Marvel Skips the Super Bowl, Star Wars Plays Cute & AI Shakes Hollywood (Ep. 11)

Marvel sits out the Super Bowl for the first time in over a decade, Star Wars leans into nostalgia with a Grogu-powered parody, and an AI-generated Tom Cruise vs. Brad Pitt fight clip sends shockwaves through Hollywood. Jim Hill and Dan Graney unpack what Disney’s marketing restraint really signals for Avengers: Doomsday, how The Mandalorian & Grogu is being positioned for theaters, and why a 15-second AI video may have just changed the rules of the game.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Marvel breaks a 14-year tradition by skipping a Super Bowl spot for Avengers: Doomsday, signaling a long-term narrative strategy rather than a short-term hype spike.
• No Super Bowl presence for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, despite mounting online speculation and leaks.
• Disney pivots to nostalgia with a parody-style ad for The Mandalorian & Grogu, complete with Tauntauns and clear Clydesdale-inspired staging.
• The economics of Super Bowl advertising - including the staggering production and airtime costs behind the Jurassic Park-inspired Infinity commercial.
• Disney’s multi-year theatrical roadmap and how Sony’s Spider-Man releases help build runway toward Avengers: Secret Wars.
• Daredevil: Born Again undergoes a major creative reset after six completed episodes, with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reportedly pushing for tonal recalibration.
• Legal guardrails surrounding Sony’s Spider-Man film rights continue to restrict Kingpin’s potential big-screen appearances.
• A hyper-realistic AI-generated Tom Cruise vs. Brad Pitt fight ignites industry-wide concern from SAG-AFTRA and studio executives.
• What AI disruption could mean for blockbuster filmmaking, union protections, and the future of human performance.

HOSTS

• Jim Hill - IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com
• Dan Graney - YouTube: @TheHubbubbery | Facebook: thehubbubbery

FOLLOW

• Facebook: JimHillMediaNews
• Instagram: JimHillMedia
• TikTok: JimHillMedia

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey
Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency

If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices