Has Marvel Studios Failed to Build Hype for the New MCU Direction With Doomsday?

Every few weeks, someone pops up online claiming that Avengers: Doomsday has “no hype, no excitement, no buzz, no anticipation.’

And every time I see that argument, I wonder if we’re living on the same planet. Because if you think Doomsday lacks hype, you probably haven’t been paying attention… especially when Marvel turned a bunch of chairs into one of the most talked about entertainment events of the year.

A livestream now dubbed “Chair Watch” that had millions of views, endless social media discussion, reaction videos, breakdowns and speculation.

It was ridiculous, It was absurd but most of all… It was incredibly effective.

Then came the “leaked” footage during the holiday season. The clips spread online, discussion exploded, and Marvel eventually leaned into the attention.

Fans dissected every frame, every detail and every possible hint at where the story was headed.

Suggesting that Avengers: Doomsday has no hype is you just being disconnected from reality. Especially when In all likelihood, Doomsday will end up being the biggest live action movie of 2026.

However, just because the movie is going to be huge doesn’t mean Marvel Studios has handled the marketing perfectly.

In fact, I’d argue they have fumbled a massive opportunity.

You see, outside of Chair Watch, a few reveals, some leaked footage, and the bizarre Doomsday coffee promotion, Marvel has been mostly quiet.

Unfortunately for us fans… we are feeling it too.

We all desperately want something.

Whether its a new teaser, behind the scenes featurette, new concept art or even cast interviews… Anything!

Instead, Marvel has spent much of the year acting like this movie doesn’t exist. Heck, it’s almost been acting like the past 6 years of the MCU doesn’t exist.

And when you really think about it, that’s a strange strategy when this movie, Avengers: Doomsday, is arguably the most important film the studio has released since Avengers: Endgame.

Possibly the larger issue isn’t the movie itself but the Marvel brand.

From 2009 until 2019 the MCU felt almost unavoidable. Every project connected to a larger story. Every reveal felt important. Every year built momentum toward something bigger.

Since 2019 though, that feeling faded. And it isn’t because people now hate Marvel. It’s more because the sense of direction hasn’t been as clear as it once was.

That’s why 2026 should have been “The Year of Doomsday.”

With only one true Marvel Studios theatrical release this year, since Spider-Man remains a Sony production, Marvel had a rare opportunity.

Dedicate the entire year to building anticipation and excitement around the MCU again.

Release character posters monthly Drop behind the scenes footage. Create documentary style featurettes.

Show the production scale.

Remind audiences why this event matters.

Make Doomsday feel unavoidable.

Instead, Marvel has mostly relied on the assumption that the Avengers name alone will do the heavy lifting. And to be fair, it probably will. The movie will almost certainly be a massive success.

But success isn’t really the point. The goal shouldn’t be to get people excited for one movie. The goal should be to get people excited about the MCU again.

That’s where Marvel’s current strategy feels shortsighted.

When Infinity War and Endgame arrived, they weren’t simply movies. They were the payoff to a decade of storytelling. Twenty+ films had built toward those moments.

Audiences felt invested because they had been on the journey.

Doomsday doesn’t have that advantage. The Multiverse Saga has been far more fragmented. Characters have appeared sporadically. Storylines have been spread across films, Disney+ series, and projects that often felt disconnected from one another.

Whether that’s fair or not, it’s reality.

Marvel isn’t selling ten years of momentum this time. They’re selling the promise that momentum can return. That requires a different approach. A bigger approach. A louder approach.

The irony is that Marvel may still deliver an incredible film. Doomsday could, and probably will, break records, dominate headlines and become one of the biggest movies ever released.

But if the studio wants the next decade of the MCU to thrive, simply releasing a great movie isn’t enough. They need audiences to believe in the future again. And right now, while Avengers: Doomsday certainly has hype, it doesn’t feel like Marvel is doing everything possible to turn that hype into the kind of cultural excitement that carried the MCU through its golden years.

The movie will probably be huge. The question is whether Marvel is thinking beyond opening weekend and asking a much bigger question, Can Doomsday make people fall in love with the MCU again?