A lifesize Black Panther sculpture, Spider-Man hall and a Doctor Strange mirrored room are among the features in a brand new exhibition in Wellington.
Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition is a multi-media experience, featuring a mix of interactives, photo opportunities, immersive installations and original artefacts.
Co-curator Patrick Reed says by using comics, animated cartoons and movies, the exhibition has weaved together three different elements.
“There’s the fictional history of Marvel’s characters and stories, there is the real world history of the company and the creators who made these stories happen.
"Then there’s the real world history of how Marvel has been affected by and in turn influenced and affected events in popular culture.”
Wellington’s convention centre team approached experts Reed and Benjamin Saunders to piece this exhibition together.
With more than 85 years of Marvel history to choose from, the biggest challenge for Reed, was deciding not what to keep in, but keep out.
“Whether you read comics, whether you just know them from the cartoons, or from the Disney+ shows, or the cinema, or video games – everybody comes to Marvel from their own point of reference.
"Creating something that’s a streamlined coherent narrative yet contains all those points of connection: that’s the challenge but also the fun of it.”
Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon said there’s been a lot of work here over the past 18 months to make it happen.
“I understand it spanned 22-thousand kilometres between Oregon, Berlin, to actually pull this together for the world premiere in Wellington city.”
Now, ready for visitors, she is welcoming the expected boost to the local economy.
“It’s completely appropriate for us to host this. Wellington is the UNESCO city of film and we live and breathe the film industry. We’ve got a thriving industry here in Wellington City. But also we’re the creative capital.”
The council has estimated 175,000 people with make their way through the exhibition, with an expected boost for the local economy.
Saunders is encouraging everyone to come along.
“We’re talking about one of the most popular storytelling franchises and some of the most compelling mythic modern heroic tales of the 21st century. But the origins go back to 1940s.
"So, this is a good moment for people to think about where this kind of storytelling material actually comes from and why we’re so fascinated by it.”
The doors to the exhibition open on Thursday, and tickets are available here.
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