Attilan first appeared in Fantastic Four #47, published in February 1966. The city, along with its most famous inhabitants, the Inhuman Royal Family, was co-created by the legendary Marvel architects, writer stan_lee and artist jack_kirby. This introduction occurred during the height of the Silver Age of Comic Books, a period defined by Kirby and Lee's explosive creativity and cosmic-level storytelling.
The concept of Attilan and the Inhumans tapped into popular mid-20th-century themes of hidden civilizations and the philosophical questions surrounding genetic engineering and societal evolution. Kirby's design for Attilan was characteristically grand and otherworldly, blending futuristic technology with ancient, almost mythological architecture. The city was not just a backdrop but a character in itself, representing a society that was both far ahead of humanity and deeply trapped by its own traditions. Its initial depiction as a hidden refuge in the Himalayas resonated with the “lost city” trope popular in pulp fiction, but Lee and Kirby quickly elevated it into a key piece of the expanding Marvel cosmos.
The history of Attilan is the history of the Inhuman people—a story of genetic manipulation, self-imposed exile, and a relentless quest for a safe haven. While the core concept of a hidden city remains consistent, its specific history differs significantly between the comics and the MCU.
The story of Attilan begins approximately 25,000 years ago, during the Kree-Skrull War. A scientifically advanced alien race, the kree, established an outpost on Uranus and discovered that sentient life on nearby Earth possessed a unique genetic potential seeded by the cosmic beings known as the celestials. Seeking to create a powerful race of living weapons, Kree scientists began experimenting on a tribe of primitive Homo sapiens. While the Kree eventually abandoned their experiments, the subjects they had altered continued to evolve. This group, calling themselves the Inhumans, developed their own society, far in advance of the nascent human cultures around them. Under the leadership of their king, Myran, they built their capital city, Attilan, on a small island in the North Atlantic Ocean. For millennia, they lived in relative secrecy. However, as human civilization advanced, particularly in naval exploration, the Inhumans feared discovery. In a momentous decision, their then-king Randac relocated the entire city and its populace to a remote, hidden valley in the Himalayan mountains. It was in the Himalayas that Inhuman society truly solidified its core tenets. Randac unlocked the full power of the Kree experiments by exposing himself to the terrigen_mist, a mutagenic vapor that grants Inhumans their unique powers through a process called Terrigenesis. This became the central rite of passage for their culture, but it also led to the creation of a rigid caste system based on the outcome of one's transformation. For thousands of years, Attilan remained hidden in the Himalayas. Its existence was a myth, a “Great Refuge” whispered about by outsiders. This isolation was shattered with the advent of the modern Age of Heroes. The city was first discovered by the fantastic_four, leading to a complex and often fraught relationship with the outside world. Fearing increased human pollution and the prying eyes of an industrializing world, the Inhuman king black_bolt made the radical decision to move the city once again. Using advanced anti-gravity technology, the entire city of Attilan was lifted from its foundations in the Himalayas and relocated to the blue_area_of_the_moon, an artificial, Earth-like environment created by the Kree eons ago. Attilan's time on the Moon was not peaceful. It was damaged during conflicts with rogue Inhumans, attacked by Apocalypse's forces, and eventually faced a crisis when the United States government stole their sacred Terrigen Crystals. This led to the silent_war, where Attilan declared war on America. Following these events and the Skrull's secret_invasion, Black Bolt led his people on an even bolder path. He converted Attilan into a massive starship and took the Inhumans into space, seizing control of the Kree Empire during the war_of_kings. For a time, Attilan served as the mobile throne-world of a galactic empire. The city's most dramatic transformation came during the infinity event. To stop thanos, Black Bolt detonated a Terrigen Bomb in Earth's atmosphere, which destroyed Old Attilan but also activated the latent Inhuman genes in millions of humans worldwide (the “NuHumans”). In the aftermath, the Inhuman queen medusa led her people back to Earth, establishing new_attilan on the ruins of their old home, which came to rest in the Hudson River, becoming a sovereign nation adjacent to New York City. This new city became a beacon and refuge for all Inhumans, old and new, marking the end of their isolationism.
The MCU's version of Attilan, primarily depicted in the television series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Inhumans, presents a much more condensed and tragic history.
As in the comics, the Inhumans of the MCU were created by Kree experimentation on early humans thousands of years ago. The Kree intended to use them as soldiers but later abandoned the project, attempting to destroy their creations. One Inhuman, Hive, survived and became a dark god-like figure to his people.
The Inhumans who escaped the Kree purge eventually built Attilan on Earth. However, they faced growing fear and persecution from baseline humans who saw their powers as demonic or unnatural. To save their race from extinction, the Inhuman leadership made the decision to flee Earth entirely. Using their advanced technology, they relocated their entire city to a hidden, protected location on the Moon.
In the MCU, Attilan is a static city, not a mobile one. It is concealed within a massive crater and protected by a cloaking dome that makes it invisible from Earth. Life inside is sustained by advanced life support and energy systems. The society is a strict, stratified monarchy ruled by black_bolt and the Royal Family. A rigid caste system is brutally enforced; those whose Terrigenesis results in seemingly minor or “useless” mutations are relegated to the lower classes, forced to work in the city's mines.
This deep-seated inequality fuels the ambitions of Black Bolt's brother, maximus_the_mad. Lacking powers himself after his own Terrigenesis, Maximus stages a coup, preying on the frustrations of the lower castes. His rebellion forces the Royal Family to flee to Earth. The MCU's narrative culminates in a tragic choice for Black Bolt. To stop Maximus from destroying the city's protective dome and killing its inhabitants, Black Bolt is forced to fatally damage the city's core systems. The entire population of Attilan is evacuated to Earth, and the empty city on the Moon collapses, ending the millennia-long history of the Inhumans' lunar refuge. Unlike the comics' transition to a hopeful New Attilan, the MCU's version ends with the destruction of the city and its people becoming homeless refugees on Earth.
Attilan is not merely a collection of buildings; it is a living testament to the Inhuman race's unique culture, their advanced scientific knowledge, and their constant need for protection from a hostile universe.
The comic book version of Attilan is a marvel of both social engineering and technological prowess, a city that has evolved over millennia.
The MCU's Attilan is portrayed as a society on the brink of collapse, its technology impressive but strained, and its defenses ultimately fallible.
Attilan's story is defined by the individuals who rule it and its complex interactions with the powers of Earth and the cosmos.
The history of Attilan is marked by several transformative events that have repeatedly destroyed, rebuilt, and redefined the city and its people.
The catalyst for this conflict was the theft of the Inhumans' sacred Terrigen Crystals by quicksilver, who sought to restore the powers of depowered mutants after M-Day. The crystals were subsequently seized by the U.S. government. Viewing this as an unforgivable violation, Black Bolt declared war. Attilan's forces launched a devastating assault on America, showcasing the city's advanced military capabilities. The war highlighted the deep chasm of mistrust between Inhumans and humanity and ended with Maximus secretly seizing control of Attilan after Black Bolt was captured. The event demonstrated that Attilan's isolation could no longer protect it from the affairs of the outside world.
This cosmic crossover event saw Attilan's most ambitious relocation. Having pursued the Skrulls into deep space, the Inhumans found the Kree Empire in a state of collapse. Black Bolt asserted his authority and, through a brutal show of force, was declared the new king of the Kree. Attilan was moved from the Moon to the Kree capital world of Hala, serving as the mobile command center for a newly energized and aggressive Kree/Inhuman Empire. The storyline elevated Attilan from a terrestrial power to a major galactic force, pitting it directly against the Shi'ar Empire, led by the mutant Vulcan. The war culminated in the apparent death of Black Bolt and the detonation of the T-Bomb, which tore a massive hole in spacetime known as The Fault.
This event marked the single most significant change in Attilan's history. While the Avengers were off-world fighting the Builders, Thanos arrived on Earth demanding a tribute: the heads of all Inhumans between the ages of 16 and 22, secretly seeking to kill his Inhuman son, Thane. In a final, desperate act of defiance, Black Bolt evacuated his city and then confronted Thanos in the empty halls of Old Attilan. He detonated a Terrigen Bomb, a device that not only leveled the entire city but also spread the Terrigen Mists across the globe. This act destroyed Old Attilan completely but gave birth to a new generation of Inhumans (NuHumans) by activating latent genes in millions of unsuspecting humans. In the aftermath, under Queen Medusa's leadership, the surviving Inhumans built New Attilan from the wreckage in New York's Hudson River, transforming it from a hidden kingdom into a public, sovereign nation and a sanctuary for all Inhumans.
Inhumans series, was filmed in Hawaii. The stark, concrete structures of the city were primarily constructed at a former naval facility at Kalaeloa, Hawaii.Fantastic Four #47 (1966). For a modern re-telling, see the Inhumans 12-issue limited series (1998) by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee. For its major modern transformations, see Silent War (2007), War of Kings (2009), and Infinity (2013).Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Attilan is a playable stage where the heroes must help the Inhumans defend the city from an attack by Maximus and the Black Order.