Marvel opens Madripoor website featuring (now removed) X-Men references

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Marvel has opened an in-universe tourism website for Madripoor, the fictional island seen in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and fans have quickly noticed it contained several Easter eggs referencing X-Men characters. However. those references have seemingly been removed. 

ComicBook.com (reported by IGN) was quick to spot the new Explore Madripoor website, which first began appearing on banner adverts on other Marvel sites. Fans soon discovered areas of the site could be unlocked using passwords, including one area that listed ships in Madripoor's Buccaneer Bay docks from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 3.

Some of the names ships' names were direct references to characters from the X-Men, including Mystique, who previously appeared in Fox's X-Men movies and had been a member of Magento’s Brotherhood of Mutants. The name Draken, Wolverine’s son in Marvel comics, was also spotted, as was the sentient island Krakoa. Some none-X-Men characters were also referenced, including Shang-Chi, who has a film debuting later this year. 

At the time of writing, it appears the website no longer includes ship names referencing X-Men characters. Perhaps those Easter eggs were a little too much, especially with such high anticipation of the X-Men joining the MCU since the Disney and Fox merger?

The introduction of Madripoor in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was already enough to get fans to start theorizing. In Marvel comics, Madripoor has huge connections to the X-Men comic books and significance to other characters we haven't seen yet. It could be a while before we see mutants in the MCU, but with the inclusion like that, it’s hard to not they’ll appear sooner than later.

The Madripoor website is still worth a visit, even with the now removed X-Men references. There are other Easter eggs, including wanted posters for the show's main characters, phone and desktop wallpapers to find, and CCTV footage clips giving a different angle on the show's action scenes. You can access the Buccaneer Bay area using the password "powerbroker" and the Hightown Nightclub section using "sharoncarter".

For more show-related Easter eggs, check out the ones spotted in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 3

Stephanie is a comic book historian and pop culture critic for publications including SYFYFANGRRLS, Marvel, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, Den of Geek, and Rotten Tomatoes. Stephanie is also a comic creator with three ongoing webcomics, Parenthood Activate!, But What If Though?, and Living Heroes. She made her Marvel debut with a short story featuring Monica Rambeau in Marvel’s Voices: Legacy. She recently made her DC Comics debut in Wonder Woman Black and Gold #2 and is co-writing the Nubia and the Amazons miniseries.