Features of the Marvel Universe

The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. The following lists detail many of them.

Places

Certain places feature prominently in the Marvel Universe, some real-life, others fictional and unique to the setting; fictional places may appear in conjunction with, or even within, real- world locales. A majority of dystopian cities have been used for their characters since the creation of Marvel Comics in the Marvel Universe.

New York City

Most of the action of Marvel Comics takes place in New York City.

New York is the site of many places important to superheroes:

Atlantis (1913 film)

Atlantis is a 1913 Danish silent film directed by August Blom, the head of production at the Nordisk Film company, and was based upon the 1912 novel by Gerhart Hauptmann. It starred an international cast headlined by Danish matinée actor Olaf Fønss and Austrian opera diva Ida Orloff. The film was the first Danish multi-reeled feature film. The story, which tells the tale of a doctor who travels to the United States in search of a cure for his ailing wife, includes the tragic sinking of an ocean liner after it strikes an object at sea. Released only one year after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the movie drew considerable attention as well as criticism due to similarities to the actual tragedy.

The high production costs for Atlantis were not equaled by box office returns at that time. However, the film went on to become the most watched film for Nordisk Film and has been hailed by film historian Erik Ulrichsen as a Danish masterpiece and "one of the first modern films."

Atlantis (DC Comics)

Atlantis is depicted as a real location in the fictional DC Comics Universe. The very first DC Universe version of Atlantis debuted in Action Comics #18 (November 1939), and was created by Gardner F. Fox and Fred Guardineer. Other versions appeared in various DC comics in the 1940s and 1950s, including the version in the Superman group of books in which the mermaid Lori Lemaris resides. Aquaman's version of the city, the most prominently featured version in the company's line, first appeared in Adventure Comics #260 (May 1959), and was created by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon. All versions are based on the mythical island of Atlantis first mentioned in Plato's initial dialogue, the Timaeus, written c. 360 BC.

Publication history

One of the earliest mentions of Atlantis occurs in Action Comics #17, in a "Zatara the Magician" story. The city was visually depicted in the following month's "Zatara" story in Action Comics #18.

The city appeared in several DC comics of the 1940s and 1950s in conflicting depictions before a more consistent portrayal began with an "Aquaman" story in Adventure Comics (vol. 1) #260, in a story by writer Robert Bernstein and artist Ramona Fradon, based on the real-world mythology of Atlantis.

Jack (1996 film)

Jack is a 1996 American comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Fran Drescher, Bill Cosby, and Brian Kerwin. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Williams plays the role of Jack Powell, a boy who ages four times faster than normal as a result of a disease, Werner syndrome, a form of progeria.

Plot

The movie begins with Karen Powell (Diane Lane) going into labor during a costume party and being rushed to the hospital by her husband Brian (Brian Kerwin) and their friends. Although the delivery is successful, the baby is premature, born after only ten weeks of pregnancy, and is diagnosed with an exaggerated form of Werner syndrome (an aging disease) as stated by Dr. Benfante (Allan Rich) and Dr. Lin (Keone Young). According to them, as this very rare autosomal recessive disorder progresses, Jack Powell will age at a rate four times as fast as normal children due to his internal clock that seems to be developing faster.

Ten years later, Jack (Robin Williams) is next seen as a 10-year-old boy in the body of a 40-year-old man, with a group of four boys telling possible stories of a "monstrosity" of a boy their age that cannot go to school. He scares them away by dipping a fake eye into slime and throwing it at them from his window. He is extremely childish as a consequence of his secluded life. He has only had contact with his parents and tutor, Lawrence Woodruff (Bill Cosby), who introduces the idea that he should go to public school. His parents initially balk at the idea of their son going there because he could be emotionally hurt.

Mangifera caesia

Mangifera caesia is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. Common names include jack, white mango, binjai (Malay language), wani (Balinese language), yaa-lam (Thai language), bayuno (Filipino language) and mangga wani (Cebuano language). It belongs to the same genus as the mango and is widely cultivated in areas of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, Kerala and the Philippines.

Plant description

These are restricted to lowlands about 400m to 800m, requires rainfall. It is found rare in forests and abundant in marshy places. Grows up to 30 m (100 ft) tall with a dense crown of round-shaped leaves. The flowers are purple or pink, 0.7 cm long with five sepals. The fruit is a large, edible, elliptical drupe 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long and 6–8 cm (2–3 in) wide. The skin is thin and brown with darker patches, and the flesh is yellow-white, mushy, and strongly odorous with an acid-sweet or sour taste. The binjai is believed to originate from the island of Borneo, but is commonly grown elsewhere for its edible fruit. The tree is one of the most common and valuable Mangifera species in western Malaysia, where it is cultivated extensively in orchards. It is also widely grown in Bali, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Jack (chacma baboon)

Jack (died 1890) was a chacma baboon, who attained a measure of fame for acting as an assistant to a disabled railroad signalman in South Africa.

History

Jack was the pet and assistant of paraplegic signalman James Wide, who worked for the Cape Town-Port Elizabeth Railway service. James "Jumper" Wide had been known for jumping between railcars prior to an accident where he fell and lost both of his legs. To assist in performing his duties, Wide purchased the baboon named "Jack" and trained him to push his wheelchair and to operate the railways signals under supervision.

An official investigation was initiated after a concerned member of the public reported that a baboon was observed changing railway signals at Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth.

After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. The baboon was paid twenty cents a day, and a half-bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railroad, Jack never made a mistake.