For the first time in over a decade, Marvel didn't have a Super Bowl commercial, but the Fantastic Four were well represented in this years' game, which thankfully included the Patriots getting the stuffing kicked out of them for four quarters (if only it could have gone on longer and they could have lost some more).
Near the end of the first half, the NFL aired a commercial for...itself, I guess? in an ad titled "Champion." (I tried to embed the full commercial, but I guess I didn't have the expressed and written consent of the NFL.) The premise of the ad was "yes, football!" but the real star of the spot was obviously the Thing, presented in 6-inch form. There were a number of toys featured in this ad, like Spider-Man, Skeletor and Optimus Prime, but the Thing is the only one shown to possibly also be alive, as he raises a fist in triumph in between shots.
The figure is a recent one from the Marvel Legends line, with the Thing in his Fantastic Four: First Steps outfit. I wonder if Marvel (and Hasbro and Mattel) paid a hefty licensing fee to get their intellectual properties in an NFL commercial, or if the NFL was the one to shell out the cash to include these pop culture icons in their ad. The fact that we don't see any DC superheroes on this kid's shelves leads me to believe that it might be the former.
The Thing wasn't the only FF member to make an appearance on game day. During Bad Bunny's halftime performance (which I thought was great), we see more than a few celebrity cameos.
Look, it's Jessica Alba, the Invisible Woman!
And there's Pedro Pascal, Mr. Fantastic!
I assume Johnny's invite got lost in the mail.
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