New Epic Universe characters revealed: Vincent Various, Captain Cacao, and more

_{Updated March 13, 2025; original version published March 6, 2025.}

Who is Vincent Various?

We don’t know very much about the mysterious new character—at least not yet—but what we do know is that he’s an explorer who has converted his workshop into a collection of stores in Celestial Park, including one called Sensorium Emporium. With Vincent’s shops located at the park’s entrance, we expect them to serve a similar storytelling purpose as Port of Entry at Islands of Adventure.

But what will Sensorium Emporium be like?

Naturally, the word “emporium” conjures visions of The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen at Universal CityWalk and its purveyor, Professor Doctor Penelope Tibeaux-Tinker Toothsome who, upon returning from traveling the world in a Dirigible airship with her robot Jacques, decided to create the world’s foremost chocolate emporium… as one does. The gears in the Sensorium Emporium logo also echo Toothsome’s steam-punk aesthetic.

Or perhaps, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, where the less-than-upstanding Hogwarts caretaker profits from the collection of items he’s “liberated” from students.

Considering Celestial Park is themed to astronomy and mythology, one can only imagine the fascinating items an explorer and collector like Vincent Various will stock on his shelves.

The story of Celestial Park

Universal Epic Universe employs a hub-and-spoke design, with portals to the park’s four immersive worlds accessible from Celestial Park. But unlike hubs at Disney castle parks, which do not offer storytelling of their own, Celestial Park has a tale to tell about celestial bodies and the mythological creatures they represent.

In addition, if you haven’t already heard, the Chronos at the entrance to Universal Epic Universe has aligned and created energy that’s caused all the portals to open.

Celestial Park characters

In addition to Vincent Various, Kathrynn Digenova, senior show producer for Epic Universe’s park-wide entertainment, revealed on the “Discover Universal” Podcast, that Celestial Park will have many new characters who will interact with guests and advance the storytelling.

“[The characters] will also give a kind of context of the ‘why,'” Digenova said. “Like why do we have Pizza Moon?”

“On [The Hemisphere Stage], we have these travelers who have been through the portals,” Digenova explained. “They’ve brought the sights and sounds of those portals back with them and they’ve come together to create a ‘musical moment’ to talk about what they’ve seen and experienced.”

Another character will be collecting sound to create energy, so guests will be able to interact with that character and participate in creating energy for Celestial Park.

Celestial Park attractions

Stardust Racers (Minimum Height 48″) – A dual-launch racing coaster that sends guests rocketing through the skies aboard comets at speeds up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet. Among Stardust Racers’ unique maneuvers is the “Celestial Spin,” where the two vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air.

Constellation Carousel (No Height Requirement; Children under 48″ must be accompanied; Hand-held infants not permitted) – Family-friendly carousel where riders board constellations that glide forward, backward – and even make 360-degree rotations – through the milky way.

Astronomica – An interactive water play area that also doubles as a giant compass pointing to the worlds of Epic Universe.

Celestial Park dining:

Atlantic Restaurant and Aquaria Bar – A full-service restaurant set inside a Victorian aquarium where illuminated fish swim above as diners enjoy a menu featuring seafood and steaks.

The Blue Dragon Restaurant and Tiger Bar – Diners will enjoy a menu of authentic Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes in this full-service restaurant featuring neon dragons that race across the walls.

Celestial Park will also offer dining at The Oak & Star Tavern (a quick-service barbecue restaurant near the portal to Dark Universe) and Pizza Moon (a quick-service pizza spot near the portal to Super Nintendo World).

In addition to Vincent’s emporium, Celestial Park will be the location of the Nintendo Super Star Store and Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets, a shop run by Maya the Explorer (another new character), and an adorable bear named Captain Cacao.

According to his “bio,” Captain Cacao is a chocolate bear and Maya the Explorer’s navigator. Together, they are “constantly scouring the cosmos for new candies and confections to share with Celestial Park.”