SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — “12.18.26 is Doomsday,” read the downtown San Diego Gaslamp sign that towered over Comic-Con crowds during this year’s convention. The sign was covered with a green “Avengers: Doomsday” to promote the new movie.
But Marvel Studios’ contractor was issued nearly $200,000 in fines for covering the Gaslamp sign after repeatedly being warned by the city not to.
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Marvel Studios’ contractor, Elevue, which describes itself as a “boutique outdoor media company specializing in street level signage,” was issued the largest fine of this year’s convention at $160,000.
The contractor did not remove the sign and the city started fining them on July 21, the day before San Diego Comic-Con preview night on July 22. The city then fined them each day after that during the convention.
Elevue — Gaslamp Sign at 199 5th Ave — $160,000:
- 7/21/26 – $10,000
- 7/22/26 – $10,000
- 7/23/26 – $20,000
- 7/24/26 – $30,000
- 7/25/26 – $40,000
- 7/26/26 – $50,000
“The City wants Comic-Con to be a fun and safe event for all attendees, and has a responsibility to ensure temporary additions in the public right-of-way are installed safely. The City told this contractor weeks before the event that they were not allowed to install anything on the Gaslamp sign. Likewise, when they had just started the install, City staff informed them once again that it was not allowed and directed them to safely remove it. They continued construction despite several additional reminders. The contractor knowingly created a safety risk and refused to address it, and was cited and fined accordingly,” Richard Berg, City of San Diego public information officer, told FOX 5/KUSI…