SPOTTED: We Found an ICONIC Character in These NEW Epic Universe Construction Photos

Things are getting epic.

©Universal

We’re just months away from Epic Universe opening at Universal Orlando. The brand-new park, the resort’s third full theme park overall and first in that category since Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, is scheduled to debut sometime in 2025. As that date moves closer, construction photos have revealed Universal designers putting the final touches on many of the rides and attractions that populate the park’s “portals.” In fact, we just caught a glimpse of one of the most highly anticipated ride elements.

One of Epic Universe’s cornerstone “portals” is scheduled to be the Isle of Berk, based on the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. The major attraction is scheduled to be the Hiccup’s Wing Gliders roller coaster, based on the franchise’s two main characters. According to Universal, this coaster is themed as the “latest contraption” from Hiccup’s workshop, a “winged flying machine that launches aspiring Dragon Riders into the air, swooping and soaring and encountering Hiccup and Toothless along the way.”

Now, thanks to theme park extraordinaire @Bioreconstruct on X (formerly Twitter), we’ve gotten our clearest look yet at Toothless — the main dragon of the franchise — on the Gliders attraction.

A wider view. Aerial photos of Toothless in the launch building are as challenging as getting photos of lightning! pic.twitter.com/2cFoC0XiQF

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) September 14, 2024

The character is located at the coaster’s launch. It’s unclear if Toothless is a full animatronic, though we would imagine that’s the case.

©Universal

In addition to the Wing Gliders coaster, the “village populated by rugged Vikings and rambunctious dragons” at the center of the Isle of Berk will also feature the Fire Drill boat ride, the Dragon Racer’s Rally flat ride, the Untrainable Dragon live show, the massive Viking Mead Hall restaurant, the Viking Training Camp play area, and meet & greets with characters from the franchise, inducing LIFE SIZE dragons.

©Universal

The How to Train Your Dragon-themed Isle of Berk is one of the most highly-anticipated parts of Epic Universe, and now we’ve had a look at where one of the film series’ most popular characters will appear in the land. Stay tuned to AllEars for further Epic Universe updates.