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It’s a bad day for the Marvel merch team. In a pretty surprising turn of events, it looks like two items the studio recently released as theatrical merchandise in AMC theaters have come under fire and are now being recalled for violating Reece’s Law, which requires disclosure of certain kinds of batteries, as well as posing a danger to certain individuals who could come into contact with them. And it’s no small violation that the items were hit with; they’ve been accused of potentially posing a risk of serious injury or death from battery ingestion.
The items in question are the that lights up and the Fantastic Four cups, specifically the Invisible Woman and the Human Torch cups. The exact violation that the items were hit with is no small thing, and reads as follows: “The cups and containers violate the mandatory standard for consumer products with button cell and coin batteries because they contain button cell batteries that can be accessed easily by children, posing an ingestion hazard.” Marvel also failed to disclose the type of batteries included with the items, leading to the mentioned violation of Reece’s Law, which requires clear labeling of items with small batteries. In total, the studio now owes refunds to over 55,000 people.
And while it might seem like a drop in the bucket to a studio the size of Marvel, no business likes to lose money. Despite no actual injuries or deaths being reported, they’ll now have to pay out nationwide thanks to the inclusion of items that can cause not only choking, but also chemical burns, both internal and external. In response to questions about what people should do with their purchased items, or how to dispose of them and get their refund, Golden Link, the company that fabricated the items, said, “Consumers should stop using the Fantastic Four Cups and Captain America Popcorn Helmet Containers immediately and contact Golden Link for a refund of the purchase price of the product. Consumers will be asked to dispose of the product and send a photo showing proof of disposal to [email protected] to receive a refund.”
The Fantastic Four cups were sold nationwide from March until April of 2025, and ran for about $15 each. The Captain America popcorn bucket ran only in select theaters from February to August of last year. The theaters that sold the bucket are AMC Theaters, Cobb Theaters, Drive-in Group, El Capitan EVO Cinemas, Goldenlink, GQT Movies, Harkins, Independent Theatre, Maya Cinemas, Reading, West Wind, Escape, and Zurich Group nationwide, and cost fans an additional $30 on top of their tickets and snacks.