channels, describing it as an assembly of the five players with the Marvel characters and noting the December 18 theatrical date. The collaboration reflects a broader Hollywood habit: live sporting events such as the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, and the World Series remain among the few programming formats that reliably draw a large, tuned-in audience in an era dominated by streaming and on-demand viewing. Placing a trailer or teaser inside that broadcast gives studios a rare moment of shared attention.
The film itself remains heavily guarded. The promo features Chris Evans returning as Steve Rogers, a character referenced in a clip used in the MLB spot. Robert Downey Jr. trades Iron Man's mask for Dr. Doom's and appears to be abducting heroes in the upcoming film, according to the material shown. Much of the plot remains undisclosed, and reporting has suggested that even some actors in the film do not know how the story unfolds. Audience interest, by contrast, appears strong: ticket pre-sales are reportedly outpacing those of this summer's blockbuster Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Marvel has nonetheless advised fans to do their homework before heading to the theater for Doomsday.