Mars and Disney have been running this crossover globally for a bit, and as of October 2026, it has officially taken over U.S. grocery aisles ahead of December's Avengers: Doomsday release [5].

Here is what is actually on the shelves [1, 3, 4, 5]:

If a kid is lobbying hard to check five different endcaps for the Doctor Doom bag, they are getting pulled in by a textbook scarcity play [5]. Seven is the magic number in retail marketing: small enough that collecting the whole set feels doable to a nine-year-old, large enough that you end up with $42 worth of chocolate in the pantry [1, 3, 4, 5].

When a candy wrapper tells you to enter a sweepstakes or grab a custom collector's comic, the currency isn't the $5.99 you already spent at the register [1, 5]. It is an email address, a phone number, and repeat trips down the candy aisle to complete the set [1, 5].

Promotional tie-ins like the M&M's and Marvel partnership are a painless, low-stakes way to pull back the curtain on how marketing works [5]. You do not need to ban the candy or turn a $6 bag of Peanut M&M's into a lecture [4]. Grab the bag they want, open it together, and point out the mechanics while you eat [5].

Ask them why they think Doctor Doom is only at Walmart [5]. (Answer: so families walk into Walmart instead of Target, and buy groceries while they are there.) Have them look at the candy inside the bag and compare it to a normal bag of M&M's. Once a kid sees the "collect all seven" hook as a game the company is playing to sell more chocolate, the urgency to own seven empty plastic wrappers evaporates fast [1, 5]. If you do enter the sweepstakes for the comic or the Disney Cruise, use a parent's secondary email address so nobody's inbox gets flooded with snack promos [5].

If the M&M's wrapper is catching their eye because they are genuinely hyped for Avengers: Doomsday or want to read a funny superhero crossover comic, the promotional pamphlet Mars is putting out isn't the peak of the medium [5]. Give them the real thing instead.

If the comedy of the Yellow M&M dressed up like a supervillain is what appeals to your kid, Ryan North and Erica Henderson's Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comics are the gold standard. Doreen Green defeats heavy-hitting Marvel villains—including Doctor Doom himself, right at the start of the run—using empathy, computer science, and an army of squirrels. It is hilarious, dense with jokes in the margins, and great for ages 8 and up.

When younger kids (ages 4 to 7) spot Marvel characters on a candy bag, they usually know the suits better than the movies. Spidey and His Amazing Friends gives them Peter, Miles, and Gwen in bright, low-stakes episodes where villains like Doc Ock and Green Goblin are more mischievous than terrifying. For older kids ready to move past preschool shows, check our complete Spider-Man guide for the exact order to tackle the animated series and the Spider-Verse films without accidentally jumping into the dark teen entries too early.

An M&M dressed as a superhero is essentially the snack version of a LEGO minifigure [5]. If your kid loves silly mash-ups and collecting a massive roster of characters, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes lets them unlock over a hundred Marvel heroes and villains—Doctor Doom included—in a couch co-op puzzle game you can play together. You get the whole "collect them all" loop through gameplay instead of grocery bills. For more co-op options that work well on family consoles, browse our Nintendo Switch guide for parents or our full list of the best video games for kids.

For tweens (ages 10 to 13) who are actually counting down the days until Avengers: Doomsday in December, Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos's Strange Academy graphic novel series hits the sweet spot [5]. Doctor Strange opens a boarding school in New Orleans for young magic users from across the Marvel universe, and Doctor Doom's legacy looms over parts of the student body. It reads like a faster, funnier superhero boarding-school drama with gorgeous art. You can find more graphic novels in our best books for kids hub, or Build a custom Marvel comic reading list for your kid's age.

Q: How many M&M's x Marvel packs are there to collect?

There are seven limited-edition collectible mash-up packs in the U.S. release, which rolled out in October 2026 [5]. Six are available at standard retailers nationwide, while the seventh—featuring the Yellow M&M dressed as Doctor Doom—is sold exclusively at Walmart [5].

Q: Are the candies inside the Marvel M&M's bags different colors or flavors?

No, the candy inside is standard M&M's Milk Chocolate, Peanut, or Minis [1, 3, 4]. The Marvel mash-up characters are printed on the outside of the collectible bags to promote the sweepstakes, the crossover comic, and the upcoming theatrical release of Avengers: Doomsday [1, 3, 4, 5].

Q: When does Avengers: Doomsday come out in theaters?

Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to release in theaters on December 18, 2026 [5]. Because it is a mainline live-action Avengers movie centered on Doctor Doom, expect standard PG-13 superhero intensity once it drops—best suited for older elementary kids, tweens, and teens rather than preschoolers who just like the M&M's wrapper.

Q: How do you get the M&M's x Marvel crossover comic book?

The custom crossover collector's comic and the nationwide sweepstakes (which includes a Disney Cruise Line getaway prize) are tied to the promotional campaign on the official M&M's Marvel hub [2, 5]. If your kid wants to enter or claim digital rewards, handle the sign-up yourself using an adult's email address [5].

Buy a bag if your family wants M&M's for movie night, laugh at Yellow in the Doctor Doom cape, and leave the other six bags on the shelf [5]. If the wrapper sparks a real itch for superhero stories, skip the candy aisle scavenger hunt and check out our digital guide for elementary school, our digital guide for middle school, or Find great superhero books and graphic novels for your kid.