Universal Canceled 2 BIG Projects for Islands of Adventure

We love Universal Islands of Adventure as it is today, but the original plan for the park had some major differences.

Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure was originally going to be Cartoon World, where each land was based on a cartoon IP. And in those early days of planning, the park had two attractions on the docket that never came to be!

Marvel Super Hero Island is a somewhat contentious land in the eyes of many theme park fans, since Disney now owns the rights to Marvel. But the die-hards know that decades ago, Marvel made a deal with Universal to use the comic characters in Islands of Adventure. That deal existed long before Disney owned the rights to Marvel and started building the MCU.

The contract with Universal put certain stipulations in place for the use of Marvel characters in theme parks. The Mississippi River serves as a boundary of sorts, meaning that at the time of the deal, use of Marvel characters in theme parks was only open to locations west of the river. Universal Orlando had exclusive theme park rights on the east side of the United States.

(This also means that any characters that are used in Islands of Adventure cannot appear in Disney World. Hence, why EPCOT can have the Guardians of the Galaxy featured, but not the X-Men or Avengers.)

So what does all this have to do with the history of Islands of Adventure? Well, originally, Universal was seeking the rights to put DC comics superheroes in this park, NOT Marvel. This entire land could’ve been very different.

Universal attempted to get the rights to DC Comics and was in negotiations with Warner Bros. to do so, but that deal ultimately fell through. After Universal chose Marvel instead, the DC rights ended up going to Six Flags.

But before the plans were scrapped, two DC Comics-themed rides were pitched. And honestly? It looks like they would’ve been pretty awesome!

Get the Rundown on Islands of Adventure Here!

Superman at the Daily Planet

The first of the two rides was set to be a motion simulator attraction showcasing the adventures of Superman/Clark Kent at The Daily Planet. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the ride it ultimately did become was The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, which has a very similar premise.

Concept art for the proposed Superman attraction – Universal/Goddard Group

The concept art for the ride shows a similar style of ride vehicle, as well as a newspaper headquarters ride building. I bet the creatives were glad that the Spider-Man theme fit so easily into this mold!

See the Full List of Islands of Adventure Attractions Here!

Batwing: Batman vs. The Penguin

The other proposed attraction was a dueling track roller coaster, where guests could choose between the side dedicated to Batman or the side dedicated to The Penguin. Depending on which side you chose, you would either walk through the Batcave and board the Batwing or walk through Penguin’s lair and board the PenWing.

Concept art for the proposed Btaman/Penguin coaster attraction – Universal/Goddard Group

Honestly, this one sounds like it would’ve been pretty cool! Universal Islands of Adventure did end up getting a dual-track coaster in the form of Dueling Dragons, which was closed in 2017 to be replaced by Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

The original exterior of the Dueling Dragons coaster ©Universal

So there you have it — the original plans for Islands of Adventure! Marvel Super Hero Island seems to have worked out well for the company, though DC Comics certainly would’ve been cool.