With Marvel movies such a cultural zeitgeist, Disney has taken the initiative to introduce some of entertainment’s most beloved superheroes and their stories to their parks so that guests of all ages can experience the super-powered thrills of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
From the original Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure to the new plans slated for Disney Shanghai and Disney Hong Kong announced at this year’s D23, the expansion of these beloved Marvel characters gives fans around the world the chance to take part in the thrilling stories of heroes and villains that have become so wildly popular since the studios films began to intertwine nearly twenty years ago in 2008, when Phase One of the MCU started.
At this years’ D24, D’Amaro, the chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, announced that Marvel would be making a major impact at parks worldwide. D’Amaro invited Scott Towbridge of Walt Disney Imagineering to discuss the new and exciting Marvel attractions coming to Disney Parks across the world.
Disney Shanghai is slated to receive its first major Marvel attraction featuring Spiderman, one of the most beloved Marvel characters of all time. This attraction is planned to be a high-octane coaster following Spiderman through a high-speeds, high-stakes adventure.
Disney Hong Kong will also be seeing new additions to their Marvel Pavilion. In addition to the existing Iron Man Experience that opened in 2017, and the Ant Man and The Wasp Attraction that opened in 2019, Hong Kong will be getting a new Marvel attraction based on the multiversal story of Tony Stark’s scientific exploits. As Towbridge explains, “Tony Stark and the Avengers have invited some of the most brilliant scientists from across the Marvel universe to collaborate on some new technology and inventions”. One of these scientists – an intern named Peter Parker – has brought with him the chaos of his alter ego. “Unfortunately, all of this new tech draws the type of attention you never want, from one of Spiderman’s most formidable villains.”
As guests get caught in the middle of the epic battle between Spiderman and his villainous rivals, our beloved superhero is going to have to save the day, and guests, from the dangerous situation that unfolds.
Towbridge also announced a major new attraction for Disney California Adventure where guests will be able to jump between worlds in Stark-Industry vehicles to “assemble the world’s mightiest heroes for a multiworld mission with all the twist, turns, and action of a marvel story.”
The attraction was named for the first time during the D23 conference, where guests and fans watching the coverage were treated to the reveal. This new attraction coming to the Marvel Pavillion at Disney California Adventure will be called Avengers: Infinity Defense
This attraction aims to tell the story of the Marvel campus as a whole; where the campus itself is “looking to recruit and train the next generation of heroes,” Avengers: Infinity Defense will be the next phase of the story of the Avengers Campus, and a new Avengers initiative “to defend our world and many others.”
Unfortunately, activity on the Avengers Campus will not be strictly training. With some of the portal technology having gone missing, King Thanos is “using it to wreak havoc across multiple worlds, [and] it’s gonna be all hands on deck as we assemble the avengers and take on his army.” Towbridge goes on to explain that guests will have to team up with some of Marvel’s most famous heroes to defend iconic locations featured throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City.
Avengers: Infinity Defense will be under construction alongside the fourth attraction announced for the Avengers Campus in California: Stark Flight Lab, with Robert Downey Jr. Reprising his role as Iron Man for this iconic test flight through Stark’s personal testing labs. Towbridge reminded us that everything announced at D23 this year is under active development, and that guests may see construction starting at Disney California Adventure as early as next year.
