Marvel Superheroes
Adventure City/Adventure City
Attraction Type: Family Entertainment Centre
Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario
Years Operational: 2004-2009 (as Marvel Superheroes Adventure City), 2009-Present (as Adventure Cty)
Designer(s): Blacklght Attractions/Dark Rider
The attraction as seen from Clifton Hill, 2004.
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When the government of Ontario was selecting the location for the government-run Casino Niagara in the mid 90's, the Harry Oakes Company (HOCO) who owns the attractions on the south-west side of Clifton Hill apparently put in a bid to get the casino on their land, however it ended up going to the Falls Ave. Company, replacing the Maple Leaf Village mall between the Sheraton Foxhead and Sheraton Brock Hotels. This ended up being a financial injection large enough to start a bit of an attraction arms race against HOCO. After the rebranding of all the hotels in the Falls Ave. complex, the opening of Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, and a massive 2002 expansion to the complex consisting of Rainforest Cafe, WWE Niagara Falls, and the Extreme 4D Motion Theatre, the Falls Ave. Company was well into a several-stage redevelopment plan. The plan also featured upcoming additions of more attractions to fill out the already built, and soon-to-be-named, MGM Studios Plaza that the 4D Motion Theatre sat in the basement of, as well as an indoor Family Entertainment Centre (F.E.C.) to replace the mall on the second floor of the now-renamed Sheraton Fallsview.
"La Piazza" restaurant formerly located in the Sheraton's second-level mall as seen in 2003, shortly before the remodel of the entire level into Adventure City.
Captain America Games Zone, 2004.
Above: Captain America Games Zone, 2004. Notice the Dr. Doom helment replica located on the right hand side of this image. Right: The attraction as seen from the corner of Falls Ave. and Clifton Hill, an eye-catching footing to the famous street of fun.
In 2002 HOCO would open the Great Canadian Midway, forever changing Clifton Hill and giving it a focal point. It's unclear when exactly the Falls Ave. Company came up with certain elements of their plan, however the impact and influence of the Midway was clear. The F.E.C. that eventually replaced the mall would be an attraction officially licensed from Marvel Comics, dubbed Marvel Superheroes Adventure City. Designed mostly by Blacklight Attractions who had designed the MGM Great Movie Journey in the MGM Studios Plaza, it was a sprawling arcade and amusement centre that encompassed the entire second floor of the hotel, from Clifton Hill all the way to the Hard Rock Cafe, to which it connected. It also connected to the MGM Studios Store and Rainforest Cafe. The main, massive arcade area was home to the Captain America Games Zone, adorned with neon, murals of cityscapes, prop replicas, and various easter egg references to Marvel. The attractions lined the area somewhat similar to the layout of the mall the attraction replaced.
Spiderman: The Ultimate Ride was the crown jewel of these, an interactive laser shooting, blacklight, dark ride. Riders would assist Spiderman with rounding up villains from the series, and ride aboard a vehicle equipped with web shooting devices. Riders would battle Scorpion, The Lizard, Electro, and the Green Goblin moving through a themed area for each. They would then have to face off with Dr. Octopus in a climatic final battle. Other attractions included Mr. Fantastic's Candy Laboratory (a fill-your-own-cup candy counter), X-Men Combat Cars (bumper cars), Daredevil's Obstacle Challenge (a timed obstacle course), and the Spidey and Friends Funhouse (a small children's funhouse themed to the Avengers characters, complete with ball-shooting machine.) There was also a Marvel Shop selling both new and vintage Marvel collectables ranging from t-shirts, to comic books, to action figures.
Clockwise from top left: Entrance to the que for "Spider-Man: The Ultimate Ride" interactive dark ride, Mr. Fantastic's Candy Laboratory, The Daredevil Obstacle Challenge, and X-Men Combat Cars.
One attraction however was unlike anything else done at the time: The Incredible Hulk Encounter. It was a walk-through haunted attraction themed to the Incredible Hulk, a truly theme-park quality attraction which incorporated an otherwise family friendly intellectual property into a haunted attraction seamlessly. The attraction featured a blend of animatronics and live actors, with the live actors playing scientists who were guiding you on your journey. Most of the scary elements were startles as the recently-transformed Hulk breached containment and went on a rampage, which the would-be hero has not necessarily directed at you, but you find yourself in the firing line of.
A similar attraction, the Incredible Hulk Mini Golf, also existed in
the complex. There's evidence to support that this attraction
may have replaced the Incredible Hulk Encounter, however
there's also evidence they both exited at the same time. The
two never appear on the same brochure or advertisement for
the complex, with the haunted attraction being mentioned in
ealier brochures and the mini golf replacing it's mention in later
brochures. The course contained interactive animatronics and
special effects triggered by different actions on the course, such as making a hole or hitting an obstacle. It also utilized several of the same props as the haunted attraction, hinting that it may have recycled them and the actual space. On the other hand, it's possible these props were produced in multiples by Blacklight Attractions, as photos from the company's studio during the attractions' development show duplicates in the studio. There's also images dated 2004 where the edge of the mini golf sign can be made out, which means if dated correctly, they both existed at the same time when the attraction opened, and the former Hulk Encounter appears to have since become the relocated arcade prize counter, not the mini golf.
Employees at the entrance to the Incredible Hulk Encounter, 2004.
Left: Duplicates of a Hulk figure at Blacklight Attractions' studios providing proof that multiples were infact created. Above: The letters "olf" can be seen in the top left corner of this image supposedly taken in 2004, adding evidence that the mini golf was there from opening year.
Above: Spider-Man rotates to talk to the Green Goblin, suspended above the pre-purchase ticket booths along Clifton Hill for the attractions inside. Right: The fully raised Green Goblin floats above the pit on his hoverboard, addressing Spider-Man and taunting guests to take a crack at defeating him inside the attraction.
Outfront Adventure City on Clifton Hill, an animatronic Spider Man hung upside down from the ceiling. He would turn to face a pit next to the stairs up to the attraction which a figure of the Green Goblin would rise up out of on his hoverboard. The two bantered outfront, beckoning customers in. In addition to signage along Clifton Hill, Falls Ave., and the corner of the two streets facing the Falls, a massive several-story tall sign on the side of the hotel was constructed. The complex was full of neon and bright signage, themed in the colourful, cartoonish, comic book style that the Marvel brand had at the time, before the more serious turn the franchise would take later in the 2000s. However, that same distinct style that made it so appealing ended up leading to the downfall of this amazing attraction.
Despite being hugely popular, the attraction lost its Marvel license due to no fault of it's own after the cost dramatically increased in 2009. There were very few new Marvel films coming out at the time, so the decision not to renew was a justified one. It of course would later come out that Disney had bought Marvel, and it would go to become the biggest film franchise in the world, explaining the drastic preemptive price increase. The entertainment centre simply became known as Adventure City. The Hulk Mini Golf became jungle themed, and Spider-Man references were (poorly) removed from the dark ride. Initially, the words "Spider" and "Ultimate" were just removed from the sign, becoming "The Man Ride" for a season, then the "Super Hero Lazer Ride." It's been abandoned and used for stoage since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and doesn't appear to be reopening any time soon, now blocked off entirely with games and being used for storage with the blacklights eerily still on. The X-Men references were (also poorly) removed from the bumper cars, with the large "X" logo still visible on the gaurd rails around the attraction. The Hulk Encounter, Daredevil Obstacle Challenge, Mr. Fantastic's Candy Laboratory, and Marvel Shop were all removed entirely.
Above Top: The re-themed mini golf, the "Mini Golf" neon being recycled from the Hulk days. Above Bottom: The suspiciously named Super Hero Laser Ride stands dormant behind a wall of arcade games. Left: The former que and load station for the dark ride being used a storage area in 2023, mostly for arcade prizes. It's unknown if similar clutter stretches through the attraction's halls.
References to Marvel could still be found in the arcade up until the 2020's, such as Spider-Man's face carved into a tree that was only covered up a few years ago, a severely downsized and repainted section of the Spidey and Friends Funhouse, and several mass-produced Marvel themed coin-operated children's rides. The doorhandles into the arcade are even still shaped as a giant letter "M", for Marvel. The pit that the Green Goblin animatronic formerly rose from outfront the attraction was left empty and abandoned, eventually being sealed off when a bumper car was placed on top of it (which has also since been removed.)
Left: The stripped down building when it first became simply "Adventure City" in 2009. Right: This strange T-posing "Mario" inflatable has recently beenn placed on top of the sealed pit fromerly housing the Green Goblin.
Above: The massive Incredible Hulk sign promoting the differnet attractions within as seen from up the Hill in the late 2000's. Right: The Games Zone during the glory days in the mid 2000's, with several other attractions seen in the background.
Of the many attractions that have come and gone in The Falls over the years, Marvel Superheroes Adventure City is one of the most sorely missed and nostalgically beloved by fans. Despite only being open for five years in its original glory, it's theme made it a highlight of the childhoods of Marvel fans everywhere, and it's uniqueness and clever design even made it a highlight for those who didn't know anything about the brand. It had a nearly universal appeal, with it's timeless characters drawing in the young and old alike, and its variety of attractions and over-the-top-theming even appealing to those uninterested in the franchise. Adventure City made a lasting impression on those who were lucky enough to experience it during the short 5 years that it had the Marvel Superheroes name attached, and it's original iteration won't be forgotten anytime soon.
