Marvel Us Disney

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

Marvel didn’t roll out a red carpet this week. No hype cycle, no countdown, no spectacle. They just quietly released all eight episodes of Wonder Man - and Jim Hill and Dan Graney think that choice says a lot about where Marvel Studios is headed. In this episode, the conversation turns to trust, restraint, and why some of Marvel’s most meaningful moves right now are the ones they are making without fanfare.

NEWS
• Wonder Man drops all eight episodes at once, earning strong early reactions
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to be framed as a major tonal shift
• Daredevil: Born Again lines up a second season with Jessica Jones returning
• Avengers: Doomsday rumors swirl, including unresolved threads from Deadpool & Wolverine
• Marvel’s expanding consumer strategy, including a high-profile Marvel Oreo crossover

FEATURE
• Why Wonder Man is one of Marvel’s most intimate and character-first projects
• Simon Williams, mutants, and Marvel’s renewed comfort with narrative gray areas
• The Department of Damage Control and what it signals about a changing MCU
• Trevor Slattery, performance as survival, and why Ben Kingsley’s return works so well

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

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

SPONSOR
This episode is sponsored by Unlocked Magic. Save on Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando tickets, sometimes up to 12 percent off, from the same trusted team behind the DVC Rental Store and the DVC Resale Market. Learn more at UnlockedMagic.com.

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

Disney rarely tells you exactly what it’s doing anymore, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a plan. This week, Jim Hill and Dan Graney break down why Marvel’s latest marketing push feels chaotic on the surface yet deeply intentional underneath, and how that same philosophy is quietly reshaping Lucasfilm and Disney’s theme parks. From Avengers teases to Star Wars leadership handoffs, this episode is all about Disney learning how to move forward without hitting the reset button.

NEWS
• Why Marvel’s weekly “stories” for Avengers: Doomsday are designed to invite speculation rather than explain anything
• How long-running MCU callbacks from Brave New World and Quantumania may finally be paying off
• The Super Bowl factor and why Marvel may be training audiences to pay attention again
• Rumors pointing to Peggy Carter and the Fantastic Four playing larger roles than expected
• What Marvel’s confidence says about its post-multiverse strategy

FEATURE
• Kathleen Kennedy’s planned leadership transition and what it signals about Lucasfilm’s future
• Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan’s split creative-business model and why Disney favors it
• Galaxy’s Edge loosening its timeline rules to embrace Star Wars nostalgia
• How Marvel comics are being used to quietly “duct tape” Star Wars canon back together

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

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

SPONSOR
This episode is sponsored by Unlocked Magic. Save on Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando tickets, sometimes up to 12 percent off, from the same team behind DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market. Learn more and book your tickets at UnlockedMagic.com.

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

Welcome back to Marvel Us Disney for the first episode of 2026, where Jim Hill and Dan Graney kick off the year by looking at how Marvel is embracing chaos, memory, and unfinished business. From carefully timed leaks and legacy character returns to the stories and creators who never quite got their final chapter, this episode connects Marvel’s current strategy to the people and moments that shaped it. Along the way, the conversation takes some thoughtful detours into Hollywood history, creator recognition, and one very famous Spider-Man movie that almost happened.

NEWS
• Marvel’s early-2026 rollout leans into controlled chaos, with Avengers: Doomsday teasers, overseas trailer ratings, and leaks that feel increasingly intentional
• The return of legacy characters like Steve Rogers, Thor, and the X-Men signals a broader strategy, not just nostalgia
• Why Marvel’s staggered teaser strategy may be quietly helping Avatar: Fire and Ash dominate IMAX screens
• Disney+ quietly drops all episodes of Wonder Man at once, adding it to the growing list of well-liked Marvel TV “orphans”
• A meaningful tribute to Jack Kirby in New York City highlights how recognition sometimes comes from community, not corporations

FEATURE
• The origin of James Cameron’s unmade Spider-Man film, including scripts, tone, and planned villains
• How Cameron’s darker, more adult take on Peter Parker clashed with a legal maze of rights and lawsuits
• Why this unrealized project still explains Spider-Man’s endless adaptability across reboots and eras
• How Marvel’s biggest “what ifs” continue to echo through today’s franchise decisions

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

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

Jim Hill and Dan Graney ring in the holidays with a Marvel conversation that somehow involves hacked PayPal accounts, cardboard Star Wars memories, and one of the strangest trailer rollouts in studio history. As Marvel’s Doomsday marketing quietly unravels through shaky theater footage and strategically ignored leaks, the guys dig into what’s really going on behind the scenes - and why this controlled chaos may actually be the plan. Along the way, they unpack the emotional and narrative risks of bringing Steve Rogers back into the MCU, especially now that he’s apparently a dad.

NEWS
• Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday teaser rollout goes sideways as multiple theater-only trailers leak online
• Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers quietly returns - with a baby - raising major Endgame continuity questions
• Marvel reportedly plans a rotating, four-week Doomsday teaser strategy tied to Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Sony clamps down fast on a leaked Spider-Man: Brand New Day teaser while Marvel lets its leaks breathe

FEATURE
• Why revisiting Steve Rogers’ Endgame ending is both risky and emotionally loaded
• How kids, legacy, and family may define the stakes of Doomsday and Secret Wars
• A wild theory: Is Steve Rogers immune to Doctor Strange’s Spider-Man memory spell?
• When leaks stop being accidents and start becoming the marketing strategy

HOSTS
• Jim Hill - IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com
• Dan Graney - YouTube: The Hubbubbery | Website: thehubbubbery.com

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

SPONSOR
This episode is brought to you by Unlocked Magic, where you can score real discounts on Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando tickets - sometimes up to 12 percent off. Run by the same team behind the DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, Unlocked Magic makes planning your next trip to Central Florida easier and more affordable. Tell them Jim and Dan sent you.

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