The NHS has teamed up with Disney's Marvel Studios and actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen to call on superhero fans to "become a real life hero" by signing up to give blood.
Timed to coincide with the cinema release of Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Cumberbatch and Olsen star in a specially commissioned short film that contains clips from the film intercut with the actors discussing the importance of giving blood, saying donors can become "the hero in their own story and someone else's, just by giving blood".
The latest Doctor Strange film features Cumberbatch, playing the titular doctor, travelling between different planes of reality to save the world. In the NHS film, Cumberbatch and Olsen stress how there is no need for special effects and tight-fitting superhero costumes to save lives.
The campaign, which will run until 19 June, will share the film on the social channels of NHS Blood and Transplant, Walt Disney Studios UK and Marvel UK. It will also appear at cinema foyers in a takeover on all digital screens at Vue Cinemas in Westfield Stratford City and Westfield London, and across out-of-home in those shopping centres.
The film was commissioned by Walt Disney Studios UK and NHS Blood and Transplant and produced by Feref. The creative directors were Laura Irvine and Kayleigh Brooks, while the campaign was planned by NHS Blood and Transplant's media agency, Manning Gottlieb OMD.
Zeeshan Asghar, head of commercial partnerships for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "Blood donors choose to make a difference, just like the superheroes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We want to show the public that they already have the power to save lives just by giving blood. We are delighted to have the support of Benedict Cumberbatch and Elisabeth Olsen.
"Our hope is to speak to people who may not have thought about blood donation before, and we believe our collaboration with Marvel Studios will help us reach this ambition."
NHS Blood and Transplant embarked on its biggest donor recruitment drive in October following a lockdown-induced fall in blood supplies. Some 100,000 new donors are needed to register this spring in order to make up for the shortfall.
People can register online and book an appointment by visiting http://www.blood.co.uk/, downloading the GiveBloodNHS app or calling 0300 123 23 23
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