JEDDAH: Growing up reading comics and watching movies has left a longing in the hearts of fans to be part of that universe, to fly beside Iron Man or join a battle with Captain America.
For those who have imagined this, their wish is finally coming true. Now you can be recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. and join the world of Earth’s mightiest heroes — the Marvel experience has entered the Middle East for the first time in Jeddah, and also in Riyadh.
The love of superheroes is shared by children, the middle-aged, in fact by those of all ages, and people can experience this universe by walking through the temporary domes set up at the waterfront in Jeddah.
The concept of the Marvel experience is to not tell visitors what they may witness on the inside and watch them experience the event firsthand.
The tour starts with the introduction of Iron Man/Tony Stark, the brains behind almost all the costumes and weapons used by the Avengers. The first dome displays the many suits of Iron Man, mentioned in different movies and comics, and besides the displays of the suits are two screens where Tony Stark himself explains the mechanisms of his creations. The training and the recruitment process of the visitors begins from then on.
The second dome is where visitors are introduced to the rest of the Avengers, and to the evil Red Skull who is the archenemy of Captain America. In this dome the visitors are instructed in the dangers ahead by the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers.
In the next dome the real action starts. Visitors are led into the next dome to be trained via simulation. Two large screens are set up where you shoot at a target, constantly instructed by the Avengers. The dome after that introduces the real danger in extensive 3-D animation, which makes the experience so much more amazing.
The last dome is the grand finale as the visitors are taken on a “ship.” As it takes off it is attacked by Red Skull and his army, and very skillfully saved by the Avengers. The visitors are asked to settle down on the seats set on a platform that moves according to the 4-D projections, so that those sitting will receive the full thrill of riding in a ship that is about to crash, but is saved by the Earth’s most powerful heroes.
Haneen Ali, 22, was excited to be enjoying her first tour and recruitment: “I am thrilled to be experiencing something like this in Jeddah, I never thought it would happen.”
“I love how everything feels so real and amazing,” she said.
