There was a lot to like in the Super Bowl trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but one thing that a lot of people might have missed might hint at the arrival of the X-Men.
The trailer opens with the therapy session, but then it moves to a city that looks bright and dangerous. For comic book fans, the city was instantly recognizable as Madripoor.
Here is what you need to know.
Madripoor in Falcon and Winter Soldier
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier trailer, Madripoor was where a lot of the fighting action seemed to take place.
It was also where Baron Zemo was with the people he was working with. This makes sense as a new location in the MCU.
In the comics, Madripoor was an island in Southeast Asia, just southwest of Singapore. It was once a haven for pirates and a lawless community.
There are two parts of Madripoor. One is where the extremely wealthy are set up (Hightown). The other is one of the poorest communities in the world (Lowtown). The country is also known for refusing to extradite any criminals to countries where they are wanted for crimes.
This makes Madripoor a base for the vilest of humans and one of the most dangerous places in the world.
It is a perfect place for Falcon and Winter Soldier to go to deal with criminals like Baron Zemo, although they have to keep it on the down-low.
Madripoor in X-Men comics
Madripoor was created in the mutant Marvel comic book series New Mutants in 1985 (issue #32).
While the New Mutants was where the island was introduced, it was most known for one of Wolverine’s favorite places to live. He actually lived there under the assumed name of Patch and felt at home in this lawless community.
Mystique (a villain in the comics) also set up a base of operations in Madripoor where she built her own criminal empire.
In more recent books, former X-Men member Kate Pryde still goes there on a regular basis for back-alley dealings with her mutant team of the Marauders.
Madripoor in current Marvel Comics
So, what does Madripoor have to do with Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
This island is not just about the X-Men.
In recent issues of Captain America, Cap went to Madripoor with his allies Falcon, Winter Soldier, Peggy Carter, Sharon Carter, and more to take the fight to a group called the Power Elite, which was sheltering on the island.
This group included Red Skull, Crossbones, and other Captain America villains. While the island is part of Cap’s comic book world now, and that ties into the new Disney+ series, the fact that it also houses mutants like Wolverine could open the chance to finally bring him into the MCU.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres on March 19, 2021, on Disney+. There will be six episodes in the series.