Marvel's Most Dangerous Places That Haven't Been Explored in the MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn't even begun to scratch the surface of Marvel's most dangerous places. Until the 2000s, Hollywood generally considered comic book adaptations to be a waste of time. Nowadays, of course, everyone knows better; those adaptations - and particularly DC and Marvel superhero films - are the biggest business going.

Marvel Studios has seen the greatest success, with the MCU grossing over $8.5 billion in the global box office over the last 11 years. And yet, in spite of the fact Marvel has embraced everything from Asgardian gods to Celestial beings, the MCU has been surprisingly conservative when it comes to exploring the most dangerous corners of the Marvel Universe. So far, Earth-bound adventures have largely been set in real locations, with Avengers: Age of Ultron's Sokovia and Black Panther's Wakanda serving as the only exceptions.

That means the next decade offers Marvel a real chance to expand their world, introducing new concepts and dangerous ideas. Here are some of the key ones the studio should consider, in order of just how dangerous they really are.

Magneto's Atlantic Island

Found in the Bermuda Triangle, Island M is potentially the real reason for all those legendary disappearances. The ancient city upon the island predates human civilization, and it's generally believed to have been home of a demonic cult who worshiped the Elder God Ch'thon. These monstrous beings possessed enormous power, but they were ultimately banished from this plane of existence; the dark acts they performed have created a spiritual taint on Island M, meaning anyone who sets foot there can sense that it is evil. Some accounts have suggested Island M sank beneath the waves, but was somehow raised from the ocean depths by Magneto, who claimed it as his base. He used the crystalline technology contained within the island to enhance his powers and threaten the entire planet; the X-Men tracked him down with difficulty, with Island M's magic interfering with Xavier's Cerebro technology, and almost paid a fearsome price to stop him. There have been hints some of Island M's buildings are ancient prisons, still containing ageless wraiths within them. Incredibly in spite of the place's troubled history, the X-Men have decided to settle it as a second secret mutant nation.

The MCU looks to be headed in a supernatural direction, with Phase 4 featuring Doctor Strange 2 and the introduction of mystical heroes such as Black Knight, Blade the Vampire Hunter, and Moon Knight; there are rumors Marvel is developing ideas for Ghost Rider down the road as well. Given that's the case, Island M would fit perfectly, a sinister and supernatural location that could be at the center of any dark enchantments.

Madripoor

Next up is the island nation of Madripoor, a tax haven that's rife with criminality. Best described as the Mos Eisley Cantina of Marvel Comics, Madripoor is the number one place where the world's scum and villainy can hide out in safety. The main city is divided into two sections, representing the severe wealth divide on the island; Hightown is home to some of the world's richest wheeler-dealers, the likes of Kingpin and Wolverine's lover Tyger Tiger, while the downtrodden Low Town is one of the poorest places in the world. In a surreal twist, Jonathan Hickman's Avengers run added to Madripoor's reputation by revealing the island is actually the back of a dragon in an enchanted sleep; the creature was briefly awoken by the Hand, wreaking havoc, but was put back to sleep. Unlike other locations in this list, Madripoor really does look set to be coming to the MCU sooner rather than later. Set photos from the Falcon & the Winter Soldier TV series for Disney+ have included a shot of a garden with the royal flag of Madripoor in it.

Monster Isle

Situated near Japan in the Okhotsk Sea, Monster Isle was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and appeared in the classic Fantastic Four #1. The volcanic island was created millennia ago Warlord Kro, the immortal ruler of an evolutionary offshoot of humanity known as the Deviants, and it is known for a unique mutagen called "Rodan gas." This has transformed Monster Isle's ecosystem into one known for various monstrous creatures - hence the hardly original name. Monster Isle was discovered by the Mole Man, who made it his base of operations until he was defeated by the Fantastic Four; it's technically now the property of Doctor Doom, who won it from the Mole Man. Monster Isle has been a staging post for several alien invasions, who have taken advantage of its inhospitable reputation. There's a chance Monster Isle could appear in this year's Eternals, which will introduce both the Eternals and the Deviants, their natural enemies. Given both the Deviants and any of their bases would largely be CGI, it's no surprise indicative set photos have hardly been forthcoming.

Latveria

Latveria is one of the most infamous places in the entire Marvel Universe. It is the home of Victor Von Doom, one of Marvel's greatest scientists and most powerful sorcerers. Doom is an absolute tyrant, and while he cares passionately for his people, he rules them with an iron fist. Latveria has frequently suffered due to Doom's insane schemes and has been invaded several times by enemies seeking to arrest Doom as a war criminal. At present, Latveria's international relations are strained, particularly with the fictional Eastern European nation of Symkaria. It's possible Latveria will make its MCU debut sometime in the near future, given the film rights for the X-Men and the Fantastic Four have reverted to Marvel. Noah Hawley's Doctor Doom, commissioned by Fox prior to their purchase by Marvel, appears to be in limbo now; it will be interesting to see what Marvel has in store for Doom.

Weirdworld

Weirdworld was originally a mystical sword-and-sorcery dimension, but it was transformed in the aftermath of 2015's Secret Wars event, in which the entire Marvel Multiverse collided together. When the dust settled, Weirdworld was located on Earth, a floating island that hovered in the Bermuda Triangle. It immediately became a major aviation hazard, with a passenger plane crashing into the island within minutes of its materialization. Weirdworld is inhabited by a wide range of mythical creatures and mystic beings, who vie to overthrow their enemies and rule it. Various Marvel heroes have visited Weirdworld, usually for particularly ill-advised adventures, and Dane Whitman - aka the Black Knight - found himself drawn there in order to fulfill his ominous destiny.

Weirdworld may seem like quite an esoteric concept to add to the MCU, but it actually has immediate potential. Kit Harington will be introduced as the MCU's Dane Whitman in Eternals, while Phase 4 looks set to embrace the Multiverse. The Doctor Strange sequel bears the intriguing title Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it's assumed the story will be at least partly inspired by the classic House of M event, in which Wanda Maximoff rewrote reality. That could potentially lead to the creation of the MCU's Weirdworld.

The Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane

Situated in New York City, the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane has a dark history. As revealed in Frank Tieri's Ruins of Ravencroft series, the grounds were originally home to a dark tribe who worshiped Knull, God of the Symbiotes, and who committed gruesome acts of cannibalism and human sacrifice. The cursed ground has been the site of many tragedies, including the death of the original Captain America in the American War of Independence. Finally, and possibly in the aftermath of a forgotten Skrull invasion, Silas Ravencroft had it transformed into a place for treating the criminally insane. Unfortunately, Ravencroft was unwise in choosing his associates, and over the decades Ravencroft has been associated with everything from the X-Men villain Mr. Sinister to the Weapon X Project that would go on to create Wolverine. Jonas Ravencroft's journal has convinced SHIELD's mysterious replacement that it's the most dangerous place on Earth.

The Ruins of Ravencroft series has been tremendous, but unfortunately, this is an arc that can't be reproduced on the big screen. Ravencroft is actually strongly associated with Spider-Man, and it's reasonable to assume its film rights sit with Sony, not with Marvel; indeed, a leaked contract from 2014 definitively named Ravencroft as a Sony property. The relationship between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures has seemed rather fractious of late, so it's doubtful the two studios could come to an agreement over sharing Ravencroft.

The Savage Land

Finally, there's the Savage Land, a hidden prehistoric realm found in Antarctica. Created millennia ago by the alien Nuwali in order to observe evolution in action, the Savage Land is still protected by ancient alien technology to this day. The Savage Land has its own ecosystem, and is mostly inhabited by creatures that would have long since been considered extinct; it's also home to a number of pre-human tribes, as well as refugees from the sinking of Atlantis. The Savage Land is easily the most dangerous location on this entire list, not least because of the advanced technology hidden within it, that has been used by villains such as Magneto and the ruthless sorceress Zaladane, and it's one of the few places on Earth where it's possible to mine Vibranium. It's become something of a truism that nobody lands in the Savage Land, they always crash and wind up stranded. Iron Man 2 included a scene in which Tony Stark raided his father's belongings, and they included a map of Antarctica, which is generally seen as a Savage Land Easter egg. Beyond that, however, the MCU is yet to reference the Savage Land.

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