Marvel exhibit opens Saturday at the Franklin Institute

"Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes" opens Saturday at the Franklin Institute. This is the exhibit's East Coast debut and has content not seen at its first stop in Seattle. Anticipation is high.

Franklin Institute President and CEO Larry Dubinski exclaimed, "We have already sold 40,000 presale tickets. That's the most presale tickets we've sold to any exhibition over the last decade."

We got a sneak peak from Chief Curator Ben Saunders, a professor at the University of Oregon. There are numerous galleries showcasing props, costumes, and original, hand drawn pages from key moments in Marvel history, some of them where characters first appeared.

Saunders expounded, "That means there's a period in human history where this was the only drawing of Ant-Man in existence."

We took a close look at an original, hand drawn cover from Amazing Spider-Man #122. It shows details you couldn't see in a reproduction.

Saunders pointed out, "You can see how the artist, John Romita Sr, penciled and inked this but has gone in with a sharp tool probably a knife or a scalpel and taken these tiny little divots to make these motion lines."

Right nearby, sits Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin mask from 2002 and Tom Holland's Spider-Man suit from 2017. In another room, you see the Kree costume worn by Brie Larson in the 2019 blockbuster Captain Marvel. There are also commissioned sculptures like Black Panther.

The evolution of characters over time, like Ironman, provides another glimpse of history.

Saunders explained, "The designs reflect ideas about fashion, ideas about style. They reflect ideas about politics of the era."

Take it from Saunders, "If you are a Marvel fan- this is paradise."

This exhibit runs the gamut. You can see the level of detail behind the glass, but there's also many moments casual observers will enjoy.

The exhibit begins Saturday and runs through September 2nd.