Everybody knows those lo-fi TV ads created by local businesses in your area – stuff like Wacky Eddie's Discount Furniture, or particularly smarmy used car salesmen. But if you lived in the Marvel Universe, your local TV commercial personality could be none other than the Thunderbolts' Red Guardian, who has a new TV spot advertising his limo service.
Well, technically, it's a new clip of David Harbour as the Red Guardian advertising the upcoming Thunderbolts* Marvel Studios movie, but it's a spot-on riff on those kinds of classic local commercials many of us likely know from our hometowns.
In terms of services offered, Red Guardian Limo Service caters to "business trips, school pick ups, fancy funerals, and regular funerals." And if you're worried whether the aging Red Guardian has the stamina to be your driver for a big fancy funeral, he assures viewers "I can do this all night," in reference to Captain America's famous line.
And yes, if you call the phone number displayed at the end of the commercial, you'll get a message from Red Guardian telling you to namedrop him when you buy your tickets to see Thunderbolts* – "It will be the same price, but they'll be impressed."
In real-world terms, I have to say, I'm particularly delighted by the fun Marvel Studios is having with the endlessly charming cast of Thunderbolts*. It feels like rolling back the clock a decade or so to the absolute height of superhero movie mania, when every film felt like an event.
Does that mean Thunderbolts* is guaranteed to be a great movie? Definitely not, but it doesn't hurt to have a little hype going into a big MCU release.
And coupled with the film's apparent reliance on real-life stunt work and onset practical effects, there's a lot of behind-the-scenes coolness convincing me that Thunderbolts* could have more blockbuster filmmaking to offer than another round of rote MCU green screen thrills.
Thunderbolts* will hit theaters on May 2. For more, see our guides on watching the Marvel movies in order and the Marvel timeline.
