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Sons of the Serpent

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Sons of the Serpents
Sons of the Shield
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Avengers #32
(1966)
Created byStan Lee
Don Heck
In-story information
Type of organizationTerrorist
Base(s)Atlantic City
Leader(s)Current members:
  • Daboia

Former members:

  • Montague Hale
  • General Chen
  • Dan Dunn

The Sons of the Serpent are a supervillain group appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck, the group first appeared in The Avengers #32 (September 1966).[1] The Sons of the Serpent is depicted as a racist organization.[2] It experiments on people attempting to cross the American border.[3] Superhero Joaquín Torres was notably captured by the group, and their experiments resulted in a painful transformation, turning him into a hybrid of a vampire and a falcon.[4] The organization is also known under the codename Sons of the Shield.[5]

Publication history

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1960s

[edit]

The Sons of the Serpent debuted in The Avengers #32 (September 1966),[6] created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. It appeared in the 1972 Defenders series,[7] the 1989 Captain Marvel series,[8] and the 1996 Captain America series.[9]

2000s

[edit]

The Sons of the Serpent made a cameo in the 2008 Runaways series,[citation needed] and appeared in the 2010 Avengers: Children's Crusade series.[10] It appeared in the 2010 Taskmaster series,[11] the 2011 Daredevil series,[12] and the 2015 Captain America: Sam Wilson series.[13]

Fictional team history

[edit]

The Sons of the Serpent are a subversive organization of costumed American racist super-patriots who oppose all racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.[14] They sought to subvert the United States through hate crimes and organized protests, and were opposed by the Avengers and the Defenders. There have been many incarnations of the Sons of the Serpent across history.

Sons of the Serpent I

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The first group calling itself the Sons of the Serpent first appeared in Avengers #32.[15] They were secretly led by General Chen, an agent of Communist China. They attack black scientist Bill Foster who is working with Pym, meaning he tells the Avengers to investigate them. As the Supreme Serpent, Chen attempted to control the Avengers by holding Captain America hostage and making a member impersonate him.[16] Hawkeye infiltrates the Sons when they launch a recruiting drive.[volume & issue needed]

Sons of the Serpent II

[edit]

The second Sons of the Serpent first appeared in Avengers #73.[17] They were led by racist television demagogues Dan Dunn and Montague Hale, and targeted the African superhero Black Panther.[18][19]

Sons of the Serpent III

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The third Sons of the Serpent first appeared in Defenders #22. They were financed through J.C. Pennysworth of Richmond Enterprises (Nighthawk's company) who was an African-American posing as a white racist in pursuit of power.[20]

A sub-group of Serpent was featured in a back-up story in the nineteenth Avengers annual. Hubie Green is a young boy who idolizes the Avengers and dreams of being a super-hero. He gets the chance in a way he does not enjoy; he must turn his brother, the Serpent leader, over to the Avengers in order to save several cities from nuclear destruction.[21]

Sons of the Serpent IV

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The fourth Sons of the Serpent first appeared in Avengers Annual 2000 led by Russell Diabola, a demonic Serpent Man. This incarnation of the group became more involved in mysticism, including references to Set.[22]

Sons of the Serpent V

[edit]

Another incarnation of The Sons of the Serpent appear in the miniseries The Last Defenders, led by an unidentified Supreme Serpent.[volume & issue needed] They held a meeting in Dulwich, London, which was broken up by MI:5 working with Spitfire and Union Jack.[23]

Sons of the Serpent VI

[edit]

The Sons of the Serpents made a cameo in Runaways #10 (May 2009).[24] In a game of truth or dare, Karolina Dean is dared to steal the Supreme Serpent's coiled staff. She does, and Nico Minoru inadvertently cracks the coiled staff with a spell from her own staff.[25]

Sons of the Serpent VII

[edit]

The group returns when Daredevil finds one of Matt Murdock's childhood bullies, Nate Hackett, facing charges of a previous association with the group, that Murdock determines he is innocent of. When he gets to the courtroom, however, he finds that the judge is a member of the Sons of the Serpent, determined to find out what Nate knows, and then kill him. Daredevil is able to foil the plot, and learns that the Sons of the Serpent have infiltrated a good portion of the New York City justice system. Following this, they take advantage of a racially motivated murder trial, and, using help from the Jester, try to start race riots in New York City.[26]

Reception

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Analysis

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Marvel Comics writer Javier Rodríguez referred to the Sons of the Serpent as a "white supremacist group" spreading hate speech.[27] George Marston of Newsarama described the Sons of the Serpents as a "white supremacist militia" team.[28] Samuel Robert of TechRadar called the Sons of the Serpent a "hate-mongering" and "anti-American" group.[29] Dan Gagnon of GoCollect argued the Sons of the Serpent mirrors the civil rights issues the United States faced at the time back when the organization was introduced.[30] Drew Kopp of Comic Book Resources depicted the Sons of the Serpent as a "right-wing anti-immigrant militia."[31] Marc Buxton of Den of Geek stated, "When the Sons were introduced back in 1966, it was a subversive, underground hate organization dedicated to eradicating all non-white races. Sadly, in 2018, what was once underground is now mainstream."[32] Richard Newby of Inverse compared the Sons of the Serpent to the far-right organization Proud Boys.[33]

Ku Klux Klan

[edit]

Some journalists have described the Sons of the Serpent as a stand-in for the American white supremacist terrorist hate group Ku Klux Klan.[34][35] Scott Harris-King of Looper named Avengers #32 (September 1966) one of the "earliest and most powerful stories in mainstream comics history" addressing issues of the civil rights movement, calling the Sons of the Serpent a "Ku Klux Klan analogue."[36] Bob Darden of the Waco Tribune-Herald stated the Sons of the Serpent is modeled after the Ku Klux Klan, with the difference being their use of modern weapons, stating their objectives remain identical to the KKK, which includes "terrorizing minorities, recent immigrants, the disenfranchised, and sowing discord and hate in the United States."[37]

Impact

[edit]

The depiction of the Sons of the Serpent has been criticized by some conservative journalists with the release of Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 (October 2015).[38] Some have stated the organization makes conservatives out to be "villains."[39][40] American conservative channel Fox News argued the group serves to negatively depict Americans opposing illegal immigration.[41] Fox News anchor Heather Childers stated that politics should be kept "out of comic books" in consequence.[42]

Jessica Lachenal of The Mary Sue said Fox News was justifying a "supervillain’s hare-brained scheme to police" the borders of the United States,[43] while Marc Daalder defended the presence of political and social commentary across Marvel comic books and described it as a "positive step."[44] Alice W. Castle of Multiversity Comics mocked the interpretation of Fox News and said the TV presenters "align themselves with a fictional racial hate group."[45] Jesse Schedeen of IGN found "disturbing" how some conservatives can identify themselves to the Sons of the Serpent and therefore defend the actions of the group.[46] Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources criticized those defending the organization based on its activities.[47] Russ Dobler of AIPT Comics argued the Sons of the Serpent do not represent conservatives but those who can use an ideology as an excuse to justify their actions.[48]

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of The Daily Dot stated that this segment has sparked a debate regarding whether the new Captain America is "too political," a notion that was deemed "thoroughly shot down by fans of the comic."[49] Petitions have emerged on both sides of the debate, with one calling for the resignation of comic book writer Nick Spencer receiving 46 signatures, while another expressing support for him has attracted 792, as of October 20, 2015.[50]

Other versions

[edit]

MC2

[edit]

An alternate version of the Sons of the Serpent appears in the alternate future of MC2.[51] An offshoot organization called the Soldiers of the Serpent appeared in A-Next.[52][53]

Marvel Adventures

[edit]

An alternate version of the Sons of the Serpent appears on Earth-20051.[54]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 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. 339. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. ^ Cronin, Brian (May 1, 2018). "Goliath - A Brief History of Ant-Man and the Wasp's (Potential) New Marvel Hero". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  3. ^ Knight, Rosie (March 19, 2021). "What's in Store for FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER's Joaquin Torres?". Nerdist. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  4. ^ Lerner, Jamie (April 16, 2021). "Torres Might Turn Into [SPOILER] by the End of 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'". Distractify. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  5. ^ Mollo, Drew (July 6, 2020). "Sam Wilson Was Captain America Before Officially Earning The Role". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  6. ^ Madison, Ira (October 19, 2015). "Fox & Friends Really Doesn't Like the New Black Captain America". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  7. ^ Lealos, Shawn S. (August 4, 2021). "The Defenders: The First 10 Members of Marvel's Non-Team, In Chronological Order". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  8. ^ Kimura, Emily (February 28, 2020). "Monica Rambeau's History in 12 Comics". Marvel.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  9. ^ Fulton, James (May 5, 2016). "Retro-Reviews: Heroes Reborn Captain America #7-11 By James Robinson, Joe Bennett & Others For Marvel Comics". Inside Pulse. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  10. ^ Shayo, Lukas (February 23, 2023). "10 Times The Avengers Betrayed Their Allies". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  11. ^ Murphy, Chris (September 3, 2010). "Anything You Can Do He Can Do Exactly the Same: Taskmaster #1 [Review]". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  12. ^ Reaves, Dashiel (December 14, 2023). "Matt Murdock Didn't Just Give Up His Secret Identity - He Proved He Was Daredevil in a Court Of Law". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  13. ^ Shiach, Kieran (April 18, 2017). "Secret Empire, explained". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  14. ^ Comtois, Pierre (2015). Marvel Comics in the 1960s: An Issue By Issue Field Guide to a Pop Culture Phenomenon. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 147–149. ISBN 978-1-60549-016-8.
  15. ^ Cronin, Brian (October 1, 2019). "The Avengers Show the Evils of Racism With the Sons of the Serpent". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  16. ^ Avengers #33. Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Harn, Darby (December 5, 2022). "The 15 Best Black Panther Comic Book Storylines". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  18. ^ Avengers #73. Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1605490564.
  20. ^ Defenders #22. Marvel Comics.
  21. ^ Avengers Annual #19 (1990). Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ Avengers Annual 2000. Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ Captain Britain and MI: 13 #5. Marvel Comics.
  24. ^ Runaways #10 (May 2009). Marvel Comics.
  25. ^ Runaways #9 (May 2009). Marvel Comics.
  26. ^ Daredevil #28-34. Marvel Comics.
  27. ^ Morse, Ben (September 7, 2021). "Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez on the Return of the Defenders". Marvel.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  28. ^ Marston, George (April 23, 2021). "Who is Joaquin Torres in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? The weird-but-true comic book origins of the newest MCU hero". Newsarama. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  29. ^ Roberts, Samuel (August 19, 2021). "Captain America 4 with Sam Wilson is great news – but he needs a better story this time". TechRadar. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  30. ^ Gagnon, Dan (June 12, 2020). "Almost Infamous: Sons of the Serpent". GoCollect. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  31. ^ Kopp, Drew (April 24, 2022). "Everything You Should Know About Joaquín Torres, Captain America's Latest Falcon". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  32. ^ Buxton, Marc (March 15, 2018). "Black Panther 2: The Villains We'd Like to See". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  33. ^ Newby, Richard (March 19, 2021). "Sam's sidekick in 'Falcon and Winter Soldier' matters more than you think". Inverse. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  34. ^ Narcisse, Evan (October 19, 2015). "The New Captain America Comic Is All About America's Real World Problems, and People Are Pissed". Kotaku. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  35. ^ Gonzalez, Eileen (September 28, 2020). "A Quick-ish History of How Superheroes Relearned to Be Relevant". Book Riot. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  36. ^ Harris-King, Scott (April 23, 2018). "Avengers Facts You May Not Know". Looper. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  37. ^ Darden, Bob (September 18, 2020). "Bob Darden: Marvel heroes instilled American values while battling villains". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  38. ^ Wheeler, Andrew (October 19, 2015). "Conservatives Outraged That Captain America Is Still Political". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  39. ^ Howell, Kellan (October 17, 2015). "Captain America battles right-wing conservatives in new comic". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  40. ^ Neiwert, David (October 20, 2015). "Conservatives Freak Out When Black 'Captain America' Takes On Extremist Border Vigilantes". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  41. ^ Warner, Sam (October 19, 2015). "Captain America comic angers conservatives". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  42. ^ Van Luling, Todd (Oct 19, 2015). "'Fox & Friends' Thinks The New Captain America Hates Them". HuffPost. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  43. ^ Lachenal, Jessica (October 19, 2015). "Fox News Blasts Sam Wilson for Being Very Captain America". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  44. ^ Daalder, Marc (October 20, 2015). "Captain America Taking a Political Stance Is Long Overdue". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  45. ^ Castle, Alice W. (October 20, 2015). "The Rundown: The Force Awakes Trailer Drops, Some Other Stuff Also Happened". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  46. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (October 30, 2015). "Between the Panels: It's Time for Captain America to Get Political". IGN. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  47. ^ Cronin, Brian (October 21, 2015). "Just a Reminder - The Sons of the Serpent Are Really Old Characters and Very Bad Guys". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  48. ^ Dobler, Russ (October 20, 2015). "Fox News contributor thinks Marvel hates Conservatives, doesn't understand numbers • AIPT". AIPT Comics. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  49. ^ Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (May 27, 2021). "'Fox & Friends' is embarrassingly wrong about the new Captain America's political themes". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  50. ^ Ching, Albert (October 20, 2015). "Support for "Captain America" Writer Nick Spencer Outpaces Negative Petition". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  51. ^ Avina, Anthony (April 28, 2020). "Marvel Comics: 10 Most Powerful Alternate Versions Of Black Panther". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  52. ^ A-Next #4. Marvel Comics.
  53. ^ A-Next #9. Marvel Comics.
  54. ^ Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #11 (March 2007). Marvel Comics.
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