It’s Official: Brie Larson Will Reprise Her Role as Captain Marvel – Here Are the Details

Avengers Campus has spent the past five years cementing itself as one of Disney California Adventure’s most popular lands, drawing crowds with attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. First announced back at D23 2022, the land’s promised expansion has slowly taken shape over the years, with concept details trickling out at each subsequent D23 event without ever landing a firm timeline.

That changed this weekend, when Disney used its Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23 to finally confirm both the opening date and full cast lineup for the campus’s two newest attractions. Imagineer Brent Strong and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige took the stage alongside Disney fan John Stamos to reveal that both rides, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab, will officially open in 2028.

Stark Flight Lab, the second of the two new attractions, will feature Brie Larson reprising her role as Captain Marvel, joining Robert Downey Jr.’s returning Iron Man and Anthony Mackie’s Captain America as in-universe flight instructors. According to Marvel.com’s report from the panel, Strong told the crowd the trio will serve as guests’ flight instructors as they discover what it’s like to train like an Avenger, giving park visitors a hands-on introduction to the campus’s high-flying side of superhero life.

The ride itself will place guests in two-person “gyro-kinetic pods” that travel along a track before coming to a stop in front of a massive robot arm, which puts riders through a series of high-speed maneuvers inspired by Iron Man’s own flight sequences. From there, guests are guided to a test station for a simulated flight experience, rounding out the ride’s training-focused premise.

Alongside Stark Flight Lab, Disney also confirmed Avengers Infinity Defense will open the same year, marking the long-awaited follow-up to the King Thanos storyline first teased when the expansion was originally announced. That motion-based dark ride will welcome guests as new recruits under the guidance of Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel before sending them on a mission alongside Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, Mackie’s Captain America, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Downey’s Iron Man.

Together, the two new rides will double the overall size of Avengers Campus once construction wraps, with Disney confirming the expanded land will eventually reconnect with the neighboring Cars Land. Both attractions have reportedly been under construction behind Avengers Headquarters since 2025, though this weekend’s announcement marked the first time Disney attached a concrete opening year to either project.

Larson’s involvement adds to a growing list of MCU actors lending their voices and likenesses to theme park experiences rather than solely appearing on screen. That approach has become increasingly common across Disney’s parks division, giving fans a way to interact with familiar characters in an entirely different format from the films themselves, deepening the connection between the studio’s cinematic output and its physical attractions.

With construction already underway and a firm 2028 target now locked in, Avengers Campus’s expansion looks positioned to become one of Disney California Adventure’s most significant additions in years. Between Stark Flight Lab’s flight-training premise and Avengers Infinity Defense’s multiverse-spanning battle against King Thanos, Marvel fans have plenty to look forward to once both rides finally open alongside existing favorites like Guardians of the Galaxy and WEB SLINGERS.

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