Disney California Adventure added a tribute to the Marvel co-creator whose characters fill the land. “The characters you created populate this campus as a living tribute to you, Jack.”
Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure now carries a plaque honoring Jack Kirby.
The tribute reads, in part: “The characters you created populate this campus as a living tribute to you, Jack.”
Kirby co-created or co-designed a substantial share of the characters the land is built around.
Who Jack Kirby was
For anyone who knows the movies better than the comics, the credit list is enormous.
Kirby co-created Captain America with Joe Simon in 1941. Working with Stan Lee at Marvel through the 1960s, he co-created the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, Black Panther, and the Avengers themselves.
He also co-created Ant-Man, Doctor Doom, Loki, Ultron, Groot, and a long list of others that now anchor a multibillion-dollar film franchise.
His visual style, the dynamic layouts and the crackling energy effects later nicknamed “Kirby Krackle,” shaped how superhero comics look to this day.
Why the Jack Kirby plaque matters to fans
The recognition question has followed Marvel for decades.
Kirby spent much of his later career in disputes with Marvel over credit and the return of his original artwork. His contributions were often minimized in favor of Lee’s, and his estate was involved in a lengthy legal fight with Marvel over character rights that settled in 2014.
For readers who followed that history, seeing his name permanently installed at a Disney park carries weight beyond the plaque itself.
Kirby died in 1994, well before any of these characters reached the screen at this scale.
What is at Avengers Campus right now
The land opened at Disney California Adventure in 2021.
Current attractions include Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, alongside character encounters, Pym Test Kitchen, and themed retail.
Avengers Campus also exists at Disneyland Paris, where it includes Avengers Assemble: Flight Force, the ride that replaced that park’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in 2019.
The Avengers Campus expansion opens in 2028
Disney announced the details at D23 earlier this month.
Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab both open in 2028, doubling the size of the land.
Infinity Defense casts guests as new recruits, welcomed by Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, on a mission to reassemble the Avengers and stop King Thanos. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Jeremy Renner all reprise their roles.
Stark Flight Lab puts riders in a two-person gyro-kinetic pod that travels along a track and stops in front of a giant robot arm.
Nearly every character in both attractions traces back to Kirby.
Where else to find Jack Kirby’s work at Disney
His characters are effectively unavoidable across the company now.
Marvel expansions are underway at Hong Kong Disneyland, where Avengers Research Testing Labs will take guests through Wakanda and Asgard, and at Shanghai Disneyland, which is building the world’s first land dedicated to Spider-Man.
Disney does not hold full Marvel theme park rights in Florida, since Universal retained certain character rights for its Orlando parks under a long-standing agreement. That is why Avengers Campus exists in Anaheim and Paris and not at Walt Disney World.
The plaque is in Anaheim. Given how much of Disney’s current business rests on characters he drew, one plaque is a modest thing, and it is more than existed last month.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Disney California Adventure plaque text, as reported and photographed on site
Undercover Tourist (August 15, 2026), the Avengers Campus expansion details and 2028 opening
Coaster101 (August 15, 2026), the Hong Kong and Shanghai Marvel expansions
Disney Parks Blog (August 15, 2026), the Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab announcement