Back in 2009, the Walt Disney Company purchased MARVEL for a whopping $4 billion dollars. There was a lot of concern expressed at the time, as MARVEL fans feared the worst for future movie productions. However, after the immense success of recent films such as Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers, I think it's safe to say that those worries have since been put to rest.
The two companies have managed to maintain surprisingly distinct identities despite the absorption of MARVEL by Disney. Recently though, there has been a great deal of speculation about how the various MARVEL superheroes will inevitably be incorporated into Disney products and theme parks.
Four years after purchasing the company, Disney is finally initiating some projects that will introduce elements of MARVEL into the existing magic. As a fan of both companies, I'm rather excited by the things they are planning.
The Disneyland park in Anaheim California got the party started this year by opening up a Stark Industries exhibit to accompany the film Iron Man 3. According to Disney.com visitors can "experience the latest Iron Man technology" in both physical and virtual form. But this is only the beginning. The Disney Cruise Line is said to be starting an Avengers Academy for young fans to enjoy their time at sea in an environment themed to that of the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier (video). It is said that Captain America will even appear in character to inspire budding Avengers.
Most recently however, Disney has announced their intention to bring the mighty Thor into Disneyland in correlation with the release of the The Dark World this coming November (Disney Parks Blog). Guests will now be able to meet and greet their favorite hero in person. How cool is that?
With all of these smaller elements of MARVEL gradually creeping into the wonderful world of Disney, I can't help but wonder if we will ever see a full on MARVEL theme park (or at least a MARVEL-themed land within one of the existing parks) in the future. Can you imagine crossing the Bifrost bridge, seeing the Asgardian castle, visiting Stark Tower, bumping into agent Coulson, or coming face to face with the God of Mischief himself? How magical would that be for young superhero fans?
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