Disney's Avengers Campus Details: Spider-Man Ride, Doctor Strange's Sanctum, Pym Test Kitchen & More

Avengers Campus will officially open at Disney California Adventure (right next to Disneyland) on July 18, 2020. Along with news of the official release date, new details on the park expansion from Marvel have come to light after an early press preview, including details on the following:

Get all the new Disneyland Avengers Campus details and see some new concept art below.

The Los Angeles Times and Polygon were part of an early press preview of Avengers Campus, and they learned about what's in store for crowds from Disney's Imagineers themselves. Unlike otherworldly park expansions like Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Pandora: The World of Avatar, the Avengers Campus will feel like our contemporary world, just with the presence of Marvel's superheroes mixing things up a bit.

Tony Stark is still very much alive in this Marvel world, and it appears he's letting all of the Avengers help everyone get acquainted with superheroes at their headquarters. This will happen in the park's five main areas:

Since the Collector's Fortress and the Guardians of the Galaxy ride have been up and running for awhile, let's focus on the stuff that we still don't know a lot about, starting with your friendly neighborhood webslinger.

Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure will be the first and only ride available at Avengers Campus when it opens, much like how Smuggler's Run was the only ride available at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge for the first six months or so, until Rise of the Resistance was completed.

The conceit has Peter Parker (Tom Holland) figuring out how to let real people experience superpowers through the Worldwide Engineering Brigade (WEB), which is housed in an old Stark Automotives building retrofitted for a group of young engineers. And in this ride, you'll be slinging webs like Spidey himself.

In what is basically a video game turned into a theme park attraction, Web Slingers takes cues from Toy Story Midway Mania, an attraction that has riders using a digital projectile launcher to shoot virtual darts, baseballs, eggs and other projectiles at moving targets throughout the ride. But in Web Slingers, riders will only need to wear 3D glasses and use their arms to sling webs to hit Spider-Bots, little crawling drones that have gone off the rails, all with different colors and abilities, and each worth different number of points.

Brent Strong, an executive creative director with Walt Disney Imagineering, told LA Times they set out to make this a little more than a video game though. He said:

"When you think about Toy Story Midway Mania, it's overtly a game. We're coming in to play a game. Here, while it's absolutely interactive, and has game-like levels to it, you are on a mission with Spider-Man. There is a full narrative arc that accompanies the gameplay of this — the Spider-Bots are getting out of control, they're flooding across the campus, Spider-Man is concocting a plan with your help to defeat them."

The fun with the Spider-Bots doesn't end there either. Fans can buy one of their own in the gift shop:

Much like the droid factory in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge allows you to build your own droid, you'll be able to customize your own Spider-Bot, though there's not much assembly required since the LA Times says they come "battle-ready." As you can see above, they have designs that have clear ties to the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There will even be a mini robot battlefield in the gift shop, where score is kept by way of a light system on the robotic motion controls.

WEB will also be host to a gift shop where fans can get their hands on new Spider-Man merch, like the light-up Spider-Man eyeglasses and webslingers you see above. Marvel adds there will be other Avengers-themed items like exclusive Funko POPs of the Marvel heroes as they appear in Avengers Campus (see the little Spider-Bot with Spidey?).

That's not the only place where fans will be able to get their hands on Avengers goodies either. Polygon adds here will also be another gift shop called Campus Supply Pod where you will be able to get apparel and gear inspired by The Avengers.

Even though most of Avengers campus will feel like today's contemporary world, with sleek buildings, dusty, brick warehouses, and familiar modern aesthetics, things will get a little more surreal and mystical at Doctor Strange's Sanctum.

Here, you'll be able to watch a magic show by Doctor Strange himself in an area with supernatural ruins. He'll also test the audience to see if anyone among them has powers, so it'll have an interactive element too. But the Sanctum really comes alive at night, as illustrated in the new concept art below.

When the sun goes down, the trees will glow, not unlike some of the wildlife in Pandora: The World of Avatar. But some of the glowing elements will take inspiration from the way Doctor Strange's magic and enchantments glow in front of his hands.

Polygon says The Sanctum is said to be "caught in the middle of a time warp," which will be evidenced by certain interactive elements and magical artifacts in an outdoor space. However, media in attendance were not shown how this time warp effect would be implemented just yet.

Since hanging out with superheroes will probably take a lot of energy, you'll probably want to take a break for some food and drinks. That's where Pym's Test Kitchen comes in, which looks more like a lab space than a restaurant. That's because Hope Van Dyne and Hank Pym opened up a lab to experiment with Pym Particles on food. So you'll see a conveyor belt where pretzels appear to grow in front of your eyes.

In Pym's Test Kitchen, the food won't be entirely normal. Though the menu does include items like fried chicken and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, LA Times says they will be presented with "adventurous twists." You might have a sandwich with tiny buns and comically oversized meat, as seen below (via Marvel). Other dishes include Impossible plant-based large and micro meatballs in pasta and a Pym-ini, available by the slice or as a long, multi-portion sandwich.

Of course, Scott Lang is the one in charge of drinks, including another spot in the park where you can get alcoholic beverages. The bar will be centered around a giant beer can that has clearly encountered some Pym Particles, and beer flights will be served in mini-beakers. You'll also be able to get craft beer, such as a blood orange hefeweizen or an amber lager, all poured from a reverse draft system where the glass fills from the bottom up. But you'll probably be more inclined to try one of the more unique Pym Research Staff's Pym Particle-infused cocktail experiments.

It should be noted that Pym's Test Kitchen won't be the only place you can get food and drinks. In a cheeky nod to The Avengers post-credits scene, there will be a cart called The Shawarma Palace on campus, and there will be some Terran Treats over near Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout. You can get more in-depth details about the food from Avengers Campus in a more detailed post coming later today.

From the roof of Pym's Test Kitchen, you'll have a good view of the big stunt show on Avengers Campus.

Throughout the day on Avengers Campus, there will be a live stunt show featuring the upcoming Black Widow villain Taskmaster, known for mimicking the fighting styles of his opponents, especially the signature moves of The Avengers. The roof of Pym's Test Kitchen will be a good vantage point to catch the villain taking on Black Widow, Black Panther, and Captain America.

The stunt show will unfold at Avengers Headquarters, making use of the space that otherwise won't be utilized until that second attraction opens up sometime down the road. But that won't be the only action you can see there.

Fans of all ages will be able to train with the Black Panther's guards, the Dora Milaje, learning how to properly protect themselves just as well as they protect the King of Wakanda. Michael Serna with Disney's live entertainment team told LA Times, "It's not just a pick-a-kids kind of show; it's for anybody to be involved in."

Avengers Headquarters will also be host to a Tony Stark meet and greet and much more. Speaking of which...

Much like Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge has characters like Rey and Chewbacca wandering the park and keeping in line with the story of the land, Avengers Campus will have over a dozen superheroes walking around. Dan Fields, executive creative director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment, stated (via WDWNT):

"This is going to be the largest assembly of these heroes anyplace, anytime, anywhere. We really have a place for them to live and work and play and protect and train."

The roster includes Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ant-Mand, The Wasp, and almost all the Guardians of the Galaxy. You might even spot Loki causing some mischief around campus.

The character interactions kids and adults will have with these characters will be story-driven, but won't necessarily be part of a large narrative like with Galaxy's Edge. For example, Polygon says Star-Lord and Groot will host dance battles on the street, LA Times adds Thor will be looking for someone worthy enough to wield Mjolnir, and Iron Man has a new suit of armor he'll be displaying, and more. And of course, you'll be able to take photos with all of them.

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Those are all the big updates about Avengers Campus. We'll probably hear more in the coming months so stay tuned leading up to the park expansion opening on July 18, 2020.