Integrating AI with External APIs: Building a Marvel MCP Server

"Ever wish your AI assistant could tap into external APIs, fetch live data, or interact with tools beyond its built-in knowledge? That's exactly what the Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables. MCP is a standardized way for AI systems to discover available tools, send them inputs, and get back results in a consistent format. It's a powerful way to extend what AI can do-especially for things like making API calls or querying databases, which models can't do on their own."

"To make this real (and fun), I put together a Marvel-themed MCP server. It acts as a bridge to the Marvel API, letting you pull in data about characters, comics, and more-perfect for giving AI apps some superhero flair. Now, I realize that unless you're working at Stark Industries, you probably won't be using Marvel data in your day job."

MCP standardizes tool discovery, input submission, and result retrieval so AI models can call external APIs and invoke tools they cannot access natively. A Marvel-themed MCP server provides tools that interface with the Marvel API to fetch character and comic data, enabling AI systems to incorporate real-time content and actions. The Marvel MCP server serves as a practical blueprint for building API-connected MCP servers and demonstrates integration with developer tools like Claude Desktop and GitHub Copilot in VS Code. The project includes source files such as src/index.ts to set up the MCP server and handle requests. The approach shows how standardized tool calls can supercharge model capabilities for dynamic, externally aware applications.

Read at Codewithdan