Seoul sent 2,000 drones into the Halloween sky for a Marvel show tied to Avengers: Doomsday. A clip of Tony Stark turning into Doctor Doom is already making the rounds online.
Seoul just gave Marvel fans a Halloween light show that’s hard to top.
The city’s last Han River drone show of 2026 was a Marvel special, set for Saturday night, Oct. 31, at Ttukseom Hangang Park on Seoul’s east side.
The Korea Herald and Korea Times reported 2,000 drones would fly Iron Man and other Marvel heroes over the river for about 15 minutes, starting at 8:30 p.m. local time. That was 7:30 a.m. Eastern.
By Saturday morning in the U.S., clips were spreading.
Scott Gustin shared one on X that shows a giant Tony Stark shifting into Doctor Doom. “The Marvel drone show in Seoul is ... insane?” he wrote. As of Saturday afternoon, his post had about 1,600 likes.
Why is Marvel doing a drone show in Korea?
It’s all about Avengers: Doomsday. The Walt Disney Company Korea announced the drone show along with Marvel Run Korea as part of the lead-up to the movie, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
South Korea gets the movie early.
Avengers: Doomsday opens there and in Britain on Wednesday, Dec. 16, two days before it hits U.S. theaters on Friday, Dec. 18.
Before the drones went up, the park had a photo spot styled after Doctor Doom’s throne and stained glass, the Korea Herald reported. There was also a costume parade, event booths and a social media giveaway with merch for the first 1,000 people.
Which Marvel characters were in the Seoul drone show?
Iron Man got top billing in the city’s announcements. Korea JoongAng Daily also named Thor and Doctor Strange. Comic Basics, a fan site, reported that early looks included a giant Thanos holding the Infinity Gauntlet.
The Tony Stark to Doctor Doom moment is the one fans are talking about. In case you missed it, Robert Downey Jr. played Iron Man for more than a decade. Now he’s back in the Marvel world as Doctor Doom. So the drones basically did the casting announcement in the sky.
How big are Seoul’s Han River drone shows?
Big, and getting bigger. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has run the Han River light shows since 2023.
About 197,000 people turned out for seven shows through Oct. 9 this year, the city said. That’s an average of about 28,000 a show, up from about 11,000 in the first year.
The city also said card spending at nearby businesses jumped 39% on show days. Spending by foreign visitors’ cards shot up 402%.
Disney’s been part of the act before. A Star Wars show flew 2,000 drones over Jamsil Hangang Park on Children’s Day, May 5, according to Stars and Stripes Korea. Earlier in April, a BT21 show, featuring the characters BTS created with LINE FRIENDS, lit up Yeouido.
Jo Seong-ho, who heads Seoul’s tourism and sports bureau, called the drone show a top nighttime tourist draw, according to Herald Business. He said he hoped it would give people a wonderful memory of an autumn night.
Was it really the biggest Han River drone show?
The Korea Herald called 2,000 drones the most used for a Han River show. The Star Wars show in May used the same number, so it’s fairer to say Marvel tied the record than broke it.
Either way, it’s a lot of drones. Seoul planned extra safety staff and more subway trains for the crowd, and warned trains might skip Jayang Station if it got too packed. The show could be changed or canceled for wind or rain.
Will Marvel do a drone show in the U.S.?
Nothing’s been announced. Disney does love a sky show, though, and Avengers: Doomsday still has seven weeks of hype ahead of it.
For now, Korea got the first look. Fans in the U.S. will have to settle for the clips, and for counting down to Dec. 18.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Korea Herald (Oct. 26), show details, photo zone and drone count
Korea Times (Oct. 26), venue, time and 2,000 drones
Korea JoongAng Daily (Oct. 29), Disney Korea, characters and release date
Herald Business (Oct. 25), season figures and the city quote
Stars and Stripes Korea (April 8), earlier 2026 shows
Comic Basics (Oct. 31), the Thanos drones
Scott Gustin on X (Oct. 31), the drone clip
Marvel Entertainment, Avengers: Doomsday trailer
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