Is Marvel Playing Us All With Fake Leaks?

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 23 seconds ago

It’s a pretty exciting time to be a Marvel fan. We’re getting some solid superhero television (like Daredevil: Born Again), and a new Spider-Man movie is around the corner. In December, Avengers: Doomsday will reunite Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. on the big screen in what is certain to be the biggest movie of the year. To make sure that their ambitious crossover classic has maximum impact with fans, Marvel has been doing its best to keep details about Doomsday and its plot under wraps. Unfortunately, trailers and footage for upcoming movies just keep leaking online.

Recently, a major trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day leaked online well before it was supposed to be officially released. Less than a week later, footage from Avengers: Doomsday found its way online. This is similar to an incident last December in which trailers for Doomsday kept leaking online before their theatrical debut. Leaks are a problem that has only been getting worse, leading many fans to ask why Marvel’s security has gotten so sloppy. However, I think the answer is simpler. Marvel is intentionally “leaking” footage as a way to build hype and defeat the greatest villain of them all: superhero fatigue.

Brand New Day, Same Old Leaks

The last week alone has been pretty terrible for Marvel when it comes to leaks. First, a major Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer got leaked that gave us early glimpses of major developments, including Gray Hulk and the fact that Sadie Sink is seemingly mind-controlling him, which may finally confirm that she’s playing Jean Grey. More recently, footage from Avengers: Doomsday leaked that shows Doctor Doom sending Sentinels to fight heroes from the Avengers, Thunderbolts, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. While this footage is soundless and wildly pixilated, it still seems to be giving away major details about one of the movie’s biggest fights.

Marvel has been having problems with leakers for a long time. In fact, a few years ago, they were taking legal action, trying to figure out which insiders were leaking summaries of then-upcoming films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Now, things have escalated to the point that we’re getting actual trailers and footage well before the studio wants us to see it. Why is this happening? It could just be that Marvel’s security has gotten really sloppy within a year of their two most-hyped films (Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday) releasing. However, it’s far likelier that these “leaks” are coming directly from Marvel.

Marvel’s Playing 4D Chess

Why the heck would Marvel start leaking its own footage after spending years trying to stop other leakers? The most obvious reason is, of course, free publicity. Marketing something like Avengers: Doomsday or Spider-Man: Brand New Day can be insanely expensive and ultimately cut into a movie’s bottom line. By leaking their own footage, Marvel doesn’t have to spend a dime; they just have to kick back and watch the rest of us effectively promote these upcoming films by sharing the leaks with our real-life friends, posting them online for our followers, and generally speculating to anyone who will listen about what the movie will be about.

The other big reason that Marvel would leak its own footage is to take control of the narrative. In recent years, there has been a glut of fake superhero trailers and footage created by AI. The creators share this footage online, hoping to gain clout by making you think it’s real; meanwhile, Marvel has to spend plenty of time and money setting the record straight about these fakes. By releasing their own footage, they can get everyone to pay attention to the real deal while generating viral hype with cool scenes (like, say, Doctor Doom siccing a bunch of Sentinels on fan-favorite characters like Thor and Captain America).

Fake Leaks Are A Win/Win For Marvel

Marvel releasing its own footage via staged “leaks” also allows them to gauge audience reactions and, if needed, edit the film. For example, the Avengers: Doomsday footage leaked more than half a year before the movie comes out. If audiences really hate what they see, there’s time for the studio to make changes to the film through creative edits and, in the worst case, reshoots. Conversely, if audiences love what they see, Marvel knows exactly what to emphasize when marketing their most expensive blockbuster.

Obviously, there’s no way to prove this particular theory. Maybe footage keeps leaking because Marvel is filled with disgruntled employees, or maybe just employees who want to leave their own weird mark on the world. No matter what the cause, though, it seems like Marvel’s leak problem is just getting worse by the year. Will this make superhero fatigue worse and sink Avengers: Doomsdayor will it generate enough hype that Marvel laughs all the way to the bank? Without the Eye of Agomatto to help us out, we won’t know until Doomsday blasts into theaters on December 18.