Why Disneyland Resort’s Upcoming Superhero Area Won’t (And Can’t) Be Called “Marvel Land”

in Disney, Disneyland Resort, Entertainment, Marvel, Theme Parks

Marvel Land

Just a few weeks ago, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California– home of Walt Disney’s original Magic Kingdom– finally made an official announcement regarding its upcoming highly-anticipated new area set to replace A Bug’s Land at Disney California Adventure theme Park. While no official name has been announced so far, they’re calling it a “Super Hero-themed land.” And noticeably, they’re not using the word “Marvel.”

A couple of years ago, I noticed a similar phenomenon across the esplanade at Disneyland: the Park’s short-lived Super Hero HQ interactive museum did not feature “Marvel” in its name, despite housing meet-and-greets with Spider-Man, Captain America, and Thor. So why not “Marvel’s Super Hero HQ”? And why not “Marvel Land” at DCA? I know Walt Disney World is very limited in its usage of Marvel characters due to the existence of Marvel Superhero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, but what’s in a name for the unaffected Anaheim parks?

WATCH SUPER HERO HQ TOUR AT DISNEYLAND:

As it turns out, Disneyland Resort isn’t quite unaffected by the Universal deal. In fact, had Universal Studios Hollywood chosen to build a Marvel attraction (or attractions) around the same time that Islands of Adventure went up, Disneyland wouldn’t be able to use those characters either– even though Disney now owns Marvel outright.

According to a very informative piece which ran this past weekend in the Los Angeles Times, it’s all due to an overall deal struck between Marvel Entertainment and Universal’s then-parent company MCA in 1994. While most fans are aware that Universal still controls the theme Park rights to Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, and more east of the Mississippi river, what many may not realize is that the deal could have covered the entire country had Universal chosen to act on it out west.

WATCH MARVEL-THEMED LAND ANNOUNCEMENT FROM D23 EXPO 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtaepxKWto

Fortunately for Disney, Universal Studios Hollywood remains without a Marvel attraction of any kind (although I kind of miss its long-gone Marvel Mania restaurant), and Disneyland Resort is free to use as many Marvel characters as it likes in its two parks. Unfortunately, that doesn’t carry over to the “Marvel” name itself.

Apparently, the fine print in the original contract includes a clause that prevents Disney (or anyone else) from name an area after one of the most famous comic book brands.

The agreement says that regardless of which side of the Mississippi River a theme park is located, “Marvel may not permit a licensee to use the name ‘Marvel’ as part of the attraction name or marketing.”

So there you have it. Disneyland Resort will get a “Superhero-themed land” in 2020, but nowhere in its name will it include the word “Marvel.” Disney can say it is working “in partnership with Marvel Studios and Marvel Themed Entertainment,” as it does in its announcement from March, but they can’t call it “Marvel Land.” With that in mind, I can’t help but wonder what the final name for the area will turn out to be. Any suggestions?

Marvel Land

Related : Will Avengers Campus Be the Next Expansion of Downtown Disney?

When Will Universal Orlando Replace Marvel Super Hero Island?

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