Avengers Campus is about to get a whole lot bigger, and D23 2026 just gave fans the details we’ve been waiting on since this expansion was first teased!
During the “Horizons: A Carousel of Progress” showcase, Disney confirmed that Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure is doubling in size, with two major new attractions — Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab — both officially set to open in 2028. Construction on both has already been underway since 2025, but tonight’s presentation finally gave fans the storyline, ride experience, and star-studded cast details we’ve been dying to hear.
Wait, Haven’t We Heard About These Before?
You’re not wrong! Both attractions were first announced back at D23 2024, when fans got their earliest look at the plans for this expansion. But between then and now, details have been relatively scarce, so tonight’s reveal was really about filling in the blanks: what exactly are these rides going to feel like, who’s showing up, and when can guests actually experience them?
And as a bonus for anyone worried about how the land’s expansion would affect the rest of the park, Disney also confirmed that Avengers Campus will soon reconnect with Cars Land once construction wraps, which should be a welcome relief for anyone who’s had to navigate around the current construction walls.
Avengers Infinity Defense: Your Mission Begins Here
The headliner of the two is Avengers Infinity Defense, a dark ride that welcomes guests in as brand-new recruits. Your journey kicks off with a pre-mission briefing from Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, before sending you off on your actual objective: reassemble the Avengers to take down a terrifying variant of the villain known as King Thanos, and stop the mad titan from wreaking havoc across the multiverse.
And this is where things get exciting for Marvel fans specifically, because Kevin Feige took the stage to confirm that several major stars are reprising their roles for this attraction. Jeremy Renner is back as Hawkeye. Anthony Mackie is back as Captain America. Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor. And Robert Downey Jr. is back as Iron Man. Disney even shared a behind-the-scenes clip from the filming of these performances, which had the D23 crowd buzzing. Guests will travel across iconic Marvel locations including Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City throughout the ride, battling alongside these heroes the whole way.
Stark Flight Lab: Buckle Up (Literally)
The second new attraction, Stark Flight Lab, takes a very different approach. Guests will board two-person “gyro-kinetic pods” that move along a track before attaching to a robotic arm, which then whips riders around to simulate an actual Avengers-style flight experience. According to Disney, each robotic arm has its own personality, drawing comparisons to DUM-E, the lovable and slightly chaotic robot assistant from the Iron Man films.
Robert Downey Jr. returns once again as Tony Stark for this one, joined by Anthony Mackie and Brie Larson, who’s reprising her role as Captain Marvel. Combined with Infinity Defense, that’s an incredible amount of star power packed into one expanded land.
The Big Question: When Can You Ride?
Here’s the headline number everyone’s been waiting for: both Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab are officially confirmed to open in 2028. That’s a bit further out than some fans may have hoped, but considering the scope of what’s being built here, from world-jumping ride vehicles to custom robotic arms with personality, it’s clear Disney is taking the time to get these attractions right.
Why This Expansion Is Such a Big Deal
Avengers Campus opened back in 2021, and while it’s been a hit with guests ever since, this expansion represents its biggest evolution yet. Doubling the size of the land, adding two brand-new E-ticket-caliber attractions, and bringing back this many original MCU actors to voice and appear in the experience is a serious investment, and it signals that Marvel storytelling is only becoming a bigger priority across Disney’s domestic parks.
Combined with everything else announced tonight (the new Avengers pavilion taking shape at Hong Kong Disneyland, and the Spider-Man coaster construction wrapping up in Shanghai) it’s clear this is shaping up to be a genuinely massive era for Marvel fans across the entire Disney Parks universe.
So, which attraction are you more excited for: battling King Thanos alongside the original Avengers cast, or strapping into a gyro-kinetic pod with a robotic arm that’s basically DUM-E’s cooler cousin? Either way, mark 2028 on your calendar, because Avengers Campus is about to get a whole lot bigger!
Leave a Reply