The Marvel Universe is coming to the Emerald City! Celebrate Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and hundreds more iconic heroes and villains in a major new exhibit coming to the Museum of Pop Culture.
Pow! Pages, costumes and props never seen before by the public will be on display. Seeing more than 300 original artifacts to make you exclaim, “Make Mine Marvel!” as the old school comics proclaimed.
The new exhibition shares the Marvel story from the comic books of legends Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to movie screens and beyond. The retrospective comes as the Marvel Cinematic Universe celebrates a decade of blockbuster movies and the arrival of AVENGER: INFINITY WAR, the grand finale of Phase Four, and ahead of the Marvel Comics 80th anniversary the following year.
“Our show takes us from the origins of the Marvel Universe to the present, providing a chance to see some of the rarest and most precious objects to have survived from the past 80 years of pop culture history,” says curator Ben Saunders about the exhibition, which is being produced by MoPOP, SC Exhibitions and Marvel Entertainment.
The exhibition will trace the history of the company, its huge influence on pop culture and how their comics have responded to social issues and moments. Fans can pay homage to legendary creators and learn how they came up with the super heroes and bad guys we cheer for.
“Marvel transformed the idea of the Super Hero in the 1960s—and beyond—by ratcheting up the visual spectacle, emotional dynamism and philosophical sophistication of the action-adventure comics genre,” says Brian Crosby, head of Marvel Themed Entertainment. “Marvel has always been a reflection of the world outside your own window and one of its most compelling messages has always been, that anyone—regardless of race, religion or gender—can be a Super Hero.”
Seeing all these amazing artifacts will be Incredible like the Hulk but there’s more. Like a Doctor Strange spell, fans will be immersed in sets bringing comic book to life along with music created by acclaimed composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer.
The exhibition has been curated by a team that includes three scholars of comics – Benjamin Saunders, Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan, all of whom are university professors and experts in their field. MoPOP curators Brooks Peck and Jacob McMurray, acclaimed comics writers and editors Ann Nocenti and Danny Fingeroth, also contributed.
“This is the largest exhibition ever staged at the Museum of Pop Culture,” says Brooks Peck, curator, MoPOP. “We’re thrilled to present more than 300 original artworks, props, costumes, and genuine relics of pop culture history, from the earliest incarnations of super heroes in comics to ground breaking movie moments reflecting the timeless appeal of the Marvel universe.”
“Excelsior!” as Stan The Man says. This is a major event for Marvel fans in the Pacific Northwest! Get in your Avengers quinjet to Seattle.
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes coming to the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, opening on April 21, 2018. Visit MoPOP.org/Marvel for more.
Check out these drawings to give you an idea of what you will see:
Fan-favorite artist Mike Allred created the Spider-Man swinging at the Space Needle image above for the exhibit.
By Editor