India, 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 younger voters, especially...