Why New York City Has So Many Marvel Superheroes

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Whether in the comics or in the MCU, a surprising number of Marvel superheroes are based in New York City. Comic book readers have long argued about which is the better franchise when it comes to Marvel and DC. In reality, of course, there are more similarities between the two publishers than there are differences - not least because writers tend to move between the Big Two. But one of the most striking differences is that DC's superheroes tend to be based in fictional locations and fake DC cities - such as Metropolis, Gotham, or Star City - while Marvel's heroes principally operate in real-world locations.

They're particularly associated with New York City. Spider-Man patrols out of Queens, the Fantastic Four can be found around Yancey Street, the X-Men started out in Westchester, Daredevil keeps Hell's Kitchen safe - and that's just the start. It's become something of a joke in the comics themselves, with numerous supervillains attempting to move out of the city so they can operate without risk of superhero interference (and typically running into a superhero on vacation, or one of the few super-teams based elsewhere). The 2006 Civil War comic book that inspired the MCU's Captain America: Civil War appropriately ended with the two sides of the superhero divide clashing in Times Square. The MCU hasn't been quite so focused on New York, but a surprising amount of action still takes place there. Why is that the case?

From an out-of-universe perspective, the answer is simple; when the Marvel Universe launched in 1962, its creators - especially Stan Lee - were keen to set it in "the world outside your window." He encouraged his writers to base their adventures in the real world that they knew so well; because Marvel was based in New York, its writers living there, that naturally meant most of its heroes operated in the Big Apple as well. This swiftly became key to Marvel's success, because the various Marvel heroes team up frequently. The comics have since attempted to diversify a little, mostly by suggesting there are countless superheroes operating across the entire world whose adventures simply haven't been told.

Looking to the MCU, the majority of Marvel's superheroes have been American - and, as in the comics, they've had strong ties to New York. Steve Rogers grew up in Boston, Spider-Man patrols the city just as he does in the comics. Tony Stark ran a number of high-profile projects around New York, including the Stark Expo and Stark Tower, which ultimately became the base of the Avengers; he then gave them a new headquarters in upstate New York, which became known as the Avengers Compound. Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum is also found in New York and has become a staple of the city. But, while New York has a recurring presence in the MCU, other films have been set in different locations - from Washington, DC (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) to San Francisco (Ant-Man). Marvel Studios know they're trying to reach a much wider audience than Lee ever dreamed of back in 1962, and they need to convince everyone these films are set in the world outside their windows as well.

The MCU's Phase 4 slate is international in scope, with The Falcon & the Winter Soldier introducing the island nation of Madripoor and Black Widow traveling the globe. And that's only the beginning, with Shang-Chi heading to countries the MCU has never explored before; Thor: Love & Thunder is heading back to Tønsberg, Norway, while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will revisit the fictional African nation. With all these and more on the way, the MCU is set to grow far beyond New York City.

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