MUMBAI, Jan. 10 -- With just days to go before Mumbai votes in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on January 15, an unexpected group of campaigners has descended on the city, not on the streets, but on Instagram. Superheroes and supervillains from the Marvel universe, recreated using artificial intelligence (AI), have entered Mumbai's civic battleground, batting for rival political parties and racking up over a million views online in the process. In a series of viral videos, Thanos is seen contesting on a Congress ticket, Hulk campaigns for the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), while Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man, takes the stage for the BJP. The AI-generated clips have struck a chord with Gen-Zs, who are sharing and remixing them at a frenetic pace. Behind the trend are Malad-based creators Prathu Rathod, 24, and Sumit Shah, 22, who say the idea was conceived purely as a storytelling experiment rather than a political statement. "We wanted to keep it fun," Rathod said. "Our generation doesn't engage deeply with politics, so we thought of telling political stories through characters people already connect with." The duo run a small AI filmmaking studio and met while studying Film, Television and New Media Production at Thakur College. What began as a creative exercise quickly snowballed into a viral campaign parody. One of the most circulated videos shows Thanos dressed in a white kurta-pajama, a muffler bearing the Congress hand symbol draped around his neck, launching into a speech on alleged corruption in the BMC before announcing his candidature. The caption cheekily claims he has been appointed president of the Mumbai Congress. The video, however, drew criticism from within the party. Mumbai Congress chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant termed the portrayal "prejudiced". "Why is only the Congress candidate shown as a villain? Their neutrality is highly objectionable," he said. Elsewhere in the Marvel-inspired campaign trail, Hulk is seen dancing to a Shiv Sena song while urging supporters to rally behind him. Tony Stark, meanwhile, makes a dramatic landing on a BJP stage, greeting cheering crowds with a booming "Namaskar, Mumbai". In a particularly satirical sequence, Stark promises free healthcare at Doctor Strange's hospital, subsidised pilgrimages to Asgard, GTA 5 with a PlayStation 6 for all men, and Dyson Airwrap for all women, as supporters erupt in applause. One of the most shared clips has Thanos declaring, "I finished Tony Stark, and I also shut his account. Ultron Dada has joined us and shown complete support. Now no one can stop me." Another shows him claiming his rally from Powder Gully to Gokuldham Society was obstructed by Stark, before announcing backing from Loki Bhau and Ultron Dada, promising a massive show of strength. The trend has since spawned multiple copycat videos. Shah said several political parties have informally reached out to collaborate, but the creators have declined for now. "We're not creating a political narrative. We're creating content," Rathod said. "We saw an opportunity, and it worked." In another clip, a Shiv Sena-aligned Hulk slams Thanos's candidature, declaring, "We will not tolerate this at all. Shiv Sena will defeat him with a thumping majority," before signing off with "Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra." HT reached out to the BJP and Sena officials for their take on the viral videos but they did not respond....