User:ChrisGriswold/Everyday

Everyday Life in the Marvel Universe refers to the aspects of the fictional Marvel Universe that fill the lives of regular, non-super-powered people who live there. While the bulk of Marvel stories chronicle the feats of super-powered people in tights, many stories shed light on the lives of the common person living in the Marvel Universe. The shared reality of the Marvel Universe is shown not only through cross-overs and guest appearances, but through the repetition and acknowledgment of commonly known geography, culture, products and beliefs.

This is an accounting of information widely known in the Marvel Universe. Any facts deemed necessary for clarification but which are not publicly known are in parentheses.

=Culture=

TV

 * "Keeping up with the Jones" - Late-night talk show hosted by married entertainers Rick Jones and Marlo Chandler-Jones.
 * "Lacuna with the Stars" - Entertainment talk show hosted by "8th X-Statix" Lacuna, wherein she reveals celebrities' secrets.
 * "Super Powers" - Superhero entertainment-style television series. The show once ran a "Where are they now" piece on Ms. Marvel.
 * "The Trish Tilby Show." - Daytime talk show hosted by television news reporter Trish Tilby.
 * X-Statix Pay-Per-View events.

Film

 * Arkon's New York Adventure - Movie inspired by the "life and likeness" of the extradimensional Imperion of Polemachus.
 * Fantastic Four - Movie about the family of superpowered adventurers.
 * Imperial Studios (formerly SM Studios) - Movie Production Company owned at one time by Namor. The studio's first hit, a documentary film called The Fantastic Four, in which the team escapes traps that Namor has set for them, was such a commercial success that it provided the capital for Imperial to operate for years. Additionally, Imperial owns the publishing rights to the Fantastic Four's adventures, which Imperial used to go into business with the fictional Marvel Comics.
 * Spider-Man - Movie about the famous superhero.

Sports

 * All-Star Wrestling Federation - Professional wrestling association. Mr. X is a wrestler with this federation.
 * Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (UCWF) - Popular American professional wrestling association for superhumans based in Las Vegas with arenas nationwide. UCWF wrestlers must be able to lift 25 tons. Past wrestlers have included Deviants, Eternals, mutants, aliens, and augmented humans; among them, Vance Astro, Demoltion Dunphy, Iceberg Ike, and even the Beyonder. Past champions include the Fantastic Four's Thing.

Notable Arts and Entertainment Figures

 * Alison Blaire, the Dazzler - Recording artist.
 * Jumbo Carnation - Mutant fashion designer who overdosed on Kick.
 * Marlo Chandler-Jones - Star of the mockumentary film The Monster Tapes, former co-host of the late-night talk show "Keeping up with the Jones" with husband Rick Jones, former star of an adult "art" film.
 * Lila Cheney - British singer/musician with the band Cat's Laughing.
 * Elspeth Cromwell - Famous exorcist who once tried to exorcise an un-possessed Reed and Sue Richards. Deceased.
 * Sarah Day - Publicist for Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Ms. Marvel.
 * Kimberly Dee - Supermodel who disappeared after HYDRA hijacked the airplane she was on.
 * Edward Garner - Wrestling promoter and founder of the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation.
 * Joe Gruska - President of Bone Marrow Management, a music management agency that handled rockstar Brian Newman.
 * Henrietta Hunter - Mutant British pop star. Murdered but returned from the dead to raise money and awareness for AIDS, landmines, and eating disorders. Formerly a short-term leader of the X-Statix. (Editorially, based on/substitution for Princess Diana.)
 * Rick Jones - Former sidekick. Popular recording artist and author of the book "Sidekick." Former co-host of the late-night talk show "Keeping up with the Jones" with wife Marlo Chambers-Jones.
 * Sugar Kane - British pop idol, former girlfriend of Chamber
 * Lacuna - host of talk show "Lacuna with the Stars." Called the "8th X-Statix."
 * Alicia Masters - Famous blind sculptress. Former girlfriend of Ben Grimm, The Thing
 * Madeline Naylor - Famous stage actress. (Mother of Speedball.)
 * Brian Newman - Rock recording artist who sold 28 million records in six years and had eight top ten songs in a row. Against his label's wishes, Newman stopped performing for five years to work on a symphony. Biggest hit was album Brian Power. Managed by Bone Marrow Management President Joe Gruska.
 * O-Force - Fad mutant team whose membership was decided by television viewers' phone-in votes.
 * Mary Jane Watson-Parker - Famous model and aspiring actress. Wife of Peter Parker.
 * X-Statix – Extremely popular team of celebrity mutants with short life spans. Deceased.

Trends

 * Church of Thor - Thor decided that the people of Earth needed divine guidance and broke the centuries-long pact of noninterference established by Odin.  Some of humanity appreciated Thor's help so much that they began worshipping him as the benevolent deity he purported to be.
 * "Magneto was right" - After Magneto was believed dead in the Genoshan holocaust, he became a popular t-shirt logo and graffiti image, much in the same vein that the image of Che Guevara is a popular t-shirt logo in our reality.
 * Mutant culture - In the time leading up to M-Day, mutant fashion, music, and art became very popular.
 * The TransSpecies Movement - Homo Sapiens who believe they are mutants born in human bodies. The strictest adherents to the Transpecies Movement beliefs are called the U-Men, a group of zealot soldiers in containment suits who have mutant body parts grafted onto themselves, not breathing the air until the world is pure. Their main text is The Third Species by the movement's (possibly deceased) leader John Sublime.
 * Triune Understanding - a religious cult and fast-growing movement claiming to maximize human potential, but gradually revealed to have connections with an invading alien race.

=Media=

Print Publications

 * Daily Bugle - New York-based tabloid-format newspaper, owned by J. Jonah Jameson.
 * Now Magazine - Glossy magazine from the publishers of the Daily Bugle.
 * The Pulse - Superhero-oriented features section of the Daily Bugle.


 * Daily Globe - New York City newspaper and chief competitor of the Daily Bugle. It was responsible for breaking the story accussing Matt Murdock of being Daredevil.
 * Fatal Attraction: Mutants & Men - Book by mutant Jonathon Chambers, a writer who ran a hostel called Empyrean for Legacy Virus sufferers, about humans and mutants living together.
 * Inquiring Eye - Tabloid whose office is across the street from the Daily Bugle.
 * Marvels Comics Group - Line of sometimes licensed comicbooks based on popular superheroes. These include: X-Men, The Spider-Man, and Captain America, as well as Fantastic Four, whose rights are owned by Imperial Studios.
 * Official Handbook of Heroes - Fan guide to the superheroes and supervillains.
 * Sidekick - An autobiography by Rick Jones, detailing his years teaming-up with various superheroes.
 * The Third Species - Book by TransSpecies Movement leader John Sublime concerning the idea that some humans are actually mutants born in human bodies.
 * Webs - Photographic book by Peter Parker containing his best shots of his heroic alter ego, Spider-Man.

Members of the Press

 * Betty Brant - Reporter for the Daily Bugle.
 * Eddie Brock - Former Reporter for the Daily Globe.
 * Kat Farrell - Reporter for the Daily Bugle.
 * Frederick Foswell - Former mob boss. Reporter for the Daily Bugle. Deceased.
 * Jessica Jones - Former reporter for The Pulse. Formerly the failed superheroine Jewel. Former private detective. Girlfriend to Luke Cage and mother of his child.
 * Terri Kidder - Reporter for the Daily Bugle. Killed by Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin. Deceased.
 * Ned Leeds - Reporter for the Daily Bugle. Deceased.
 * Irene Merryweather - Former reporter for the tabloid Inquiring Eye until she investigated and wrote an expose on the Hellfire Club, selling it to the Daily Bugle, where she became a reporter until she was fired for keeping a loaded gun in her desk.
 * Peter Parker - Former photographer for the Daily Bugle. Won the Pulitzer Prize for his photo of the Sentry. (Whether this is now widely known is unclear.) Former teacher at Midtown High. Former employee of Tony Stark.
 * Joseph "Robbie" Robertson - Editor of the Daily Bugle.
 * Phil Sheldon - Photographer for the Daily Bugle. Retired. Author, Marvels.
 * Trish Tilby - Television reporter, BNBC. Formerly of WARC TV. Former host of "The Trish Tilby Show."
 * Ben Urich - Crime reporter for the Daily Bugle. Known for covering Daredevil and the Kingpin. Unsuccessfully sued by Norman Osborn for libel, after outing him as the Green Goblin. Formerly worked writing for The Pulse. Currently co-publishing his own paper Front Line.

Notable Political/Media Figures

 * Vance Astrovik - Avenger, Guidance Councilor for all 'rookie' members of The Initiative, located at Camp Hammond, Stamford, Connecticut. Vance was also a spokesman for the ChildWatch foundation, an organization that helps abused children. Convicted as a minor for manslaughter in the death of his abusive father. Publicly known to be the superhero Justice.
 * Captain America - Heroic American legend. Publicly known to be Steve Rogers. Supposedly Deceased.
 * Dr. Robert Bruce Banner - Scientist publicly known to be the Incredible Hulk. He is hated, feared, and thought of a monstrous killer.
 * H. Warren Craddock - Head of the United States Alien Activities Commission. Once was impersonated by a Skrull.
 * Graydon Creed - Founder, Friends of Humanity, a group vehemently opposed to mutant civil rights. A presidential contender, Creed was shot and killed at a rally. Human son of mutant former terrorists and current X-Men Sabretooth (Victor Creed) and Mystique.
 * Raven Darkholme - Former head of the DARPA, and alter-ego of mutant terrorist Mystique.
 * Doctor Victor von Doom - Monarch of the European nation of Latveria
 * Duane Jerome Freeman - Avengers' government liaison. Deceased.
 * Col. Nick Fury - Creator and Former executive director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Henry Peter Gyrich - Current government liaison to The Initiative program located at Camp Hammond, Stamford, Connecticut. Former NSA and U.S. State Department liaison to the Avengers, former U.S. State Department liaison to T'Challa, former head of the Commission on Superhuman Activities.
 * J. Jonah Jameson - Publisher of the Daily Bugle and outspoken critic of Spider-Man.
 * John Jameson - Heroic astronaut. Former Head of security for the Ravencroft Institute. Ex-husband of She-Hulk.
 * Sen. Robert Kelly - Anti-mutant activist and prominent United States Senator who rose to power on an anti-mutant platform. A primary backer of Project Wideawake and the Mutant Control Act. After the mutant Pyro saved his life, Kelly worked toward improving human/mutant relations, but it was not long before a militant anti-mutant activist assassinated him, furious that Kelly had betrayed their cause.
 * Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, Magneto - International terrorist, former ruler of Genosha.
 * R. G. Mathieson - Head of Department of Covert Extranormal Investigation and Disinformation. AKA Bureau 18
 * Dr. Henry McCoy - Preeminent mutant biologist, also known as The Beast of the X-Men.
 * Matt Murdock, Esquire - Attorney at law at the firm of Nelson & Murdock. Despite winning a libel lawsuit against a newspaper that claimed he was Daredevil, he has not been able to shed the stigma of being a costumed vigilante.
 * Namor - Prince of Atlantis.
 * Franklin Foggy Nelson, Esquire - Attorney at law at the firm of Nelson & Murdock.
 * General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross - Three-star lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force best known for his crusade to capture or destroy the Incredible Hulk.
 * Tony Stark - Current Executive Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and CEO of Stark Industries, playboy.
 * Lt. Marcus Stone - Leader of Code: Blue, an elite New York SWAT team assembled to address superhuman crises.
 * John Sublime - Author of the book The Third Species and leader of the TransSpecies Movement, people who believe they are mutants born in human bodies. Possibly deceased (Killed twice).
 * Nathan Summers - Recently formed the small island nation of Providence.
 * T'Challa - King of the African nation Wakanda.
 * Bolivar Trask - Noted anthropologist, creator of the Sentinels. Abducted by a Sentinel from a televised debate with Professor Charles Xavier, Trask sacrificed himself fighting his own creation. Deceased.
 * Jennifer Walters, Esquire - Attorney at law at Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, specializing in superhuman law. In that past, however, she has represented criminal defendants, corporations, and domestic-violence victims. Publicly known to be She-Hulk, superhero and indulgent party girl.
 * Charles Francis Xavier - Outspoken mutant-rights advocate. Former administrator of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Outed as a mutant.

=Industrial/Commercial=

Companies

 * Ajax Atomic Labs - Atomic research company. (Responsible for accidentally blinding Matt Murdock and heightening his senses.)
 * Damage Control - Construction company specializing in repairing property damage caused by superhuman conflicts.
 * Genetech Bio-Research Facility  - Superhuman genetic research firm located in Sayville, Long Island, NY. Made headlines for creating armor for use in the capture/killing of Magneto.
 * OsCorp - Formerly owned by Norman Osborn. Headquartered in New York City.
 * Roxxon Oil - Multinational conglomerate of dubious ethics.
 * Stark Industries - Owned by Tony Stark. Headquartered in New York City.
 * Worthington Industries - Owned by Warren Worthington III.

Commercial Products

 * Doop keychains and plush toys.
 * Acme Alarm Co. burglar alarms.

Retail Outlets

 * Fantastic Four Gift Shop and Museum - Located on the ground floor of the Baxter Building.

Restaurants

 * Planet X-Force - Chain of Planet Hollywood-style theme restaurants devoted to the celebrity mutant team X-Force, later X-Statix. With the original name and then the actual team retired, the status of these is unknown.

Pharmaceuticals/Narcotics

 * "Kick" - Highly addictive inhalant that enhances special abilities in mutants. Found to be an aerosol compound for distributing a primordial organism called Sublime. Used by Magneto, Jumbo Carnation, Quentin Quire, and Sophie of the Stepford Cuckoos.
 * Legacy Virus Cure - Created by Moira McTaggert and Henry McCoy to destroy the virus that plagued mutants.
 * Mutant Growth Hormone, or MGH - Drug extracted from superpowered individals' genetic material that grants temporary powers to whoever takes it. Sometimes used as a party drug, MGH often results in increased strength and aggression. (This was the case with Patriot of the Young Avengers. At one time, MGH was being extracted from Spider-Woman Mattie Franklin.)
 * Rapture (Marvel 2099) - Deadly, highly addictive drug produced by Alchemax that bonds to the user's DNA. (Used to keep Miguel O'Hara, Spider-Man 2099 working for the mega-corporation.)
 * Toad Juice - Hallucinogenic produced by a mutant called Toad Boy. Fatal to humans.

=Education=
 * Empire State University - Fictional university whose alumni include Peter Parker, Emma Frost, and Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.
 * Massachusetts Academy - One of the oldest and most respected private prep schools in the United States. (Emma Frost taught the Hellions, Kitty Pryde, Firestar and Generation X (comics) there.) Charles Xavier eventually bought the Snow Valley, Massachusetts academy and renamed it the School for Gifted Youngsters, making it the second school to bear that name, before he finally closed it.
 * Midtown High - New York City public high school attended by Peter Parker and Jessica Jones.
 * Xavier Institute for Higher Learning - Private school for mutant (and at one time, human) children. Previously known as Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

=Landmarks=
 * Avengers Mansion - Long-time home to the Avengers, located at 890 Fifth Avenue, New York City. Formerly home to the Stark family. Currently in ruins.
 * Baxter Building and Four Freedoms Plaza - Buildings that have been home to the Fantastic Four, located at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, New York City.
 * Castle Nefaria - Former Count Nefaria's Italian home, now a tourist attraction in New York City.
 * Champions Building - Los Angeles office building that once was headquarters to the superhero team The Champions.
 * Fantastic Four Summer Cottage in Belle Porte, Connecticut - Home of Reed and Sue Richards during a time when they attempted unsuccessfully to keep secret identities.
 * Magda Square, Genosha - Political, economic, and cultural center of the former mutant homeland, now in ruins following a devastating attack. Named for Magneto's deceased wife.
 * Mutant Town - Mutant neighborhood/ghetto in the middle of New York City, referred to by police officers as "DistrictX". Due to the effects of M-Day, Mutant Town currently does not exist.
 * The Raft - Prison for superpowered villains located on Ryker's Island, off of New York City. Currently destroyed.
 * The Ravencroft Asylum - Asylum for the criminally insane and superpowered in southern New York.
 * Stark Tower - Skyscraper home to the Avengers. At the top is the Sentry’s Watchtower.
 * The Vault - Underground prison for superpowered criminals in the Rocky Mountain range in Colorado. Currently destroyed.
 * X-Ranch - Mutant brothel in Nevada partly owned by Worthington Industries. Destroyed by the hate group the Church of Humanity.
 * X-Mansion - Base of operations for the X-Men and X-Corporation, located at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center in Westchester County, New York. Currently the refuge of the majority of the remaining mutants, patroled by Sentinel Squad ONE.
 * Yancy Street - Known primarily for being the birthplace of The Thing.

=Charity, Volunteer, and Outreach Organizations=
 * Captain America's Hotline - Nationwide phone service that lets civillians contact Captain America with information pertaining to national security or crises beyond the scope of conventional authorities. Established using Captain America's back pay since World War II. Stars and Stripes, a network of volunteer data processors, scan the messages and forward them to Captain America, based on suitability, location and urgency.
 * Excelsior - Support group of former teen superheroes that helps their peers make the transition to a civillian lifestyle. Founded by Phil Urich and Michiko "Mickey" Musashi. Bankrolled by Rick Jones.
 * Mutantes Sans Frontières - Charity organization run by Warren Worthington III, Archangel.
 * The Teen Brigade - Widespread group of American teenagers formed by Rick Jones to provide aid and support to superheroes, particularly the Avengers.
 * X-Corporation - Outreach program that provides rescue, relief and refuge to mutants, with embassies in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mumbai, Nairobi, New York, Paris, and Singapore. After M-Day, several embassies were bombed, so all of X-Corporation has been evacuated to the X-Mansion in Salem Center, NY.

=Comics that examine everyday life in the Marvel Universe=
 * Alias, by Brian Michael Bendis and Matt Gaydos.
 * Civil War: Front Line, by Paul Jenkins.
 * Code of Honor, by Chuck Dixon.
 * Daily Bugle, by Paul Grist and Karl Kerschl.
 * Daily Bugle: Civil War Edition, by Various.
 * Damage Control, by Dwayne McDuffie and Ernie Colón.
 * Deadline, by Bill Rosemann and Guy Davis.
 * District X, by David Hine.
 * Howard the Duck, by Steve Gerber.
 * Marvels, by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross
 * Marvels: Eye Of The Camera, a sequel to Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Jay Anacleto.
 * Muties, by Karl Bollers.
 * NYX, by Joe Quesada.
 * She-Hulk, by Dan Slott.
 * Spider-Man's Tangled Web, by various.
 * X-Men: Hellfire Club, by Ben Raab and Charlie Adlard
 * X-Statix, by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred.