# Is the Visa/Marvel superheroes commercial live or CGI? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700 "2005-03-09T19:02:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/1 "2005-03-09T19:02:11Z")
I think it originally aired during the Superbowl. A woman calls for help. Thor, Wolverine, Spider-man, and some other heroes anwer her call. They are digusted to learn that she only lost her Visa, and of course, since she’s fully protected by their policies, there is no need for any heroics. Underdog show up at the end. Are the superheroes live actors or computer-generated? They sure look like CGI to me, but my wife is positive that they are live. (Not Underdog, smartass. I know he’s a cartoon.) Anyone have the skinny on this? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/2 "2005-03-09T19:17:45Z")
[Here’s the clip](http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2664102). Except for the one shot of Spidey swinging through the air before he lands, they all look very real to me. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/3 "2005-03-09T19:53:03Z")
Underdog is a cartoon! (I don’t care if you cut that joke off! I wanted to make it anyway!) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/4 "2005-03-09T20:21:48Z")
Who are the other superheros in the background? You can’t see them clearly. **Pepper Mill** figures that they just needed more people to make a crowd, so they just dressed up some folks in generic superhero-type spandex, and they aren’t really anybody. Maybe VISA didn’t want to pay Parvel more in royalties than they had to. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/5 "2005-03-09T20:48:13Z")
Thor, Cap, Wolvie, Spidie, and Storm are all easily identified. The only one I can get anything resembling a clear look other than those 5 looks like Iceman (behind Thor). ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/6 "2005-03-09T21:50:25Z")
A mix of CGI, cell animation and live actors. I can’t decide whether that very first shot of Thor is all-CGI effects or an actor or what. Since when is Cap strong enough to smash through pavement from underground? Did Spidey really say, “Read my lips…?” Funny, I thought the guy in white behind Thor was a slimmed-down Rom: Spaceknight. But it’s easy to see that they’re mostly generic heroes. Wolverine really should have been done better. I liked ths voice on Captain America a lot, though. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/7 "2005-03-09T23:23:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Who are the other superheros in the background? I was wondering about that, too. Aside from Cap, Wolvie, Spidey, Thor, and Storm, the only other one I could identify was Silver Surfer. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/8 "2005-03-09T23:26:43Z")
The costumes and makeup are so bad, it _must_ be live. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/9 "2005-03-09T23:40:59Z")
> [@shy guy](#): > > I was wondering about that, too. Aside from Cap, Wolvie, Spidey, Thor, and Storm, the only other one I could identify was Silver Surfer. That’s 3 different IDs for that one person… ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/10 "2005-03-10T00:12:01Z")
Maybe it’s a capeless Moon Knight. No! It’s a grown-up, time travelling, crossovering Proty! …there’s three people that got that reference. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/11 "2005-03-10T00:18:26Z")
I’ve always wanted a Proty… ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/12 "2005-03-10T00:22:15Z")
Really? I always wanted a schmoo. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/13 "2005-03-10T00:24:22Z")
I suppose if you’re snowed in without food, a Schmoo is more useful, but Proty’s just too cool. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/14 "2005-03-10T00:49:00Z")
[Proty is admittedly cool.](http://members.shaw.ca/legion_roll_call/reserve/pets/proty_ii) A sentient asexual polymorphic blob broadcasting its thoughts in your head is a recipe for disaster in my book. How do we know Proty ain’t unspeakably EVIL? MMhm-umm. Gimme a [shmoo!](http://www.vex.net/~guru/tv/shmoo.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/15 "2005-03-10T01:11:19Z")
…and why is Spider-Man doing an impression of Michael J. Fox? Anyway, on the screen where the clips play (from **ArchiveGuy** ’s link) you can see “This Place Sucks” in the lower right window. Kinda funny parody done using clips from “The Superfriends”. Fair warning: it uses sound from _Office Space_, which I have noticed winds up a few people 'round here. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/16 "2005-03-10T04:59:41Z")
> [@](#): > > That’s 3 different IDs for that one person… It’s the Surfer. You can see him hauling away his board in the scene where the heroes walk away. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/17 "2005-03-10T09:25:42Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Since when is Cap strong enough to smash through pavement from underground? No kidding. **Alias** is started to get a wee bit :rolleyes: every time I see that commercial and go off about it. I can’t help that I’m geeky. ☹ And the heroes are actors. From the looks of it they had their mothers make their costumes. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/18 "2005-03-10T12:31:44Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > A mix of CGI, cell animation and live actors. I can’t decide whether that very first shot of Thor is all-CGI effects or an actor or what. All the arrivals are CGI. After that they’re all live actors. Thor may be live, but he’s surrounded in so much effects added lightning that he’s basically digitised all to buggery anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-visa-marvel-superheroes-commercial-live-or-cgi/293700/19 "2005-03-10T12:47:12Z")
I am more persuaded that is the Silver Surfer even though I can’t even imagine WHY he seems to be wearing platform shoes. [This guy](http://www.comics2film.com/FanViews/ExpandRev.php?f_id=321&f_revID=856) thinks the hero to the left of Thor in the “pose” shot is Black Panther, which bookends Storm, the other African hero. Neat.