Posted in: Comics | Tagged: ike perlmutter, jared kushner, marvel experience, saudi arabia, wwe

The Marvel Experience Joins Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 Initiative

Published Sat, 07 Apr 2018 09:30:23 -0500

Last updated Sat, 07 Apr 2018 12:45:50 -0500

According to a press release from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, The Marvel Experience has signed on as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 project, an initiative aimed at creating "a more vibrant society" for Saudi Arabia (and hopefully one filled with lots of reforms directed at improving the country's abysmal human rights record, particularly when it comes to women's rights and LGBTQ rights). Vision 2030 is also responsible for the partnership between Saudi Arabia and WWE to produce the Greatest Royal Rumble event, a wrestling extravaganza that even women will be allowed to attend for the first time. Baby steps?

The Marvel Experience: The World's First Hyper-Reality Tour is a first-of-its-kind, hyper-reality attraction that covers over two acres and encompasses seven colossal Domes, a life-size Avengers Quinjet, the world's only 360-degree, 3-D stereoscopic full-Dome attraction and a state-of-the-art 4-D motion ride.

As agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in training, guests of The Marvel Experience will swing with Spider-Man, smash with Hulk, fly with Iron Man and more, all in preparation for an epic battle alongside Marvel's biggest Super Heroes in a fight against Red Skull, M.O.D.O.K. and an army of evil Adaptoids.

The Marvel Experience incorporates next-generation interactive technology including augmented reality, multi-person gaming and RFID progress tracking so you can see yourself in action. Everything happens with bleeding-edge technology and advanced computer animation.

Thanks to a new deal forged at a recent summit in the U.S. with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The Marvel Experience will be one of several new live entertainment events coming to Saudi Arabia in 2018:

The Marvel Experience: In collaboration with GEA, LuxuryKSA has sealed the deal with the incredible "The Marvel Experience" to be activated in Saudi Arabia summer 2018 in Jeddah and Riyadh as a form of site development that is activated over a long period of time, which targets individuals from all backgrounds and ages.

But does Saudi Arabia know what it's getting itself into? The Marvel Experience was widely panned at launch, compelled to delete criticism from its Facebook page, and has been mostly quiet for several years. Could the Marvel Experience actually be a trojan horse meant to deliver revenge, the latest in the ongoing saga of U.S. Middle Eastern Ambassador Jared Kushner, who has repeatedly used his power to punish countries in the region when they refuse to invest in his failing real estate money pit, the former DC Comics offices at 666 Fifth Avenue? Probably not, though it wouldn't be impossible for Kushner to leverage his Father-in-Law President Donald Trump's relationship with Marvel Chairman Ike Perlmutter to weaponize unpopular superhero theme events. We're not saying that's what happening here, just pointing out it would be technically possible because that's the political layout of the world we live in now.

Ahem. Other partners announced include Cirque du Soleil, Feld Entertainment (bringing events like Disney on Ice, Disney Live, Marvel Stadium Show, and Monster Jam), National Geographic Encounter, and IGM Artists.

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