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Flip through 32 Marvel-ous images from this super exhibit

For a look at everything from rarely seen vintage comic books to modern movie props, including Black Panther's suit, get yourself to Seattle.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Gael Cooper
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1 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Read all about it

Head to the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle for the Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes exhibit, running until Jan. 6, 2019. (Not in Seattle? The exhibit will travel, but its schedule is not yet known.) The 10,000-square-foot, two-level exhibition chronicles nearly eight decades of Marvel history.

The exhibit begins with a recreation of an old-fashioned newsstand, the first place many Americans discovered comics. As headlines of famous events such as the moon landing light up on a screen, related comic books with that same theme are also shown.

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2 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

3D daze

The exhibit includes vintage photos from the early days of comics, including a brief affair with 3D.

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3 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Early days

The Fantastic Four were concerned about the Commies back in the day.

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4 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Take that, Hitler

From the start, Captain America wasn't afraid to take on America's enemies.

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5 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Wakanda forever

Okoye, T'Challa and Shuri pose together in a section of the exhibit devoted to blockbuster hit Black Panther.

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6 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Black Panther on the prowl

Chadwick Boseman's costume from the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther is on display, along with costumes worn by Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Shuri (Letitia Wright).

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7 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

What a warrior

Here's a close-up of the Black Panther costume worn by Danai Gurira as Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje, the all-female special forces of Wakanda.

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8 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Year of the cat

The costume and panther gauntlets wore by Shuri (Letitia Wright) in Black Panther are on display next to Boseman and Gurira's costumes.

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9 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

I am Groot

The Guardians of the Galaxy are well-represented in the exhibit, with this Groot bust a favorite.

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10 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Rocking out

Peter Quill plays his Awesome Mix on this Walkman in Guardians of the Galaxy.

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11 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Absorb a look at the Orb

The Orb, a major plot point in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, is on display near Peter Quill's Walkman.

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12 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Iron Man times three

Three very different Iron Man suits stand next to each other in a display.

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13 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Suit up

The Mark 42 armor, known by its code name "Extremis" or as the "Prodigal Son," is on display next to two other Iron Man models.

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14 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Time to react

The Arc Reactor from the 2010 film Iron Man 2 is on display.

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15 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Transformer

The Mark V Iron Man Armor Briefcase, from Iron Man 2, flips between armor and briefcase for convenient transport.

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16 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Hammer time!

Mjolnir, as wielded by Chris Hemsworth as Thor in 2012's The Avengers, is on exhibit, but fans can't test their skills by picking it up -- it's inside a case.

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17 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Back in black

The batons used by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are on display along with one of her costumes.

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18 of 32 Jonathan Pulley/Museum of Pop Culture

Star-spangled look

A close-up of the Captain America costume worn by Chris Evans in 2012's Avengers: Age of Ultron.

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Strike a pose

This Spidey figure is ready for a selfie with you.

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Reading buddy

Settle in on this couch and snap a selfie with The Thing.

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Reading material

There's an inside joke in the title of the book The Thing is reading.

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22 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Baby, he's a Star

Chris Pratt's Star-Lord costume from Guardians of the Galaxy is on display.

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23 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Hooked on a movie

Gamora and Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy share a display case.

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Historic kiss

Exhibits display how comics tackled social issues of their time. In 1977, Misty Knight and Iron Fist shared what might be the first interracial kiss in a superhero comic.

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Ready to fight

A costume Scarlett Johansson wore as Black Widow.

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Feel the fury

Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury costume isn't really in the same case as Iron Man -- that's a reflection of another exhibit in the glass.

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Holy cow

The battered sweatshirt Mike Colter wore when Luke Cage was shot in Netflix's Luke Cage is on display.

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28 of 32 Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Head on

If you ever wondered if Cate Blanchett's impressive Hela headdress from Thor: Ragnarok was CGI or real, here's your proof.

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Lost love

A grim panel from a tough moment in Daredevil's life.

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So strange

Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Strange costume is displayed in a dazzling hall of mirrors.

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Can you guess whose scary image hides behind this wall? Hint: Nicolas Cage would know.

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Rock the vote

At the end of the exhibit, visitors can vote for their favorite Marvel character (or at least from the selection presented in the machine). That character then shows up on a television set in a nearby display case to thank you for your vote.

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