The Principality of Madripoor or Madripoor is a fictional island appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The island is depicted as being located in maritime Southeast Asia, and has appeared mostly associated with stories from the X-Men series. Based on illustrations, it is in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca between Singapore and Sumatra. Madripoor has made several appearances in Marvel-related media, such as the Marvel Anime franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021). Publication history Madripoor first appeared in The New Mutants #32 (October 1985). It was created by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha. Madripoor was featured heavily in the Wolverine solo series (starting 1988). Penned by Chris Claremont and artwork by John Buscema. Madripoor received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #4. History Madripoor is a fictional location apparently modeled on Singapore. They are both wealthy maritime Asian island port nations at a strategic location with a single major city. However, Madripoor is not Singapore itself, as Singapore exists in the Marvel Universe as well, including the comics explicitly stating Madripoor as it being an island south of Singapore. Also distinct from Singapore is that Madripoor is divided between a Hightown and Lowtown, places which are wealthy and crime-stricken respectively. X-23 and Gambit once chartered a boat from Singapore to Madripoor, showing that they are both distinct locations. Its capital and single large city is also called Madripoor. Madripoor was once a haven for pirates, and that tradition is somewhat continued today with its lawless quality. The principality does not allow other nations to extradite criminals. However, it is one of the business capitals of the Pacific Rim, with its own Trade Center. Other locations of note in the Central Business District are the Bank of Hong Kong and the Bank of Malaysia, luxurious Sovereign Hotel, and the Prince's Palace, said to rival Versailles. During World War II, Baron Strucker and The Hand attempted to obtain a young Natasha Romanova, and were opposed by Captain America and Logan. An attempt was made to conquer the nation by China. General Lo Chien attempts an invasion using modern and mystical weaponry but is stopped by the ad-hoc 'Heroes for Hire' group. The nation was taken over by HYDRA with Madame Hydra as de facto ruler, using the nation to finance terrorist plots