Marvel Studios Fined $160,000 For Comic-Con Advertising

Marvel Studios may have stolen the show at San Diego Comic-Con, but now they are paying the price.

This afternoon, San Diego announced that it was fining Marvel $160,000 for installing an Avengers: Doomsday advertisement over the Gaslamp Quarter arch.

Photo: San Diego Union Tribune

The signage covered much of the landmark with a large Avengers logo, alongside a note that read, “12.18.26 is Doomsday.”

Finally, large black columns were erected to help support the signage.

Here is what the arch normally looks like.

Photo: Stay Pineapple Blog

The publicity stunt was the brainchild of the studio and Elevue Outdoor, a Los Angeles-based advertising company.

The City’s Warning and Fine

According to a report from the New York Post, city officials warned Marvel, but the studio proceeded with the advertisement anyway.

Photo: Getty Images for Disney

With officials warning that the Doomsday advertisement could create a safety hazard and interfere with the Comic-Con crowds, the city fined the advertiser $10,000 on the Tuesday before Comic-Con began.

“The contractor knowingly created a safety risk and refused to address it,” San Diego spokesperson Richard Berg told the San Diego Union-Tribune and that it “and was cited and fined accordingly.”

Photo: Comic-Con

The fine increased another $10,000 on Wednesday, $20,000 on Thursday, $30,000 on Friday, $40,000 on Saturday, and $50,000 on Sunday, for a total of $160,000.

“The city wants Comic-Con to be a fun and safe event for all attendees,” Berg said, “and has a responsibility to ensure temporary additions in the public right-of-way are installed safely.”