A guest “pileup” was reported at Disneyland Paris Resort on Wednesday when guests rushed to meet the latest character to debut at the park. The introduction of The Thing in Avengers Campus at Walt Disney Studios Park quickly turned into crowd chaos, with some guests ignoring the established queue in favor of trying to get the perfect selfie.
On July 23, Disneyland Paris Resort surprised visitors by unveiling The Thing, also known as Ben Grimm, to coincide with the release of Marvel Studios’ latest film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). The oversized character was positioned at a selfie spot in Avengers Campus at Walt Disney Studios Park rather than in a traditional meet-and-greet area. Instead of the one-on-one experience that fans are used to, this setup allowed guests to take photos with the character in a group setting.
Things are about to heat up around here! Starting today, Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, is heading to Marvel Avengers Campus for a limited time only. Catch The Fantastic Four: First Steps at cinemas now!
#DisneylandParis #DisneyParks #TheFantasticFour #MarvelAvengersCampus
Things are about to heat up around here! Starting today, Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, is heading to Marvel Avengers Campus for a limited time only. Catch The Fantastic Four: First Steps at cinemas now!#DisneylandParis #DisneyParks #TheFantasticFour #MarvelAvengersCampus pic.twitter.com/J9HB8ksYag
— Disneyland Paris EN (@DisneyParis_EN) July 23, 2025
The Thing’s arrival led to significant crowding, as the selfie-style encounter quickly became more hectic than the European Disney park had anticipated. As countless guests ignored the designated line, visitors had to contend with the overwhelming crowd for a quick photo op with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character.
“The Thing selfie spot is pure Disneyland Paris chaos with Guests piling up around the area instead of the queue,” said @DLPReport on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Many are also frustrated that this is not a traditional meet and greet. On the bright side, due to cinema release window in France, we are getting this super cool character first!”
The Thing selfie spot is pure Disneyland Paris chaos with Guests piling up around the area instead of the queue. Many are also frustrated that this is not a traditional meet and greet.
On the bright side, due to cinema release window in France, we are getting this super cool… pic.twitter.com/lANH1IWKUz— DLP Report (@DLPReport) July 23, 2025
It’s still unclear whether Disneyland Paris Resort will adjust the setup for The Thing’s remaining appearances. For now, it seems that the character’s selfie spot will remain.
Guests hoping to meet The Thing won’t have to wait long to enjoy the Marvel experience at other Disney parks around the world. Starting July 25, Disneyland Park in California will host all members of The Fantastic Four, along with their trusty robot assistant H.E.R.B.I.E. Hong Kong Disneyland will also be introducing The Thing and Invisible Woman beginning July 23. As with Disneyland Paris Resort, the appearances at these parks will be for a limited time only.
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