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'Marvel Universe Live' takes stunt heroes on the road

Brian Truitt and Carly Mallenbaum
USA TODAY

FAIRFAX, Va. — Madison Embrey has a lot of respect for fellow actress Cobie Smulders these days.

While Smulders takes care of S.H.I.E.L.D. secret agent Maria Hill in Marvel Studios movies such as The Avengers, Embrey brings the character to life all across the country, for kids and adult fans alike, in the touring production Marvel Universe Live!

The show, which premiered in August, plans to hit more than 80 cities in two years with a spectacle of favorite Marvel heroes and villains, 3-D projections, a massive set that takes 29 trucks to move from town to town, and a whole heap of stunts.

"Every single day is so fun. I don't have a day that I come to work and I'm not excited for my job," says Embrey, 22, during a recent tour stop at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University. (Fans can get tickets for upcoming shows in Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and other locations at MarvelUniverseLive.com.)

In the story, Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America and other heroes scour the globe to piece together the Cosmic Cube and thwart the nefarious plans of the evil Loki. The goal is to encompass "not necessarily what we know from just television or the movies but the entire Marvel Universe and bring in greater elements to do something in a live show that's never been done," says company manager Randy Foster.

USA TODAY reporter Brian Truitt rides with performer Madison Embrey at "Marvel Universe Live!,"  a touring production with stunts and live entertainment featuring Marvel Comics superheroes.

To accomplish that, a cast of aerialists, stunt fighters and drivers, motorcycle artists, martial artists, gymnasts and dancers perform as various characters, including the Hulk. Yes, Foster admits, "we have an 8-foot jolly green giant."

Embrey, a native of Lake Angelus, Mich., and a recent graduate of Pace University's dance program, happened to be taking a stage-combat class at the same time as Marvel Universe Live! auditions last year.

In the show, her Maria Hill drives a S.H.I.E.L.D. car, hops from the driver's seat and onto the hood of another vehicle, and has just enough time to buckle up before it flips over and explodes. By that point, she's already back on her feet and punching alien Chitauri.

Her dance background serves her well for those fight scenes, Embrey says. "It's all about being in your body and understanding movement and how to work with other people."

While her action is on the ground, her co-star Joe Dennis, 24, is mainly in the air as Spider-Man's villainous foe, the Green Goblin.

USA TODAY's Carly Mallenbaum on the Goblin Glider at Marvel Universe Live! , a touring production with stunts and live entertainment featuring Marvel Comics superheroes.

He researched his masked role by reading a lot of comic books, says the Orlando native, "but I do bring my own intensity and personality to it."

Dennis says his favorite moment is when he gets to push Spider-Man off his Goblin Glider 26 feet in the air. (Don't worry, folks — Spidey's all right and actually ends up underneath the Glider to foil his arch-enemy once again.)

Not surprisingly, it's a sequence that usually elicits a lot of boos from the live crowd.

"I get kids saying, 'No, Green Goblin, Spider-Man's going to beat you!' It's fun to see that they're really into the show," Dennis says. "My job is done when they do that."

Embrey usually gets a different reaction when her night of superheroing is done.

"I always have a moment where I see a little girl or a little boy and I salute to them," she says. "You just see their eyes light up and they salute right back to you. It's so rejuvenating, every show."

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