Ta-Lo
| Ta-Lo | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Daluo Tian The Great Canopy Heaven |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald Ralph Macchio Keith Pollard |
| Race(s) | Xian |
| First appearance | Thor #301 (November 1980) |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
Ta-Lo is a fictional realm appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Ta-Lo is inspired by the 36 heavens of Taoism, known as Tian, from Chinese mythology, and is home to the Xian and Chinese mythological creatures. In the Marvel Universe, Xian (仙) is the term for Chinese gods,[1] while in Chinese mythology, shen (神) and xian are distinct terms, shen means gods and xian means humans who have attained immortality.[2] Ta-Lo first appeared in Thor #301 (November 1980) and was created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio and Keith Pollard.[3]
Ta-Lo, renamed Ta Lo, appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
Publication history[edit]
Ta-Lo first appeared in Thor #301 (November 1980), written by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio and illustrated by Keith Pollard.[3]
Following the release of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Shang-Chi writer Gene Luen Yang incorporated several concepts introduced in the movie into the Shang-Chi mythos, including the heavenly realm of Ta-Lo; for the series, Yang used the film's spelling of "Ta Lo".[4]
History[edit]
Ta-Lo, also known as Daluo Tian (Chinese: 大羅天) or The Great Canopy Heaven is the largest of the 36 heavens.[1][5] It is home to most Chinese gods, also known as Xian, and is ruled by Yu Huang (god of the heavens), also known as the Jade Emperor.[1] Other Xian who are associated with the realm include Guan Yu, Kui Xing, Lei Gong, Nezha, Shou-Hsing, Tian-Mu, Xi Wangmu, Yen-Lo Wang, and Zhu Rong.[1]
When nearly all of the Asgardian gods were killed by the Fourth Host of Celestials, Thor traveled to Ta-Lo to obtain the vital energies needed to resurrect his fellow Asgardians, which the Jade Emperor readily gave him.[5]
In the past, Zheng Zu discovered the existence of a gateway to Ta-Lo and planned to steal the realm's Five Sets of Heavenly Weapons to bolster the Five Weapons Society, having been inspired by the Weapons when developing the structure of the Society.[6] After he travled to Qilin Island and fell in love with Jiang Li of the Qilin Riders, the mortal protectors of Ta-Lo, Zu abandoned his plans.[7] However a few years later, Zu resumed his plans and constructed a makeshift portal to Ta-Lo, which was destroyed during a confrontation between him, Jiang Li and her father Chieftain Xin.[8]
In the present, when Chieftain Xin kidnaps Jiang Li and summons several Taotie from Ta-Lo to destroy anyone within the Zheng lineage, Shang-Chi and his siblings take a makeshift portal to Ta-Lo to rescue his mother and to stop his grandfather but are confronted by the Jade Emperor and his guards for trespassing. Xin's treachery is revealed, prompting him to don a taotie mask to overpower the Emperor and his guards in the Jade Palace throne room before attacking Shang-Chi's siblings in the Palace dungeon. Shang-Chi reluctantly allows Zheng Zu's spirit to guide him to the vault containing the Ten Rings to defeat his grandfather.[9] Shang-Chi dons the Ten Rings but resists their dark influence, allowing Xin to take six of the Rings and flee to the House of the Deadly Hand in Chinatown, Manhattan to joining the Qilin Riders in destroying the Five Weapons Society. Intrigued that Shang-Chi could wield the Ten Rings, the Jade Emperor tasks him and his siblings with apprehending Xin and recovering the remaining Rings. After Xin and the Qilin Riders are defeated and the Ten Rings are recovered, Shang-Chi and Jiang Li travel back to Ta-Lo to have Xin face justice and return the Ten Rings to the Jade Emperor, who appoints Jiang Li as the new Chieftain of the Qilin Riders. One month after their return, the Ten Rings leave Ta-Lo on their own and appear to Shang-Chi at the House of the Deadly Hand.[10]
Features[edit]
Ta-Lo is a pocket dimension adjacent to Earth that is home to the Xian race. Ta-Lo inhabited by Chinese mythological creatures, such as dragons, fenghuang, shishi, hundun, huli jing, and qilin.[1][7]
The great majority of the Xian reside in Ta-Lo (aka, as "Daluo Tian", the Great Canopy Heaven) and its 35 lesser heavens, in addition to Fengdu (the Taoist underworld).[1][5]
Although it is home to the Gods, several communities of mortals reside in Ta-Lo, including the Qilin Riders, who were blessed by the Xian with innate archery and the ability to psionically link with the Ta-Lo's native Qilin and tasked with guarding the realm from outside threats.[7]
Ta-Lo also hosts the Five Sets of Heavenly Weapons which consist of: the One Hammer, Two Swords, Three Staffs, Nine Daggers, and Ten Rings.[6] Aside from protecting Ta-Lo from outsiders, the Qilin Riders are also tasked by the guards from protecting the Heavenly Weapons from would-be thieves.[7]
In other media[edit]
| Ta Lo | |
|---|---|
| Type | heavenly realm |
| Notable characters | Guang Bo Great Protector Morris Ying Li Ying Nan |
| First appearance | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) |
| Universe | Marvel Cinematic Universe |
Ta-Lo, renamed Ta Lo, appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.[11] In the film, Shang-Chi's mother Ying Li is Ta Lo's guardian, a dragon, the Great Protector, blesses Li with the power to manipulate wind. In 1996, the immortal warlord Xu Wenwu attempts to invade Ta Lo but is defeated by Li. The two fall in love but when Wenwu is rejected by Ta Lo's inhabitants for his dark past, Li leaves with him. The two marry and have two children: son Shang-Chi and daughter Xialing.
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ W.H Medhurst (1847). Dissertation on the Theology of the Chinese, With a view to the elucidation of the most appropriate term for expressing the deity in Chinese language. Kerala State Library. Mission Press, Shanghae. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "An MCU Icon's Tragic Origin is Bringing Back a Mystical Marvel Location". CBR. 2022-02-05. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ Johnston, Rich (2022-01-05). "Shang-Chi Gets Another Family Member (Shang-Chi #7 Spoilers)". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Thor #301. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Shang-Chi vol. 2 #11. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Shang-Chi vol. 2 #7. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ Shang-Chi vol. 2 #8. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ Shang-Chi vol. 2 #7-11. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ Shang-Chi vol. 2 #12. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ "'Shang-Chi' Features A Realm Never-Before-Seen In The MCU". Bustle. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
External links[edit]
- Ta-Lo on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki
- Ta Lo at the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
- Ta-Lo at Comic Vine
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