SERPENT SOCIETY

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First appearance: Captain America (1st series) #163 (Serpent Squad), #310 (Serpent Society), Captain America: Sam Wilson #3 (Serpent Solutions)

Membership: (Pit) Viper, Eel, (King) Cobra, Viper II, Princess Python, Krang, Sidewinder, Anaconda, Death Adder, Black Mamba, Diamondback, Cottonmouth, Bushmaster, Asp, Rattler, Fer-de-Lance, Copperhead, Puff Adder, Black Racer, Coachwhip, Slither, Rock Python, Boomslang, Cobra II, Eel II, Viper III, Sidewinder III, Death Adder II, Constrictor II, Tiger Snake, Titanoboa

BEFORE

• Serpent-themed villains date back to the dawn of the Marvel Age. Early examples include the Cobra (Klaus Voorhees) [Journey into Mystery #98] and the Eel (Leopold Stryke). [Strange Tales #112]
• Years later, the Eel’s brother (who changed his name from Stryke to Jordan Dixon) also got into the family business as the Viper. The Viper and the Eel worked together with Porcupine, Scarecrow and Plantman as part of the Cowled Commander’s Crime Wave before being sent to prison by Captain American and the Falcon. [Captain America (1st series) #157-159]

• The two were freed from prison by the Cobra, with the three of them joining forces as the first Serpent Squad. They attempted to take revenge on Captain America at the family residence of Sharon and Peggy Carter. [Captain America (1st series) #163]
• Madame Hydra was driven out of her chosen group of terrorists after being temporarily replaced by the Space Phantom. [Captain America (1st series) #110-113, Avengers (1st series) #107] She was found in hiding by Warlord Krang of Atlantis and recruited into a mission for Set through his talisman, the Serpent Crown. She hired Princess Python to free Cobra and Eel from prison while she tracked down the Viper and murdered him in order to claim his name. As the Viper II, Madame Hydra claimed she was honoring the Eel’s fallen brother, and the five of them became Serpent Squad II. [Captain America (1st series) #180]
• The Serpent Squad used the Crown to hypnotize RoXXon president Hugh Jones into lending his oil rig to force sunken Lemuria to the surface. They were defeated by Steve Rogers (in his Nomad identity). Eel never learned the truth about his brother’s death, but Cobra recognized Viper was an absolute madwoman and swore off working with her in the future. [Captain America (1st series) #181-182]
• Hugh Jones remained linked to Set from his time with the Serpent Crown, and he directed RoXXon and their subsidiary the Brand Corporation to fund the development of new super-criminals. Serpent Squad III included Sidewinder, Black Mamba, Anaconda and Death Adder as RoXXon mercenaries sent to recover the Serpent Crown from the ocean. They were opposed by the Thing, Stingray and Triton, so that only Sidewinder escaped with the Serpent Crown and returned it to Hugh Jones for their fee. [Marvel Two-In-One #64-66] The other three members continued working together and spent months tracking Sidewinder down. [Iron Man (1st series) #160]
• Meanwhile, the original Eel was murdered by the Gladiator when they fought over the same stolen device. [Ghost Rider (2nd series) #21] He was replaced years later by Edward Lavell of the Maggia as Eel II. [Power Man and Iron Fist (1st series) #92] The Cobra had a reoccurring partnership for years with the brutish Mister Hyde. When he escaped from Riker’s Island and deliberately left Hyde behind, though, their partnership dissolved, and Hyde fixated on making Cobra pay over the years. [Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1st series) #46]

 

CHRONOLOGY

Black Mamba, Anaconda and Death Adder finally traced Sidewinder to an apartment in New York City. While waiting for his return, they discovered Sidewinder had been researching them and other snake-themed criminals. Sidewinder arrived and told his former partners he had the proceeds from their successful job for RoXXon. In their time apart, he had even invested their shares wisely in order to provide a bonus to each of them, on top of what they were already owed. This gesture calmed the scene and led them to listen to his plans for a larger, Serpent Society of super-criminals gathered for mutual gain. In the days that followed, Sidewinder’s partners helped him spread the news to other criminals like Cobra, Princess Python and Constrictor. [Captain America (1st series) #307-309]

Sidewinder’s big proposal came days later at a midtown hotel, catered with a large buffet and a written prospectus outlining his vision. The Serpent Society would be a super-villain trade union rivaling the Avengers, providing insurance, medical care, even pension plans. They would all share in the profits, combine technology and resources, and watch out for one another against the authorities and super-heroes. In particular, Sidewinder’s teleporting ability allowed him to promise none of them needed to ever fear incarceration again. Of those invited, the Viper refused to even appear, and the Constrictor’s ego led him to dismiss the idea, calling out Sidewinder and the others as not in his league. The other Serpents all accepted Sidewinder’s proposal, though, and so Black Mamba, Anaconda and Death Adder were joined by veterans Cobra and Princess Python, plus new faces Diamondback, Bushmaster, Asp, Cottonmouth and Rattler.

[Note: Several new Society members shared a name with other snake-based villains of the past. The first Rattler fought the Rawhide Kid during the Old West. Luke Cage had several foes named Diamondback, Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes and John Bushmaster. The last one was brothers with the Society’s Bushmaster, but otherwise the characters were unrelated. Bushmaster was also a cyborg engineered by Roxxon and it’s possible he, Cottonmouth and Rattler were all intended as reserve members for Serpent Squad III.]

As a final initiation test, Sidewinder sent the new Serpent Society out in smaller groups to acquire valuable items for their organization. Anaconda, Cobra and Rattler drove out to Long Island and the Brand Corporation for a burglary. However, the sour Constrictor tried to sabotage them by calling in an anonymous tip to the Avengers. Captain America arrived and intervened on the Serpents’ mission. Anaconda took the initiative and told Cobra and Rattler to make off with the gizmo, while she stayed behind to occupy the Avenger. Cap defeated Anaconda, but the Serpent Society got what they were after and Sidewinder freed her from lock-up that night. Anaconda put two-and-two together and tracked down Constrictor, putting him in the hospital for dropping a dime on the Serpent Society. [Captain America (1st series) #310]

At the newly opened Serpent Citadel, Sidewinder welcomed the other ten members into the Society. The Citadel was a decommissioned sanitarium in upstate New York with living quarters, launching facilities for their Serpent Saucers, and more. First order of business was announcing themselves to various criminal organizations as potential contractors. Advanced Idea Mechanics had a job in mind when they hired the Serpent Society to eliminate M.O.D.O.K., their former Scientist Supreme and general loose cannon for their organization. This assassination contract would go a long way towards establishing the Serpent Society’s reputation, so Sidewinder coordinated several teams to search for their prey. [Captain America (1st series) #311-312]

Diamondback and Bushmaster successfully located M.O.D.O.K. at an abandoned A.I.M. submarine base. They injured M.O.D.O.K. as he was recharging, but M.O.D.O.K. blasted Bushmaster’s bionic arms from his body and made his escape. Diamondback saved Bushmaster’s life by pulling him to shore and then called in the rest of the Society. They cornered M.O.D.O.K. at a shopping mall in New Jersey and prepared to search the complex for him. However, Captain America’s hotline also caught wind of their activity, and he found Princess Python running from the scene. The cowardly Python blabbed the whole situation – as a non-powered human snake trainer, she didn’t feel confident about going after a genuine killing machine and wanted to flee.

Inside the mall, Captain America faced a number of the Serpents for the first time. He contended with Asp’s venom blasts, Black Mamba’s hypnotic darkness and Diamondback’s throwing diamonds. Diamond got Cap in a leg hold but hesitated before hurting any guy this attractive and was thrown clear. In the meantime, however, Death Adder and Cottonmouth got a hold of their real target. Cottonmouth’s bionic bite kept M.O.D.O.K. occupied, while Death Adder’s poisoned talons delivered a finishing slash. Captain America struck them unconscious, but it was too late to save M.O.D.O.K. from a slit throat and the deadly poison. Reportedly, two Serpents were sent to the hospital and four went into police custody, but Sidewinder easily retrieved every member of his victorious team in the night. [Captain America (1st series) #313]

The Serpent Society abducted M.O.D.O.K.’s body from the morgue as proof-of-death for their contractor, A.I.M. While at A.I.M. headquarters, Cobra had an embarrassing run-in with another old school villain named Porcupine, who was trying to sell his battle suit and get out of the game. Cobra was mortified when he gave Porcupine their card and he called the Serpent Citadel during a meeting to try to hustle Sidewinder. Instead, Sidewinder occupied himself torturing the turncoat Princess Python, whom they easily picked up after she abandoned the team during a mission. After making an example of her, Sidewinder prepared to ransom Princess back to her old cohorts in the Circus of Crime, so she wasn’t a total loss to the organization.

Porcupine called back later with something more interesting… he claimed to have captured Captain America! In actuality, Porcupine had tried selling his suit to the Avengers next, but Cap was more interested in getting a line on the Serpent Society. Cottonmouth, Death Adder, Rattler and Diamondback went out to collect Captain America, but he revealed he was playing possum when they tried to kill him right there instead of taking him back to the Citadel. Diamondback chased down the fleeing Porcupine, who died by accident when he fell on one of his own dislodged quills. In the meanwhile, Cap beat and apprehended the other three Serpents. This time, he waited with them in lock-up until Sidewinder apparated into the cell. He couldn’t catch Sidewinder and the other three were eventually freed, but now Cap knew how the Serpents were evading custody. [Captain America (1st series) #315]

Death Adder drew the short straw and was assigned to chaperone Princess Python back to the Circus of Crime for their money. His Serpent Saucer was shot down over the South Bronx, causing him to crash. While haling a cab, Adder was shot and killed by the Scourge of the Underworld, disguised as the cabbie. [Captain America (1st series) #318] Once Sidewinder discovered Death Adder’s body, he called off all other Serpent business to look into the execution. They shook the trees with A.I.M., the Circus of Crime and the Kingpin, but it was Diamondback who had a break while checking on the convicted serial killer, Foolkiller.

Captain America was also investigating leads on Scourge, and Diamond convinced the Captain to team up with her. She slyly pointed out she had no outstanding warrants, hadn’t actually killed anyone in his presence, and even held back against him twice. Cap was willing to exchange information, even took a ride on the Serpent Saucer, but firmly rejected Diamondback’s romantic advances. She ended up getting shot by a farmer after Captain America got tired of her playfulness and stormed off, but he came back and brought her to the hospital. Cobra came looking for her on the same night Scourge tracked down her location. As their Serpent Saucer took off, Scourge fired at the hovercraft. He failed but the two Serpents learned how close they came when they found a bullet hole a few inches from the fuel tank. [Captain America (1st series) #319-320]
 

IN-BETWEEN

• Not all of the Serpent Society’s jobs were high-risk. Black Mamba (as Tanya Sealy) was hired by Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil to entertain Hercules for a day away from Avengers Mansion when the Masters besieged the structure. She gave him enough drugged alcohol that the Prince of Power was severely inhibited when he finally returned home to an ambush. [Avengers (1st series) #274]
• In Las Vegas, Nevada, a new Serpent Squad IV started heisting hotels and casinos. Copperhead, Black Racer, Fer-de-Lance and Puff Adder were finally caught by Steve Rogers (recently denounced by his government and known simply as “The Captain”), and his allies Falcon, D-Man and Nomad. [Captain America (1st series) #337] Sidewinder appreciated their brazenness and strategic flourishes and teleported into their cells to offer the Squad membership in the larger Serpent Society. [Captain America (1st series) #338]

 

Chronology, Con’t.

Sidewinder introduced the Serpent Society to their four new trial members, Copperhead, Black Racer, Fer-de-Lance and Puff Adder. As the Squad ingratiated themselves in the Serpent Citadel, though, they were revealed as infiltrators for Viper, the former Madame Hydra. Viper wanted the Serpent Society for herself and was prepared to eliminate Sidewinder and anyone who opposed her. She had reinforcements of her own, raiding the Citadel with Slither, Coachwhip, Boomslang and Rock Python. Viper got the drop on Sidewinder by posing as his lover Black Mamba and poisoned him with a lethal bite from her fangs. Sidewinder teleported to Diamondback for aid, and Rachel administered an antitoxin. She saw how the Citadel was infested with snakes at the communications suite and chose to radio Captain America for help.

Viper and her cohorts outnumbered the remaining Serpents, and rapidly gained the upper hand at the Serpent Citadel. Through bribery, persuasion, torture and threat of death, she turned charter members of the Serpent Society to her side. Anaconda and Rattler switched sides first, while the cowardly Cobra was reluctantly intimidated into working with Viper again, despite their history. Black Mamba, Asp and Bushmaster remained firmly loyal to Sidewinder, even under torture, but Cottonmouth eventually gave in and sided with Viper as well.

Diamondback hooked up with the Captain and his team of commandos. Vagabond took Sidewinder to get medical care, while Diamond and the Captain brought Falcon, Nomad and D-Man back to the Serpent Citadel. Diamondback was surprised to find Anaconda and the others working with the mutineers, and she remained aligned with the Captain against the Serpent Society. Her focus was on rescuing her friends and stopping whatever Viper was up to. Many of the Serpents were beaten at the Citadel, but Viper escaped. Her team of Cobra, Copperhead and Boomslang had already reached Washington D.C. The anarchist wanted to poison the water supply of D.C. with a mutagenic chemical that turned people into Serpent Men. Cobra found this plan to be absurd, pointless and non-profitable, but lacked the courage to truly rebel.

Viper and Slither were captured by Cap’s commandos in a commandeered Serpent Saucer, and Cobra was surprised to find the Saucer under enemy control when he returned. He saw an opportunity and tried to kill the manacled Viper with an acid bomb, but the heroes mistook his actions for an escape attempt and diverted the projectile, allowing Viper to escape anyway. Cobra convinced Diamondback that he was secretly a double agent for Sidewinder, and she let him escape too. The Viper had a final showdown with Cap and the mutated President inside the White House. Cobra trailed them and finally got the drop on Viper, knocking her out. He offered to turn her over to the Captain in exchange for 24 hours for the Serpent Society to evacuate the Citadel and stay ahead of the authorities. Cap refused to deal with criminals and Cobra turned Viper over anyway, grumbling over how exasperating the Avenger was. [Captain America (1st series) #341-344]

After the business with Viper, Sidewinder felt as if he could not trust his Serpents anymore. In exchange for 25% of future earnings, he stepped down from the Serpent Society and nominated Cobra as his replacement. Diamondback also chose to leave the Society, after fighting directly against her fellow Serpents when they served Viper. The other Sidewinder loyalists chose to stay, and Cobra held a vote where they agreed to allow Viper’s former agents to remain in the Society as well. Cobra now led the charter members Anaconda, Black Mamba, Cottonmouth, Asp, Bushmaster and Rattler, plus Puff Adder, Black Racer, Fer-de-Lance, Boomslang, Coachwhip and Rock Python. Because Diamondback had revealed the location of the old Serpent Citadel to Captain America, Cobra moved their headquarters to the secretly renovated Stuyvesant Arms Hotel in the South Bronx.

Coachwhip, Rock Python and Puff Adder assaulted Sam Wilson at his offices in Harlem. They attempted to steal his flying costume as the Falcon, but were interrupted by Battlestar and the two heroes drove them off. This may have been a final initiation stunt for the Serpent Society, like the ones Sidewinder put the charter members through. [Captain America (1st series) #355]

Ghaur and Llyra were worshippers of the Serpent God Set who contacted Sidewinder with work for the Serpent Society. He forwarded them on to Cobra, but also asked Diamondback to return to the Society and report back to him about the job. Ghaur and Llyra wanted the Serpents to retrieve four objects of arcane mystical power for their rituals. While Diamondback, Copperhead and Fer-de-Lance were on one of the retrieval missions, though, their target Mister Jip got the drop on them. Jip foresaw trouble for his own plans if Ghaur succeeded, so he wanted the four items recovered for himself. As incentive, he kidnapped the X-Man known as Dazzler and swapped her and Diamondback’s bodies. Now Diamondback and the X-Men would be working for him against the Serpent Society, if they wanted the ladies restored.

In the Savage Land, Wolverine and Dazzler beat Asp, Puff Adder and Boomslang for the first idol. In Ohio, Black Mamba, Anaconda, Coachwhip and Rock Python lost their totem to Rogue, Colossus and Havok. And, on the shores of Iceland, Storm, Longshot and Psylocke joined Diamondback against Black Racer, Rattler, Cottonmouth and Bushmaster. Rachel cashed in her debt to Bushmaster for saving his life during the M.O.D.O.K. affair, and he sat out the rest of the battle. Once the X-Men returned the items to Mister Jip and he restored Dazzler and Diamondback, Sidewinder suddenly teleported in and claimed the prizes. He had used Diamondback’s homing device to find her and complete the job for Ghaur and Llyra himself. In exchange, he sent Cobra and the Society a measly 10% of the contract amount. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #13]

During the Acts of Vengeance affair, Loki materialized in Cobra’s office and tried to persuade the Serpent Society into joining the villains around the country switching foes to throw off the heroes and gain vengeance by proxy. Cobra dismissed the idea, as the Society existed for profit, not revenge. He was more concerned that his former partner Mr. Hyde was loose after the mass breakout from the Vault and might seek revenge on him again.

Cobra realized he was underperforming as leader of the Serpent Society, and his natural cowardice was holding him back from making more ambitious and aggressive maneuvers. He decided to resolve his long-standing fear of Hyde as a trial by fire to force a change in attitude. Cobra tracked down Hyde’s Manhattan safe house and confronted his former partner. He managed to defeat Hyde through cunning and trickery, even forcing Mr. Hyde to beg for his life when he believed Cobra had fatally poisoned him. Filled with confidence, Klaus returned to the Serpent Citadel and redesigned his costume. Declaring himself the King Cobra, he pronounced a new age of villainy and profit for the Society. [Captain America (1st series) #365-367]

In Cobra’s absence, Asp and Coachwhip did get caught up in the Acts of Vengeance chaos, but the Serpent Society managed to secure their release from custody even without Sidewinder’s teleporting. [Marc Spector: Moon Knight #10, Alpha Flight (1st series) #79-80]

Diamondback started to become an increasing concern for the Serpent Society. As an independent contractor, she continued associating with Captain America and worked with him on a regular basis while seeking his attention. [Captain America (1st series) #357-370] Their relationship developed socially and “Rachel and Steve” even went on a date together. Asp and Black Mamba tailed them (with the help of Anaconda) and stopped no less than four super-villains from interfering with their night out. Cleo and Tanya didn’t know the real identity of Rachel’s date, though. [Captain America (1st series) #371] King Cobra had suspicions, however, and Diamondback was placed under surveillance. Cap found Boomslang watching her apartment, but the Serpent accidentally got shot in a turf war between gangs and went to the hospital before Cap could interrogate him more. [Captain America (1st series) #372]

Eventually, a decision was made by consensus of the Serpent Society. An anonymous note was sent to Diamondback, warning her that her enemies were watching and might soon strike. When she made for Avengers Mansion to get help and support, the Society considered this evidence of her double-crossing ways. King Cobra ordered her abduction, and the speedy Black Racer knocked Diamondback out before she could enter the mansion’s grounds. [Captain America (1st series) #379]

Back at the Serpent Citadel, King Cobra informed Diamondback she would be brought to trial before her peers on charges of conspiracy and treason against the Serpent Society. Black Mamba would serve as her defense, while Cobra’s new lover Coachwhip acted as prosecutor. Rachel had to confess to Tanya for the first time that her new flame was Captain America, but she insisted she had never volunteered any compromising information to him about the Serpents, and that he had never asked. Diamond was afraid she would be mindwiped and expelled like Princess Python, but Mamba informed her the Society was pushing for execution if she were found guilty.

With King Cobra acting as judge, Diamondback appeared before a jury of Serpents. Coachwhip hammered home the absurdity that a “paragon of virtue” like Captain America would ever be interested in someone like Diamondback unless she offered him something incriminating on the rest of them. Black Mamba argued that Diamond had always been a member in good standing, had risked herself for other members in the past, and all Serpents were entitled to their private affairs. No evidence was brought forward showing Diamondback had betrayed them. If Captain America and the Avengers were really going to raid the Serpent Citadel, they had had months to do so.

Still, the days of the Serpent Society’s founding were long over. Through deaths and expulsions, only seven charter members remained, and only 3-4 could Diamondback genuinely count as friends. Outside the founders, the other six were former infiltrators and mutineers whose recruitment led Diamondback to quit in protest. Asp, Black Mamba, Bushmaster, (and oddly Rock Python) voted to acquit, but Anaconda, Cottonmouth, Rattler, Coachwhip, Puff Adder, Black Racer and Fer-de-Lance declared her guilty. King Cobra could not save Rachel with his vote and, when he offered to commute her sentence in exchange for information on Cap and the Avengers, she told him to get stuffed. Her execution by snake venom would come at the stroke of midnight.

Black Mamba and Asp tried to talk King Cobra out of the execution, even threatened to quit if he went through with it, but he wouldn’t budge. Majority ruled and Cobra’s authority as head of the Serpent Society depended on the trust and loyalty of his remaining members. Tanya and Cleo chose to act anyway, and Mamba telephoned Sidewinder to beg him to save Rachel. Because Diamondback rescued him from Viper, Sidewinder repaid the debt and teleported into the Serpent Citadel, whisking Rachel away moments before her execution. King Cobra quickly deduced what had happened and had Asp and Black Mamba incarcerated for torture and execution as well. He ordered bounties on the heads of Diamondback and Sidewinder, sending out the rest of the Serpent Society to find the traitors.

Sidewinder had fulfilled his obligation to Diamondback and wanted nothing more to do with the situation. He refused to go back for Mamba and Asp, who Diamond accurately predicted were in trouble, and focused on getting himself into hiding. Diamondback also had a falling out with Captain America. After the trial, all bets were off and she was ready to help him and the Avengers bring down the Serpent Society, but Cap wouldn’t agree to let Tanya and Cleo go during the sting. Diamondback left Cap behind and hired the mercenary Paladin to help her raid the Serpent Citadel for her friends first. She found Black Mamba and Asp tied up in the gymnasium, but King Cobra and Bushmaster were there waiting for her. Rachel tried to reason with Bushmaster, but the Society was his whole life. To a “freak” like him, he had nowhere else to go. As they struggled, she accidentally struck him with an acid-filled diamond instead of a gas bomb, perhaps ruining their friendship forever. Cobra managed to capture her and Paladin alongside his existing victims.

Captain America followed up on Diamondback’s problems and found Anaconda, Puff Adder and Rock Python staking out her apartment. He fought with the trio and played possum after being beaten, in the hopes they would take him to the Serpent Citadel. When they reported in to King Cobra, though, Voorhees was wise to the Captain’s tricks and told them to stay away from the Citadel for 24 hours on paid vacation instead. Still, Cap’s pilot John Jameson managed to trace that transmission to the South Bronx, letting Captain America zero in on the Citadel regardless.

Cap followed a Saucer inside and disabled Cottonmouth and Fer-de-Lance without raising an alarm. He managed to knock out Bushmaster as well before King Cobra and the rest of the Society caught him freeing the hostages in the gymnasium. Diamondback had been poisoned by Cobra, so Black Mamba got her the antidote while Asp and Paladin helped Captain America clean up the remaining snakes. In addition to King Cobra, Rattler, Coachwhip and Black Racer were apprehended along with those Serpents whom Cap had already rendered unconscious. Despite his earlier hesitation, Cap chose to honor Diamondback’s wishes and didn’t insist on Asp or Black Mamba being arrested too. [Captain America (1st series) #380-382]

IN-BETWEEN

• Slither had shown no interest in remaining with the Serpent Society after Viper left. He later appeared with her mercenaries the Fangs, along with Heat-Ray, Bludgeon and Razorblade. [Captain America (1st series) #419] Copperhead also apparently didn’t work out, for he only made one more appearance with the Society during their original run.
• After leaving the Serpent Society, Black Mamba, Asp and Diamondback chose to remain together as independent investigators and mercenaries known as B.A.D. Girls, Inc. All three actually had a good working relationship with Captain America for a time. However, Rachel was targeted by her old nemesis Snapdragon while on a cruise with Superia’s Femizons. This near-death experience shook her confidence and Rachel chose to retire as Diamondback. [Captain America (1st series) #385-393]
• Tanya and Cleo started their own investigation into Snapdragon, in the hopes of finding her, helping Rachel get her revenge and her confidence back. They were joined by a third member, Impala, but the investigation became a dangling sub-plot. [Captain America (1st series) #394-397] Diamondback was kidnapped and traumatized by Crossbones to get her back in costume on her own terms. She crossed paths with the B.A.D. Girls on A.I.M. Island while undercover with Cap, but they didn’t reconnect. [Captain America (1st series) #411]
• Several Serpents remained at large after the fall of King Cobra and the Citadel. Anaconda, Puff Adder and Rock Python accosted the B.A.D. Girls as traitors to the organization soon after. [Captain America (1st series) #385-387] Boomslang eventually got out of the hospital and appeared along with this trio at the A.I.M. Weapons Expo. It’s unclear if they were officially active as the Serpent Society still by this point. [Captain America (1st series) #411-413]
• During this period, when most of the Serpent Society was incarcerated, Puff Adder joined the Masters of Evil under the command of Doctor Octopus. They attempted to raid Avengers Mansion during Infinity War. [Guardians of the Galaxy (1st series) #28-29]
• Sidewinder was afraid that King Cobra and the Serpent Society would eventually come for him after he betrayed them to save Diamondback. He hoped he could settle the debt between them by teleporting into the Vault and rescuing Klaus from his trial. Unfortunately, Sidewinder was hit during the escape. He barely got them into the deserted badlands outside the Vault before abandoning Cobra and teleporting himself to get medical care. King Cobra considered running out on his fellow Serpents, but he remembered Hyde’s vendetta and decided to stay until all his crew could be rescued. He surrendered back into the Guardsmen’s custody and swore revenge on Sidewinder for complicating everything. [Captain America Annual #10]
• Sidewinder tried to go straight, but his daughter developed medical bills that required a significant amount of money. He tried to bargain with Captain America and Diamondback, but ended up robbing gangs and drug dealers to get the cash. Finally, in exchange for Sidewinder turning himself in for his crimes, Captain America agreed to coordinate with the Avengers to have all of Voelker’s daughter’s medical bills paid. [Captain America (1st series) #424]

Chronology, Con’t.

King Cobra eventually got out of prison and reorganized the Serpent Society. He began considering retirement, both personally and for super-villains in general. He and the Serpent Society bought out a retirement community in Sandhaven, Arizona. Jack Harrison was a member of Captain America’s hotline network whose parents were uprooted from Sandhaven during the takeover, and he chose to investigate the Serpents as Jack Flag. He was caught by the Serpents and bluffed that he really wanted to join their numbers. King Cobra sent him on a suicide run to rob Mister Hyde’s safehouse in Reno, Nevada, but Jack surprisingly survived the encounter with Hyde and returned with the item requested.

Voorhees gave Jack a version of his King Cobra costume and had the Serpent Society put him through his paces. They were interrupted when Mr. Hyde came looking for a rematch and the real Captain America (with his sidekick Free Spirit) responded to Jack’s hotline message. Cobra and Hyde made peace while Jack and Cap arranged for the latter to be captured by the rest of the Society. Free Spirit knocked out Coachwhip and used her disguise to try and rescue Cap, but Cobra dropped the Captain down a drainage escape route in his pool. Jack Flag and Free Spirit were left to face the Serpent Society while Cobra and Hyde pursued Captain America. Cap barely survived the encounter with the pair due to his growing Super-Soldier Serum degradation, but Force Works appeared and gave the star-spangled sidekicks some back-up. Most of the Serpent Society were rounded up and imprisoned. [Captain America (1st series) #434-437]
 

IN-BETWEEN

• With the Serpent Society disbanded, Black Mamba went into modeling. She was fixed up on a date with Jack Truman (a Deathlok cyborg) by her co-worker and his sister, Lillian Trubane. Puff Adder accosted her during the dinner in an effort to recruit her into restarting the Serpent Society. [Deathlok (3rd series) #7]
• King Cobra did not end up returning the Serpent Society, at least at first. He was seen working with his former partner, Mr. Hyde [Captain America (3rd series) #15] and later armored by Lucia van Bardas for her revenge on Nick Fury. [Secret War #3-4]
• Anaconda fought in the Bloodsport Tournament in Madripoor and was seemingly killed by Puma. [Wolverine (2nd series) #167] However, she resurfaced alive (as did Forearm, whom she killed, and Eel II, who was killed by the Toad, all without explanation).
• Black Mamba did end up getting back in uniform, and she joined the Masters of Evil after Puff Adder did. Around the same time, Cottonmouth escaped from prison in a chain gang with Headlok, Plantman and Hawkeye. [Thunderbolts (1st series) #55-71]

Chronology, Con’t.

The Serpent Society was suddenly back in operation under the command of King Cobra. The roster included the majority of classic members, plus Black Mamba, Asp and the new Sidewinder. They spotted Diamondback in New York consorting with Captain America again, and attacked and captured them both for revenge over their previous encounters. Cap and Diamondback escaped their clutches and defeated all the Serpents. [Captain America (4th series) #30-31]

[Note: This Diamondback was revealed in the next issue to be a rogue LMD under the control of the Red Skull in a plot against Captain America. The Marvel Handbooks would later add context to this scenario, explaining how Black Mamba and Asp squared their debts with King Cobra by offered Diamondback’s location to Cobra, letting them work with the Serpent Society again. They were actually coordinating with the real Diamondback, and knew they were turning an imposter over to the Serpent Society.]
 

IN-BETWEEN

• Although Sidewinder previously said he intended to keep his teleporting technology proprietary, he was apparently unsuccessful. According to the Handbooks, King Cobra learned how to recreate the powers of several Serpents, including Sidewinder, Death Adder and himself. An unnamed Sidewinder II died trying to recover the Zodiac Key from S.H.I.E.L.D. [Iron Fist (3rd series) #1], but the Handbooks report he was responsible for freeing the Society from incarceration after Scottsdale. A Sidewinder III (Gregory Bryan) appeared with the Serpent Society in the above Cap story. Voelker even became a guest speaker and “talking head” on news programs as a “former super-villain.” [New Thunderbolts #7]
• However, in the years since then, it has clearly been Voelker in the Sidewinder costume at different times, referencing his past leadership of the Serpent Society or relationship with Black Mamba. [Elektra (4th series) #6, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1] There is a certain plausible deniability of more than one man using the same masked criminal identity. We do our best to ID which Sidewinder is present for future issues.
• Similarly, King Cobra finally found his understudy when he recreated the accident which gave him his powers and applied it to his nephew, Piet Voorhees, creating a new Cobra. He first surfaced as a mercenary working for the Yakuza, wearing a unique costume and often fighting with the White Tiger. [White Tiger #1-6]
• Before the White Tiger series ended, Serpent Squad V was introduced working for the Red Skull’s daughter, Sin. Based on the original Serpent Squad, this trio included a Cobra, Eel II (Edward Lavell) and Viper III (Leon Murtaugh, a brand-new character). [Captain America (5th series) #28-29, #35-36, Captain America (6th series) #6-8] This Cobra wore Klaus’ first costume, and was referred to as “King Cobra” in issue #29 and #36. However, the Handbooks later reported that Piet was the Cobra of Serpent Squad V. It can be argued whether Piet or Klaus is present in any Cobra appearance since 2007. Generally, when Cobra is leading the Serpent Society or wearing the King Cobra cape, we’re assuming that was Klaus.
• After the Diamondback LMD was dealt with, B.A.D. Girls, Inc. continued working together. [Cable / Deadpool #20-23] They opposed the Superhuman Registration Act and fought alongside Captain America’s Secret Avengers. [Civil War (1st series) #5-6] This may account for why they were seen fighting with the Initiative’s Avengers. [Giant-Size Avengers (2nd series) #1] However, they were eventually accepted into the Initiative. Diamondback underwent training at Camp Hammond and began a relationship with the Serpent Society’s attempted recruit, Constrictor. She, Asp and Black Mamba joined Quicksand and Skein as the Delaware Initiative’s Women Warriors under Osborn’s Dark Reign. [Avengers: The Initiative #8, 26-35]
• Early in the Initiative, the Thunderbolts army was built out of forcibly conscripted super-villains, including Serpent Society members King Cobra, Bushmaster, Rattler and a new Death Adder II. [Thunderbolts (1st series) #104] This was explicitly ID’ed as Klaus Voorhees in the Civil War Files #1. However, (King) Cobra later made an assassination attempt on the Initiative’s instructor Taskmaster, along with Mr. Hyde, Firebrand and Mauler. [Avengers: The Initiative #13] Either the Serpents left the Initiative, or this was an example of Piet and Klaus operating independently.

 

Chronology, Con’t.

The Serpent Society was back in action, although they avoided operating as a massive force and instead took smaller assignments for a few members at a time. A band of Serpents panicked after the Skrull invasion and took hostages near Danzig, Ohio. Sidewinder III, Copperhead, Anaconda, Fer-de-Lance, Black Mamba and Death Adder II holed up in a compound until Rich Rider and his new team of Centurions from the Nova Corps broke them up. [Nova (4th series) #19] Mamba, Anaconda, Bushmaster and Cottonmouth also had an encounter with the unregistered team of Avengers. [Wolverine (3rd series) #73]

[Note: Iron Man Legacy #7-8 was a strange flashback story where the Pride hired the Serpent Society to kill Tony Stark back when Jim Rhodes was Iron Man and Tony was only just crawling his way out of a downward spiral of alcoholism and ruin. Unfortunately, that period of time in continuity predates the forming of the Serpent Society altogether. The Serpents here, Sidewinder, Anaconda, Rattler, Cobra, Diamondback and particularly Puff Adder, did not work together until years later or not at all.]

The crime boss Mr. Negative wanted to consolidate control of California’s underworld but faced resistance in San Francisco from the X-Men students Rockslide and Anole moonlighting as super-heroes. He hired the Serpent Society to eliminate the obstacle and King Cobra, Rattler, Anaconda, Bushmaster and Death Adder II showed up for the hit. The teenaged mutants gave them trouble, so Mr. Negative stepped in and used his powers to put Rockslide under his control. However, Anole was able to guide the brutish Rockslide into attacking the Society to get to him, and King Cobra canceled the contract due to client interference. [X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2-4]

Bushmaster, Death Adder II, Anaconda and Rattler responded to an open contract on the head of Sgt. Marcus Johnson. Secretly the biological son of Nick Fury, Johnson contained traces of the Infinity Formula in his blood, and their employer Viktor Uvarov wanted the formula to stabilize his own deteriorating condition. Johnson wouldn’t go quietly, however, and the Society had to deal with not only Taskmaster but also Deadpool on the scene seeking the fee. This chaos gave Marcus Johnson the opportunity to escape, alongside the original Nick Fury disguised as Scorpio. [Battle Scars #3-4]

In San Francisco, California, the Serpent Society took hostages during a bank job. Anaconda, Bushmaster, Puff Adder, Asp and Cottonmouth were assaulted by Hope Summers on her nightly patrol. Hope ripped off Bushmaster’s cybernetic arms, headbutted Anaconda into submission, mimicked Puff Adder’s mutant powers against him, and was in the process of finishing off the rest of the Society when Cyclops and the X-Men arrived to “rescue” her. [Avengers vs. X-Men #0]

The Serpent Society became active again in New York City, though their long-term goals were uncertain. Hawkeye and Spider-Man stopped Sidewinder from unleashing a gas attack on Grand Central Station, and soon after Captain America and the Avengers captured Copperhead, Anaconda and Cottonmouth in Central Park. [Avenging Spider-Man #4-5] Copperhead escaped and was thwarted again by Spider-Man, but the web-slinger was in a hurry and didn’t stop to banter or monologue with the snake. [Avenging Spider-Man #11]

[Note: Daredevil (3rd series) #35-36 was another odd point in Society continuity. The racial supremacists known as the Sons of the Serpent purportedly hired the Serpent Society to dispose of evidence in a case and/or prevent Daredevil from interfering. However, the Society’s representatives were “Constrictor and Mamba” – Constrictor, who refused to join the Serpent Society until the day he died, and Black Mamba, who showed no powers and thought hand-to-hand combat with Elektra was a good idea. This and their new costumes raise questions over whether this duo were the Serpents we are familiar with.]

Black Mamba was known to do side work for the Assassins Guild [X-Force: Sex & Violence #2-3] and presumably she helped arrange for the Serpent Society to work with them on an open contract against Elektra and Cape Crow. Mamba, Anaconda, Death Adder II and the original Sidewinder set a trap at one of Cape Crow’s safehouses but failed to kill their quarry. Elektra forced Sidewinder to teleport her to the Guildmaster’s location so she could negotiate a cease fire. [Elektra (4th series) #6-7]

[Note: Sidewinder referenced coming out of retirement and his relationship with Mamba, confirming this was Seth Voelker. Death Adder was unusually chatty in this story, but it was never explicitly confirmed that Theodore Scott was rendered mute like the original Death Adder, Roland Burroughs.]

On the last day before the Incursion crisis destroyed the multiverse, D-Man caught King Cobra, Puff Adder and Bushmaster robbing a bank. [Secret Wars Too #1]

 

IN-BETWEEN

• The original Death Adder and many of the victims of Scourge were resurrected by the Hood and Norman Osborn to hunt down the Punisher. [Punisher (8th series) #5] Roland made several appearances before joining the Savage Six and dying during a struggle with Agent Venom. [Venom (2nd series) #21] It doesn’t appear as if he reconnected with the Serpent Society between 2009 and 2012, although he and Theodore Scott were virtually identical.
• Rattler was reportedly killed by the new Scourge of the Underworld, [Captain America (6th series) #12] but later resurfaced. It’s possible he survived, or the Society replicated his powers and equipment to create a new Rattler II. Viper III was killed by the Scourge, and so never graduated from the Serpent Squad to the Society.
• Coachwhip appeared briefly in Bagalia, trying to ingratiate herself with the new Masters of Evil in that rogue nation. [Secret Avengers (1st series) #29]

 

Chronology, Con’t.

Jordan Stryke came back to life and began operating as Viper again, with rumors circulating that he came back without a soul (but he works in advertising, so it was hard to test). His talent for marketing led the Viper to rebrand the Serpent Society as Serpent Solutions. Instead of mercenaries, the Serpents were now a consulting firm for big business who sold their clients “plausible deniability” while Serpent Solutions did the dirty work necessary for improving the bottom line. Viper’s campaigning successfully assembled nearly every available Serpent back to the roster, including the current versions of Cobra, Eel and Sidewinder, plus difficult members from the past like Black Mamba, Asp and Princess Python.

One of his biggest “gets” was bringing Diamondback back into the fold. Diamond and Constrictor had tried to retire and go legit after the Initiative, but then Frank contracted a terminal disease. Rachel sunk deep into debt trying to keep her fiancé alive but lacked the resources or even insurance to keep up with the bills. Frank passed away and Rachel still had to pay for his failed treatments. She had fallen into exotic dancing when Viper showed up offering her money, camaraderie and a purpose again. They planned to set up Sam Wilson, the current Captain America, who was snooping around some of Serpent Solutions’ sub-contractors. Surprisingly, Sam came to Rachel on his own once his hacker ally the Whisperer found the Serpent connection independently.

Serpent Solutions set up a fake ambush for Cap and Diamondback, leading to his capture. The Viper gave a rehearsed speech about his capitalist vision of the American Dream, which Sam laughed off as a bad ad read. Viper threw Captain America out of their skyscraper headquarters, but he was saved by his new partner, a second Falcon. Joaquin Torres was changed into a bird-man by the Serpents’ sub-contractor, and so Viper wanted his body back as “proprietary property.” Captain America and Falcon fought with Serpent Solutions in the streets, but eventually overcame their advanced numbers with the help of Misty Knight and D-Man. This public defeat significantly set back Viper’s Q-Rating and Captain America forced his corporate backers to abandon Serpent Solutions as an agency. [Captain America: Sam Wilson #3-6]

Sam Wilson had other enemies, such as the recently rejuvenated Steve Rogers actually being a Hydra loyalist in deep cover. On Steve’s behalf, Baron Zemo gathered the largest Masters of Evil roster in history, a veritable Army of Evil. In addition to many solo practitioner super-criminals, Zemo also incorporated all of the Circus of Crime and Serpent Solutions into his Army. The Viper eagerly signed his agency up for the winning side, in anticipation of Hydra’s takeover of America. [Captain America: Steve Rogers #13] It didn’t work out the way he planned. After Hydra’s conquest, most of the “Army of Evil” ended up in stasis until Hydra had use for them, only for Hydra to fall as well. [Secret Empire #9]

With Constrictor’s death, he left what few belongings he had to his unclaimed son. This twenty-something kid decided to use his father’s costume to become the new Constrictor. He accepted a job to steal the Book of the Iron Fist from Danny Rand but couldn’t put together his own crew. Instead, Constrictor II accepted his father’s offer to finally join the Serpent Society, now back to doing regular merc work since the Serpent Solutions angle fell through. They helped him steal the Book, but then Constrictor tried to raise the price when meeting with the buyer, Choshin. Meanwhile, Iron Fist recruited Constrictor’s old partner Sabretooth to help him hunt down the imposter. Viper, Cobra, Asp, Coachwhip, Puff Adder and Boomslang were backing Constrictor II up when all these parties converged on him. Constrictor abandoned his new allies only to nearly die at the hands of Choshin’s operative, Rat of 12 Plagues. The Serpent Society lost the Book and the pay-off. [Iron Fist (1st series) #73-75]

The Serpent Society attempted to conduct a bank robbery in New York City but were opposed by the X-Men. Anaconda, Cottonmouth, Sidewinder III and Bushmaster gave little resistance and received little respect from Kitty Pryde and her team. [X-Men: Gold #4] While putting together a last-minute bachelor party for Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm somehow hired the Serpent Society to jump out of a cake instead of actual strippers. Black Mamba, Asp, Fer-de-Lance, Princess Python, Anaconda and Black Racer were certainly a surprise, but the Thing’s bachelor party was well-attended by guests able to handle the sudden infestation of snakes. [Fantastic Four (6th series) #5]

King Cobra and the Serpent Society were networking at the Criminal Technology Show Expo in Las Vegas when their past came back to haunt them. M.O.D.O.K. had business at the expo but remembered when the Society murdered him, even after being resurrected at least twice since then. He followed Cobra, Bushmaster, Cottonmouth, Puff Adder, Rattler, Boomslang and Rock Python into the men’s room and tore them apart out of revenge. Unfortunately for M.O.D.O.K., the Serpents survived and roused just in time to call him to the attention of his enemies. [M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2]

 

IN-BETWEEN

• Death Adder II and Black Mamba continued associating with the Assassins Guild as well as the Serpent Society. Death Adder II was apparently killed fighting Deadpool in Deadpool: Assassin #5, but a Death Adder has since reappeared. Several apparent victims in the Assassin limited series have resurfaced alive, though it is possible the Serpent Society just moved on and created Death Adder III behind-the-scenes.
• Kraven the Hunter planned a great hunt where Taskmaster and Black Ant rounded up every costumed figure they could find with an animal name or theme, including many members of the Serpent Society. Virtually every Serpent Solutions figure was represented, with the exceptions being Diamondback, Copperhead, Eel or any Death Adder. [Amazing Spider-Man (5th series) #13-23] The Vulture became a ringleader during the hunt and maintained his own Savage Six afterwards, eventually leading into the Sinister War between six “Sinister Sixes.” The Cobra seen during the hunt and later joining the Savage Six was presumably Piet Voorhees.

 

Chronology, Con’t.

Viper’s return from the grave may have been a result of bargaining with the devil, Mephisto. With Mephisto and his multiversal Council of Red on the rise, Serpent Solutions let slip the veneer of legitimacy and the Serpent Society began killing and sacrificing people in their office complex as an offering to the Great Red Serpent. The devil worshippers began to transform as well, for even the Society members who normally didn’t sport red eyes and fangs began to appear more serpent-like overall. Nighthawk of the Squadron Supreme of America had his own vendetta against Mephisto, and he beat the Serpent Society in their nest to spite their master. [Avengers (7th series) #55]

The Serpent Society recovered from their Mephisto madness and left Viper's influnece behind, at least for a time. Instead, they reorganized back under the original Sidewinder’s control. The Serpent Society reopened for business by holding a gala at their new Serpent Citadel in Voelker Castle. They intended to rub shoulders with potential influential clients while also gathering intelligence to blackmail them later, if needed. Among the data they planned to auction off included schematics from a compromised Stark server and a list of undercover aliases for government agents, bringing Iron Man and Captain America to the scene. Steve and Tony competed over reaching the data drive first, but Sidewinder and the Serpents caught them in the act. The Avengers defeated the Serpent Society, and Mockingbird independently retrieved the drive for Nick Fury while the super-heroes were causing a commotion. [Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #52-54]

When they next appeared, the Serpent Society was back under Viper's command, including a reluctant Sidewinder. Now calling himself Pit Viper, Jordan Dixon tried to combine the greed of the Society's mercenary members with the devotion that he and other Mephisto worshippers among the group felt. To the classic roster, Pit Viper added two new serpents named Tiger Snake and Titanoboa. He devised a new strategy for the Serpent Society to take advantage of disasters and super-crises around the globe, using these distractions to loot valuable items for resale or use in Pit Viper's ongoing schemes. While the Avengers fought the holy death mask of the Goddess of Hate, radioactive ghost apes, or the cosmic Victorious, the Serpents slithered around behind the scenes gathering what they needed.

Shang-Chi of the Avengers Emergency Response Squad caught wind of what was happening, but Pit Viper and the Serpent Society set a trap for the AVENG.E.R.S. at the next crisis. Pit Viper used the heists to gather ingredients for the Serpent's Tears, a bio-weapon of mass destruction to sell to the highest bidders and please Mephisto with sacrifices at the same time. The Tears combined magic and gene therapy to transform victims into serpent warriors under Pit Viper's control, and Steve Rogers was the first to feel the effects, becoming Cap-Snake. The Avengers assembled against the Serpent Society, and Hercules joined with the Living Lightning for a god-powered electrified smash that flattened most of the Serpents. Wonder Man's unique ionic metabolism consumed the Serpent's Tears with no ill effects, and Rogers was also restored to normal. Viper and the Serpents were turned over to the Hague for various crimes committed around the world in pursuit of the Serpent's Tears. [Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1-5]

 

MEMBERSHIP

Viper / Pit Viper (Jordan Dixon / Stryke)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #157

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad I, Captain America: Sam Wilson #3-6, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, Iron Fist (1st series) #74-75, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3-5

Powers: master chemist and poisoner using a variety of venoms tipped in his telescopic blowgun, throwing darts, or hand-mounted fangs

Note: Viper became Pit Viper in Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1.

 

Eel (Leonard Stryke)

First Appearance: Strange Tales (1st series) #112
Last Appearance: Ghost Rider (2nd series) #21

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad I, II

Powers: costume covered in a slippery grease and fitted with a micro-generator, which projects an electrical field around his body and directs energy as lightning-like bolts

Note: Yes, an eel is not a snake.

 

Cobra / King Cobra (Klaus Voorhees)

First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #98
All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad I, II, Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 319-320, 341-344, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365-367, 380-382, 434-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Iron Man: Legacy #7-8, X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2-4, Secret Wars Too #1, M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2

Powers: enhanced agility and resilience, hyper-flexible and coordinated bone and muscular structure can slither through muscular contraction, squeeze through tight places, harmlessly bend with impact, and coil around opponents in a near-unbreakable “cobra grip”, silicon-graphite coated costume increases his slipperiness, suction feelers allow him to scale vertical surfaces, “cobra bite” wrist shooters can fire concussive bursts, acid pellets, toxic gas clouds, or venomous darts, King Cobra cape / tail has a weighted end which can be used to bludgeon his opponents when trapped in his “cobra grip”

Note: Cobra became King Cobra in Captain America (1st series) #367. He shares his identity with his nephew, Piet Voorhees, making it sometimes unclear which is making an appearance.

 

Viper II / Madame Hydra (Ophelia Sarkissian)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #110
All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad II, Captain America (1st series) #341-344

Powers: cultivated resistance to many poisons, artificial fangs filled with snake venom
 

Princess Python (Zelda DuBois)

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man (1st series) #22

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad II, Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-6, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, Fantastic Four (6th series) #5, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #2-3

Powers: psychic link allows her to empathically communicate with and command the actions of a near-sentient python, causing it to grow to giant size and consume the thoughts and memories of its victims

Note: Princess Python was traditionally a talented snake charmer but otherwise a normal woman. This lack of super-powers is what led her to run out on the Serpent Society. At some point in her history prior to Punisher War Journal (2nd series) #4, she somehow received snake-like attributes and empathy.

 

Krang

First Appearance: Fantastic Four Annual #1

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad II

Powers: Atlantean with superhuman strength, speed, endurance, resistance to cold and pressure, and gills allowing him breathe underwater

 

Sidewinder (Seth Voelker)

First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One #64

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad III, Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 319, 341-342, 345, Iron Man: Legacy #7-8, Elektra (3rd series) #6-7, 11, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #53-54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1-2, 5

Powers: Nth Projector chip implant allows him to teleport through extra-dimensional space guided by his cybernetic cloak, mask equipped with “side effect” force rays

Note: Like Cobra, Sidewinder has been replaced by newer criminals using the same costume. However, he also occasionally reclaims the identity, making “Sidewinder” appearances ambiguous.

 

Black Mamba (Tanya Sealy)

First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One #64

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad III, Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 319, 341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 371, 380-382, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Nova (4th series) #19, Wolverine (3rd series) #73, Daredevil (3rd series) #35, Elektra (3rd series) #6, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4, Fantastic Four (6th series) #5, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #52-54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 4-5

Powers: bionic augmentation provides her with mesmerizing abilities to coerce someone into seeing an image of their one true love and triggering orgasmic euphoria, so that they submit their will to the image’s provocative behavior, a power which can be combined with her talent to summon a semi-solid supply of Darkforce to create a “Darkforce lover” which will passive asphyxiate her victim, or can also create a “second skin” where the Darkforce is cloaked in her own self-image and attacks her opponents directly through constriction and suffocation

 

Anaconda (Blanche Sitzinki)

First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One #64

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad III, Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 319, 341-343, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367,371, 380-382, 434-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Nova (4th series) #19, Wolverine (3rd series) #73, Iron Man: Legacy #7-8, X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2-4, Battle Scars #3-4, Avenging Spider-Man #5, Avengers vs. X-Men #0, Elektra (3rd series) #6, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-5, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, X-Men: Gold #4, Fantastic Four (6th series) #5, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 5

Powers: superhuman strength, endurance, and resilience, gills for breathing underwater, able to morph her limbs into snake-like appendages by merging her digits into flipper form and elongating her arms or legs into flexible and constricting coils

 

Death Adder (Roland Burroughs)

First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One #64
Last Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #318, Venom (2nd series) #21 (again)

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad III, Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 318

Powers: bionic augmentation gives him increased strength, speed, agility, reflexes, amphibious capabilities, an artificial tail for striking opponents or underwater propulsion, retractable finger talons coated with a lethal toxin

 

Bushmaster II (Quincy McIver)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #310

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #310-313, 315, 319, 341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 380-382, 435-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Wolverine (3rd series) #73, X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2-4, Battle Scars #3-4, Avengers vs. X-Men #0, Secret Wars Too #1, Captain America: Sam Wilson #5-6, X-Men: Gold #4, M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3-5

Powers: quadriplegic outfitted with bionic superhumanly strong arms and a snake-like tail in place of legs, wears metal spikes on the backs of his hands

Note: Quincy McIver is the brother of John McIver, alias John Bushmaster who underwent the same Burstein process as his foe, Luke Cage.

 

Diamondback II (Rachel Leighton)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #310

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #310-313, 315, 319-320, 341-345, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Iron Man: Legacy #7-8, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-6, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1

Powers: Super-Soldier serum heightens her strength, speed, agility, endurance, and reflexes, carries “throwing diamonds” filled with a variety of substances like acid, gas, snake venom, or explosive nitro, etc.

 

Cottonmouth II (Burchell Clemens)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #310

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 319, 341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 380-382, 435-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Wolverine (3rd series) #73, Avenging Spider-Man #5, Avengers vs. X-Men #0, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-6, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, X-Men: Gold #4, M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3

Powers: bionically augmented and triple-jointed jaw structure can expand up to three times its normal opening, using his metal fangs and hydraulic bite to snap through steel

Note: Cottonmouth was identified as Quincy McIver several times before this was confirmed as Bushmaster’s real name instead.

 

Asp (“Cleopatra Nefertiti”)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #310

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 319, 341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 371, 380-382, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Avengers vs. X-Men #0, Captain America: Sam Wilson #5-6, Iron Fist (1st series) #74-75, Fantastic Four (6th series) #5, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1-5

Powers: “Venom blasts” are a form of bio-paralytic energy projected from her hands to stun, incapacitate, or even kill her victims, regenerated through physical exertion to stimulate her metabolism

Note: I’m calling it – not her real name.

- Asp was often presumed to be a mutant with an X-gene. This was seemingly confirmed when she cameoed on Krakoa in Wolverine (7th series) #17, though she had no lasting connection to the island.

 

Rattler (Gustav Kruger)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #310

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #310-311, 313, 315, 319, 341-343, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 380-382, 435-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Iron Man: Legacy #7-8, X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2-4, Battle Scars #3-4, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4, M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3-5

Powers: augmented strength and resilience, bionic tail can be used as a bludgeon or shake an ultrasonic rattle to shatter solid objects, deflect projectiles, or disrupt the inner ear to cause vertigo and a loss of equilibrium

 

Copperhead (Davis Lawfers)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #337

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad IV, Captain America (1st series) #341-344, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Nova (4th series) #19, Avenging Spider-Man #5, 11, Avengers (7th series) #55

Powers: specialized costume can launch magnesium flares from concealed slots in his headdress, shoot toxic darts from the fingers of his gloves, and has electrical arc generators built into his wristbands

Note: Copperhead disappeared from the Serpent Society shortly after Viper’s take over, indicating he didn’t make the final cut. He was the most loyal to her after Slither, but it may just have been a case of one Serpent too many for the artists to keep track of. His costume was essentially a palette swap of Cobra, and Rock Python was mistakenly colored like him in Cap #380 after he left.

 

Black Racer (Ariana Saddiqi)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #337

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad IV, Captain America (1st series) #341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 379-382, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-6, Fantastic Four (6th series) #5, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #3-5

Powers: superhuman speed, stamina, reaction time, and perceptual acuity

Note: Black Racer appeared Caucasian in Cap #337 and African in #379.

 

Fer-de-Lance (Teresa Vasquez)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #337

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad IV, Captain America (1st series) #341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 380-382, 434-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Nova (4th series) #19, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, Fantastic Four (6th series) #5, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #4-5

Powers: enhanced strength, endurance, reflexes, and durability, metal “fang” spikes attached to her gloves

 

Puff Adder (Gordon Willard Fraley)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #337

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad IV, Captain America (1st series) #341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 380-382, 434-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Iron Man: Legacy #7-8, Avengers vs. X-Men #0, Secret Wars Too #1, Captain America: Sam Wilson #3-6, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, Iron Fist (1st series) #74-75, M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3, 5

Powers: enhanced strength, stamina, and resistance to impact, expand his body into a bloated state that gives him greater size and strength, spews an acidic compound from his mouth as a liquid stream or a gaseous breath

Note: Puff Adder is inconsistently depicted with African or Caucasian features.

 

Coachwhip (Beatrix Keener)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #341

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #341-342, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 380-382, 434-435, 437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-6, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, Iron Fist (1st series) #74-75, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3, 5

Powers: wears gloves that are equipped with serrated metal whips attached to the back of each hand, capable of producing an electrical charge on contact

Note: In Captain America (1st series) #382, one of the Serpent Citadel’s support staff was named Keener. Coachwhip’s real name was revealed years later in the Handbooks, so it’s unknown if there is a connection between the two.

 

Boomslang (Marc Reimer)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #341
 

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #341-344, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #367, 372, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-6, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, Iron Fist (1st series) #74-75, M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3-5

Powers: carries serpent-shaped boomerangs called “serpent-rangs”

 

Rock Python (M’Gula / Michael Gula / Curtis Harris)

First Appearance: Captain America (1st series) #341

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #341-343, Uncanny X-Men Annual #13, Captain America (1st series) #365, 367, 380-382, 434-437, Captain America (4th series) #30-31, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic #54, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3-5

Powers: indestructible body gives him enhanced strength and makes him virtually impervious to physical impact or injury, carries “serpent eggs” that release a series of constricting metal filaments on impact

 

Slither (Aaron Salomon)

First Appearance: Captain America Annual #4

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (1st series) #342-344, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1

Powers: reptilian physiology gives him scaly skin, a forked tongue, needle-like fangs, and allows him to stretch his limbs and constrict them around others

 

Cobra II (Piet Voorhees)

First Appearance: White Tiger #1

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad V, Captain America: Sam Wilson #3-6, Iron Fist (1st series) #74-75, Avengers (7th series) #55

Powers: enhanced agility and resilience, superhuman sense of smell, acidic spit, hyper-flexible and coordinated bone and muscular structure can slither through muscular contraction, squeeze through tight places, harmless bend with impact, and coil around opponents in a near-unbreakable “cobra grip”, silicon-graphite coat costume increases his slipperiness

Note: Piet and Klaus Voorhees both respond to the names Cobra or King Cobra. It’s unclear whether Klaus has fully retired or is sharing the Cobra identity with his nephew. Generally, we’ve assumed Klaus is in the costume when Cobra is leading the Serpent Society, partnered with Mr. Hyde, or wearing Klaus’s King Cobra cape, otherwise it’s Piet.

 

Eel II (Edward Lavell)

First Appearance: Power Man & Iron Fist (1st series) #92

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad V, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-5

Powers: contortionist with costume covered in a slippery grease and fitted with a micro-generator, which projects an electrical field around his body as defense and for proximity awareness, and directs energy as lightning-like bolts 

Note: Still not a snake.

 

Viper III (Leon Murtaugh)

First Appearance: Captain America (5th series) #28
Last Appearance: Captain America (6th series) #11

All Serpent Appearances: Serpent Squad V

Powers: wrist shooters propel a variety of toxic darts

 

Sidewinder III (Gregory Bryan)

First Appearance: Captain America (4th series) #31

All Serpent Appearances: Captain America (4th series) #31, Nova (4th series) #19, Avenging Spider-Man #4, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4-5, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, X-Men: Gold #4

Powers: Nth Projector chip implant allows him to teleport through extra-dimensional space guided by his cybernetic cloak, mask equipped with “side effect” rays

 

Death Adder II (Theodore Scott)

First Appearance: Civil War Files #1 (acknowledged), Nova (4th series) #19 (on-panel)

All Serpent Appearances: Nova (4th series) #19, X-Men: To Serve and Protect #2-4, Battle Scars #3-4, Elektra (3rd series) #6, Captain America: Sam Wilson #4, Captain America: Steve Rogers #13, Avengers (7th series) #55, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1

Powers: bionic augmentation gives him increased strength, speed, agility, reflexes, amphibious capabilities, an artificial tail for striking opponents or underwater propulsion, retractable finger talons coated with a lethal toxin

Note: Death Adder II was a weird footnote of a character. He was intended to appear in Thunderbolts (1st series) #104 and on the cover of Avengers: The Initiative #1, but was left off the art in these crowd scenes each time.  The Civil War Files #1 and Mighty Avengers (1st series) #1 acknowledged he was recruited for the Initiative behind-the-scenes, even though the character hadn’t actually appeared on-panel.

 

Constrictor II

First Appearance: Iron Fist (1st series) #74

All Serpent Appearances: Iron Fist (1st series) #74-75, Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1, 3

Powers: costume equipped with Adamantium coils that are retractable and cybernetically controlled, able to emit electrical charge

 

Tiger Snake

First Appearance: Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1

All Serpent Appearances: Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1-5

Powers: toxic touch augments his martial arts prowess by adding a fast-spreading, paralytic venom to his blows

 

Titanoboa

First Appearance: Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1

All Serpent Appearances: Avengers Assemble (2nd series) #1,3-5

Powers: megamorph able to proportionately increase in size, strength, and resistance to physical injury