The Avengers Campus expansion at Disney California Adventure is moving into its next phase, with planning and construction well underway on two new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. A new feature from Disney Experiences gives fans a look inside that process through Mark Diwas, a longtime Disneyland Resort cast member now helping lead the test & adjust team responsible for bringing both rides to life before they open to guests.
We first covered the announcement of these two attractions back at D23 2024, The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, where Disney revealed that Avengers Campus would double in size with two new E-ticket experiences. Nearly two years later, both attractions are now in active construction, and Disney is starting to pull back the curtain on what that process looks like.
What Are Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab?
Avengers Infinity Defense is a multi-world adventure attraction built around a new villain, King Thanos, a multiverse variant of Thanos who has stolen the technology the Avengers use to jump between worlds. Guests will join the Avengers on a mission that travels through iconic Marvel locations including Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City, encountering familiar faces along the way.
Stark Flight Lab puts guests directly into Tony Stark’s world. Recruits will sit in two-person pods that deploy to a test station, where a robotic arm lifts and spins each pod to simulate flight. Robert Downey Jr. is reprising his role as Tony Stark for both new attractions, continuing his presence throughout Avengers Campus.
Meet the Cast Member Leading the Expansion Team
Mark Diwas has spent 24 years with Disneyland Resort, helping open attractions including Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run as part of the resort’s test & adjust teams, groups of cast members who work alongside Walt Disney Imagineers to test attractions before they open to the public.
Mark joined the Avengers Campus expansion team in 2024 as a program development project manager. This time, instead of joining an existing test & adjust team, he is helping build one from the ground up, selecting and training the cast members who will prepare Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab for guests. According to Disney, many of the newly selected cast members were surprised with the news during a special Avengers-themed session at Animation Academy.
What Test & Adjust Teams Actually Do
Test & adjust cast members handle the hands-on work of preparing an attraction before opening day, from configuring queue layouts to determining safe, efficient ways to load and unload guests from ride vehicles. Mark and his new team will spend the coming months on-site working directly with Imagineers as both attractions come together piece by piece.
For more on what is coming to Avengers Campus and the rest of Disneyland Resort, visit our Disney Parks category, and join the Realm at fantasylandnews.com/the-realm.
