Former Imagineer Joe Rohde says Spider-Man was pitched for the Tower of Terror makeover at Disney California Adventure. His answer: “Spider-Man needs room to swing.”
Before Rocket Raccoon took over the Tower of Terror, somebody wanted Spider-Man in there.
Former Imagineer Joe Rohde told the LA Times that when Disney was reworking the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure, people suggested Spider-Man. Rohde, who led the project, shot it down, WDW News Today reported.
His reason was simple.
“Spider-Man needs room to swing. We only go up and down. There’s nowhere for Spider-Man to be!”
Who is Joe Rohde?
Rohde is one of Disney’s best-known Imagineers. He was the lead designer of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and also worked on Expedition Everest and Hawaii’s Aulani resort.
He retired from Disney in early 2021 and was named a Disney Legend in 2024. Fans know him for his big earring collection and his habit of explaining exactly why a theme park works the way it does.
Why did Guardians of the Galaxy replace Tower of Terror?
Disney wanted Marvel at Disney California Adventure, and the old Tower of Terror building was the spot. The ride’s big drop system was staying, so whatever went in had to work with a ride that only goes up and down.
Spider-Man didn’t fit that. Rohde also pitched Doctor Strange, WDW News Today reported, but that idea was turned down because the character wasn’t considered popular enough at the time.
Guardians of the Galaxy won out. Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! opened May 27, 2017.
How fast was Mission: BREAKOUT! built?
Very fast. Rohde said the team had only a few months and a fixed budget, WDW News Today reported.
Reviews were squeezed, too. “You can look at it once before we start, and once before we build,” Rohde said.
He also said the team wasn’t sure the Rocket Raccoon Audio-Animatronic would be ready in time. It was. And there was still enough money left for the Halloween version, Monsters After Dark, which still runs today.
Why is Marvel hard to put in theme parks?
In the same LA Times interview, Rohde explained that Marvel stories are really about the characters and their personal drama, while settings come and go, according to a passage shared on X by Boardwalk Times.
That’s tricky for a theme park. Parks are built around places. The buildings and landscapes are what you spend your whole day in. So a brand that treats its settings as disposable is harder to turn into a land you can walk around in.
It helps explain why Marvel lands feel so different from, say, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is built around one planet.
Where is Spider-Man at Disneyland now?
Spider-Man got his own ride after all. WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure opened with Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure on June 4, 2021.
It’s a screen-based ride where guests sling webs with hand motions. No elevator drop required.
What’s next for Avengers Campus?
A big expansion is on the way. Avengers Infinity Defense and a Stark Flight Lab ride were announced at D23 in 2024. At D23 in August 2026, Disney gave both a 2028 opening, with no month set yet, Disney Food Blog and Deadline reported.
The expansion will roughly double the size of Avengers Campus and connect it to Cars Land.
Why can’t Disney World use Spider-Man?
It’s about an old contract. Universal’s deal for Marvel Super Hero Island in Orlando keeps Walt Disney World from using certain Marvel characters, including the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four families.
The Guardians aren’t covered by that deal. That’s why EPCOT could open Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in 2022, and why the Guardians keep showing up as Disney’s go-to Marvel team in Florida.
So Rohde’s elevator math in 2017 had a bonus. It pointed Disney toward a Marvel team it could use on both coasts.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
Los Angeles Times (Sept. 8, 2026), the original Joe Rohde interview
WDW News Today (Sept. 16, 2026), the Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, schedule, budget and Rocket details and Rohde quotes
Boardwalk Times on X (Sept. 22, 2026), Rohde’s comments on Marvel and place-making
Disney Food Blog and Deadline (Aug. 2026), the 2028 Avengers Campus expansion timing
Marvel.com (Aug. 10, 2024), the D23 2024 Avengers Campus announcement
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