It probably won’t surprise you that with over $40 billion in revenue, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the eighth highest grossing media franchise of all time. Across more than two dozen films, the ever-expanding (though potentially slowing) pop culture juggernaut of Marvel super heroes is defined by its interconnectedness… and specifically, the landmark, anchor, nexus event crossover films of the Avengers, which have netted nearly $8 billion alone... with two more entries (The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars) due for release in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

That makes it seem strange that when Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus opened in 2021, it was without an equally ambitious, epic, culminating, crossover ride themed to the larger Avengers and their franchise-defining fights against apocalyptic threats, instead containing just a Guardians of the Galaxy thrill ride and a Spider-Man family ride. Of course, two distinctly unique Avengers E-Tickets have been announced for this land, though only one of them is still in production. Which would you like to ride? Review the choices and vote on the next page!

Version 1: The Quinjet Thrill Ride

When the land that would become Avengers Campus was announced at the 2019 D23 Expo, then-Parks Chairman Bob Chapek showed off two versions of the land’s concept art – a “before” and “after,” with the latter adding a massive white showbuilding emblazoned with the Avengers A, meant to house a Quinjet thrill ride that – like the Avengers films – would serve as a mega crossover event and the land’s blockbuster headlining attraction.

It seemed odd to acknowledge right from the start that your new land based on one of the hottest franchises in history would open without a “main” ride… something like telling people that Galaxy’s Edge would eventually have Rise of the Resistance, but would have to spend its first few years with just Smugglers Run. In retrospect, the announcement of a ride with no concrete timeline or commitment became even stupider once COVID-19 struck, meaning no dirt ever actually moved on the ride. But here’s what we hear about it…

PROS 

• A thrilling, headlining ride system. While the specifics about the Avengers Campus ride haven’t been leaked, there are really two plausible rumors about what the ride would’ve actually been like…
  • The most elaborate rumblings say that the Quinjet ride was meant to strap guests into the Quinjet’s Cockpit (a la Smugglers Run) but that part way into the ride, the ship’s shell would fall away as guests “eject,” with each seat actually attached to its own KUKA Robo-Arm creating a jet-pack dark ride.
  • But even the most conservative rumors say that the Quinjet ride would’ve been a floorless version of Flight of Passage from Disney’s Animal Kingdom with the Quinjet set giving way to a thrilling race through a Wakandan battle, swooping and soaring in a high-energy, thrilling simulator.
• A “U-Ticket” scale. Whichever form it took, insiders agree that this ride was meant to be California Adventure’s equivalent of Rise of the Resistance – a massive, multi-phase, unprecedented experience that would anchor California Adventure for decades. Since this ride would take up California Adventure’s last obvious expansion pad, a headlining, enormous, show-stopping experience really is a must.

CONS

• An “Infinity Saga” setting. The first 23 films of the MCU are collectively called “The Infinity Saga,” narratively culminating with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. While the heroes of the Infinity Saga will always be the foundational members of the Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, etc.), almost none of them are still active members of MCU movies. Rooting a ride in the militaristic Infinity Saga and with its now-bygone heroes would date the ride from the get-go.
• A lack of flexibility. Avengers Campus intentionally avoids the strict adherence to timeline that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has become infamous for. Set in a separate continuity from the “MCU,” even heroes long gone from the movies still meet-and-greet in Avengers Campus… But a ride is far less adaptable than the land itself, and as new heroes and villains loom and as Marvel enters an era of more mythical, magical, multiversal films, those heroes would almost certainly not show up in this ride.

• The loss of Chadwick Boseman. When Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 after a quiet medical diagnosis, it wasn’t clear how (or even if) the Black Panther franchise would continue. Obviously, 2022’s Wakanda Forever served as a sort of reflective goodbye to T’challa and the actor who brought him to life, but suddenly the idea of a Wakanda-set ride starring Black Panther didn’t feel as tasteful.

All of that helps explain why Disney decided to take its Avengers attraction in a new direction… Read the pros and cons of the version we’re supposedly getting now on the next page, and cast your vote for which version of the ride you’d prefer…