Is Madripoor Based on a Real Place?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier visit Madripoor (above via Disney+), a place based on Singapore (below) Marvel has never been shy about inventing places for its characters. The X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe alone is home to a sprawling collection of fictional locales, such as the mutant nations of Genosha and Krakoa. One of the more grounded ones is the fictional principality of Madripoor. While Singapore also exists in Marvel's main Earth-616 continuity, Madripoor is widely regarded as a Southeast Asian metropolis inspired by the city-state. Madripoor finally made its live-action debut in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" in 2021. The Disney+ series portrays it as a neon-drenched cyberpunk metropolis, a visual composite of not only Singapore but also Hong Kong and other Asian megacities. Bucky Barnes describes Madripoor as “an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago" and "a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s.” In the comics, the riffs on Singap...
