Published On: 06.23.21 | 

By: Michael Tomberlin

Alabama, Hyundai have huge week in Marvel Cinematic Universe

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In his first appearance as Captain America since the conclusion of the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Solder," Anthony Mackie is helping market the Alabama-built Hyundai Tucson. (Hyundai)

Last week was a big one for Alabama in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The fictional Alabama town of Haven Hills was the setting for a key moment in the MCU’s Disney+ series “Loki” in which the title character played by Tom Hiddleston confronts a female variant of himself. Unfortunately for Haven Hills, a massive hurricane is set to destroy the beach town in the year 2050, in which the time-traveling scene is set.

The outcome for another Alabama tie with the MCU is more optimistic.

A series of commercials featuring MCU characters and the Alabama-built Hyundai Tucson SUV was released last week.

MCU Disney+ characters Loki (Hiddleston), the former Falcon and new Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) make cameos in commercials reminiscent of scenes from their Disney+ series “Loki,” “The Falcon and Winter Soldier” and “WandaVision,” respectively. Later this summer, Hyundai and Marvel Studios will release an additional collaboration inspired by “What If…?,” Marvel Studios’ first animated series coming to Disney+.

In the released spots, each character asks a rhetorical, thought-provoking question, in keeping with Hyundai’s ongoing “Question Everything” advertising campaign promoting the Tucson.

“The Marvel Cinematic Universe has captivated audiences and it’s an incredible opportunity to utilize their characters and storylines with custom creative for the all-new Tucson,” said Angela Zepeda, chief marketing officer for Hyundai Motor America. “This promotional partnership elevates our biggest launch campaign ever, which showcases how we questioned every detail and assumption when developing the 2022 Tucson – resulting in our most innovative and technologically advanced vehicle to date.”

It’s the latest extension of a “creative integration” campaign between Hundai and Disney announced earlier this month in which the 2022 Tucson is being featured in Disney-owned properties like ABC’s “The Bachelorette” and “black-ish” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter” in addition to the Disney+ MCU tie-ins.

“We were dedicated to creating custom content calibrated to the precise needs of Hyundai,” said Mindy Hamilton, senior vice president of partnership marketing at the Walt Disney Co. “We scripted, produced and managed creative for all three spots – a point of differentiation in the marketplace. The result is a sophisticated, compelling creative campaign that we’re incredibly proud of and believe will resonate with Marvel fans.”

The Tucson is produced at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) plant in Montgomery.

“The marketing campaign for the all-new Tucson is already creating a lot of buzz on our production floor and team members are beaming with pride because the Tucson and the soon-to-be-released Santa Cruz sport adventure vehicle will make a big impression on their respective car buying-segments,” Robert Burns, vice president of Human Resources and Administration at HMMA, told Alabama NewsCenter earlier this month.

HMMA started production of the Santa Cruz June 22.

In addition to the Tucson and the Santa Cruz, HMMA produces the Sonata and Elantra sedans and the Santa Fe SUV.