It is no secret that Disney and Marvel Studios want everyone and their mother to see Avengers: Doomsday on December 18.
They’ve brought back Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. They’ve brought back Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth. There are heavy rumors Tobey Maguire will return. They brought back members of FOX’s X-Men universe. They’ve loaded the cast to the gills with familiar faces, and shrouded much of the film in mystery. Hell, they even brought The Russo Brothers back to direct the film.
And so far, this seems to be working. The official trailer notched 71 million views. As of August, the film has racked up $35 million in advance sales — 65% ahead of what Spider-Man: Brand New Day did, and that film is one of the highest-grossing films ever.
However, they aren’t quite done. Obviously, there will be another trailer (if not more), an all-encompassing media blitz, promotional and marketing campaigns, fast-food tie-ins, and so much merch, all just in time for Christmas. This worked for Spidey; it should work for Doomsday.
So it makes all the sense that Disney would create a live podcast, something they are all-in on these days, called Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday to hype Doomsday’s release. The concept of the pod is simple—hosts Frank Alvarez (The Basement Yard) and Ms. Marvel herself, Iman Vellani recap, analyze and geek out over all the Avengers movies. The hope (likely) is two-fold: you’ll go back and stream all these films before Doomsday’s release and if you haven’t bought a ticket, this will convince you to do so.
On paper, this reeks of pure, soulless content marketing. However, there’s one Galactus-sized reason this entire concept works — the hosts.
The authenticity of makes Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday bring an authentic warmth to this series that many behind-the-scenes and hype podcasts fail to capture. Oftentimes, these podcasts are overly produced eliminating any heart, or the chemistry between the hosts and the guests feels contractually obligated. Alvarez and Vellani, however, feel like two old friends who decided to get together and talk about something they love.
And that love jumps off the screen from the moment these two start any episode. Vellani is an noted Marvel superfan and seeing her reference her notebook (which undoubtedly is filled with copious notes) throughout these episodes brings an immediate, and undeniable nerdy infectiousness to the series. Alvarez does a great job keeping this reigned in, as there’s no question Vellani could easily do three hours on each film.
This genuine affection the hosts have for these films is a convincing tool to make you want to go back and rewatch them (and the films popping up as a suggested watch after the pod is done doesn’t hurt either). And this isn’t an easy sell especially when discussing the highly-divisive Avengers: Age of Ultron.
So if you’re in need of genuine, unapologetic Marvel hype, you owe it to yourself to listen to or watch Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday.
