London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. During its turbulent history, the city has faced many crises, from Nazi air attacks during World War II, to extraterrestrial invasion in the 21st century. It is the site of the London Sanctum, the focal point of the Convergence in 2013, and the Battle of London in 2024.
History
Ancient Times
Place of Power
Sorcerer Agamotto elected a sanctuary in a place of power where London would have arose, in order to create a mystical shield around the globe. He then left the sanctuary in the custody of his disciples.[1]
Viola's Trip
On May 11, 1928, HYDRA agent Viola traveled to the city of London.[2]
World War II
Edwin Jarvis' Arrest
Edwin Jarvis was arrested in London, and dishonorably discharged from the British Armed Forces, under a charge of treason. Jarvis had forged the signature of the general he was serving under, signing letters of transit in order to ensure the safety of Ana, a woman he met in Budapest.[3]
HYDRA Desertion
London marked as one of Schmidt's targets
In 1943, Johann Schmidt and his HYDRA division went rogue, separating themselves from the Nazi regime. According to one of HYDRA's maps, London was among the European cities planned to be invaded following the destruction of the United States.[4]
Dismantling HYDRA
- "We are taking the fight to HYDRA. Pack your bags, Agent Carter. You too, Stark. We're flying to London tonight."
- ―Chester Phillips[src]
The Strategic Scientific Reserve was moved to London during World War II, in an effort to dismantle HYDRA. Steve Rogers, able to witness a map showing the location of HYDRA facilities, shared this information with the SSR. Chester Phillips devised a plan, ordering Peggy Carter to contact MI6 in order to locate HYDRA Headquarters, while the SSR would destroy the known facilities with a battalion led by Rogers.
Peggy Carter gives out orders for Steve Rogers
Rogers went to the Whip & Fiddle in order to convince some of the prisoners he liberated in Austria, and enlisted the help of Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth and Jacques Dernier. Carter entered the pub wearing a red dress, to inform Rogers that Howard Stark wanted him to test new equipment. Carter started flirting with Rogers, inviting him to a dancing date in a veiled way.
Chester Phillips and his secretary Lorraine
The following day, Rogers went to his appointment with Stark to test the equipment, being seduced by Lorraine while waiting. Lorraine managed to kiss Rogers, being witnessed by Peggy Carter. Carter, jealous after watching the kiss, was retaliated by Rogers, thinking that Stark's invitation to a Europe in Lucerne was an intimate proposal. Carter simply told Rogers that he still had no idea about how to talk to women.
Rogers went to meet Stark, who showed his advances in fibers for the uniform and improvements for the shield. Rogers discovered a prototype made of Vibranium, a very unusual metal able to completely absorb vibrations. Carter, still upset, tested the shield by shooting at Rogers with a handgun, with the shield completely absorbing the shots. Astonished by her reaction, Rogers handed Stark a few ideas for his uniform.[4]
Captain America and the Howling Commandos
The Strategic Scientific Reserve was constantly updated on the status of the mission carried out by Captain America and his unit, removing the facilities from the map maintained in their underground facility in London. Chester Phillips and Peggy Carter watched a film sent to show the progress of the mission, where Rogers was seen carrying a photograph of Carter in his compass. Despite her coldness during Rogers' departure, Carter realized how much Rogers cared for her.[4]
Blueprints Theft
Captain America pursued a group of HYDRA undercover agents through the streets of London, who had stolen a series of blueprints belonging to the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Rogers successfully evaded their shots during the pursuit, and rendered their car useless, forcing them to continue on foot. The HYDRA agents tried to use the underground to escape, but they entered one of the stations being used as an air raid shelter that had no exit.
The agents took the refugees as hostages, with their leader holding a boy at gunpoint. Captain America entered the station and, instead of attacking the agent, he told him that even although he managed to escape, all the men that fight for the ideal that all people deserve to be free would be hunting him until they managed to capture him.
Rogers' speech inspired all the refugees in the station, that attacked and managed to subdue the HYDRA agents. Once they were defeated, the boy that was taken as a hostage returned the stolen briefcase to Captain America.[5]
Capture of Arnim Zola
Chester Phillips interrogates Arnim Zola
- "Blackout is still in effect throughout the London area. Please wait for the all-clear. Your attention, please. All citizens shall remain indoors until further notice. Blackout is still in effect throughout the London area."
- ―Radio Announcer[src]
Arnim Zola was taken to London as a prisoner, kept in a prison where Chester Phillips tried to interrogate him, as he was the only HYDRA agent that did not swallow a cyanide pill to commit suicide. Phillips deduced that Zola wanted to live, and informed Zola that they used him as bait, sending a fake message about an agreement made by Zola to be expatriated to Switzerland in exchange for information. Zola replied that he didn't reveal any information, but Phillips knew that Johann Schmidt would not believe that, as Zola had a lot of information about him and HYDRA. Zola started revealing Schmidt's motivations and goals, that he would be able to dominate the whole world using the technology powered by the Tesseract.
Rogers, saddened by the loss of his friend, went to the ruins of the Whip & Fiddle, destroyed after the bombings over London. Peggy Carter found Rogers there, unsuccessfully trying to get drunk, as the Super Soldier Serum provoked his cells to regenerate fast enough to avoid the effects of alcohol. Carter told Rogers that Barnes' death was not his fault, as Barnes believed in Rogers, and assumed the risks of their mission for him. Rogers used Barnes' death as motivation to go after Schmidt without stopping until every HYDRA member was dead or behind bars.
Phillips informed Rogers and the rest of the Strategic Scientific Reserve of the information revealed by Zola, specifically the location of HYDRA Headquarters and Schmidt's plan to devastate the United States with a series of bombings. With this information, Rogers devised a plan to attack the facility, beginning with him making a frontal assault alone.[4]
Victory Day
The citizens of London celebrate the end of the war.
London celebrated the Europe and the end of World War II. The Howling Commandos reunited to commemorate the sacrifice of Captain America, that saved countless lives. The Strategic Scientific Reserve dismantled its underground facility in London, and Colonel Chester Phillips handed Peggy Carter the dossier about Steve Rogers, knowing she would want to keep it as a memento.[4]
Chase of Howard Stark
Daniel Sousa of the Strategic Scientific Reserve investigated the location of Howard Stark, branded as a fugitive from justice as some of his inventions ended up being sold in the black market or in the hands of enemies of the United States. Sousa informed Roger Dooley that one of the leads in the investigation situated Stark, that would situate him in London.[6]
Sunil Bakshi's Youth
Sunil Bakshi spent his youth growing up in the streets of London, more specifically in the Southall district, where he worked hard to refine his accent but was not able to fully dominate it. Bakshi ended up being a small criminal, and was sent to the military to straighten him.[7]
Convergence
Jane Foster's Date
Jane Foster on a date with Richard Madison
Jane Foster moved to London to her mother's house, feeling depressed and grieving for Thor after being unable to see him since he departed from New Mexico, and in order to study a series of lectures Erik Selvig managed to discover in the area. Trying to move on with her life, Foster had a date with Richard Madison, where she showed to be uncomfortable as she spent fifteen minutes hidden behind a menu. Madison guessed Foster had a story with another man, and Foster confessed that the man departed. Madison tried to empathize with her, as he lived what he thought was a similar situation, as he had a relationship with a woman that later found a job in New York City, and the distance killed their relationship, along with the fact that she had been sleeping with the other man.
Darcy Lewis appeared at the restaurant, and though Madison first thought she was a waitress, Foster quickly introduced her. Lewis revealed that the Phase Meter in their laboratory started reading some strange signals that coincided with one of Selvig's theories during his state of mental instability following being mind-controlled by Loki during his invasion of Earth. Foster dismissed Lewis and tried to continue with her date, but Madison realized she wanted to go with Lewis, and prompted her to do it. Foster exited the restaurant and got in Lewis' car to check the readings.[8]
Gravitational Anomaly
Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis went to check the source of the readings detected by Lewis accompanied by Ian Boothby, Lewis' own intern, who was honored to work with Foster. Foster tried to contact Erik Selvig, but unbeknownst to her, he had been arrested at Stonehenge for public scandal. Foster, Lewis and Boothby arrived at a warehouse, and started searching the place for the source of the readings. Inside the warehouse, they found three children, John, Navid and Maddie, who first asked if they were policemen, and then showed them the place they had just discovered after Foster identified herself as a scientist.
Inside the warehouse, the laws of physics had been altered, allowing the children to lift a large track with one hand, or creating a concealed wormhole at the bottom of a set of stairs, that was connected both to another at the top of the stairs and a third wormhole to Svartalfheim. Foster went alone to investigate the readings while Lewis was busy having fun with the wormholes, Foster came across a another wormhole that swallowed and transported her to the place where the Aether was hidden five millennia before. In that place, she unwillingly became a host for the Aether, that started acting as an infection inside her body and made her pass out.
Foster woke up at the warehouse, and came across the policemen, as Lewis called them due to Foster being absent for five hours. Foster was angry, as if the police discovered the gravitational anomaly at the warehouse, S.H.I.E.L.D. would surely isolate the area and restrict the access, rendering her unable to study it.
Thor reunites with Jane Foster in London
Foster and Lewis noticed that, though it was raining, the water didn't fall at the point where Foster was standing, as if an invisible barrier was surrounding her. At that moment, Foster saw Thor gazing at her, as he had been transported to Earth when Heimdall stopped being able to see Foster when she was transported to the place where the Aether was buried. Foster slapped Thor's face two times, one to be sure that he was real, and another for disappearing for over two years. Thor explained his reason to be absent, as he had to stopped the wars that erupted following the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge, and though he was at New York City during the Battle of New York to protect Earth from Loki, he couldn't see her.
Thor was about to confess her love for Foster and kiss her when Lewis interrupted them, informing Foster that the police were going to arrest them for entering a private property without permission. However, as a police officer tried to arrest Foster, the Aether inside her erupted creating a shockwave to defend itself. Thor, worried for Foster's condition, stopped officers from approaching her, and departed with her to Asgard.[8]
Convergence Lecture
The Watcher Informant talks to Erik Selvig
Erik Selvig was taken to a mental institution following his arrest at Stonehenge, where he tried to explain the Convergence to his fellow patients as if it was a lecture at a university. Selvig explained that the universe rotated in a cycle every 5000 years, and every cycle the Nine Realms got aligned. During the Convergence, the nine realms are connected, and gravity, light and matter can pass from one world to another.
He theorized that the results could be devastating, so he designed a set of Gravimetric Spikes to stabilize the focal point of the Convergence and pass by its effects. However his fellow patients didn't even pay attention and one of them was only worried about retrieving his shoe.[8]
Check Out of Erik Selvig
Darcy Lewis was worried as neither Jane Foster nor Erik Selvig returned her calls, and she was unable to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. to inform them about the discovery of the gravitational anomaly and Thor's arrival at London, while Ian Boothby saw the news report about Selvig's arrest at Stonehenge.
The following morning, Lewis and Boothby went to the mental institution where Selvig had been admitted to check him out. At first, Selvig did not recognize her, but was glad to see her upon recognizing her. Boothby introduced himself to Selvig, while Selvig looked to be absent. Selvig told him that the reason he was in that state is that he had a god inside his brain before swallowing the medication he had been assigned.
As the Gravimetric Spikes started reading the gravitational effects of the Convergence, Selvig realized that the effects began before what he had calculated, and they witnessed as a group of birds crossed through Wormholes above the sky and on the ground of London. Selvig was relieved to see that he was not crazy, and threw his medication to a trash can, and asked to go to Foster's laboratory.[8]
Return to Earth
Richard Madison called Jane Foster following their date. Unbeknownst to him, Foster was not on Earth, as she was on Svartalfheim, and as she was surprised to be able to receive phone calls, she prompted him to keep talking. Madison asked her to go on another date, maybe for dinner, and Foster's unrelated answers made him believe she was accepting, and the call was lost as Foster and Thor crossed a Wormhole from Svartalfheim to the warehouse in London, with Thor visibly jealous as Foster was receiving calls from another man.
Thor and Foster returned to her home, where they reunited with Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis and Ian Boothby. Selvig hugged both Foster and Thor, and was both happy and relieved to hear that Loki died. Foster and Selvig discussed Malekith's intentions to use the Aether as a weapon, using Earth as the point to launch his attack over the Nine Realms, exponentially increasing the power of the Aether.
In order to calculate this point, Selvig revealed that Mayan, Egyptian and Chinese structures of antiquity were built using the gravitational effects of the Convergence, and Stonehenge and other similar landmarks in England marked the coordinates of the focal point of the Convergence at Greenwich.[8]
Battle of Greenwich
Greenwich
Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis, Ian Boothby were tasked with placing Selvig's Gravimetric Spikes around the focal point of the Convergence, in order to stabilize its effects and prevent Malekith to use the Convergence to increase the power of the Aether. Malekith and the Dark Elves arrived in their Ark before the spikes could be placed, provoking chaos and panic on the streets. However, Thor arrived ready to stop Malekith, who threatened him as death would claim his live no matter where he was, as his universe would have never had to exist.
Malekith attacked Thor using the Aether, who was able to resist the impacts and realized that the time for preparating the attacks using the Aether was proportional to the strength of the attacks, so Thor taunted Malekith to launch a strong attack, seizing the opportunity to attack Malekith using his hammer Mjølnir.
The sky showed multiple portals that were opened to the rest of the Nine Realms, and Foster planned to use the Gravimetric Spikes to control the portals and distract Malekith and the Dark Elves until the maximum effects of the Convergence wear off. Foster started controlling the portals, transporting many Dark Elves out of range but, accidentally, she transported Lewis and Boothby too.
The students at Greenwich witnessed the battle between Thor and Malekith, without paying attention to Foster's advice to evacuate the area, as they were more worried to see Thor in action, until one of the blows exchanged between Thor and Malekith caused a shockwave that broke the crystals of the windows they were looking through.
The battle continued, and the two warriors were transported to Svartalfheim during the battle, being transported back to Earth through a portal situated in the sky, falling into Svartalfheim again. Thor and Malekith crossed another portal on Svartalfheim, and felled over the Europe building into yet another portal before hitting the ground, this time appearing at Jotunheim.
Two jets of the Europe tried to attack the Ark, although the launched missiles and the planes were drawn in by a portal that transported them to Vanaheim.
A Frost Beast is let loose in London
Lewis and Boothby tried to escape from a group of Dark Elves that tried to kill them, and were saved in the nick of time by a Frost Beast that was transported to London through a portal. Boothby managed to lift a car that was floating thanks to the gravitational effects of the Convergence, and used it to crush another group of Dark Elves. Selvig and Foster used the gravimetric spikes to escape numerous Dark Elves, transporting them to another place, what made Lewis and Boothby appear in front of them while they were kissing. Thor reappeared at a subway station, and took the train to arrive at Greenwich again.
Malekith looked at the portals that were now fully opened above Greenwich and started to summon the full potential of the Aether in order to launch his attack over the Nine Realms during the climax of the Convergence. Thor took Selvig's Gravimetric Spikes and placed them inside the area now covered by the Aether.
Malekith announced that darkness was returning, and asked Thor if he was there to witness the end of his universe, but Thor responded that he was there to accept his surrender, and started attacking Malekith with the Gravimetric Spikes that, after being activated, mutilated Malekith sending his arms to Svartalfheim. Thor stroke a final blow with Mjølnir that launched Malekith against his Ark, and Foster activated the spikes to send his body to Svartalfheim.
The hole caused on the ship by the last portal activated by Foster made the ship to fall, but as it was about to crash an unconscious Thor and Foster, who stayed by his side, Selvig activated another spike to transport the Ark to Svartalfheim, crushing Malekith instead.
The jets that were transported to Vanaheim managed to return to Earth moments before the portals were closed and the effects of the Convergence started to vanish.[8]
Aftermath of the Battle of Greenwich
S.H.I.E.L.D. teams were called to cleanup the debris of the Battle of Greenwich, including Phil Coulson and his team, classifying the debris on site to retrieve any piece of Dark Elf technology, such as parts of the Ark. Leo Fitz was tired of checking alien spectrographic signatures one piece at a time, but Grant Ward called it a necessary precaution to avoid alien material falling in the wrong hands. Meanwhile, Jemma Simmons received another call from her parents wanting an explanation about what happened at Greenwich, but she refused to answer them, as she hadn't talked to them since she was infected by the Chitauri Virus. Fitz found another piece of the ship, but Ward quickly took it out of his hands and stored it in a briefcase to be contained.
Skye asked Coulson about the nature of Asgardians as aliens from another planet, and how they were worshiped as the Gods of Europe when they arrived on Earth thousands of years before. On the other hand, Coulson was more concerned about the cleanup they had to make every time Thor visited Earth. Skye would have wanted to take a look inside the Ark, and even talked to Melinda May about the idea of piloting it. Coulson noticed that every time an alien item was in human hands something bad happened, and Skye noted how she would place Thor in her hands, with May agreeing with Skye.[9]
Thor returns to London
Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis, Ian Boothby were reunited two days after the Battle of Greenwich at Foster's apartment, with Lewis trying to cheer Foster up about Thor's departure, since he committed treason when he and Foster left Asgard. However, Thor returned to London and Foster run out of her house to passionately kiss Thor.[8]
At the warehouse where Foster discovered the effects of the Convergence, the Frost Beast that was transported to Earth during the battle run amok chasing birds.[10]
Witch
The Witch stole the Dark Scepter and appeared with it at the British Museum. Wong appeared to try and stop her, but the Witch cast darkness on the area, causing people to flee, believing that the Dark Elves had returned. Wong was unable to stop the Witch, who disappeared.
The Witch then went to The Shard, where Kaecilius attempted to fight her, believing her to be weaker than she was. The Witch defeated Kaecilius, who was later helped by Wong, Tina Minoru, and Daniel Drumm. They followed the Witch to the Royal Observatory, where she attacked all four Masters of the Mystic Arts. They worked together to defeat the Witch, and Kaecilius took hold of the Dark Scepter, which was kept in the New York Sanctum.[11]
Recruitment of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents
- "I did score an exit row on the way back from London."
"And what was in London?"
"Allies. Ready to be activated, if necessary." - ―Phil Coulson and Melinda May[src]
During his first months as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil Coulson focused on recruitment of new agents, meeting former agents of the agency that could possibly be considered loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson traveled to London in order to meet some of these agents, gaining a crew of loyal agents before returning to the Playground, having to focus on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts to retrieve the Obelisk before HYDRA could obtain it.[12]
Returning to London
Thor received a vision from Wanda Maximoff he wished to see again. He flew to London to ask for Erik Selvig's help to get him to the Water of Sights, so he could see the vision again.[13]
Peggy Carter's Funeral
In 2016, an elderly Peggy returned to her home country and died in her sleep sometime later. The funeral took place in London with Steve Rogers acting as a pallbearer and the eulogy being delivered by her niece Sharon Carter. After the ceremony, Natasha Romanoff comforted Rogers and asked him to reconsider signing the Sokovia Accords, but he refused.[14]
Robbery of the Museum of Great Britain
Ulysses Klaue steals a Wakandan artifact
- "A misidentified Wakandan artifact was stolen yesterday from a British museum. We have learned Ulysses Klaue plans to sell the Vibranium to an American buyer in South Korea tomorrow night."
- ―Okoye[src]
Erik Killmonger and Ulysses Klaue teamed up to steal a vibranium weapon from the Museum of Great Britain. Able to kill all the security guards, the two mercenaries escaped the area with the weapon.[15]
War Dogs
After Erik Killmonger overthrew T'Challa in Wakanda he immediately informed the War Dogs around the world that their new mission would be to overthrow the governments of the world and establish a Wakandan Empire. The War Dogs in London agreed to this new mission but Killmonger was killed and T'Challa restored to the throne before the mission could be carried out.[15]
London Sanctum Falls
- "The London Sanctum has fallen."
- ―Ancient One to Doctor Strange[src]
Being one of three major cities where a Sanctum was built by the Masters of the Mystic Arts, London was targeted by the Zealots. They managed to kill Sol Rama, as well as other Masters and destroyed the London Sanctum.[16]
Blackout
During a worldwide attack organized by the Watchdogs, London was one of several cities hit by a blackout, caused by a series of EMP devices placed by the terrorist organization.[17]
Battle of London
London was the location for the fifth staged Elemental crisis organized by Quentin Beck, alias Mysterio, and his group of disgruntled ex-Stark Industries employees, technicians and scientists. Mysterio staged it so that his combat drones and projectors would show the Tempest Elemental, a fusion of all four preceding Elementals which had previously attacked in Mexico, Morocco, Italy and Czechia, converging at and attacking the Tower Bridge. However, Spider-Man succeeded in stopping the Elementals and defeating Mysterio once and for all.[18]
Since the Battle of London, clean-up efforts are underway at the Tower Bridge, with repairs expected to take several months. After Spider-Man was exposed and branded as a criminal by Mysterio thanks to doctored footage released by The Daily Bugle, 10 Downing Street demanded the United States of America government payment for repairs.[19]
Landmarks
- Big Ben
- British Museum
- Charing Cross Station
- Exeter College
- Gherkin
- London Sanctum
- Museum of Great Britain
- Rivoli Ballroom
- Jewel House
- Royal Naval College
- Royal Observatory
- Saint Luke's Cathedral
- The Shard
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Strategic Scientific Reserve Headquarters
- Tower Bridge
- University of London
- Whip & Fiddle
Appearances
| Appearances for London |
|---|
|
In chronological order:
|
References
- ↑ Doctor Strange
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.02: Know Your Onions
- ↑ Agent Carter: 1.03: Time and Tide
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Captain America: The First Avenger
- ↑ The Avengers: The Avengers Initiative
- ↑ Agent Carter: 1.01: Now is Not the End
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.08: The Things We Bury
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Thor: The Dark World
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.08: The Well
- ↑ Thor: The Dark World Post-credits Scene
- ↑ Doctor Strange Prelude
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.01: Shadows
- ↑ Avengers: Age of Ultron
- ↑ Captain America: Civil War
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Black Panther
- ↑ Doctor Strange
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.03: Uprising
- ↑ Spider-Man: Far From Home
- ↑ The Daily Bugle/Promotional Campaign
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