In case you haven’t heard, Marvel and Dunkin’ are teaming up for an epic Avengers: Doomsday collaboration, so… us being the archivists we are, we started thinking about the very first time the two linked up.

According to our research, that historic first crossover happened in June 2011—specifically for the release of Captain America: The First Avenger (oh, the memories!). The nationwide campaign was built around honoring real-life “Super-Soldiers” and unsung local heroes across American communities.

Baskin-Robbins also got in on the action, complete with a national “Hometown Hero” contest where the grand prize winner took home $5,000 in cash, a brand-new high-definition TV, a Blu-ray player, and a curated stack of movies featuring Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins product placement.

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Dunkin’s 2011 Roster: Star Donuts & The Legendary Tri-Cup

Before cold foam and energy drinks took over the menu, Dunkin’ went all-out with patriotic baked goods and wild packaging engineering to celebrate Steve Rogers’ big-screen debut:

• The First-Ever Star-Shaped Donut: Dunkin’ made brand history by crafting its first star-shaped pastry—the Captain America Donut—packed with jelly, frosted in vanilla icing, and dusted with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
• The Stars & Stripes Donut: A classic ring donut smothered in bold red icing and patriotic sprinkles.
• The First Avenger Tri-Cup: The true holy grail of 2011 fast-food gimmicks. This innovative three-chambered container housed three distinct 8 oz. Coolatta® flavors simultaneously, letting fans sip cherry, blue raspberry, and vanilla bean all in one go.

Baskin-Robbins Joins the Fight: Hydra Sundaes & Shield Cakes

Over on the ice cream side, Baskin-Robbins brought serious flavor artillery to beat the 2011 summer heat:

• Super-Soldier Swirl: The July Flavor of the Month featured rich vanilla ice cream swirled with blue chocolate chips and a tangy cherry ribbon.
• The Hydra Force Sundae: A villainous concoction of Chocolate Mousse Royale ice cream loaded with warm brownies, hot fudge, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and a cherry on top.
• The Super-Soldier Sundae: Super-Soldier Swirl ice cream layered over moist white cake, drizzled with sweet strawberry topping, and finished with star-spangled sprinkles.
• Captain America Ice Cream Cake: A customized shield-shaped sheet cake topped with a collectible Captain America cake topper to take home.

Looking back, it was a prime example of peak 2010s movie marketing—unapologetically fun, heavily branded, and packed with sugar-fueled nostalgia that set the blueprint for every Marvel food collaboration since.

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Featured Photo: Marvel x Dunkin