D23 came through with a genuinely massive night for Marvel fans, and honestly, this one’s got a little bit of everything. A first teaser for a brand new ride, a wild surprise cameo nobody saw coming, and expansion news stretching all the way to Hong Kong and Shanghai. Here’s everything that went down and what it means for your next trip to Disney California Adventure.
Iron Man Is Suiting Up Again, Kind Of
The biggest reveal of the night was the first teaser for Avengers Infinity Defense, and it’s bringing back a serious lineup of familiar faces. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Jeremy Renner are all reprising their roles for this ride, and Downey Jr. coming back hits a little different given where his character currently stands in the movies. Since Tony Stark’s dead in the MCU now, Downey Jr.’s actually playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, which makes this return as Iron Man for the ride feel like a genuinely fun full circle moment for fans who’ve followed him in that role forever.
You can check out the teaser in this X post from Discussing Film below:
First teaser for the ‘AVENGERS INFINITY DEFENSE’ ride.
Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie & Jeremy Renner will all reprise their roles. pic.twitter.com/q0v1RVeEtt
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 16, 2026
Execs and Imagineers used the D23 stage to give fans a first look at what’s headed to Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure, confirming two brand new attractions joining current fan favorites like Guardians of the Galaxy, Mission Breakout, and Web Slingers, A Spider-Man Adventure. Both new rides, Stark Flight Lab and Avengers Infinity Defense, are officially locked in for a 2028 opening.
Nobody Expected This Cameo
Here’s the part nobody saw coming. Disney superfan John Stamos randomly stepped in to take over hosting duties from Neil Patrick Harris during the Avengers Campus segment on the Horizons stage at D23, The Ultimate Fan Event presented by Visa. He was joined up there by Walt Disney Imagineer Brent Strong and Marvel Studios President and Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige, who broke down everything happening with the expanding lineup of Avengers experiences across Disney parks worldwide.
So What Actually Happens on Avengers Infinity Defense
Once it opens, Avengers Infinity Defense drops you in as a new recruit joining the fight against King Thanos. It kicks off with a pre-mission briefing from Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, sending you on a mission to reassemble the Avengers before the mad titan wrecks everything.
Vellani’s not the only one back for this ride either. Jeremy Renner’s returning as Hawkeye, Anthony Mackie’s back as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth is Thor again, and Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man one more time. Once you’re on board, you’re getting a mix of massive physical sets and huge media screens designed to make it feel like you’re actually hurtling across different worlds. One quote from the presentation nailed it perfectly: “The fun part about Avengers Infinity Defense is how we get to use every single trick in the Imagineering book, and inventing some new ones, to create this attraction.” You’ll hit up Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City before coming face to face with King Thanos himself.
Stark Flight Lab Is a Totally Different Kind of Ride
The second new attraction, Stark Flight Lab, brings back its own set of stars, with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and Brie Larson joining in as Captain Marvel. Like we heard back at SXSW 2025, you’ll sit in two-person gyro-kinetic pods that roll along a track before stopping in front of a giant robotic arm, basically letting you feel what it’s like to train as a flying Avenger. Expect a bunch of high-speed moves straight out of Iron Man’s playbook, spinning you around a simulated flight test station that’s going to have you wanting to ride it again immediately.
Marvel’s Going Global, Hong Kong and Shanghai Included
Disney California Adventure isn’t the only spot getting the Marvel treatment. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is building an entire Avengers pavilion that’ll house the Avengers Research Testing Labs, a tower experience where Stark Industries and other geniuses, including Peter Parker as Spider-Man, work on next level tech that inevitably attracts trouble. With over 120 feet of storytelling tech packed in, you’ll travel through Wakanda, Asgard, and more alongside Spider-Man and other heroes. There’s also a new Quinjet landing platform going up nearby for character encounters, and once it’s fully built, it’s going to make a real statement on Hong Kong’s skyline.
Meanwhile, Shanghai Disney Resort is getting an entirely new Spider-Man themed land, the first one anywhere in the world built exclusively around the character. It’s home to the Shanghai division of the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, aka W.E.B., which fans of the existing Avengers Campus locations will already recognize. Inside, Peter Parker and his friends built a squad of Spider-Bots to help with their experiments, including a brand new coaster that’s already got its final piece of track installed. Disney Imagineers are teaming up with local artists on over 20 murals throughout the land celebrating science, Spider-Man, and the Avengers, and early previews were apparently on display at the Imagineering Pavilion during this year’s D23.
What This Means If You’re Planning a Trip
Since both Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab are locked in for 2028, don’t expect to ride either one on your next Disney California Adventure trip. But it’s definitely worth keeping tabs on construction progress since Avengers Campus is about to get way bigger and eventually reconnect with Cars Land. And if you’re a Marvel fan chasing new experiences across Disney parks worldwide, Hong Kong and Shanghai are shaping up to be legit must-visit spots over the next few years too.
Which one has you more hyped, Avengers Infinity Defense, Stark Flight Lab, or that new Spider-Man land in Shanghai? Drop it in the comments and let us know which Marvel addition is topping your list once they finally open.
