The Serpent Squad is a fictional mercenary group composed of snake-themed criminals appearing in American comic books published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. Most often antagonists of Captain America, the roster has changed through various incarnations.

Publication history

The original team first appeared in '' Captain America'' #163, and was created by

Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early lif ...

Fictional group history

The Serpent Squad was founded by the original Viper after escaping prison with his brother, the

Eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

, and Cobra. Their plot involved ruining Captain America's reputation using false advertisements. Captain America soon caught on to their scheme, and along with the

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

defeated the trio and sent them back to prison.

Madame Hydra Madame Hydra is the name of several different fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a name given to a top female operative of HYDRA. Fictional character biography Ophelia Sarkissian Thi ...

later assassinated the original Viper and took his alias. She then reunited the Serpent Squad, urging the Eel to avenge his brother's death. At this time,

Princess Python Princess Python is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Princess Python, Zelda DuBois, is a snake charmer who controls a gigantic snake to help with her crimes. She first appeared in ''T ...

joined the group. Cobra was not willing to serve Viper and challenged her to a battle, but he was easily defeated. Working with the warlord Krang in an attempt to raise the lost continent Lemuria, the Serpent Squad were ambushed by Captain America, then in his Nomad identity, who defeated the Eel and Princess Python. After Cobra eventually turned on Viper, she shot him in the back and managed to escape, while Nomad rushed Cobra to the hospital. A third Serpent Squad appeared much later, under the employ of

Roxxon Oil The Roxxon Energy Corporation (otherwise known as the Roxxon Oil Company, Roxxon Oil Corporation, Roxxon Corporation or simply Roxxon) is the name of a fictional massive petroleum industrial conglomerate in the Marvel Universe appearing in Americ ...

executive Hugh Jones. The field leader Sidewinder, along with his teammates

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...

, Black Mamba, and Death Adder, was ordered to retrieve the Serpent Crown and return it to Jones. After a battle with the

Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuse ...

and Stingray, the Serpent Squad accomplished their task. However, Triton joined the battle, and the three heroes were able to defeat Anaconda, Death Adder, and Black Mamba and trap them under the sea. Sidewinder escaped and handed the Serpent Crown over to Hugh Jones. Anaconda freed herself and her teammates from the silt, and the trio worked as freelance mercenaries, eventually battling Iron Man. They were then invited by Sidewinder to join the criminal organization, the

Serpent Society 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. ...

, which they accepted. Former Serpent Squad members Cobra and Princess Python also joined the Society. While the Serpent Society was active, a new Serpent Squad suddenly appeared in Las Vegas. The members, Copperhead, Fer-de-Lance,

Puff Adder The puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') is a viper species found in savannahs and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions.U.S. Navy. 1991. ''Venomous Snakes of the World''. US Govt. ...

, and Black Racer, committed acts of terrorism and theft in various casinos. Sidewinder noticed the group, and after they were defeated by Captain America, he freed them from prison and invited them to join his group. However, they were actually in the employ of the Viper, and she used them to commence her takeover of the Serpent Society. The mission was a failure, but Copperhead, Fer-de-Lance, Puff Adder, and Black Racer decided to stay with the Serpent Society. Copperhead soon left after a conflict with the Cobra. Most recently, a new Serpent Squad surfaced with

Sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

as the leader, a new Viper, the

, and the Cobra. They attacked the White House under the orders of the Red Skull, but Bucky, the new Captain America, attacked and defeated them all except for Sin.

Other versions

Exiles

Another alternate version of the Serpent Squad appeared in ''Exiles'' #89. The Exiles team had to restore Earth-27537. The Exiles had a hard time defeating the Squad, who were working together with Diamondback, but eventually the Exiles did manage to win and moved over to another reality. What the Serpent Squad was doing on this Earth exactly was never revealed.

Ultimate Marvel

The Serpent Squad appears in the

Ultimate Universe Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint (trade name), imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Univers ...

as a group of female mercenaries searching for the Serpent Crown. The Squad consists of

, Black Mamba, Asp,

, and a female Death Adder. While searching for the crown, they came into conflict with the Ultimate Fantastic Four. Anaconda was apprehended by Mr. Fantastic, while the

was able to blast Black Mamba away, and

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a si ...

got the best of Asp. However, Princess Python eventually knocked a piece of the Thing's body off of his upper arm. That, paired with Black Mamba's insulting the Thing over how he will "die alone," began the crossover Ultimate Power. The Serpent Squad later reappeared in ''Ultimate Comics Spider-Man'' again hunting for the Crown. A third encounter with Spider-Man also brought them into conflict with the All-New Ultimates.''Ultimate End'' #1

Notes

References

* *

External links

Serpent Squad
at the Marvel Universe * {{Captain America Marvel Comics supervillain teams