For two of the biggest movies coming in 2026, the marketing has felt strangely quiet.
On one side, we have “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” and on the other hand, “Avengers: Doomsday.” These are not small studio projects. These are billion-dollar franchises with viable mainstream appeal. Yet, the way they are being promoted feels very different from previous projects and in some ways very odd.
Let’s start with Spider-Man. Even though Spider-Man appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), movie rights are still owned by Sony Pictures. This means that “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is technically a Sony movie, even if it connects to Marvel’s bigger world. The movie is set to be released in July 2026, yet we still have not gotten a single real sneak peek. No trailer. No short teaser. No official look at the story, just radio silence on Marvel’s end. The only real marketing over the last few months has been fan hype from the last movie, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Even with the lack of a trailer, the hype is still expected. “Spider-Man; No Way Home” made over $1 billion worldwide without even releasing in China, a huge market for American cinema. It proved how powerful the Spider-Man brand is and brought people back to theaters during COVID-19. Fans clearly care, so why does it feel like there is no push for the next movie?
Right now, the biggest news about “Spider-Man; Brand New Day” is the casting. We know that Punisher will appear, which has fans who loved the old Netflix Marvel shows excited. Mark Ruffalo is returning as Bruce Banner, and Sadie Sink has also joined the cast in an unknown role.
Spider-Man is also expected to skip IMAX screens this time, leaving room for “The Odyssey” instead. This is unusual for a major superhero movie, especially one connected to Marvel. IMAX usually helps boost ticket sales and missing that format could affect it’s returns.
For a film that could easily be the highest-grossing movie of 2026, the marketing is almost silent.
Now compare that to “Avengers: Doomsday.” There is no official budget yet, but Marvel movies usually cost around $200 million to make. This one will likely cost even more. The studio clearly expects it to be huge. And unlike with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Marvel has already started building hype.
The first big moment happened at Comic-Con, where it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would return to Marvel – not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom. The news shocked people, even though many already guessed Downey would return in some form.
Then came four short character teasers. One confirmed that Chris Evans is coming back as Steve Rogers. Some fans were mixed about this because it could affect the ending of “Avengers: Endgame.” But in comic books, heroes’ stories are rarely ever truly over. If we can have two “Batman” movie series at the same time, we can handle seeing Steve Rogers again.
Another teaser revealed Chris Hemsworth returning as Thor. His trailer stood out because of its warm colors, something Marvel movies have been criticized for their lack of in the past. It showed a more emotional Thor praying for strength – not for himself, but for his daughter.
The third teaser focused on the X-Men. We saw Charles Xavier and Magneto in comic-accurate outfits, played by their original actors. Then we saw James Marsden as Cyclops.
The final teaser showed a crossover between the Fantastic Four and the MCU heroes.
But even with four teasers, we still have not seen anything from the actual story. There has not been a single full scene. Most importantly, we still have not seen clips of Downey in costume as Doctor Doom.
Just like “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Avengers: Doomsday” is also skipping IMAX screens. Instead, those screens are reportedly going to “Dune: Part Three.” This means two of Marvel’s biggest movies are losing one of the most profitable formats to other films.
So here we are. One massive movie is almost completely silent, and the other is giving us small bites of hype but still hiding the main course.
For two films that could define 2026 at the box office, the question is simple: can they deliver?
