The world of Marvel has expanded beyond the comics into a cinematic universe, broadened its reach into streaming with Disney+, and soon will encompass a variety of Disney Parks. While the official date may still be up in the air given the current pandemic, the anticipated Avengers Campus at Disney's California Adventure is currently scheduled to open July 18, 2020. Among the rides is a Spider-Man attraction called WEB (Web Engineering Brigade) which will feature Tom Holland reprising his role through voice, an Ant-Man-themed eating establishment called "Pym Test Kitchen", and a Doctor Strange-themed portion called "The Sanctum." You'll encounter all your favorite MCU heroes as you explore, but the newly revealed caveat: they won't be connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
CONFIRMATION
In a conversation with ComicBook and shared through TheDisInsider, executive director of Disney Parks Live Entertainment, Dan Fields, revealed where the Avengers Campus heroes exist in the Marvel timeline:
This campus exists in the real world, and therefore, those heroes are here and keep an eye on us, keep us all safe. There’s no apocalyptic snap happening on this campus.
Furthermore, Jillian Pagan, story lead for the Avengers Campus and staff writer for Walt Disney Imagineering, commented:
[W]e live in a version of the multiverse where there are some characters who did not sacrifice themselves for us, they are alive and well and now welcome you to it.
WHAT THIS MEANS
One of the traits of the MCU is its acceptance that the events in its films have consequences to its the underlying television series, tie-in comics, and more. With this confirmation that Avengers Campus will not be tied to the MCU, it admittedly does leave a feeling that the Disney Parks' attraction is somewhat separate from the adventures of our adored heroes. Likely the biggest takeaway is that with this news, Avengers Campus and its heroes were not affected by Thanos' snap in Avengers: Infinity War. Therefore the adventures and interactions we embark on through those attractions may satisfy our original expectations. Then again, perhaps this is the opportunity cost of having Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow back (after their arcs ended in Avengers: Endgame). This is not a deal-breaker by any means, but having Avengers Campus directly tied to the MCU surely would have made the experience even better than it likely will be.
