A Museum Exhibit

Spider-Man – Beyond Amazing is the newest museum exhibition at Union Station in Kansas City, MO, promising to be a blast for all ages. Union Station has a large exhibition area in its lower level, and they bring in big exhibits on a yearly basis (give or take). I make my best effort to attend all of them that I can whenever they come into town. This one, chronicling the rise and success of everyone’s favorite “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”, is somewhat atypical for the sort of things they usually get, but it’s been three years since they had one specifically for children; the last being Dinosaur Road Trip in 2020.

Union Station; Kansas City, Missouri

The exhibit is comprised of movie memorabilia, original artwork from the production of the iconic comic books, photo ops, and a kid’s area for children to create Spider-Man-related artwork. Overall, one should be able to get through the exhibit in about an hour, assuming you stop and read all of the placards.

Background:

I assume everyone knows who Spider-Man is, but just in case, there’s a link to Wikipedia.

From the main webpage for the exhibit:

“Brought to you by Marvel Entertainment and Semmel Exhibitions, Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing tells the story of the web-slinger from his origins in 1962 to his modern-day adventures through original art, interactive displays, photo ops and more. Since his inception six decades ago, Spidey has become one of popular culture’s greatest icons, inspiring creators around the world. The wall-crawler’s image is synonymous with the modern Super Hero, and generations of fans have fallen in love with his unique look, aspirational heroism, and universal message of great power necessitating great responsibility.”

Reading:

I usually try to buy an official book that boils down to being a commemorative version of what you just saw (something most big exhibits have), but there was nothing like this here, unfortunately. The exhibit’s gift shop did contain all manner of toys, books, and clothing from Marvel, but none of it was related directly to the exhibit. Personally, this was a shame and for the first time I did not buy anything in the giftshop.

There are plenty of books out there based on the history of Spider-Man, but the one that is somewhat similar in “vibe” to the exhibit is MARVEL Spider-Man: A History and Celebration of the Web-Slinger, Decade by Decade from 2022.

“From the comic page to the big screen and beyond, Spider-Man has thrilled fans for generations. Since swinging onto the scene in 1961, in the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the world’s most famous wall-crawler has captivated the world, starring in millions of comics, over twenty different films and animated series, numerous blockbuster video games, and one Broadway show, as well as appearances in countless other mediums.”

The Trip:

I went to this exhibit on a Saturday, and it wasn’t too busy. Sometimes weekends are a bad call with these Union Station exhibits, a prime example being when I visited their 2021 Auschwitz exhibit, but this one was pretty calm. The rest of Union Station, however, was packed full of people standing in front of doors and at the bottom of the escalator, so that was super-fun. I bought my tickets online, and I always recommend that versus going to the cash office, because we were in and enjoying the museum in no time at all.

Conclusion:

I am going to be completely honest here and say Spider-Man – Beyond Amazing at Union Station Kansas City was somewhat disappointing due to how expensive it was ($24 a ticket for an adult). It was at least as expensive as the aforementioned Auschwitz exhibit, and that was a two hour affair with a high-tech tour guide device that was honestly one of the best museum experiences I’ve ever had. In contrast, this was a quick run-through with a series of photo ops and merchandise that lacked the sophistication of previous exhibits. Yeah, I guess the big boogieman of INFLATION can be blamed, but I feel a lower price would have drawn more children and families. There was no introductory video, very few multi-media installations, a general lack of museum artifacts, no official exhibit merchandise, and more. With children in mind, this was pretty exciting for my son, and likely that focus is why this one fell short for a seasoned museum-goer as myself, but I just expected more.

See More:

For more content like this, check out my History Tour page HERE, this includes a number of older entries for previous Union Station exhibits.