Marvel’s First Family is moving in. Starting Nov. 20, the Fantastic Four will make limited-time appearances at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure, the first time the team has appeared in the land. This comes as Disneyland Resort gears up for Avengers: Doomsday. The film opens exclusively in theaters on Dec. 18.
The Disney Parks Blog announced the encounters along with a new Doctor Doom merchandise line sold only at Disneyland Resort and a wider wave of Doomsday products online and in stores.
Where to Find the Fantastic Four at Avengers Campus
The Thing, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and Human Torch will make select appearances near Avengers Headquarters. They will be joined by H.E.R.B.I.E., the team’s robot assistant. In the story Disney is telling, the family has set up a mobile lab near the headquarters building to study a cosmic anomaly alongside the Avengers.
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Disney calls the run limited, but it has not posted an end date or an appearance schedule. The blog says the team can be “spotted making select appearances,” so guests hoping to see all four heroes together should not expect a fixed meet-and-greet line on day one.
Meet the Team
Disney’s introductions lean on the family angle. Reed Richards, Mister Fantastic, is described as the scientific genius and usual leader of the group, whose cosmically altered DNA lets him stretch and reshape his body at will. Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, is called the brilliant and diplomatic matriarch who can turn invisible and create force fields to protect the people around her.
The cast of Fantastic Four: First Steps – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, can control fire and fly, and the blog says he dreams of one day flying among the stars. Ben Grimm, The Thing, is pitched as the rock of the team, with incredible strength and a loyal streak beneath his stone exterior. H.E.R.B.I.E., short for Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics, is one of Reed’s inventions and, in Disney’s words, “very much part of the Fantastic Four family.”
Doctor Doom Merchandise Exclusive to Disneyland Resort
The park-exclusive collection is built around the film’s villain. It includes a “Doom Has No Rivals” tee and a Doctor Doom rhinestone tee for adults, plus a kids’ tee showing Doctor Doom in his cape. A 3D embroidered Doom hat and a Doom bag round out the set. Disney says more is coming as the release date gets closer.
Dr. Doom in Avengers Doomsday – Marvel
The wider Doomsday lineup sold online and in stores includes a Doctor Doom Funko Pop!, a 6-inch Doctor Doom figure in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends Series, and a LEGO New Avengers Tower with four brick-built floors and six minifigures. Hasbro also has a Doctor Doom PowerSurge Mask, and Mattel has a Doctor Doom feature plush that puts a softer face on the ruler of Latveria.
Apparel and accessories come from Heroes and Villains, whose collection runs from varsity jackets and graphic tees to carry-on suitcases, and from Loungefly, whose new mini backpack features Doctor Doom in his green cape with a silver chain on the outside. The Hot Wheels Superstar Speeders Avengers: Doomsday Loop Challenge Track Set is the one item with a later date. Disney lists it as available starting Nov. 28.
Doomsday is Coming
This is the first time the Fantastic Four have been part of Avengers Campus, and Disney is putting them out about four weeks before Doomsday reaches theaters. The film is Marvel’s next Avengers release, and Doctor Doom is the face of every product in this launch, from the park tees to the LEGO set.
For Disneyland visitors, the practical points are simple. The encounters begin Nov. 20 in Disney California Adventure, they are not on a published schedule, and the Doom apparel is only sold at the resort. The track set is the only product in Disney’s roundup with a later release date.
Putting the family in a mobile lab instead of a permanent home also leaves Disney room to change things once the movie is out, and the company has not said what happens to the team at Avengers Campus after the limited run ends.
Bringing the Fantastic Four into Avengers Campus before the movie lands is a smart way to build excitement, as long as Disney keeps them around long enough for guests to actually find them.
Will you be heading to Avengers Campus to meet the Fantastic Four, or are you waiting until Doomsday is in theaters? Let us know!
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