COSI welcomes largest Marvel exhibit

Iconic comics come to life this November

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COSI will step into a new world in November – the Marvel world. Columbus’ renowned center for hands-on science-based learning will become the next home for the traveling exhibit Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.

Marvel: Universe of Super-Heroes is the single largest exhibition celebrating the Marvel Universe and has prompted much attention at previous stops. The exhibition’s combination of thrilling artifacts and interactive installations will bring the Marvel Universe to life Nov. 6 through May 30, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.

Visitors will be able to explore more than 300 artifacts, many of which have never been on display before this traveling exhibition. As guests tour the showcase, they can get a closeup look at original concept sketches. Fans can also expect to see the authentic costumes worn by superheroes like Black Panther and props used in the blockbuster movies.

This is not your typical sightseeing exhibit – interactive features are incorporated as well. Attendees can travel through the mysterious mirror dimension of Doctor Strange and put the capabilities of Iron Man’s armor to the test in Tony Stark’s lab. Fans can bring their cameras to pose for selfies alongside life-size, iconic figures like Black Panther and Spider-Man.                          

Marvel: Universe of Super-Heroes is a landmark exhibition for its documentation of the company’s visual and cultural impact. The show offers visitors an understanding of how Marvel’s content parallels pop culture and demonstrates how the stories respond to historical events as well as topics such as gender, race and mental illness.

COSI President Frederic Bertley says the Marvel exhibition highlights that ordinary people are indeed superheroes.

“The really cool thing about the Marvel superheroes is they’re all, quote-unquote, ordinary people with flaws,” Bertley says. “You can relate with the different characters. Like Peter Parker: He’s a guy who wants to approach this girl, but he can’t figure it out; he’s kind of a nerdy, geeky guy. How many of us have gone through that? So, people can really connect with the characters.”

That connection between heroes and everyday people helps Marvel’s exhibit appeal to all ages, Bertley says.

“Anybody who walks into this (exhibit), from a little kid to a grandma or grandpa, can identify with some character there,” he says. “It really is a diverse and inclusive superhero catalog.”

The Marvel exhibit benefits from a curatorial team that included scholars Benjamin Saunders, Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan. Ann Nocenti, an editor of New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men, and Danny Fingeroth, part of the editing group of Spider-Man comics, also contributed. That blending of academic and industry knowledge has earned the exhibition praise for fully capturing the awe of the Marvel world.    

Visit Marvel: Universe of Super-Heroes at COSI Nov. 6 through May 30, 2022. COSI is open 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays. Admission into the exhibit is $15 for the general public and $13 for COSI members. To reserve your tickets in advance and for more information, visit www.cosi.org.

Juliana Colant is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.