The latest Marvel movie will be represented at the Disneyland Resort in Tomorrowland.
Disney announced Monday that all the members of the Fantastic Four, as well as their robot assistant H.E.R.B.I.E., will have limited-time meet-and-greets in a space outside the Tomorrowland Theater close to Space Mountain starting on July 23.
Space Mountain itself will also be a part of the promotion for “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” with the ride’s facade being lit up with projection effects themed after the film starting on July 25 (the film’s opening date) and running through September 21.
Disneyland Resort guests have been accustomed to these character greetings tied to new Marvel Cinematic Universe releases in theaters and on Disney+, but they’ve been tied to Avengers Campus ever since that land opened at Disney California Adventure in 2021. The choice of Tomorrowland for the Fantastic Four may be due to the film taking place on an alternate Earth with an 1960’s-inspired retro-futuristic aesthetic.
As with almost all other Marvel character greetings, this offering won’t be coming to Walt Disney World due to the Universal-Marvel theme park rights contract that predates Disney’s ownership of the characters.
That 1994 deal (you can read in full here) essentially grants Universal the theme park rights to many Marvel characters east of the Mississippi River forever, so long as Universal properly maintains its Marvel rides and pays royalties.
The Fantastic Four are represented at Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure at a quick-service restaurant, Cafe 4, as well as the Doctor Doom’s FearFall drop tower, named after the quartet’s archnemesis.