The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land within the fictional Marvel Universe. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in X-Men #10 (March 1965).

History

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The Savage Land was created by the alien Nuwali at the behest of the other-dimensional, nigh-omnipotent aliens known as the Beyonders. The Beyonders sought to observe the process of evolution under relatively controlled conditions and had the Nuwali set up a number of game preserves on several planets. One of these planets was Earth during the Triassic period where the Nuwali chose a valley in Antarctica surrounded by active volcanoes, where they installed a number of advanced technological devices in order to maintain a tropical climate. The aliens then stocked the area with all manner of Earth life over the following several millennia. They also brought over the Man-Apes, earlier versions of the "Homo-Sapien." The Beyonders eventually grew bored with the experiment, and the Nuwali stopped maintaining the Savage Land during the late Pleistocene (the Ice Age era). However, the technology that allowed the pocket of tropical climate was left running, and many species which became extinct in other areas of the Earth continued to thrive within.

Later on, a group of human survivors from Atlantis sailed to Antarctica after the "Great Cataclysm" which sunk their continent. There, they discovered a cavern where they found an immense climate-controlling device and harnessed the technology used to keep the Savage Land's volcanoes working. They named their location "Pangea," which is Atlantean for "paradise." They mastered genetic engineering, which had been used on the Man-Apes when the Nuwali were still maintaining the Savage Land area. They used their genetic engineering techniques to transform other Savage Land inhabitants, like the Tubanti Fish People and others, who they then forced to work for them until these animal people revolted. After a time of war, the animal people demanded civil rights and the Atlanteans used technology to expand the Savage Land's surface area for the animal people to live in. When the Great Cataclysm struck, the Atlantean empire fell and thanks to the machines, the Savage Land locations were spared from sinking into the sea.

In more recent years, the Savage Land was rediscovered by Lord Robert Plunder who took back a sample of the metal known as "anti-metal" or "Antarctic Vibranium" with him. This mysterious metal had the ability to produce vibrations which would liquefy all other metals. Fleeing from those who sought to steal this discovery, Plunder took his eldest son Kevin with him for a second trip into the Savage Land. Unfortunately, the elder Plunder was killed by a local tribe of Man-Apes. Kevin survived, thanks to the timely intervention of the widowed sabretooth tiger later known as Zabu. He grew to adulthood in the Savage Land, becoming the adventurer known as Ka-Zar. Ka-Zar had many team-ups with the X-Men, Spider-Man, and any other superhero who had visited the Savage Land. He later met and married Shanna the She-Devil.

At one point, the Savage Land was decimated by an evil alien named Terminus (or one of his pawns) when he destroyed the machines that maintained the tropical climate. Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu wandered until the High Evolutionary restored the region allowing them to return to the Savage Land with their newborn son.

Evidence in the pages of the New Avengers suggests that S.H.I.E.L.D. is operating in the Savage Land, but these operations have been classified.

Savage Land races

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There are many types of races in the Savage Land and Pangea. Examples of Savage Land races include the bird people called Aerians, the monkey-tailed Tree People, the amphibious Tubanti fish-people of the inland Gorahn Sea, the Lizard Men of Vali-Kuri City, and the nomadic cat people of Pandori. Popular races in the Savage Land are the Man-Apes, the Lemurans, the Pterons (pterodactyl-like people), the Sun People, the Swamp Men, and the Zebra People.

Super-powered inhabitants

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A number of superhumans have lived in the Savage Land, notably Sauron, Garokk and Zaladane, the Savage Land Mutates, Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy, and Stegron the Dinosaur Man. The supervillain Magneto has lived there on several occasions when he led the Savage Land Mutates.

Ultimate Savage Land

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In the Ultimate Marvel comics, the Savage Land is a large island somewhere in the southern hemisphere. It was created by Magneto, as the site for genetic experiments. His goal was to create a new human race who would be less trouble to rule than the current one. As a result of this, it has dinosaurs.

Magneto's original base was on the Savage Land. When it was destroyed in the first arc of Ultimate X-Men, the computer controlling the base gained self-awareness, and hijacked the genetic experiment project to create an army of nanotech-enhanced, zombie-like thralls. It planned to take over the world, but was stopped by Wolverine, Cyclops and Kitty Pryde.

The Savage Land is now the home of Longshot, who managed to get there in a small boat which launched from Genosha. Longshot recently aided Magneto in breaking out of prison, and the two may be planning something.

Marvel Comics locations | X-Men | Antarctica | Fictional regions | Dinosaurs in fiction