Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man won't be in "Ant-Man," but that doesn't mean Marvel can't have a little fun with the characters marketing its next big film.
Marvel just released three new promo posters for its next superhero movie, "Ant-Man," heavily featuring iconic symbols of Earth's mightiest heroes, and they're pretty brilliant.
Take a look at them below.
Marvel
Marvel
How do you market a movie for a character who plays a big role with the Avengers in the comics, but who hasn't been in an Avengers film?
Use recognizable images and characters from previous successes to draw in fans.
A quick glance at the posters, and you're not even focusing on the miniscule Ant-Man. You're looking at Steve Rogers' shield, Thor's Hammer, and Iron Man's suit.
It's even more brilliant because the posters instantly make you conjure images of Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Tony Stark, the actors who play Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, respectively, without having them in the ads.
The posters continue the film's clever marketing approach which has played off of the character's ability to shrink into an ant-sized human with incredible strength.
In January, Marvel Studios released an "ant-size" teaser trailer before previewing a full-size one.
In April, Redditors found miniature billboards popping up in Australia among other locations promoting the film.
We've seen a few different posters for Ant-Man - the first which garnered a lot of laughs for riffing on the characters' size and a second, more generic poster.
Marvel The first poster for the "Ant-Man" film. Squint real hard and you can make out a tiny Ant-Man.
Marvel Your typical generic movie poster. It's pretty boring.
This one's a close second.
Marvel