Serpent Society

Serpent Society
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceCaptain America #310 (Oct. 1985)
Created byMark Gruenwald
(writer)
Paul Neary
(artist)
In-story information
Base(s)Various
Member(s)See Membership

The Serpent Society is an organization of snake-themed supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The society is a continuation of the original group the Serpent Squad and was later changed into Serpent Solutions. The Serpent Society first appeared in Captain America #310 (October 1985) and was created by writer Mark Gruenwald and artist Paul Neary.[1] Serpent Solutions first appeared in Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 by writer Nick Spencer and artist Daniel Acuña.

The Serpent Society will appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: Brave New World.

History

[edit]

The Serpent Society was formed by Sidewinder as he gathered a number of villains with snake-themed powers. The group was organized more like a supervillain labor union, with the members providing protection for each other, sharing profits, and organizing profitable crimes. The Society worked, on an as-needed basis, for criminal organizations such as HYDRA, the Maggia, the Kingpin, and A.I.M. Some of these jobs brought the Serpent Society into conflict with Captain America and his partners. At one point, the Viper took control of the Society, plotting to take control of the United States, but was ultimately foiled by Captain America, D-Man, Nomad, the Falcon and former members of the Serpent Society. The Society would briefly reform over the years, but never made much impact.

As part of the All-New Marvel NOW! branding, a resurrected Viper (Jordan Stryke) took control of the Serpent Society. He reorganized it as "Serpent Solutions" and provided their services to various corporations. Serpent Solutions were opposed by the new Captain America, formerly the Falcon.

The Serpent Society has appeared in Marvel's The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon series as well as the Toei anime series Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers. The Serpent Society was also part of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier video game.

Concept and creation

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The Serpent Society first appeared in Captain America #310 (Oct. 1985) and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary.[2] Serpent Solutions first appeared in Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 by writer Nick Spencer and artist Daniel Acuña.

Most of the villains Mark Gruenwald introduced in Captain America were created to symbolize aspects of contemporary American culture and the world political situation.[3] In the case of the Serpent Society, Gruenwald created them to symbolize trade unions.[4]

Fictional team history

[edit]

Formation

[edit]

The Serpent Society was founded by Sidewinder, and was a descendant of sorts from the two original Serpent Squads. The first Squad consisted of the original Viper, his brother the original Eel, and the Cobra. The second Squad consisted of the second Viper (who was also formerly Madame Hydra), the Eel, Princess Python, the Cobra, and the Atlantean warlord Krang. Sidewinder led the third incarnation of the Squad that included Anaconda, Black Mamba and Death Adder. They were to retrieve the fabled Serpent Crown from its then-underwater grave.[5] Sidewinder used his cloak and abandoned his comrades during an underwater mishap, and proceeded to collect the reward for the Crown.[6]

Anaconda, Mamba and Adder survived and confronted Sidewinder. During that time, Sidewinder had invested the money and started the groundwork for the Serpent Society. The Society was to provide its members with better access to technology, bigger access to jobs, higher pay, comradeship, safe lodging, and a host of other benefits. Most importantly, with Sidewinder's teleportation cloak, members never had to fear imprisonment again. It was, essentially, a supervillain labor union.[7]

After persuading his former comrades of his true intention to better their lot (and paying their share of the reward plus interest), he had them contact other snake-themed criminals which included the Asp, Diamondback, the Constrictor, the Cobra, Princess Python, the Viper, the Rattler, Cottonmouth, and Bushmaster. The Viper refused to attend the first initial gathering. Constrictor, unimpressed with the proceedings, walked out and tried to turn the group over to the Avengers.[8]

Sidewinder, Anaconda, Black Mamba, Death Adder, Asp, Diamondback, Cottonmouth, the Cobra, Bushmaster, Rattler, and Princess Python became charter members of the Serpent Society. They headquartered at Serpent Citadel, which was an abandoned mental hospital located in upstate New York. Sidewinder sent them out to contact various criminal organizations including HYDRA, the Maggia, the Kingpin, and A.I.M. From A.I.M. they received their first paying assignment: the elimination of their former leader MODOK.[9] The Society's success in killing MODOK quickly cemented their reputation as criminal talents of the first caliber.[10] Captain America intervened many times during their early years, but was never able to put them out of commission.[11]

Two charter members soon left the Society. Princess Python fled during the MODOK assignment and was soon after expelled from their ranks. Death Adder was killed by Scourge of the Underworld when he was sent to ransom the Princess to her Circus of Crime cohorts.[12]

Later, the Viper sent a fourth Serpent Squad (though not named as such) consisting of Copperhead, Black Racer, Fer-de-Lance and Puff Adder to infiltrate the Society with the intention of assassinating Sidewinder and setting herself up as the rightful leader.[13] When the four were taken to Serpent Citadel by Sidewinder, it was easy for the rest of the Viper's allies (Coachwhip, Boomslang, Slither, and Rock Python), to assault the place. Many of the charter members went turncoat and supported the Viper, whereas the Asp, Black Mamba, Bushmaster, and Diamondback remained loyal to Sidewinder.[14]

The Viper used the Society and its resources to poison the water supply of Washington DC, which turned its citizens into snake-men. The ensuing chaos nearly destroyed the capital. Diamondback managed to escape with Sidewinder and solicited help from Captain America (who then was known as "The Captain" while another man donned the Captain America costume and identity) and his allies Demolition Man, Nomad, the Falcon, and Vagabond. The team stormed Serpent Citadel, rescued the Society members that were loyal to Sidewinder, and captured many others. The Viper, however managed to escape.[15]

In the end, Cobra subdued the Viper and turned her over to the Captain on the condition that he allowed the Serpent Society 24 hours to evacuate from their headquarters. When the Captain refused the deal the Cobra turned Viper over anyway.[16]

Bitter over the betrayal, Sidewinder left the Society and the Cobra became its new leader, eventually calling himself King Cobra.[17] With the exception of Slither and the Viper herself, all of the Viper's agents remained with the Society. The Society re-located to a new secret headquarters in the Bronx.

The trial

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Shortly afterwards, Diamondback became romantically involved with Captain America and tried to leave the Society altogether to be with him.[18] Despite the fact that she was a member of a criminal organization that he desperately wanted to put out of commission, Captain America did not force her to betray her companions. The Society, however, had Diamondback under surveillance[19] and when they realized she had been seeing Captain America socially, certain members demanded that she should be put on trial for treason.[20]

Diamondback was found guilty. Every member voted for her death except for Asp, Black Mamba, Bushmaster and Rock Python. Penalty was death by injection, but King Cobra said he would commute the sentence if she would cooperate with them by revealing the true identity of Captain America. Diamondback refused but Black Mamba secretly alerted Sidewinder, who teleported in to save Diamondback at the last moment.[21]

Diamondback, seeking revenge against the Society, sought out Paladin when Captain America could not guarantee that Black Mamba and Asp be given immunity from arrest. The two infiltrated the Society's headquarters, only to be captured along with Mamba and Asp. Captain America, on the other hand, from his sky cycle, spotted a Serpent Saucer piloted by Cottonmouth and Fer-de-Lance, which was heading back to the Society's hideout. Cap entered the hideout along with the saucer and quickly subdued the two Serpents. He quickly freed Diamondback, Paladin, Mamba and Asp and together they brought down the Society. All members were taken to prison with the exception of Diamondback, Asp, and Mamba (Asp and Mamba eventually were given immunity from arrest due to their help in defeating their former colleagues).[22] Anaconda, Puff Adder and Rock Python escaped capture, as they were not at the headquarters at the time. Boomslang was in the hospital after being shot by thugs around this period. Puff Adder and Rock Python were eventually imprisoned after being thrown out of their Serpent Saucer by MODAM.[23] Anaconda, Black Mamba, Asp, and Diamondback were all invited by MODAM to join the Femizons.[24] Afterwards, Mamba, Asp, and Diamondback formed a new team called BAD Girls, Inc. with fellow Femizon Impala.[25]

After spending time in prison, the Society re-formed again, going back to their old ways. Another encounter with Captain America and the now defunct team called Force Works seemed to have permanently put them out of commission;[26] both Puff Adder and Black Mamba later said that the Society had disbanded.[27]

Disassembled

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However, the Society re-formed yet again in the Captain America/Avengers Disassembled tie-ins.[28] King Cobra, Rattler, Bushmaster, and a new Death Adder had aided the Thunderbolts during the Civil War storyline. After that, the four villains have been identified as members of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic book Avengers: The Initiative #1. Anaconda served with the Six Pack[29][30] and was later defeated by the New Warriors;[31] Diamondback, Black Mamba, and Asp had reformed BAD Girls, Inc.;[32] Cottonmouth had not been seen since he broke free from prison with Hawkeye, but was later taken back into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D.[33]

Other Activities

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During the 2008 "Secret Invasion" storyline, in which a race of alien shapeshifters known as the Skrulls were discovered to have engaged in a subversive, long-term invasion of Earth, the Serpent Society took a number of civilians hostage in a compound in the American Midwest, claiming they were protecting themselves from the Skrulls. Nova and his Nova Corps deputies defeated them in seconds.[34]

The Serpent Society appeared in the 2012 "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline, during which they were confronted by the X-Men.[35] They were next seen battling Taskmaster and Deadpool after they were contracted by Leviathan to capture Marcus Johnson.[36]

Subsequently, Sidewinder returned to lead the Serpent Society, which during one endeavor, attacked the superhero group being protected by Elektra. Having studied the Serpent Society and its members while working for S.H.I.E.L.D., Elektra was able to defeat the Society.[37]

As part of Marvel Comics' 2015 All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative, Jordan Stryke, also known as the Viper, returned from the dead and became leader of the Serpent Society. He rebranded the group as a criminal business called Serpent Solutions, which later came into conflict with Sam Wilson, who had assumed the identity of Captain America, and his allies, which included the now-retired Diamondback.[38] After their plans were foiled, the Serpent Society were arrested by the authorities.[39]

Most of the members of Serpent Solutions escaped from prison and reunited during the 2017 "Secret Empire" storyline, including Slither, who rejoined the group.[40][41][42]

The Serpent Society was next seen working with the brand new Constrictor, the original's son. He had stolen the Book of the Iron Fist and planned to sell it to Iron Fist's enemy Choshin. This led to a battle between the serpents, Choshin's samurais, and Iron Fist and Sabretooth.[43] Iron Fist and Coachwhip were the last two fighters standing, and Coachwhip revealed that the Society did not know it was not the real Constrictor and that he had not told them where he hid the book.[44]

During the Thing's bachelor party, Johnny Storm unwittingly hired the Serpent Society as strippers. Anaconda, Asp, Black Mamba, Black Racer, Fer-de-Lance, and Princess Python jumped out of the Thing's cake and battled the Thing and his superhuman guests, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Rocket Raccoon, and Thundra, among others. The ladies of the Serpent Society were eventually defeated and taken into custody.[45]

In a prelude to the "Hunted" storyline, most, if not all, members of the Serpent Society were captured by Kraven the Hunter, Taskmaster, and Black Ant and forced to participate in a murderous hunt set up by Arcade. While Piet Voorhees' Cobra alias (where he was called King Cobra by Arcade) was selected to be a member of the Savage Six, the rest of the Society members were placed in electric cages to wait for the hunt to commence.[46] After the hunt began, the Society attempted to battle the robotic drones being controlled by the wealthy participants, though they realized they were outmatched and fled with the rest of the supervillains.[47] As they fled, Cottonmouth and Black Mamba commented that they did not believe Viper was suited to be the Serpent Society's leader.[48] They are saved by Vulture, who took over as leader of the band of villains. The Society then joined in the fight against the hunters.[49] After Kraven the Hunter had Arcade lower the force field, they are seen with Armadillo charging towards the awaiting police officers only to be subdued by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.[50]

The male members of the Serpent Society attended the Criminal Technology Show Expo, where M.O.D.O.K. had disguised himself as Arnim Zola. M.O.D.O.K. followed the men into the restroom where he beat them to near death as revenge for his murder many years prior. Iron Man, who had been working with M.O.D.O.K. and disguised as a HYDRA agent, suggested they hide the supervillains before they regained consciousness. However, King Cobra learned of this and alerted the rest of the supervillains in attendance to M.O.D.O.K.'s and Iron Man's scheme, causing a fight to break out.[51]

During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, Coachwhip and Puff Adder appear as members of Mayor Wilson Fisk's incarnation of the Thunderbolts at the time when Mayor Fisk had outlawed superhero activity. They alongside the Thunderbolts unit with them attack Spider-Woman only to be fought off by Spider-Woman as she gets Lindsay McRabe to safety.[52] Boomslang was seen as an inmate of the Myrmidon and was defeated by Moon Knight in one of the prison bouts.[53]

The Serpent Society members Anaconda, Asp, Black Mamba, Bushmaster, Coachwhip, Cobra II, Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Death Adder III, Fer-de-Lance, Princess Python, Puff Adder, Rattler, Rock Python, Slither, Viper started killing and throwing bodies into an offering pile at their old Serpent Solutions lair in the "name of the serpent". Their worshiping is crashed by Nighthawk. The Avengers also arrive and find that Nighthawk defeated them. The portal that the Serpent Society opened with their worshiping summoned the serpent in question who turns out to be Mephisto' dog form as it was mentioned by Nighthawk that the serpent was one of his forms. The Serpent Society later escaped from police custody and started killing people while making their way across the Brooklyn Bridge causing the Avengers to take action.[54]

Avengers Assemble

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Viper changes his name to Pit Viper and reorganizes the Serpent Society into a cult dedicated in worship to Mephisto. Pit Viper orchestrates several crises around the world to keep the Avengers Emergency Response Squad distracted while dispatching his new recruit Tiger Snake to lead raids for components needed for the Serpent's Tears, which Pit Viper boasts will not only be powerful and profitable weapons but will honor Mephisto. This has been obtained by Black Mamba, Puff Adder, Sidewinder, and their new recruit Tiger Snake during the AVENG.E.R.S.' fight with Sin.[55] Then he orchestrates the obtaining of the Griever's Swill which is obtained by Asp, Princess Python, Sidewinder, and Tiger Snake at the time when the AVENG.E.R.S. were dealing with an infestation of Super-Ape ghosts.[56] However, most of the other members are skeptical of Pit Viper's plans which escalates to them becoming openly frustrated with him when a skirmish happens between Tiger Snake and Shang-Chi in Rügen, Germany where Tiger Snake caused Shang-Chi to retreat upon using the Tiger Snake's Bite move on him. They worry will alert the AVENG.E.R.S. to their plans. Pit Viper reaffirms his goals by declaring that he would lead the raid for the final component himself and has his new recruit Titanoboa execute Boomslang for being the most vocal against his direction upon arguing with Tiger Snake. Pit Viper states that he'll be leading the latest heist and Titanoboa will be part of it.[57]

Membership

[edit]

The membership of the Serpent Society has included:

Founding members

[edit]
Member First appearance Description
Sidewinder Marvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) Seth Voelker is a former economics professor and the founder of the Serpent Society who possessed a cloak that allowed him to teleport himself and a companion. He was the group's leader until the Viper's Serpent Squad infiltrated the Society, after which he retired and left leadership to the Cobra. Years later, he donned the Sidewinder costume once again and took leadership of the Serpent Society as they were hired by the Assassin's Guild to track down the mercenary Elektra. Sidewinder will be played by Giancarlo Esposito in the upcoming MCU movie, Captain America 4, Brave New World (2025) as announced by Marvel at San Diego Comic Con (7-27-2024).

His snake motif is based on the sidewinder.

Anaconda Marvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) Blanche Sitznski is a former steelworker from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who received cybernetic surgery from the Roxxon Corporation that gave her superhumanly strong tentacle-like arms and legs that she uses to constrict her foes. They also implanted gills that allowed her to breathe underwater. While not working with the Society, Anaconda has been known to work as a freelance mercenary with several other teams, such as the Femizons, Six Pack, and the Doom Maidens.

Her snake motif is based on the anaconda.

Asp Captain America #310 (Oct. 1985) Cleo Nefertiti is a mutant and former stripper who generates a paralytic energy which is fatal to those who remained in close contact with her for prolonged periods of time. She can channel this energy into electrical blasts, which she called her "venom bursts" or "venom bolts" that can stun or paralyze living beings.

Her snake motif is based on the asp.

Black Mamba Marvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) Tanya Sealy is a former call girl. She has a limited form of telepathy that enables her to scan the thoughts of nearby individuals, usually to find an image of someone that the person holds dear. She then manifests the Darkforce into the image of that cherished person, which in turn, almost hypnotically seduces its target into embracing it. Once physical contact is established, Mamba then lets the Darkforce constrict her victims to death, or at the very least, into unconsciousness. Often the victim is in too deep a state of ecstasy or euphoria to even notice.

Her snake motif is based on the black mamba.

Bushmaster Captain America #310 (Oct. 1985) Quincy McIver is a quadriplegic who possesses cybernetic limbs: two arms and a tail in the place of the lower half of his body. He lost his arms and legs in a boating accident while trying to evade the police underwater. Shortly later, the Roxxon Corporation equipped him with bionic arms and a snake-like tail. He took the name "Bushmaster" from his fallen brother (who used the same name when he died in battle against Luke Cage).

His snake motif is based on the bushmaster.

Cobra/King Cobra Journey into Mystery #98 (Nov. 1963) Klaus Voorhees is a former lab assistant, longtime Thor foe and partner of Mister Hyde. He possesses superhuman speed and a great degree of flexibility, can contort his body into almost any shape, and is a skilled wrestler. He also supplements these abilities with an array of weaponry, mainly his wrist launchers that fire anything from knockout gas to poisoned darts. After Sidewinder retired, the Cobra became King Cobra and led the group.

Klaus' snake motif was based on the cobra, but later he based his motif on the king cobra.

Cottonmouth Captain America #310 (Oct. 1985) Burchell Clemens is a supervillain with bionic jaws and steel teeth. He can extend his lower jaw up to a foot from his upper jaw. His jaws possess superhuman strength and extremely sharp fangs.

His motif is based on the cottonmouth or water moccasin.

Death Adder Marvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) Roland Burroughs is a mute killer. He possessed extended talons which contained deadly venom, he was bioengineered with a poison-spiked bionic tail, and was totally amphibious. Soon after the Serpent Society's first few missions, Death Adder was slain by the Scourge of the Underworld, but was later somehow revived by the Hood. He was later killed again by Agent Venom when he was a member of the Crime Master's Savage Six.

His motif is based on the death adder.

Diamondback Captain America #310 (Oct. 1985) Rachel Leighton is an acrobat who uses diamond-shaped throwing blades, many of which are equipped with anything from poison, explosives, narcotics, and acid. She defected from the team and eventually became the partner and lover of Captain America. Years later, Diamondback temporarily rejoined the Serpent Society in need of money, though once again turned on her former comrades.

Her motif is based on the western diamondback rattlesnake.

Princess Python The Amazing Spider-Man #22 (March 1965) Zelda DuBois is a professional criminal and snake charmer. She is a member of the Circus of Crime who has control over a large python. When the Serpent Society was hired to kill MODOK, the Princess lost her nerve and abandoned her peers during the assignment to track him down. Eventually, the Society caught up with her, and Sidewinder (who was most disappointed in her performance) had her mind wiped and expelled her from the Society's ranks, despite her explanations. Several years later, she rejoined the Serpent Society under the new leadership and title of Serpent Solutions.
Rattler Captain America #310 (Oct. 1985) Gustav Krueger is a Polish criminal with a bionic tail that can generate vibrations. Perhaps as a result of his powers, he is 85% deaf in both ears and requires hearing aids. He was killed by the new Scourge of the Underworld, though what appears to be a new Rattler has since reappeared with the Serpent Solutions.

His motif is based on the rattlesnake.

Viper's agents

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Member First appearance Description
Viper Captain America #110 (1969) Ophelia Sarkissian, otherwise known as Madame Hydra, is the second person to use the codename of Viper. She began using the codename after she killed the original Viper (Jordan Stryke). Some time after Sidewinder had formed the Serpent Society, Viper caught wind of it and used her own criminals (Copperhead, Fer-de-Lance, Puff Adder, and Black Racer) to infiltrate the group. She caused dissension among the Serpents, with several of the original members joining Viper's side. Together, they ousted Sidewinder and those loyal to him. However, Viper's leadership of the Serpent Society was short-lived, as Captain America thwarted her plans. It was the Cobra who eventually defeated Viper, which prompted him to take over the organization. She has since abandoned the idea of leading the group and has not been seen with them since.

Her snake motif is based on the viper.

Black Racer Captain America #337 (Jan. 1988) Ariana Siddiqi can run and move at superhuman speed. She was a member of the fourth Serpent Squad along with Copperhead, Fer-de-Lance, and Puff Adder. She continued on with the Serpent Society, though appearing sparsely throughout the team's later appearances. Like Puff Adder, there are some contradictions with her ethnicity, as she has been seen both as a Caucasian woman and an African-American woman.

Her snake motif is based on the black racer.

Boomslang Captain America #341 (May 1988) Marc Riemer is an Australian criminal who uses snake-shaped boomerangs, which he called his "serpent-rangs". He is also a skilled unarmed combatant. He joined the Serpent Society during Madame Hydra's takeover. After he was shot by gang members while sent to spy on Diamondback, Boomslang left the Serpent Society for several years. He rejoined the group under its new name of Serpent Solutions. When Pit Viper later reorganizes the Serpent Society into worshipping Mephisto, Boomslang voices his opposition to their new direction, which promts Pit Viper to order new recruit Titanoboa into killing Boomslang for his insobordination.

His name is an odd choice, since the boomslang is not indigenous to Australia and is actually only found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Coachwhip Captain America #341 (May 1988) Beatrix Keener is a woman who wields metal-linked whips with the ability to generate electricity. She, along with Boomslang and Rock Python, infiltrated the Serpent Society during Madame Hydra's takeover. She stayed with the organization after Madame Hydra's defeat, and began a relationship with King Cobra when he became the new leader. She constantly wore sunglasses, and it was implied that she wears a long, white wig.

Her snake motif is based on the coachwhip.

Copperhead Captain America #337 (Jan. 1988) Davis Lawfers is the leader of the so-called fourth Serpent Squad (consisting also of Fer-de-Lance, Black Racer, and Puff Adder), and one of Madame Hydra's most loyal minions. When the Cobra became the new leader of the Society, Copperhead left the group for many years. He has since returned with the Serpent Society under new leadership. Copperhead has no superhuman powers but is equipped with a pair of gauntlets which fire power blasts and poisoned darts. For protection he wears a suit of copper-colored scale mail.

His motif is based on the copperhead.

Fer-de-Lance Captain America #337 (Jan. 1988) Teresa Vasquez is a professional assassin hailing from Puerto Rico. Fer-de-lance has a pair of retractable "fangs" similar to that of Bushmaster's. Along with Copperhead, Black Racer, and Puff Adder, Fer-de-Lance worked for Madame Hydra as part of the fourth Serpent Squad. When Sidewinder invited the quartet to join the Serpent Society, Madame Hydra began her takeover, but it failed. Despite this, Fer-de-Lance continued working for the Serpent Society.

Her motif is based on the fer-de-lance.

Puff Adder Captain America #337 (Jan. 1988) Gordon "Gordo" Fraley is a mutant with the power to breathe various debilitative gases (in one instance the gas was able to eat away a metal lock) and inflate his body mass to a certain extent. He also has superhuman strength and increased physical durability. There seems to be a confusion of what race he is, he has been depicted as Caucasian as often as he has been depicted as Black. Puff Adder was hired by Madame Hydra to work as part of the fourth Serpent Squad in order to catch the attention of the Serpent Society and eventually being infiltrate the group. He has since been a prominent member of the Society. Although he was believed to have been de-powered on M-Day, he has since appeared with his powers intact.

His motif is based on the puff adder.

Rock Python Captain America #341 (May 1988) M'Gula is a metallurgist from South Africa that served the terrorist known as the Viper. His body is as hard as his namesake and he throws "snake eggs" that burst upon impact, sending out entangling strands of metallic tendrils. He also seems to have a small measure of superhuman strength: he once hung Captain America over the edge of a building by his ankle with only one hand; his body has the density of rock. At one point, Rock Python attempted to retire from villainy and work as a security guard, but he has since returned to the Serpent Society when they were taken over by Jordan Stryke and renamed Serpent Solutions.

His snake motif is based on the African rock python.

Slither Captain America Annual #4 (1977) Aaron Salomon is a mutant who had previously been a member of Mutant Force. He has the head of a snake while the rest of his body is humanoid. He briefly worked alongside the Serpent Society when Madame Hydra infiltrated the group. After his defeat, he left the Society to rejoin Mutant Force, but has recently rejoined the group.

Later members

[edit]
Member First appearance Description
Constrictor Infamous Iron Man #7 (June 2017) The unnamed son of Frank Payne became the second Constrictor. He was a member of the Serpent Society during his fight with Iron Fist.

Like his father, his snake motif is based on the boa constrictor.

Death Adder Nova vol. 4 #19 (Jan. 2009) Theodore Scott is the second criminal to take the Death Adder mantle. Unlike Roland Burroughs, the surgery to transform him into Death Adder did not cause muteness. He was first seen working as part of the Thunderbolts with Serpent Society members King Cobra, Rattler, and Bushmaster. He has since been a permanent member of the Serpent Society, and later Serpent Solutions, though very little is known about him.
Sidewinder Iron Fist vol. 3 #1 (July 1998) A second, unnamed Sidewinder was employed by the Serpent Society, but was killed on a mission working for Death-Sting.
Captain America #31 vol. 4 (Nov. 2004) Gregory Bryan was the third man to take the codename Sidewinder, and has the same abilities as the original. He has been seen working for King Cobra, though when Seth Voelkner, the original Sidewinder, returned to a life of crime, it is unknown if Gregory Bryan continued with the Serpent Society.
Viper/Pit Viper Captain America #157 (1973) Jordan Stryke is the brother of Leopold Stryke, the first Eel, and leader of the original Serpent Squad. He was killed by Madame Hydra, who began using the Viper moniker. He has since returned under unknown circumstances, taking leadership of the Serpent Society and re-branding it as Serpent Solutions. Viper would later take on the name of Pit Viper and reorganize the Serpent Society as a cult for Mephisto.

When he became Pit Viper, his snake motif changed to a pit viper.

Tiger Snake Avengers Assemble vol. 2 #1 (2024) Tiger Snake is an unnamed martial artist of East Asian descent who possesses the ability to generate a lethal poison from his hands that he calls the "Tiger Snake's Bite". He was personally recruited by Pit Viper and is a dedicated worshipper of Mephisto.

His snake motif is based on the tiger snake.

Titanoboa Avengers Assemble vol. 2 #3 (2024) Titanoboa is an unnamed gargantuan humanoid with superhuman strength. Along with Tiger Snake, he was personally recruited by Pit Viper and is a dedicated worshipper of Mephisto.

His snake motif is based on the Titanoboa.

Other versions

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Earth-33900

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In the Avengers series dedicated to the American Armed Forces, the Serpent Society attacks an airport in search of Sergeant Joe Wilton and his satchel containing a possible secret weapon. The membership consists of leader Cobra, Viper (Murtaugh), Eel, Death Adder (Scott), and Anaconda. Their plans are thwarted by the Avengers, as well as Anaconda, whose father is a former marine.[58]

Exiles

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Another alternate version of the Serpent Society appeared in Exiles #89. The Exiles team had to restore Earth #27537. The Exiles had a hard time defeating the Society, which consisted of Cobra, Anaconda, Bushmaster, Death Adder, Cottonmouth, Diamondback, Rattler, Sidewinder, and an unnamed woman, but eventually the Exiles did manage to win and moved over to another reality. What the Serpent Society was doing on this Earth exactly was never revealed, though it was revealed they had previously killed the Spider-Man of their reality.

Marvel Adventures

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The Marvel Adventures features the Sons of the Serpents as the Serpent Society. However, the actual group eventually appeared, consisting of Sidewinder, Cobra, Anaconda, and Cottonmouth, and battled Spider-Man. They plotted to turn the civilians of the city into snake-like creatures by poisoning the water supply. However, Spider-Man's interference led to the Lizard drinking the poison himself, becoming a giant reptilian creature. The Serpent Society, satisfied with their success, teleported away, leaving Spider-Man to battle the Lizard.

Marvel Super Hero Adventures

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In this comic book series aimed towards younger readers, the Serpent Society consists of King Cobra, Anaconda, Bushmaster, Asp, Princess Python, and their new (but shy) recruit Garden Snake. The group planned to steal millions of dollars in a Jersey City shipyard. They planned to use Garden Snake to shrink down so that she could unlock the cargo's lock. However, Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel discovered their plan. With the help of a reformed Garden Snake, Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel defeated the Serpent Society.[59]

Spider-Bot Infinity Comic

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The Serpent Society appears in this digital-first comic series where they battle Spider-Bot and Captain America. The team consists of Anaconda, Cottonmouth, Rattler, and Puff Adder.[60]

Ultimate Marvel

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In the Ultimate Marvel universe, the Serpent Society is instead a gang known as the Serpent Skulls.[61] Led by Crossbones, the group consisted of second-in-command Diamondback and lieutenants Black Racer, Sidewinder, Death Adder, King Cobra, Bushmaster, and Anaconda. Each member had his or her own underlings thematic to that character: Sidewinder had several men dressed as chauffeurs, Black Racer had a group of ninjas, Death Adder led a group of punks, and Anaconda was the leader of a female biker gang. The Serpent Skulls took over a Roxxon facility and began distributing super-powered drugs in Hell's Kitchen. Bushmaster was murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld, a masked vigilante who had targeted gang members. The Serpent Skulls clashed with the New Ultimates on several occasions. In the final showdown, Death Adder was murdered by the Scourge, Diamondback fled alongside Sidewinder as the Ultimates member Bombshell wanted revenge for the murder of her boyfriend Poey, and the rest of the Serpent Skulls were presumably arrested and taken into custody.[62]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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Video games

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The Serpent Society appear in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier tie-in game, consisting of King Cobra, Diamondback, and Puff Adder.

Miscellaneous

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The Serpent Society appear in the novel Marvel Avengers: The Serpent Society, by Pat Shand and published by Joe Books Ltd. in 2017.[65] This version of the group is led by Black Mamba and consists of Anaconda, Bushmaster, Asp, King Cobra, Fer-de-Lance, Puff Adder, and Copperhead.

References

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  2. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 319. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  3. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
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  63. ^ Burlingame, Russ (7 May 2016). "What Was With Captain America: Serpent Society?". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 24 Nov 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  64. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (July 28, 2024). "Giancarlo Esposito's Captain America Role Revealed to be Leader of the Serpent Society | SDCC 2024". IGN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  65. ^ "Marvel Avengers: The Serpent Society". Joe Books LTD.
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