In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the so-called normal people are often nonessential. We get in the way, we muck things up, we need help, we get turned to dust and in the case of last year's "WandaVision," we mortals exist mostly to be playthings for those with powers. Disney California Adventure's Avengers Campus aims to flip the script. Superheroes, they're just like us, the land argues. They get captured, they need our help, they make mistakes and sometimes they just have to do dreary, daily work.

This morning I walked through a new land at Disney California Adventure -- the first proper space dedicated to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in one of Disney's North American parks -- and what I remember most is a moment of silence, a collective pause clearly dedicated to the late Chadwick Boseman, the star of "Black Panther." Avengers Campus, opening Friday in Anaheim, boasts a new interactive ride and a glossy, silver airship. But what truly contrasts the land with others in the Disney parks is its devotion to theater, its embrace of the present and its lack of fear of the so-called "real world." Here, you may not mind standing in lines for food or rides -- or maybe you'll mind a little less -- because you might catch the royal female guards from the world of "Black Panther." When the battle spear-equipped warriors known as the Dora Milaje make an entrance, it's safe to say audiences will stop and pay attention.