Atlantis (Marvel)

Atlantis is an underwater city that features in Marvel Comics.

History

Origin

Atlantis

Some clamed it to be the hereditary homeland of the Inhumans. (Fantastic Four v1 #402)

Around 4,000 years ago, the surface world experienced devastation as a result of the Athens War. In this time, a small population of biracial hybrids emerged among the undersea kingdoms of Atlantis. This group consisted of children of Atlantean and Lemurians who had long been marginalised. However, calls for unity and equality emerged during a reconstruction period among the underwater cities. One persuasive voice emerged among the hybrid minority with this being a figure named Natlus. Those who were not swayed by his oratory skills were quickly crushed by the force he was able to wield. Through his mastery of sorcery, he was able to force himself onto the throne of Atlantis where he ruled it as their king. He came to be the first king of the Atlantis-Lemurian confederacy which reigned for nearly a century. In that time, he had attempted to unite the Atlantean and Lemurian races into one people rather than leave them as a divided race. However, the houses that held sway over both Atlantis and Lemuria rejected his efforts where they worked a slow, long and bitter campaign to return to the old ways. Fearing the progress he heralded, they could not accept the changes planned by King Natlus. Thus, they worked to turn the people against him where fear led to rebellion. Defeated, Natlus was placed in stasis and trapped within the Romanche Trench in a tomb where both Atlantean as well as Lemurian sigils warned against his release. In the aftermath, both underwater people attempted to erase him from history with future kings warning that if Natlus was ever freed then he would seek to conquer the deep sea kingdoms before turning his attention to the surface. (Giant-Size Fantastic Four v2 #1)

Modern

Following the formation of the new Squadron Supreme, the group decided to proactively eliminate threats in the world starting with Namor. This saw them attack Atlantis with the city being risen from the ocean and then destroyed by Hyperion after which Namor was killed for his actions during the Incursions. (Squadron Supreme v4 #1)

Afterwards, the spirit of the Atlantean people was broken due to the constant disasters that had struck their people with this only being exasperated during the Final Hosts attack on Earth and the death of a number of their race at the hands of the Roxxon Energy Corporation. In response, Namor had the Roxxon mercenaries captured and brought to Atlantis for execution but the Avengers intervened where they took them to the surface to face trial. Namor then came to see how the people were turning from him for his failure in protecting them and in response he decided to wage a war against the surface world. This saw him gather a group of undersea warriors where they formed the Defenders of the Deep as the Atlanteans prepared for a war against humanity for control over the oceans of the world. (Avengers v8 #9)

After the Phoenix incident, growing dissatisfaction came towards King Namor's rule leading to all the factions uniting against him which included his own Defenders of the Deep. This saw all of them challenging Namor for the coral throne and though he fought off many of the challengers the fight was interrupted by a mind controlled She-Hulk. She had been unleashed by the Russian government who had long been looking to destabilise the undersea society and turn public opinion against the Atlanteans. Part of this involved a covert attack headed by the Winter Hulk who was to sneak in a gamma bomb and detonate it in the capital to eliminate 98% of Homo mermanus in the process. (Avengers v8 #49)

Overview

It was also known as the Kingdom of the Seas. (Avengers v8 #49)

Locations at Atlantis included:

• Coliseum of the Bull Shark Matadors : situated in the mid-Atlantic ridge was a coliseum where fights were witnessed by the populace. (Avengers v8 #49)
• Deadzone : a series of undersea caverns outside Atlantis. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #7)
• Gates of Wonder :
• New Pangea : a province situated thirty-five nautical miles downwards in the Pacific Ocean with an Atlantean population of nearly a million. (Wolverine v3 #45)
• Temple of Ophion : place of worship for the followers of Ophion. (Secret Empire: Brave New World v1 #1)
• New Pangea : an Atlantean province that held a population of 943,021. (Wolverine v3 #45)

A notable location were the teeming reef gardens of Kamuu and the deepwater citadels of old Thakorr. (Avengers v8 #32)

The city was protected by an ancient serpentine dragon called Kala Teer who had defended Atlantis for centuries. It was noted to had preyed upon the Sirenas mer people. (Atlantis Attacks v1 #3)

An advisor in the arts of magic served the king with these individuals holding the title of Royal Logomancer. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #3)

When their monarch was away, a Council of Three acted as temporary rulers of Atlantis. (Defenders v2 #11)

Organizations that operated in Atlantis included:

• Atlantean Royal Family :
• Swift Tide :
• Defenders of the Deep :
• At'la'tique :
• Fathom Five :

The first Sub-Mariners of Atlantis sung salt hymns so ancient that it was said to had learnt from the Leviathans. (Avengers v8 #32)

A religious group among the Atlanteans was headed by the Abbot of the Abyss who was tended by his Octomonks. (Avengers v8 #32) The fundamentalist OctoPriests were a powerful bloc within Atlantean society. (Avengers v8 #49)

Members

• Immanu :
• Namor :
• Namora :
• Namorita :
• Attuma :
• Krang :
• Dorma :
• Andromeda :
• Orka :
• Dragonrider :
• Bloodtide :
• King Crab :
• Manowar :

Alternate Versions

• In Ultimate Fantastic Four v1 #24 (2005), an alternate version of Atlantis was shown to had existed in the Ultimate Marvel reality designated as Earth-1610 in the Multiverse. Atlantis was a continent in the mid-Atlantic that sunk centuries ago with the capitol city being left in ruins. When the Fantastic Four explored the area, they inadvertently awakened Namor from his tomb.

In other media

Television

• In The Marvel Super Heroes, Atlantis featured in a number of episodes in Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner series.
• In Fantastic Four, Atlantis was renamed Pacifica in the 1967 animated television series which appeared in the episode "Danger in the Depths".

Films

• In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Atlantis was replaced by Talokan in the setting of the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Millennia ago, a meteor from outer space, containing vibranium, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near the Yucatán. While the vibranium sank to the sea floor, it also affected some of the underwater plant life closer to the surface. In 1571, a Yucatán-Mayan tribe found themselves dying due to smallpox introduced by Spanish colonizers. Praying to a Mayan deity, one of the tribesmen was guided towards a vibranium enriched plant, which the tribe ingested. Waking up with blue skin and gills, they went into the sea to breathe, where their skin colors were restored.

Video games

• In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Atlantis appeared in the setting of the video game where Attuma had used mind control over its populace to take charge of it and displace Namor from the throne.

Appearances

• Fantastic Four v1:
• Avengers v8:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry

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