ESPN Uses Avengers Infinity Gauntlet To Snap Away Seattle Seahawks Defense

In an admittedly strange (but fun) example of brand synergy, the Disney-owned ESPN just used the [...]

By Russ Burlingame

In an admittedly strange (but fun) example of brand synergy, the Disney-owned ESPN just used the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe to explain to audiences how the Legion of Boom -- the Seattle Seahawks' feared defensive lineup -- has been scattered to the wind.

Using the visual of an Infinity Gauntlet decked out with the New England Patriots logo and with Super Bowl trophies for Infinity Stones, a hand snaps its fingers and, moments later, eight of Seattle's defensive starting players from the Super Bowl XLIX vanish into ashes, leaving only three behind.

Still with the team are K.J. Wright, Earl Thomas, and Bobby Wagner, standing atop a mound of ashes littered with the football helmets of their fallen compatriots.

Starters in Super Bowl XLIX included not just those three but also Michael Bennett, Tony McDaniel, Kevin Williams, Cliff Avril, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, and Kam Chancellor.

You can check out the fun animation below.

That the defense was nicknamed the "Legion of Boom" might have helped give somebody in the graphics department the idea, since the name is an obvious allusion to the Legion of Doom, the longtime DC supervillain team.

While spoilers were fiercely defended in the run-up to the movie and the first few weeks after release, the shocking ending of Infinity War -- which saw Thanos successfully kill half of the Marvel Universe with a snap of his Infinity Gauntlet-gloved fingers -- has become a marketing hook for not just that movie, but also other movies in the Disney catalog, like Ant-Man and the Wasp.

It feels like little speaks to how mainstream comics (or at least comic book characters) have become than seeing the Infinity Gauntlet appear on SportsCenter for a football segment.

Avengers: Infinity War concluded its theatrical run $678.8 million, making it the fourth highest grossing movie ever at the domestic box office behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.6 million), Avatar ($760.5 million), and Marvel's own Black Panther ($700 million).

Avengers: Infinity War is the fourth highest grossing movie of all time worldwide, behind only the other three members of the $2 billion club: Avatar ($2.788 billion), Titanic ($2.18 billion), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.06 billion).

Avengers: Infinity War was the fastest movie to ever reach $1 billion at the worldwide box office and the second-fastest to $500 million domestic, taking one day longer than Avatar. It is the sixth Marvel Studios film to earn at least $1 billion and is the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time.

Avengers: Infinity War had the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time at the domestic box office, earning $257.6 million. The film earned $112.5 million in its second weekend at the domestic box office, the second-highest second weekend of all time behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens' $149 million.

Avengers: Infinity War ranked highly in ComicBook.com's definitive ranking of all 19 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. You can see the complete list here. If you're wondering about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, here are some of the movies that Avengers 4 is likely to set up.

What do you think of the Avengers: Infinity War and Suicide Squad mashup trailer? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Ant-Man and the Wasp is now playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019; Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019; Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019.

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