The Avengers land in Times Square
Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N., the long-awaited Marvel-themed exhibit at the Discovery Times Square museum in New York City, is now open to the public.
NEW YORK--Times Square may be the closest you'll get to entering the world of Marvel superheroes -- at least for the next seven months.
Marvel's Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. opens Friday at Discovery Times Square, the museum that's also the home to such crowd-pleasers as the Lego-themed Art of the Brick and the cadaver-heavy Body Worlds: Pulse. The exhibit immerses visitors in the world of S.H.I.E.L.D., the fictional security organization at the center of Marvel comics, movies, and ABC's " Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." TV show.
(For acronym completists: S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics," while S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is "Scientific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network." Got it?)
Once inside, visitors are briefed by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Felix Blake and "recruited" into the organization, where they will each receive a personalized agent I.D. card to interact within the S.T.A.T.I.O.N.
As you'd expect, visitors get to relive some of the more memorable sections of the recent Marvel films. You can test your strength versus Captain America's, visit Bruce Banner's lab and observe the neurological effects of his transformation into the Hulk, navigate a simulated flight pattern using Iron Man's heads-up display, and find Asgard on the star chart in Thor's Cosmic Observatory.
Suffice it to say, it's a great fanboy/girl experience for comic book nerds of all ages.
The exhibit spans more than 10,000 square feet and features working robotics, motion and response applications, 140 video screens, dozens of touch interfaces, and augmented reality.
If you want to take the plunge, you'll need to book your tickets in the near future: The exhibit runs through January 5, 2015. But it doesn't come cheap: The entrance fee is $27 for adults and $19.50 for children ages 3-11. And, of course, the adventure ends with a trip through the gift shop, which includes some Discovery-exclusive merchandise.