Stark Flight Lab was first announced during the D23 fan event in August 2024, where it was described as an experience in which park guests will "sit in two-person pods and deploy to a test station" after which a robot arm will pick up the pod and whirl riders around in a simulated flight. It was also announced at the event that Robert Downey Jr. will be reprising his role as Tony Stark for the attraction.[2] At South by Southwest in March 2025, it was mentioned that Walt Disney Imagineering worked with dancers to help choreograph the movement of the robot arms through motion capture.[3]