Madripoor
Madripoor is a country that features in Marvel Comics.
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History
Madripoor was a Pacific island nation that was located on Earth. (New Mutants v1 #32) The island was actually based on top of the back of a great dragon. (Avengers World v1 #1) It was claimed that the Madripoorian Royal Family were descended from Malay Pirates and that Prince Baran's personal museum held five centuries worth of plunder from pacific shipping. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #8)
During the 1600's, the Hand sought to claim the island as a base of operations due to its strategic position. They were opposed by Clan Yashida who embodied heroic ideals during these years with Renchi Harada managing to stop the Hand from their attempt at turning the island into a base. Afterwards, Clan Yashida were noted for abandoning any claims towards Madripoor. (Old Man Logan v2 #34)
In 1959, Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan were conducting operations in Madripoor when they received new orders from the U.S. President that wanted him to assemble a team of superbeings as part of the Avengers Initiative. The first recruit for the team was Victor Creed who joined the team as they set out gathering more members. (New Avengers v2 #10)
Agents of the Red Right Hand named the Mongrels came to Madripoor to track Wolverine where they burnt a room of Logan's memorabilia at the Princess Bar. (Wolverine v4 #4)
Project Rebirth dispatched Agent Venom on an assignment to Madripoor where he infiltrated a gathering of rich businesspeople in order to plant a tracker on an ULTIMATUM member. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #654.1)
Gorgon brought his Hand forces to Madripoor where he conducted a ritual to awaken the great dragon that lay dormant underneath the island. (Avengers World v1 #1)
Tyger Tiger attempted to end the drug and weapon trade in Madripoor to make the island nation more legitimate. Around this time, the mercenary Kimura was operating and wanted to establish her own criminal empire in the country but was opposed by its leader. This led to her attempting to brainwash X-23 and use her to assassinate Tyger Tiger. (All-New Wolverine v1 #16) The Yashida Corporations Regenix formula was later stolen from it and sold to the Crazy Thunder crime gang who took it to Madripoor. Gorgon and the Hand travelled to the island in order to acquire, replicate and perfected it. This brought him into conflict with Old Man Logan and the resurrected Mariko Yashida who sought to stop the spread of the formula for a regenerative healing factor. (Old Man Logan v2 #34)
In recent years, the island had faced a dangerous trade in the use of Mutant Growth Hormone with the Raksha band of vigilante Mutants fighting the activity. (X-Men: Blue v1 #6)
A trafficking wing later set up on the island that kidnapped girls who were put on a show called No Restraints Play on the dark web where people bid in order to perform unspeakable acts on the abductee. Tyger Tiger learnt of it and came to ask the assistance of the Black Widow in shutting this ring down. (Black Widow v7 #1)
Overview
It was also known as the City of the Shining Temple of the Hand. In reality, it was located on the back of a great dragon that was dormant underneath the waters. (Avengers World v1 #1) It was one of a whole host of islands that formed a natural barrier to the lowest point of the South China sea. Madripoor operated as a natural roadblock at the bottom of the strait of Malacca which separated Singapore from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Though most of the islands belonged to Indonesia, Madripoor managed to remain as an independent haven. (X-Women v1 #1)
Locations in Madripoor included:
- Princess Bar :
- Prince Baran Hospice for Motherless Waifs : founded by French nuns long ago in Lowtown. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #8)
- Royal Palace & Museum : (Amazing Fantasy v2 #7)
- Sovereign : a hotel. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #8)
- Futura Plaza : third tallest building in the Pacific Rim that was seen as being impenetrable by conventional means. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #654.1)
- King's Impresario Restaurant : (Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor v1 #1)
The country was divided in half with one side being the financial development centre that the locals called Hightown and the other being the historic district that was called Lowtown. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #8) It maintained a number of anonymous pads that it rented out to people for shuttle launches. (Hunt for Wolverine: Dead Ends v1 #1)
Madripoorians were strict on proper dress inside their temples with tourists in shorts or skirts being required to cover their bare legs with sarongs. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #9) It was claimed that the Madripoorian Royal Family were descended from Malay Pirates. When anyone of royalty died, a funeral procession was held where they marched the floats down to the main temple in Lowtown after which they set them all on fire. The deceased's body was consumed by the flames and it was held that their soul departed for heaven. Such events were seen as an excuse to have a large party as a celebration. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #8) The elaborate funeral pyres favoured in Madripoor drew their practices from certain Hindu sects in the Indonesian archipelago namely that a body following death returned to Pancamahabhuta before it met the supreme being. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #9)
It was a haven for pirates, crooks and other assorted lesser criminals. There was no extradition treaties making it the perfect neutral zone for the deadliest of enemies to sit down for comfort and security without having to worry about the authorities. (New Mutants v1 #32) Madripoor was held as the golden gateway between two worlds which were the free market and the black market. (All-New Wolverine v1 #16) The country was said to hold notoriously porous laws on adoption. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #11) It was home to the Bloodsport that was an underground tournament whereby contestants fought with one another and were able to kill one another in close-quarter combat. (Wolverine v1 #167)
After his time there, a group of Madripoorian Mutants formed a vigilante gang called the Raksha who honoured his legacy and knew him as Patch. (X-Men: Blue v1 #6)
Inhabitants
- Baran :
- Tyger Tiger :
- Norio : (X-Men: Blue v1 #6)
- Gazing Nightshade : (X-Men: Blue v1 #6)
- Whisper Doll : (X-Men: Blue v1 #6)
- Hexadecimal : (X-Men: Blue v1 #6)
Notes
- Madripoor was created by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha where it made its first appearance in New Mutants v1 #32 (October 1985).
Alternate Versions
- In WildC.A.T.s/X-Men #The Silver Age v1 #1 (1997), Madripoor appeared in the alternate reality setting during a crossover arc between Marvel and Wildstorm Comics. It was shown that the estate of Warren Worthington included a site on Madripoor known as Eagle’s Nest.
- In All-New Wolverine v1 #33 (2018), Madripoor was shown in a setting set several years in the future. For Laura Kinney's actions, she was rewarded by being declared Queen of Madripoor where she ruled the island and looked after its inhabitants with Honey Badger taking over the mantle of Wolverine.
In other media
Television
- In Marvel Anime, the island of Madripoor was shown in the Blade segment where he mentioned it as a lawless area where the police or government did not tread. Locations included Lowtown, Hightown and the prestigious Dragon Palace. It was said to be one of the few spots where Humans had no fear of Vampires with people regularly killing others on the streets. Mother Mantis as a gang that operated from Lowtown that attacked both Blade and Wolverine before driven off.
Film
- In Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, Madripoor was the site of the Leviathan weapon sale of their Bio-Soldiers to various parties to incite world conflict with the event headed by Orion. Both Black Widow and the Punisher tracked the sale to the site with the Avengers arriving to help stop Leviathan.
Video games
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Madripoor appeared in the setting of the Facebook video game. In "Chapter 10 - Strength of Fear", Count Nefaria led the Maggia into forming an alliance with the Hand at Madripoor to use the country as a base for the conquest of K'un-Lun.
- In Marvel Heroes, Madripoor was a setting in the MMORPG with it being referred to as the underbelly of the world. It was under the control of the Hand until Madame Hydra and her HYDRA forces fought the Hand to claim it.
Appearances
- New Mutants v1:
- Wolverine v1:
- Amazing Fantasy v2:
- New Avengers v2:
- Avengers World v1:
- All-New Wolverine v1:
- X-Men: Blue v1:
- Old Man Logan v1:
- Black Widow v7:
External Links
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