Culture 3 min read By Trevor Kendall
Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic Throws First Pitch at World Series, Previews Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel and Major League Baseball used Game 1 of the World Series to premiere a new sneak peek at Avengers: Doomsday, with Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic taking the ceremonial first pitch. The film opens December 18.
Marvel Studios used Game 1 of the World Series to give fans a fresh look at Avengers: Doomsday, the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens December 18. The Friday broadcast featured a special preview of the film, and Pedro Pascal, who plays Mister Fantastic, took the mound to throw the ceremonial first pitch.
The promotion was a joint effort between Major League Baseball and the MCU. Marvel released newly cut footage in a special commercial aired during the game, a move designed to build momentum for the film as its release date approaches. The tie-in placed the superhero franchise in front of a large national audience during one of the most-watched stretches of the baseball calendar.
Pascal’s appearance kept the spotlight on the film’s ensemble. The actor has been one of the more visible faces of the project, and his turn as the Fantastic Four leader gave the first pitch a direct connection to the movie’s storyline. Coverage of the broadcast noted that the footage and the on-field moment were both meant to show how central his character is to the film.
Pascal has also been speaking publicly about his preparation for another project. In a recent interview, he described learning the cello for Behemoth!, a film that had not yet been greenlit when he began lessons more than a year earlier. He said he first had lunch with director Tony Gilroy in late July 2025 about taking on the lead role, and he joked about the sound of his practice sessions, saying, « If you could hear it, you would think I was killing an animal. » In the same conversation, he discussed the Avengers: Doomsday line his character delivers, a detail that has drawn attention from fans tracking the film’s marketing.
The World Series promotion arrives as Avengers: Doomsday moves into its final stages. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are in post-production, and the film is already packed with award-winning actors and major movie stars. Among the newest names attached is Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller, who will appear in a cameo role. News of her top-secret part was reported as the production closed in on its release window, adding another layer of anticipation for audiences who have followed the film’s casting announcements.
Taken together, the baseball tie-in, the new footage, and the cameo reveal show Marvel pushing the film into mainstream sports and entertainment audiences well ahead of its December debut. The combination of a high-profile broadcast platform and a lead actor on the mound gave the studio a prominent stage to remind viewers that Avengers: Doomsday is nearly here.
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