The Falcon and the Winter Soldier only showed some of the horrors that come with Madripoor. Things can get much worse.
Episode 3 of season 1 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier took us to Madripoor. One of the most dangerous places in all of comic books, a good way to describe Madripoor is to think of Las Vegas, remove all of the social contracts, laws, and add more violence than you can handle. There are even some villains that won’t venture there. That’s Madripoor in a nutshell.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a good adaptation of it. It looked dirty, grimy, and kind of glamorous all at once. It also highlighted that, for the right price, you can get anything you want. Sometimes it’s something as easy as finding a place to stay. Or, as you saw in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, you can even get a drink with the innards of a snake floating around in it.
That’s only some of what you can expect in Madripoor in the Marvel comics. Let’s take a look at some of the other dangers that come with the territory.
Reason No. 1 Marvel characters should avoid Madripoor
Logan is known worldwide. He’s saved and killed people at each corner of the globe. In Madripoor he goes by a few names. Among them is Patch. Logan’s secret identity, Patch is essentially him with an eyepatch. Not the greatest way to hide, but it works. How it works no one knows.
No matter what Wolverine is there for, he’s going to get into a fight. He’s a violence magnet. If you’re anywhere in that city, it’s possible that you’ll accidentally get stabbed, cut or saved by Wolverine. And that’s not even the scariest thing that can happen here.
Reason No. 2
One of the many rulers of Madripoor was Wolverine’s ex-wife Viper (yes, Logan was married to her). She’s uncaring, unforgiving, and vicious. She rules with an iron fist and has more than a few ways to kill you. She’s been Madame Hydra, so she can get you with Hydra. Or, she can kill you with one of her many toxins. Some of them are strong enough to kill Sabretooth.
How or why could you end up being killed by her? It could be mistaken identity. Maybe you look like someone she’s after or hates. The sad part is it could be simpler than that. She could just be bored or you’re in her way. You could just be impending her progress for more than a second and she’ll poison you. Like this writer said, she’s uncaring and many Marvel characters have experienced that firsthand.
Reason No. 3 to avoid Madripoor
Here’s the most likely scenario. You’re going to the bank, walking down the street, or laying in your bed, next thing you know you’re tied up in front of a bunch of goons because someone wants to rule Madripoor. It could be any of the dozens that think they’re good enough to be the top dog. Then, the heroes have to step in. Normally, teams like the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four stay away unless things get too bad. Even then, it’ll most likely be someone like Wolverine, Jessica Drew, Nick Fury, Echo or Daredevil.
Reason No. 4 to avoid Madripoor
There are tons of illegal fighting rings in Madripoor. Sometimes they’re voluntary (Storm and Calisto were in one), other times there are tournaments to see who the best fighter in the world is. Wolverine, Taskmaster, and Mr. X have all participated in them. The audience is usually the rich and elite of the world.
There’s also those who are unwilling participants. You don’t even have to have power to be part of it. You could be used as bait, a preliminary bout, or entered into a twisted game created by the owner. These are all possibilities. There’s also the chance that you’re experimented on and given powers or mechanical enhancements to make a fight more “interesting”.
Seriously, just avoid Madripoor
Long story short, take Madripoor off your list of vacation destinations. You may think that this is a good idea, but, as you can see, it isn’t. Anything can happen in Madripoor – that includes being eaten by a giant reptile. It’s even worse than Gotham City (at least they have Batman!).
In conclusion, if you’re at a resort that offers trips to Lowtown, Madripoor, here’s some free advice: Don’t go!
Would you venture to Madripoor if you were a Marvel Comics character? If so, what’s the first thing you’d do and what would you avoid? Let us know in the comments below!