An Atlanta Man Turned a Marvel Movie Prop Into His Own Backyard Airbnb, but a Run-in With the Law Nearly Derailed the Entire Project
The MCU experience.
An Atlanta real estate agent is turning a Marvel movie subway car into a backyard Airbnb, but a run-in with local officials nearly derailed the project. Christopher Rich bought the subway car, which appeared in Hawkeye and Agatha All Along, for just $5,000 at a Marvel Studios warehouse sale in November 2024. After months of delays and a surprise court appearance, the one-of-a-kind rental is taking shape and could welcome its first guests by October.
According to PEOPLE, Rich spotted the subway car at a warehouse sale where Marvel was clearing out props after moving much of its production from Atlanta to London. The car, which had been used in multiple Marvel productions, immediately stood out to him.
“The moment I saw it, my mind started racing,” he said. “Please don’t be sold. Please don’t be sold.” It wasn’t. After negotiating the price down from $10,000, he walked away with the prop for half that amount. “I have to be one of the first people ever to put a subway car on their American Express card,” he joked.
At first, Rich wasn’t sure what he’d do with the subway car
“Only after the purchase did I begin asking myself exactly what those specifics would be,” he admitted. Eventually, he settled on turning it into an Airbnb, giving guests the chance to spend the night inside a piece of Marvel history. “I wanted people to have an experience they couldn’t really get anywhere else,” he said.
The project has been slow-going. Life got busy, and the subway car sat in his driveway for months while he waited for permits. Last week, workers poured the concrete slab foundation where the car will permanently sit, and this week, it’s scheduled to be moved into place. The remaining work should take about three months. “Design-wise, I feel like it’s more important to focus on an authentic subway experience with just a hint of superheroes,” he explained.
He plans to restore the set of three subway seats where Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop sat during a Hawkeye scene, returning them to their original orange, yellow, and red color scheme. When guests ring the doorbell, they’ll hear, “Stand clear of the closing doors, please!”
The project hasn’t been without its challenges
While the subway car sat in his driveway, an anonymous neighbor reported Rich to DeKalb County, leading to two court appearances. “I’ve always been a rule follower,” he said. “Owning a subway car and needing somewhere to store it kind of forced my hand to break a rule.” Fortunately, county officials were understanding. “They always said their goal was getting residents into compliance, not running up fines or legally going after people,” Rich said.
The second court appearance ended with a memorable moment. When the solicitor explained why he was there, the judge smirked and said, “I can honestly say I’ve never heard that one before.” Rich paid a $250 fine, including court costs, and moved forward with the project.
Before the legal trouble, the subway car had already gone viral online. Months before Rich realized it, a woman driving by his house filmed the subway car in his driveway and posted the video online. It eventually made its way to a New York City Instagram account with over 1.2 million followers, where it quickly gained traction. “I had no idea this happened until months later,” Rich said.
“I was sharing my subway car on Reddit when someone commented, ‘I saw a video where someone had a subway parked in their front yard … that had to be you!’” The attention didn’t surprise him, though. “We live in an ‘everyone is 10 or 20 seconds away from going viral’ world, and this is a pretty out-of-the-box concept,” he said. “So it makes sense that it resonated.”
The online reaction has been overwhelmingly positive
“I’d say about 90% of the comments have been positive and about 10% negative, which has honestly been a huge encouragement,” Rich said. “I’ve had so many people say things like, ‘This is so cool. I can’t wait to see what you do with this. You’re going to crush it.’” Not everyone has been supportive, though. The train enthusiast community has been particularly divided.
Some commenters insist the subway car is a modified R62, while others argue it’s an old Chicago CTA train or even a prop built from scratch by Marvel. New Yorkers have also chimed in, pointing out that the seats are blue – they were painted for Agatha All Along – and that the car itself is shorter than a real MTA subway car (it’s cut in half for easier transport). “The train community is alive and well,” Rich said. “And boy, are they divided.”
Despite the mixed reactions, Rich has been encouraged by the support from current and former MTA employees. “A handful of MTA folks have messaged me and said they loved it,” he said. “They’ve given me great feedback and told me they were going to show all their MTA friends.” He’s also heard from plenty of New Yorkers, who have mostly been supportive and full of suggestions for making the experience even more authentic.
The project is expected to cost between $100,000 and $125,000 by the time it’s finished. Rich believes the experience will be worth every dollar. “So much of what happens in Hollywood happens inside studios where the public never gets to go behind the scenes,” he said.
“People will be able to sit where the superheroes sat, stream Hawkeye while they’re staying inside the subway car and realize they’re literally inside part of the production. Where else does that kind of opportunity exist?”
(Featured image: marveloussubway on TikTok)
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