Shangri-La

Origins

Accounts suggest that Shangri-La was founded by the Vision who presided over its people as their ruler. He discovered the secrets of death and life, gave himself immortality, and pledged to protect mankind and to keep the secret hidden in Shangri-La, becoming the defender of the Pillow of Life and Death, in the Temple of Life. He eventually taught Leme-Tel, a Tibetan monk, as his successor.^[1] However, these accounts are a direct contradiction to the Vision's first appearance on Earth.^[10]

16th century

By the half of the 16th century, John Simmons climbed the mountains and reached Shangri-La, where he acquired advance longevity, seemingly along some authority within the people of Shangri-La.^[3]

20th century

World War II

In the summer of 1943, Shangri-La was visited by Imperial Japanese forces whom sought the secrets of life and death for their leader Emperor Hirohito, the "Heavenly Son". This attempt was foiled by the Vision and led to the spies' deaths. Leme-Tel was mortally wounded by a Japanese soldier, but was healed by the Pillow and told by the Vision that he would live until he found a worth successor.^[1]

Modern Age

Walter Grant's plane crashed on it, where he and his pilot Kennedy were saved by the natives and John Simmons, who told them that humans could live for centuries there. Sceptic Grant wished to flee. Although the valley was surrounded by peaks, and the natives were unwilling to help him, Simmons finally decided to have locals help him, for his forced presence would lead to trouble for Shangri-La.^[3]

Shangri-La was believed to be a fictional city, a perfect land of beauty, peace and prosperity. Paul Drumm, student in ancient history and far east legends, disagreed, and intended to find it in Tibet. His greedy stepbrother Harry Drumm decided to follow him, intending to rob blind the peaceful people of Shangri-La. Harry found Paul and forced him to find Shangri-La. Finally arriving there, Harry was shocked to see treasureless ruins inhabited by mean-looking savages, and fled under their approach. Meanwhile, Harry was welcomed and offered hospitality and the greatest treasure of all, eternal happiness.^[4]

Alternate realities

Larval Earth (Earth-8311)

Shang-Goo-Laa was a legendary town in the United States where time stopped and that nobody could find. It was widely believed to be fictional.

Pleasantville was an American 437-inhabitant town in 1849. At that point, the telegraph reported the discovery of gold in California, prompting a gold rush - and all of the 437 locals left, leaving the buildings behind them. Just at that point, two surviving members of the Duckowee Native American tribe were looking for a place to stay and were trying to approach the locals; they then made the most of the situation, took the whole town for themselves, and used sacred spells to stay there, protected. The spell failed during the 1950s and the town was assaulted by a band of barbarian bikers, the Sickle Club, who imprisoned the Duckowees. It took them 30 years to dig an escape tunnel; when they did, One-Feather was sent with a map to find help. Unfortunately, One-Feather's use of magic was imperfect and he turned into a baby, then an egg. Fortunately, One-Feather's map ended up at the newspaper editor J. Jonah Jackal, who decided to go after the story with several journalists, including Bunsen Bunny, J. Jeremiah Jackal, Upton Adam Stray and photographer Peter Porker (the latter being secretly superhero Spider-Ham). The bikers imprisoned all of them and tried to lynch them, but Spider-Ham used his powers to rescue them and, following Sitting Duck's plan, goaded the bikers to leave the town. Once they were outside the town, they turned into elderly people with no way to come back to the town, and even their bikes broke. Unfortunately, the journalist was also unable to prove the existence of Shang-Goo-La, and Sitting Duck never knew what happened to his last brave one, One-Feather.^[11]

Earth-12025

James Howlett was Governor-General of the Dominion of Canada and Viceroy of Her Majesty's Expedition to Shangri-La.^[6]

• Temple of Life^[1]

Leme Tel, John Simmons; apparently formerly the Vision

Earth-8311

• Sickle Club
• Sitting Duck
• One-Feather

• Shangri-La was created by British author James Hilton in the novel Lost Horizon (1933), and is often considered to be inspired by Shambhala, a mythical kingdom in Tibetan Buddhist tradition mythical kingdom. It was first adapted in "The Vision's Shambhala" (Marvel Mystery Comics #45; July, 1943) written and penciled by unknown authors.

• The name is sometimes used as a synonymous for "refuge", "sanctuary".^[7][8]