In conjunction with SC Exhibitions and Marvel Entertainment, a major Marvel Comics retrospective will be featured at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle. This exhibit, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes, will feature more than 300 original artifacts, sought-after pages, costumes, and props, many of which have never been seen before by the public.
MoPOP and SC Exhibitions commissioned several Marvel artists to create a series of posters for the Seattle show which will be released over the months to come. Michael Allred’s interpretation shows Spider-Man swinging from the iconic Space Needle. The exclusive artwork will be featured in MoPOP’s advertising campaign in spring 2018.
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes will tell the Marvel story through comics, film and other media, as it celebrates 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and ahead of the 80th anniversary of the company in 2019. Immersive set pieces will bring the comic book world to life, and the exhibition will be accompanied by an immersive soundscape created by acclaimed composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer.
“Our show takes us from the origins of the Marvel Universe to the present, providing a chance to see some of the rarest and most precious objects to have survived from the past 80 years of pop culture history,” said curator Ben Saunders.
The exhibition will trace the story of the company and its influence on visual culture – including how it’s responded to historical events and addressed wider issues such as gender, race, and mental illness – as well as uncovering the narratives of individual characters such as Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange. It will also honor the so-called “imaginauts” such as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who have helped Marvel become one of the most expansive fictional universes ever created.
“Marvel transformed the idea of the superhero in the 1960s ‒ and beyond ‒ by ratcheting up the visual spectacle, emotional dynamism and philosophical sophistication of the action-adventure comics genre. Marvel has always been a reflection of the world outside your own window and one of its most compelling messages has always been, that anyone ‒ regardless of race, religion or gender ‒ can be a superhero,” said Brian Crosby, head of Marvel Themed Entertainment.
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes has been curated by a team that includes three scholars of comics – Benjamin Saunders, Matthew J. Smith, and Randy Duncan. MoPOP curators Brooks Peck and Jacob McMurray, as well as renowned comics writers and editors Ann Nocenti and Danny Fingeroth, have also contributed.
“This is the largest exhibition ever staged at the Museum of Pop Culture. We’re thrilled to present more than 300 original artworks, props, costumes, and genuine relics of pop culture history, from the earliest incarnations of superheroes in comics to groundbreaking movie moments reflecting the timeless appeal of the Marvel universe,” said Brooks Peck, MoPOP curator.
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes opens at MoPOP on April 21, 2018, located on 325 5th Avenue North in Seattle, Washington.