I can't help but Marvel at new theme park

I am a Marvel Comics fan, particularly The X-Men. I spent a big chunk of my youth following the weekly adventures of Cyclops, Storm, Jubilee, Jean Grey and Professor X.

It may prove a controversial statement, but I think Marvel has produced the best superheroes - and in Wolverine, Spider-man and The Hulk, the top three.

DC Comics, of course, has Superman and Batman, but, for me, they don't come close.


So, you have probably guessed that I am pretty excited at the news that the MARVEL Adventure theme park is going to open in Dubai next year.


Fortunately, I have a young son, so when I turn up every Friday I can just tell people that he's a big fan and I'm  a good father for giving up my day off to keep him happy.

Of course, he'll only be two and a half by then, but I'm pretty confident I can pull it off.


However, there is another reason why I'm excited by the proposed theme park. That is because it shows that confidence is growing again.


Much of the landmark developments the UAE is famed for - the Burj Khalifa, the Palm Jumeirah,...etc - have their roots in the boom days of the country before the world spiraled into trouble in 2008.


Since then, projects have been completed but new ideas have been few and far between.


MARVEL Adventure, though, shows that big dreams are returning to the UAE and once again investors see potential. That can only be a good thing as any economy is reliant on confidence to grow.


Of course, ambition - and greed - are what dragged the world into the state it is now in.


However, we have to hope that lessons have been learned by investors, firms and governments and that mistakes won't be repeated, well at least not in the new future anyway.

Simon Pluckrose is Head of News at Al Sidra Media LLC, which publishes 7DAYSinDubai.com, 7DAYSinAbuDhabi.com and 7DAYS newspaper