ASSEMBLE, Recruits! A day at Avengers Campus

I'll be honest - I was never really into the Avengers until they started showing up in more and more Disney IP. I decided I needed to figure out what this whole "MCU" thing was about so that I could keep up with changes in the parks.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I spent several months consuming the films - in TIMELINE order, of course - and was bought in at record speed. I caught up to the story in time to see Infinity War in the theater, and I was wrecked. I have favorites, I stay for ALL end credit scenes, I'm living for this Disney+ Phase 4, and the new Avengers Campus project at Disneyland Resort has been at the top of my "can't wait" list for a few years. Lucky for me, the Campus opened in June as Disneyland booted back up from their pandemic shutdown - I visited in November 2021.

Avengers Campus is located in Disney California Adventure park, and it's pretty massive. I arrived first thing in the morning, and took a few photos outside the Avengers Campus sign while most people bee-lined for the brand new E-ticket attraction, Web Slingers (more on that later).

The Campus has two entrance/exit points and makes kind of stretched out U shape. Going through the "main" entrance near Web Slingers, you next come to a really enchanting garden area that seems themed to Dr. Strange, The Eternals, and the more mystical side of the MCU. In fact, Sersi and Phastos were out to say hello! I hadn't watched Eternals yet at that point, so I waved and moved on. I can say that, despite the negative reviews, it looks like the Campus is planning to host (and grow) the presence of these guys for a long while!

Passing that area, you come into the "city" of the Campus. My absolute favorite nod throughout the whole thing was the Shawarma stands! So funny - and also delicious. There's a pretty open space, with Avengers Headquarters (including the jeep and jet!) on your right, and PYM Test Kitchen on your left.

PYM's is a really unique dining concept - the idea is that the PYM Particles got out of control, and each dish plays with proportion and sizes of the food on the plate. I stopped here for breakfast and ordered the Ever-Expanding Cinna-Pym Toast, which is a GIANT serving of "french toast" (I use that term loosely, it was basically a slice of dense bread), complete with Pym Particles - red and blue sprinkles. It comes with bacon, a beaker of syrup, a small mandarin slice, and the tiniest egg you've ever seen. Overall, the PYM's menu is well rounded and would appeal to most appetites, but I think it's better for a snack and a fun photo than an actual meal.

Next, I continued walking down towards the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout attraction. This is a visual focal point of Avengers Campus, and it's really breathtaking. The ride was re-designed from the former Tower of Terror theme, but it's essentially the same free-falling drop ride. However, it LOOKS so impressive - and of course the soundtrack is great.

I was seriously debating whether to board. Tower of Terror is not my fave, but I do love those Guardians! Right around this time, however, Web Slingers went down and there was a huge influx at Mission Breakout. Web Slingers is a pretty high-tech attraction, and I saw this happen at several points throughout my trip. So I turned back towards Headquarters instead of breaking out with Groot and the gang.

Here's the coolest thing about the Avengers Campus - the Avengers!! And they are EVERYWHERE. By this time, things were picking up in the park (and with one ride down I'm sure Cast Members sent more characters out to distract guests). I saw Ant Man making his way over to meet fans around the Shawarma stand. I *geeked out* when Captain Marvel started pacing the headquarters - and said she liked my ears :) Iron Man also hosted a meet and greet on the ground floor, and it was so fun to talk to him and listen to his sarcastic replies to his guests.

Later, Black Widow came out to patrol before doing a pretty intricate stunt show with Captain America (the Steve Rogers version). And did I tear up when Sam Wilson stopped by in his brand new CAPTAIN AMERICA suit? Yes. Yes, I did. Everyone was cheering, and it was a really touching moment. Because of current social distancing guidelines, most of the Avengers are seen walking around the top level of headquarters, waving and talking with guests from above. A few of them meeting on the ground floor are still elevated on stairs, etc., or stand behind ropes at a safe distance. Selfies are welcome, but I have to say I'm really looking forward to being able to meet these guys up close one day for better interactions and photos.

After a bit, I found myself right in front of Web Slingers just as it opened back up! Of course I ducked into the queue, and ended up being in the first 20 or 30 people to ride before the hoards came back over to the line. Admittedly, I didn't do much research about this attraction and I was not sure what to expect. Man, it. was. AWESOME!! If you're a Disney Parks fan, I would say it's a cross between Toy Story Midway Mania and Star Tours or Smugglers Run. The whole setup is that Peter Parker has accidentally multiplied devious mechanical spiders, and he needs your help to round them up. You grab a pair of 3D glasses, and board a ride vehicle where you bump, jostle, and dip along while "web slinging" these little guys through an interactive round-em-up game. Our vehicle ended up getting in the top 5 scores for the day!

Just outside the ride - well, actually on top of the ride - is The Amazing Spider-Man show. This is an absolute must-do. Even as an adult, I was blown away by how Disney accomplished such a life-like Spider-Man swinging and jumping 65 feet above the building. (Yep, it's an animatronic!) If there's one photo or video that will make your friends back home jealous, this is it. The stunt really is amazing, and you can swing by most days between 10 am and 4 pm to see one of the scheduled performance times.

The appeal of Avengers Campus was being made to really feel like you were hanging out with the Avengers. I spent at least 3 hours in this area, and most of that was just watching wide-eyed for who would show up next. Every time I tried to leave, something new happened that I knew I couldn't miss! And even still I missed shows that happen later in the day, like the Dora Milaje Warriors of Wakanda along with appearances by Dr. Strange and other heroes. Guess I'll need to head back soon!

If you have Marvel fans in your life, it's time to get to California - Travelers, Assemble!