'VisionQuest' returns to Madripoor, key Marvel location absent for five years

'VisionQuest' episode 6 returns to Madripoor, revisiting city previously seen in 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'

Marvel’s VisionQuest has returned to Madripoor in episode 6, bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) back to the Southeast Asian island state for the first time in five years. The location previously appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

In the episode, Vision and Lisa Molinari travel to Madripoor by cargo plane to rescue Tommy, who has been kidnapped by Paladin.

After a confrontation with Paladin, the pair face Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar, a bounty hunter working for the mysterious Client. During the ensuing fight, the Client arrives to deliver a message to Vision.

The episode also reveals the purpose of the nanobots when Jocasta transforms Lisa into an android under her control, raising questions about how she might use billions of the machines.

Madripoor first appeared in Marvel Comics in a 1985 issue of New Mutants, created by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha. The fictional principality is an island state in Southeast Asia, with its central city known for organised crime and its lawless environment.

The city has a long history in Marvel comics, with characters including Wolverine, Steve Rogers’ Captain America and Bucky Barnes visiting it in different periods.

Madripoor is divided into the wealthy Hightown, where secret societies and warlords compete for influence, and the poorer Lowtown, populated by smugglers and criminals. Its lack of extradition treaties also makes it a haven for wanted figures.

In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes and Baron Zemo travelled to Madripoor while investigating the Flag-Smashers’ access to a version of the Super Soldier serum. Sharon Carter was subsequently revealed as the city’s Power Broker.

Madripoor also appeared briefly in Deadpool & Wolverine, with a variant of Logan seen at a casino. However, VisionQuest largely features a single street, leaving much of the location’s comic-book history unexplored.

VisionQuest is streaming on Disney+.