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The Himalayas are a mountain range in the Indian subcontinent, which separates the Indo-Gangetic Plain from the Tibetan Plateau. The mountain range spreads between Nepal, an independent country, and Tibet, which is part of China. This mountain range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on Earth, including the highest above sea level, Mount Everest.

History

Ancient Times[]

The Himalayas became home to an early hominid which would later be known as the Yeti. They survived in this region for millions of years.[1]

Humans began settling in the region thousands of years ago. One such group founded Kamar-Taj is an isolated community in the Himalayas near what is now Tibet. Kamar-Taj has long been home to sorcerers and mystics. It is the main home of the Ancient One and the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth.[2] Other settlements include Lhasa[3] and the fabled Shangri-La.[4]

The Himalayas is also a nexus for a couple of dimensions such as the mystic portal which connects to K'un-Lun,[5], and the portal to the realm of Kalahia.[6]

20th Century[]

In the 1920's the Bride of Nine Spiders was a patron of the Lightning Lords of Nepal, and fought Orson Randall[7]

An explorer discovered Gorgolla in the Himalayan Mountains. Gorgolla awoke and captured him, then summoned his Stonian brethren to begin their attack on Earth.[8]

Hunter Frank Savage explored the Himalayas on one of his journeys. There, he was warned by villagers not to enter Nightmare Valley, but ignored their advice. Once he entered the valley, he was attacked by living trees. The trees revaled themselves to be aliens that planned to conquer the planet. Although they left Frank to drown in quicksand, he was saved by one of the villagers he had ignored before.[9]

Adventurer Carl Hanson was obsessed with finding the Abominable Snowman, causing him to make a terrible miscalculation and use a cursed picture of the beast (which he stole) to search for him. The result was that Carl himself slowly became the Abominable Snowman as he searched for the real thing.[10]

A doctor from the United States answers the call from a Tibetan lama but when he arrives is told there will be no payment. He must cross burning coals and face the dangerous half-gorilla, half-lion Gorlion. He passes the lama's tests, but finds the lama is not suffering from disease, merely dying of natural old age. The lama alters the man's appearance to that of an Asiatic mystic and transfers mystical powers to him so that he may battle the occult forces of evil as Dr. Droom.[11]

The Lizard Men traveled through the subterranean cavern of Earth and one of their numbers became lost in the Himalayas. They sent a scout to find him covered in fur coats and coverings, but when witnessed by the locals they believed them to be the legendary Yeti or Abominable Snowman. The scout searched high and low for his lost brother but came upon a television producer Victor Cartwright who was faking a documentary about the Yeti. The Lizard Man mistook the fur-covered human as his brother and took him back beneath the surface. When he realized his mistake it was decided that he would need to be killed so their race would remain a secret. Fred Cooper the assistant to Victor Cartwright follow the creatures to their lair and saved his boss and brought him back to the surface.[12]

Nepal from Immortal Iron Fist Vol 1 6 0001

A young Wendell Rand came to Nepal in hopes of finding the mystical city of K'un-Lun. It is when working for a best and rest stop in the mountains he met Orson Randall the Iron Fist. He takes to a young boy under his wing and trains him. Wendell hoped to become the next Iron Fist.[13] Wendell Rand found K'un-Lun was the adopted by Lord Tuan. Wendell was driven from K'un-Lun by his brother, Nu-An, who not only wanted to rule K'un-Lun himself but who was Wendell's rival for the love of a woman named Shakirah.[14]

Modern Age[]

In the Tibetan Himalayas, the alien Lucifer first came to Earth as the vanguard of an alien invasion, which was foiled by the young Charles Xavier (later Professor X, leader of the X-Men). In retaliation, Lucifer dropped an enormous stone block on Xavier, leaving his legs crippled so that he would need a wheelchair.[15]

The Inhuman city of Attilan had been placed in a remote and isolated valley of the Himalayas and was at some point shut off completely from the rest of the world with an unbreakable barrier activated by Maximus.[16] When Johnny Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot came back to the Himalayas to search for the Inhumans, they noticed a group of people fleeing from a valley where they had spotted a 'monster'. The two of them stayed to investigate and found that the monster had been Lockjaw all along, who took them to several mysterious places.[17]

A man named Desmond Guille found the "Singing Spider" and used it to summon the Bride of Nine Spiders. He then trapped imprisoned her. However group of thieves freed her by accident, allowing he exact revenge against capture. She showed mercy to the surviving thieves and allowed them to escape, but ended up keeping the Singing Spider for herself.[18]

With humanity's technological advancement, the Inhumans began to worry their city of Attilan may be found. After scouting reports by Triton, Black Bolt decided to move the city to a more remote location. [19] With the assistance of Ikaris and the Eternals, Black Bolt located a spot in the Himalayas range where Attilan could rest undiscovered.[20]

Wendell Rand sought to return to K'un-Lun, which ordinarily was only accessible from Earth through an interdimensional nexus that opened once every ten years. When Danny Rand was nine, his father traveled to Tibet along with Heather and his business partner Harold Meachum in search of the nexus to K'un-Lun. Toppling off a treacherous mountain passage, Daniel dragged his mother and father over the ice shelf with him. While he and his mother landed on a ledge below, his father dangled over the sheer drop of the mountainside and called to his partner for help. Hoping to take over Rand's share of the business, Meachum instead caused him to lose his grip and plunge to his death. Though Meachum offered to help Heather Rand and her son, they spurned him. Attempting to make it back to camp on their own, Heather and her son spied a long suspension bridge as a pack of wolves attacked. Heather tried to hold them off long enough for her son to get to safety and was killed in the effort.[5]Soon thereafter, denizens of K'un-Lun found the boy and took him to their city. There Daniel was brought before Yu-Ti, who had secretly plotted the murder of both Wendell and Heather. Yu-Ti apprenticed Daniel to the martial arts master Lei Kung the Thunderer.[21]

After a young American surgeon; Dr. Stephen Strange was injured in an accident that ended his career tried to find a cure. He heard rumors of the mystical Ancient One, Strange pawned his last possessions for a ticket to the East. Strange found "Kamar-Taj" but the aged sorcerer refused to cure him, instead offering to teach him in mysticism. Strange refused, but couldn't leave immediately due to a sudden blizzard. While staying for the duration of the storm, Strange witnessed the Ancient One's apprentice, Baron Mordo, secretly attack the teacher with mystically summoned skeletons, which the old man easily dispelled. Strange, his skepticism eroding, confronted Mordo about the treachery but Mordo responded with restraining spells that kept Strange from warning the Ancient One or attacking Mordo physically. Amazed by these displays of magic, Strange underwent a change of heart. Deciding that the only way to stop Mordo was to learn magic himself in order to challenge Mordo on his terms, Strange accepted the Ancient One's offer. Pleased by Strange's acceptance for unselfish reasons, the Ancient One removed the mystic restraints, explaining that he was well aware of Mordo's treachery but preferred to keep Mordo close by in order to control and possibly change him.[2]

Calizuma and his warrior wizards found a valley in the Himalayas and altered their appearance to seem as man-apes, to attract there the Silver Surfer. While he thought he was teaching them, they were subtly penetrating and controlling his mind, in order for him to serve the Undying Ones. Calizuma was eventually defeated by the Defenders, who took him down by striking him with all their power at once.[22]

During a quest in Tibet, Shang-Chi was defeated by the Lama of Rach Churan, who mind-controlled him to ascend the Minya Konka Mountain and throw himself off, but Shang-Chi was saved by one of the Yeti.[23]

Yeti (Race) from Silver Surfer Vol 1 1 0001

As the Silver Surfer traveled the Earth, he was attacked by Yetis. The Silver Surfer escaped, not wanting to harm the creatures, for they did it only because they distrusted man, not understanding them. The Silver Surfer saw that the humans, too, were like the Yeti, distrusting that they did not understand.[24]

When Black Panther and Mister Little were travelling over the Himalayas, their plane was hit by a beam. Surviving, they were attacked by a Yeti, and Black Panther managed to knock it out using a rudimentary lever system that launched a heavy rock that smashed the creature in the face.[25]

At another point, Elaine Simpson and Man-Thing were buried in an avalanche and were rescued by a group of Yetis who took them to the Norwegian explorer Hiram Swenson. He had discovered the tribe and decided to protect their culture from the outside world, by ensuring its secrecy. Deciding that the Man-Thing and Elaine were a threat to civilization, he had them taken prisoner. One of the elders of the tribe believed that the Man-Thing was their mammoth god and worshiped it. This belief did not remove them from their intended fate: to be burned at the stake. The Man-Thing managed to get free, and Roger Grafton arrived with an expedition team, shooting at the tribespeople and killing Swenson.[26]

The Beyonder transported Dazzler and himself to the top of a mountain in Nepal so they could speak in private.[27]

Om the top of Mount Everest the trickster god Loki came to Apocalypse to offer him a major part in his Acts of Vengeance conspiracy against the Avengers in particular, and super-heroes around the world in general. Apocalypse refuses to join him, having other ideas in mind for humanity and after Loki briefly clashes with both Apocalypse and the newly enhanced Caliban, the trickster god sees the folly in his attempt with recruiting Apocalypse and leaves. In escaping through one of Apocalypse's monitors, Loki attempts to slay the eternal mutant and his minion by making it explode, but Apocalypse shields them from the blast. With the battle over, Apocalypse tells his minion that it is time to begin the next phase of his test of survival on humanity.[28]

Palace of Tomorrow's Hope located just outside Kathmandu, this monastery was actually one of Tolliver's hidden lease holdings. Copycat found her way there first and managed to get inside, only to be captured by Slayback, who wanted to kill Deadpool for killing him.[29] The temple was then found by Deadpool and Weasel, who got in and took out the monks that lived there, only they've been followed by Weapon X. Thanks to the accidental activation of an A.D.A.M. Unit, Slayback was eventually neutralized and completely disintegrated.[30]

The master monk of the Seventh Moon Monastery had a vision about Maurice Fortuit's brutal killing.[31]

Shatterstar traveled to a temple on Mount Xixabangma on the Nepal/Tibet border to find solace. He trained with the Tibetan monks there. Cabl came to the mountain to recruit him back to the X-Force.[32]

Mount Everest from X-Force Vol 3 3 0001

Sister Mary traveled to Mount Everest on the Nepal/Tibet border to locate Cameron Hodge and bring him back to join the Human Council.[33]

Quicksilver in a slump of depression ran across the globe through Paris, down to Venice, and then to a snow-capped mountain at the top of the world in Nepal.[34]

The Weird Hideout In the Snow-Peaked Everest Region is the headquarters of the terrorist organization known as W.H.I.S.P.E.R..[35] It is located near Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Tibet.[36]

Alternate Realities[]

Earth-1610[]

Bruce Banner relocated to the Himalayas to find peace. However, he was persuaded by S.H.I.E.L.D. to become involved in the war with the Children of Tomorrow. [37]

Earth-12041[]

For a time, the Himalayas were the home of the Inhuman city Attilan[38] and the abandoned city Atarog.[39] However, Attilan was later removed from the mountain range and became a floating city instead[40].

Klaw had a secret hideout in the Himalayas, where he fought and lost to the Avengers.[41]

Earth-97161[]

Searching for his place in the world, Throg was sent by Thor to the Himalayas to search for a Yeti. Throg made contact with the creature, but the pair were pulled into the Dream Realm shortly after. There, they encountered a monstrous beast threatening the land.[42] Upon meeting the Pet Avengers, Ms. Lion asked what the Yeti's name was, a name too difficult for him to pronounce, so Ms. Lion decided to call him "Hairball".[43] With help from the other Pet Avengers and the unicorn Damiella, they were able to save the Dream Realm. After the battle, Hairball 2 decided to stay in that Realm with his true love, Damiella.[44]

Earth-199999[]

A young, unconscious Danny Rand was found by monks in the Himalayas after surviving a plane crash. From there, they took him to the mystical city of K'un-Lun.[45]

Points of Interest

Attilan was formerly set in the Himalayas, in Tibet.

Residents

See Also

Links and References

References

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