Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Hulk have touched down in Edmonton this weekend at a new exhibit that explores the history of the Marvel universe and its influence on our own.
The Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes exhibit opens today at the Telus World of Science Edmonton. Making its Canadian debut, the exhibit features an original soundtrack and some 300 artifacts from Marvel’s 80-year history and takes a deep dive into the history of its many super-heroic characters.
It’s a look at some 80 years of science fiction and science fantasy, and there’s something here for everyone, said Telus World of Science Edmonton president Alan Nursall.
“I look around and I see Wolverine, I see Deadpool, I see the Punisher. These all came from the imagination and skills of artists,” he said.
“You could spend a couple of hours in here reading all the panels and learning all the origin stories of the superheroes.”
The exhibit lets fans get up close with one-of-a-kind movie props and illustrations from Marvel's history. The “holy grail” is likely an inked page from a tale of the Sub-Mariner by then-18-year-old artist Bill Everett – believed to be the only surviving page of original art used in the first issue of Marvel Comics.
“You’re going to see throughout this show a lot of original art,” said exhibit curator Benjamin Saunders, as well as detailed information on the artists and writers behind them.
Saunders said the exhibit features three “studio spaces” that feature interactive drawing tables that let guests explore how comics go from script to page, as well as large statues of superheroes people can pose for pictures with.
St. Albert Grade 6 student Kayte Penner was one of the first people to check out the exhibit at a preview event Friday, and got to give a statue of The Hulk a hug.
“I really like the Marvel movies and I really like superheroes as well,” she said, particularly how they all have different powers.
Penner said she was impressed by the costumes and props from the Captain America films, and enjoyed the Dr. Strange room (which features a mind-bending combination of mirrors, prisms, lighting and animated artwork befitting of the mystic superhero).
Science and culture
Saunders said superhero comics are a kind of “flamboyant science fiction,” and have long reflected our hopes and fears for science.
“The Fantastic Four was inspired in some ways by the Cold War,” he noted, what with its heroes gaining superpowers through an attempt to beat the Soviet Union in the Space Race, while the radiation-powered Hulk embodied people’s fears of the atomic bomb.
The comics have also shifted over times with technology, he continued. Genetics is now the new wonder-tech, so Spider-Man is now typically shown as getting his powers from a genetically engineered spider rather than a radioactive one.
The exhibit also explores Marvel’s role in popular culture, examining how its stories have used superheroes to explore issues of racism, discrimination and difference.
“Marvel comics have always been ahead of the curve in terms of America’s representation of race,” Saunders said, citing the introduction of the African hero The Black Panther in 1966 as an example.
While it’s tough to say if Marvel comics have had direct influence on science, Saunders said he had met many scientists who are also huge comic book fans.
“Science begins as an act of imaginative inquiry,” he said, and the science fiction of comics invokes that same spirit.
What makes Marvel stand heads-and-shoulders over other parts of pop culture is the diversity of well-rounded, relatable characters that fill its comic universe, Nursall said.
“There are so many ways for individuals to find a part of the Marvel world they can relate to,” he said.
“You can seek out the adventures that mean something to you.”
The exhibit runs at the science centre until Feb. 17. Visit telusworldofscienceedmonton.ca for details.
