You didn鈥檛 have to wait until showtime to feel that Marvel magic on Thursday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
An hour before Marvel Universe Live! burst into action onstage, the antics of a legion of excited fans, many dressed as their favourite superheroes, was an entertaining sideshow in itself.
鈥淚 grew up as a big Peter Parker fan, a big Spider-Man fan. It really stoked me back in the day,鈥� said Rory Gallacher, 38, a superfan whose brawny physique would turn the Hulk even greener with envy.
鈥淭his is like going to see聽a rock concert and a movie combined into one,鈥� said Gallacher, who drove聽down from Nanaimo with his family to see the show. He would return to the Harbour City later that night with his wife, Anika, wearing his red Spider-Man聽suit; son Odin, 7, dressed as Captain America; and daughter Oriah, 11, costumed as Thor, complete with a homemade version of the Norse god鈥檚 mystical hammer.
鈥淵ou get to see them in action, live and up front. Can鈥檛 wait.鈥�
The high-octane spectacle, replete with pyrotechnics, dazzling lighting effects, aerial stunts, wirework, motocross, big screen action and cheesy dialogue, unites 25 of the comic book empire鈥檚 superheroes. The crime-fighters include Iron聽Man, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Black Widow amid a quest to thwart the evil Loki鈥檚 plans to destroy the聽world using shards of the powerful Cosmic Cube.聽
The extravaganza attracted nearly 3,500 fans opening night, dominated by youngsters and tweens聽accompanied by parents passing down their聽own childhood enthusiasm for Marvel characters.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome being able to see their excitement for it too,鈥� said comic book aficianado Justin Skidmore, 23, attending with his wife Julie and their sons Samuel, 7, dressed as Iron Man, and Lucas, 5, decked out in a yellow superhero suit as Wolverine. 鈥淲hen I heard this was coming, I knew we had to take them. There鈥檇 be no ifs, ands or buts.鈥�
Even yellower, or so it seemed, was Andrea Chapman, abuzz with enthusiasm as she spread her wings as The Wasp. Her character, she explained to聽neophytes, was a founding member of The Avengers.
Chapman, 27, knows a thing or two about the Marvel world, being a member of Heroes Inc., the local troupe of volunteers who appear at fundraisers and other community events, often dressed as superheroes.
鈥淚鈥檓 getting older, but I鈥檓 a big kid at heart, and this lets you be a big kid forever,鈥� said Chapman, who didn鈥檛 skip a beat when聽asked to name her favourite Marvel character.
鈥淭hor!鈥� said Chapman, whose yellow boots and headset matched her wings that flapped furiously on the arena鈥檚 windswept outdoor square. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a god, after all.鈥�
For Stephen Perraton and his wife, Freya, bringing their family to Marvel Universe Live! was a way to celebrate their son Cal鈥檚 ninth birthday.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been collecting all the pieces for his costume and talking about it non-stop,鈥� said Perraton, whose聽son fashioned his supervillain Doc Ock costume from聽 duct tape and foam noodles.
Chris and Lisa McGregor also got into the act, sporting Marvel character T-shirts along with their children Tyler, 3; Hayden, 6; and Cassidy, 15.
The Colwood family, such fans they attended last Sunday鈥檚 Heroes Inc. West Shore Kids鈥� Day event in Langford, were pumped about seeing their favourite superheroes live, but haven鈥檛 yet seen The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e too young still,鈥� Chris said with a smile, eyeing his boys.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 quite convinced mom yet to allow that to happen.鈥�
Marvel Universe Live! continues today with shows at 1 and 5 p.m.
