Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
Arts & Entertainment

Everything We Know About The Marvel Land At Disneyland's California Adventure Opening Next Year

Concept art for Avengers Campus at California Adventure. (Courtesy Disney)

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

Disney announced so much more Marvel this weekend at their D23 Expo convention, from movies and shows to theme park attractions at the Disney parks that now dot the globe. Here in Southern California, we're getting a new Marvel land: Avengers Campus, opening next year in the area formerly known as A Bug's Land. Here's a quick rundown of what to expect:

SPIDER-MAN RIDE

Concept art for the new Spider-Man ride at California Adventure. (Courtesy Disney)

Despite negotiations between Disney and Sony falling apart when it comes to working together on future Spider-Man movies, Spidey will be starring in the first ride announced for Avengers Campus. It's housed at the Worldwide Engineering Brigade building -- aka "WEB." (We see what you did there, Disney, and we're cool with it.)

Concept art for the Spider-Man ride line. (Courtesy Disney/Marvel )

The setting is an open house at WEB, with aspiring inventors inviting visitors along for a test drive of a vehicle dubbed the "Web Slinger." You'll get to sling webs, get virtual superpowers, and help Spider-Man collect rogue Spider-Bots.

Concept art for WEB Suppliers at Avengers Campus. (Courtesy Disney/Marvel)
Sponsored message

And what would a new ride be without a gift shop/chance for you to fork over your wallet in exchange for an endless supply of branded merchandise? We didn't get many details, but WEB Suppliers appears to be here for your Spidey merch needs.

FIGHT WITH THE AVENGERS

Concept art for Avengers Headquarters at California Adventure. (Courtesy Disney/Marvel)

The campus is centered around an Avengers Headquarters, which will contain the land's second major ride. Much like with Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge ride Rise of the Resistance, this won't open until Phase 2 of the land's buildout. Once it does, you'll get to board an Avengers Quinjet and join in a giant battle that includes a journey to Black Panther's Wakanda.

Concept art for the upcoming Avengers attraction at California Adventure. (Courtesy Disney/Marvel)

They promise that you'll be facing one of the Avengers' most powerful villains -- we're putting our money on Thanos, but we'll have to wait to find out.

Disney also promises the ride will feature a new ride system that hasn't been used before -- concept art implies that your seat will be used as a sort of battle jet pack/weapons device, turning you into a combo of the Rocketeer and War Machine.

Sponsored message

MEET YOUR HEROES

Concept art of Doctor Strange in a California Sanctum Sanctorum. (Courtesy Disney)

Doctor Strange lives in his Sanctum Sanctorum, but part of the Avengers Campus will be a California Sanctum (we missed that one in the movies). You'll be able to explore this sanctum's ruins, and he'll also be part of a live-action show featuring the "mysteries of the Multiverse," according to Insider.

Characters available for meet-and-greets throughout the land include the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, the Wasp, other superheroes from both Wakanda and Thor's Asgard, and both Iron Man and Black Widow -- I guess the park is featuring ghosts? (OOPS, Endgame spoilers, sorryyyyyy.) The Avengers will also appear in person along the rooftops of Avengers HQ.

A preview of giant food and beverage from the Pym Test Kitchen, as seen at D23 Expo. (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

As far as the food, the big restaurant will be the Pym Test Kitchen, featuring the use of Pym Tech to both grow and shrink food. It's a nice homage to the area's history as A Bug's Land -- we wouldn't be surprised to see some more specific homages to that history here as well.

Concept art for the upcoming Pym Test Kitchen restaurant at California Adventure. (Courtesy Disney/Marvel)
Sponsored message

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

A display at D23 Expo, teasing the way the various Avengers Campuses around the world at different Disney parks will be connected. (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

The global reach of Disney is being translated into their theme parks now, with a storyline that connects our Avengers Campus with one being opened at Disneyland Paris. They promise that the parks will connect with a global story, the Avengers using the locations to recruit the next generation of heroes.

"In some ways, these new campuses are like the Avengers themselves: a group of diverse individuals who have teamed up for the same purpose," Disney creative executive Scot Drake said in a press release. "This collection of unique addresses -- each dedicated to a different discipline -- have been brought together to champion the next generation of heroes."

However, the Disneyland Paris location isn't opening until a later date.

A design for the revamped Disney's Hotel New York in Paris. (Courtesy Disney)

France is even getting its own Marvel hotel experience, with an Art of Marvel theming at Disney's Hotel New York. The hotel will feature Marvel art, as well as including suites themed around Spider-Man and other heroes. No word on if we might get something like that Stateside, but here's hoping, True Believers.

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today