Disneyland’s upcoming Marvel-themed expansion, Avengers Campus, won’t open its doors at Disney’s California Adventure Park until July 18, 2020 but IGN was among a group of press that got an early preview of the secretive new land on March 6, and we’ve got all the intel on the new rides, superheroes, attractions, food, and merchandise you can expect when the Avengers open their headquarters to the world in a few months. Disney also confirmed that Tom Holland will reprise his role as Spider-Man for the upcoming WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure ride.
Much like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Avengers Campus aims to fully immerse you in the world of your favorite heroes, but, as Walt Disney Imagineering’s Portfolio Creative Executive Scot Drake points out, one key difference with the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that “we don’t have to transport you to Arendelle or to a galaxy far, far away. These stories are here and now … they’re in our world.”
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Just like the MCU itself, the story for Avengers Campus starts with Tony Stark (we’ll get to how he’s still around in a minute), who has retrofitted one of his father’s old Stark Industries sites as the base for the Avengers Campus. This is a place where heroes from “across time and space” (a very important observation) can assemble to help train a new generation of heroes, each bringing their own specific expertise and aesthetic to a number of distinct areas – or “addresses” within the Campus.
Right now, there’s not much to see at Avengers Campus except scaffolding, empty buildings, and plenty of rubble, but Disney’s Imagineers are deep into the process of transforming California Adventure’s former A Bug’s Land into a high-tech home for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes ahead of the Campus’ July opening, with areas anchored by Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out the concept art for how Avengers Campus will look on opening day in the gallery above, and read on for our breakdown of everything you can expect from Marvel’s biggest theme park footprint yet.
(If you’re wondering about the name, you should know that Marvel loves its acronyms – C.A.M.P.U.S. stands for Centralized Assembly Mobilized to Prepare, Unite and Safeguard, obviously.)
Avengers Campus Attractions and Rides
WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure
The first new ride at Avengers Campus will be an all-ages Spider-Man attraction (with no height requirement) that will utilize state-of-the-art motion-tracking technology to allow riders to sling webs from their wrists just like Spidey in an interactive environment that includes a 3D component.
The ride takes place at a facility called WEB – the Worldwide Engineering Brigade – where, according to Walt Disney Imagineering’s Executive Creative Director Brent Strong, “young inventors like Peter Parker have been brought together by Tony Stark to help create technologies to allow everyday people like us to have powers just like the Avengers.”
While visiting an open house presentation at WEB, guests will find themselves embarking on a mission with Spider-Man to help subdue some rogue Spider-Bots created by the young scientists before they cause chaos around the Campus.
Here’s how Disney describes the layout of the ride, which was still being built during our tour: “A blend of physical, fully dimensional sets and virtual environments will take recruits on this interactive escapade, which includes animation, moving props and special effects.”
Strong compares the Spider-Man ride to Disney’s Ratatouille attraction in its blending of physical and virtual worlds, combined with Toy Story Midway Mania’s gamified interactivity, but notes that WEB Slingers will take things to another level by removing the interface of a rider needing to use an object like a laser gun to interact with the world around them. “A lot of those other experiences, it’s the device that has the power. We wanted you to feel like you had the power,” he says. “And so early on, our goal was ‘how do we make the interface disappear?’ There’s a ton of work that’s gone into creating that, but the end result is just… magic.”
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout has been operating at Disney’s California Adventure since 2017, when it replaced The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror ride, but when Avengers Campus opens, it will integrate the fan-favorite attraction into the story of the new land in a way that the Imagineers hope will be seamless.
The in-park story for the ride is tied to the habits of The Collector, Taneleer Tivan (Benicio del Toro), and his penchant for gathering mementos – both living creatures and inanimate oddities – from across the galaxy. Now that Avengers Campus is open, The Collector has brought his collection right to their doorstep, and according to story development lead Jillian Pagan, the literal impact of his arrival will be obvious as soon as you arrive: “You will see the disruption that Tivan’s fortress has caused to the Campus. As you go through the different addresses of the Campus, you’ll see that his fortress has kind of melted the old tunnels that you’re going through.” Cracked pavements and warped metal will be the least of your worries, though, when it becomes clear what the Collector is really up to.
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“There will be some tension of, [the Avengers are] still checking him out, they’re still taking a look at what he’s doing, but he essentially came and said, ‘Hey, you’re trying to train the next generation of heroes. What better way to prepare them for the cosmos and what’s out there than my cosmic collection?'” Pagan previews. “Meanwhile, we know The Collector, we know his style. Is he potentially here to capture some heroes, say the Guardians of the Galaxy, say The Avengers, say potentially some of the recruits that are wandering into his fortress? Is he scamming us? That’s always been the underlying story with him, and now we can fully manifest that.”
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While Pagan says there currently aren’t any plans to tweak the previously filmed footage of del Toro or the rest of the Guardians cast inside the ride, she notes, “in the current pre-show, if you listen to Tivan’s speech he says, ‘I’m inviting you in today to see my most recent acquisitions, The Guardians of the Galaxy.’ So it’s clear that he maybe just snatched them from the Campus and is still being a little seedy about it, and that’s why now Rocket’s breaking out and we’re helping him, and it’s all finally clicking into place.”
Avengers E-Ticket Attraction
While the other, previously announced new ride at Avengers Campus won’t be available at launch and is planned for “Phase 2” of the land, what little we know about the reportedly “massive” Avengers E-ticket attraction is certainly intriguing. It will be located at the Avengers Headquarters section of the Campus, which will boast a lifesize replica of the Quinjet on the roof.
In the story of the new Avengers ride, according to Disney, “you will step onboard a Quinjet and fly alongside the Avengers in an epic adventure to Wakanda and beyond. You will team up alongside the Avengers in a battle to save our world against one of the most powerful villains they have ever faced. Imagineers are hard at work conceiving an all-new innovative ride system to put you in the middle of this action.”
Drake offered a brief preview of the Avengers attraction at New York Comic Con in 2019: “For us, an E-ticket is our highest level of thrill and immersion and ride systems all coming together, and we’re delivering on The Avengers, of course. And The Avengers deserves big, epic innovation, storytelling, and putting us right in the middle of the action. We all want to be a part of that team, and in this attraction, we’re going to deliver on that.”
At last year’s D23 Expo, Drake also described the ride system as “something that we’ve never seen before,” declining to compare it to something like Disney World’s Avatar Flight of Passage ride or any other attraction that currently exists.
Avengers Campus Hero Encounters
In addition to the rides, new recruits at Avengers Campus will be able to meet (and possibly train alongside) some of their favorite characters from the MCU, both heroes and villains, at the new Disney California Adventure Park expansion. Dan Fields, Executive Creative Director of Disney Parks Live Entertainment, says that Avengers Campus will differ from other parts of the park because the characters will be “roaming” throughout the day, adding an air of spontaneity to any interactions similar to what fans might’ve encountered at Galaxy’s Edge.
“You’re used to, ‘there’s a show time and I see them on that stage. Or I see them in that parade, or I have a meet and greet with them, for these hours.’ There are those elements that will be the normalized scheduled shows, but the texture of the roaming… I defy you to find a time in the day where you walk through there and don’t see a few characters out and about,” he says. “Also, you’re going to be seeing different characters bump into each other in ways that we’ve never seen before, heroes you haven’t seen together… This is going to be the largest assembly of these heroes anyplace, anytime, anywhere. Avengers Campus is literally going to be teeming with heroes.”
Some of the key character experiences you can expect in Avengers Campus include:
Iron Man
We know what you’re thinking – isn’t Tony Stark dead? As Pagan explains, “at the front of the land [we’ll] have a plaque that outlines the mission of the Campus, and on that we say that heroes have assembled from across time and space here to train you,” which means that, although all of the characters we encounter will have knowledge of the events of the movies, the Tony Stark who’s showboating at Avengers Campus is obviously from a different timeline or universe than the Tony Stark who sacrificed himself in Avengers: Endgame (along with this version of Black Widow and a peppy young Captain America). So this Tony is alive and well and ready to show off his Mark 80 Iron Man armor for photo ops outside Avengers Headquarters. But if you have questions about the multiverse, there’s someone else you should talk to…
Doctor Strange
The Sorcerer Supreme can be found at the Sanctum, an outdoor oasis where Doctor Strange will train recruits in the mystic arts. According to Pagan, “Doctor Strange will know the history of the Sanctum, and part of that history is that there’s this mystical Orb of Cagliostro, and within that is contained this crazy time vortex… and as you interact with Doctor Strange he can explain all that, but it can also provide us – possibly literally – a portal into, if there’s some timey-wimey-ness [happening in the land], well we have this timey-wimey portal over here. Doctor Strange can help you explain the mysteries of the multiverse.”
Spider-Man
Not only will recruits be able to team up with Spider-Man (and his pal Peter Parker) over at WEB, you’ll also be able to see the wall-crawler performing flips and stunts as he swings over the roof of the WEB building, up to 65 feet in the air, before coming down to greet visitors for photos. While the Imagineers were cagey about Spidey’s gravity-defying abilities, fans of The Imagineering Story docuseries on Disney+ might’ve caught a glimpse of an impressive “stuntronic” animatronic robot capable of performing incredible acrobatics in the season finale, and, well, we’ll just let you theorize while you’re watching the video below…
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Black Panther and the Dora Milaje
If you think you’ve got what it takes to defend Wakanda, recruits will also have the chance to train with Black Panther’s elite bodyguards, the Dora Milaje, led by General Okoye, as part of an interactive exercise.
Other characters who will be roaming the land and interacting with guests – and each other – include:
- Black Widow
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Captain Marvel
- Captain America
- Thor and Loki
- The Guardians of the Galaxy
- Taskmaster
And it wouldn’t be the Avengers without a little action thrown into the mix – guests will also catch a glimpse of Black Widow, Captain America, and Black Panther facing off against Taskmaster and other foes at Avengers Headquarters throughout the day, with fight choreography designed by the stunt team who worked on the upcoming Black Widow movie. See a selection of the heroes you’ll be able to meet at Avengers Campus in the gallery below.
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Avengers Campus Food and Restaurants
Disney fans have come to expect immersive dining experiences at the parks, so it’s no surprise that Avengers Campus has a few high-concept food and beverage options, many of which are direct nods to the history of the MCU.
Pym Test Kitchen
The Pym Test Kitchen is the land’s primary dining location, playing on the idea of Ant-Man’s “Pym Particles” to present food that looks as if it’s been shrunk or grown to an unexpected size. The design of the restaurant is based on the quantum tunnel that has been featured in the films, and the ceiling will showcase a conveyor belt that seems to turn a regular-sized pretzel into a massive one.
Pagan explained some of the thinking behind using Ant-Man and The Wasp as the faces of the dining experience: “We brainstormed all sorts of different crazy potential ideas for the restaurant, but the one that stuck … was what if Ant-Man and Wasp were using their technology to create new innovations in food science, and feed more people by literally growing the food? And then that gives the guests an important role, because now you’re coming in and helping them with their foods research.”
Some menu highlights include a supersized “Pym-ini” filled with salami, ham, and provolone, which can be cut into bitesize portions or bought whole, like a pizza, for family-style sharing; a giant, sharable candy bar filled with caramel, nougat, peanuts, chocolate brownie and dark chocolate; and the Impossible Spoonful, featuring mini rigatoni and ditalini pastas with plant-based meatballs and cheese. Fans of The Incredible Hulk will also recognize a new soda option on tap – Pingo Doce, a sweet (and distinctly green) drink that probably won’t make you Hulk out.
Pym Tasting Lab
Over at the Pym Tasting Lab, recruits in need of adult libations will find a variety of cocktails and craft beer options. And if you’ve ever wanted to drink beer like Thor (no, we don’t mean smashing mugs on the floor), the Tasting Lab employs a reverse draft system where the glass will fill from the bottom up, as if by magic – although we’re guessing Doctor Strange probably won’t refill it for you for free.
The cocktails at the Tasting Lab include a mix of flavors and textures, including the Molecular Meltdown, which combines Garage Brewing Marshmallow Milk Stout with vanilla ice cream and topped with crunchy mini marshmallows, and the Particle Fizz, an Endless Summer Hard Seltzer with cherry popping pearls.
The Shawarma Palace Cart
Fans of the Avengers know how much the team loves shawarma, so it’s no surprise that they invited the Shawarma Palace gang to launch a second location at Avengers Campus to pay homage to their memorable post-Battle of New York snack. The food cart will feature a savory wrap with chicken shawarma and garlic sauce, along with a plant-based falafel version.
Terran Treats
Apparently curated by Taneleer Tivan, this snack cart will be located outside Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout and will feature several sweet treats that can be eaten on the go, including the misleadingly colored Sweet Spiral Rations (which look like churros, but might not taste like them), and the Cosmic Cream Orb, a puff pastry filled with raspberry cheesecake mousse.
Check out a gallery of some of the food and drink options at Avengers Campus below:
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Avengers Campus Merchandise and Toys
If you intend to go all-in on your recruitment, you can load up with clothing and toys at a couple of different stores:
WEB Suppliers
Located by the WEB Slingers ride, the WEB store will, unsurprisingly, sell WEB-themed merch and clothing, including STEM-inspired kits that can be used to create your own webs, Web-shooter accessories, and a selection of Funkos and other toys. Guests can also buy smaller, remote-controlled versions of the Spider-Bots featured in the WEB Slingers ride, which can be used to battle against a friend, and upgraded using special add-ons that allow the Spider-Bots to take on the abilities of other heroes like Iron Man, Black Panther, Black Widow, Ant-Man, and The Wasp. Unlike the Droid Depot at Galaxy’s Edge, there won’t be an area to customize the Bots in the store, as the add-ons will come pre-packaged.
Campus Supply Pod
Over at the Campus Supply Pod, recruits can find Avengers Campus gear, including hoodies, t-shirts, drinkware, and accessories. Check out a selection of the merch that will be available at Avengers Campus at opening in the gallery below:
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We’ll have more from Avengers Campus in the coming months, but for now, hit the comments to tell us which part of the new Disney California Adventure Park expansion sounds most exciting to you, and check out our coverage of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, now open at Disney World and Disneyland.
