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Comics character From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Serpent (Cul Borson) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Known as the Norse God of Fear, he is the brother of Odin and the uncle of Thor and Loki as well as a foe of both relatives, as well as the Avengers.
| Serpent | |
|---|---|
The Serpent as depicted in Fear Itself #5 (October 2011). Art by Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fear Itself #1 (April 2011) |
| Created by | Stuart Immonen Matt Fraction |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Cul Borson |
| Species | Asgardian |
| Place of origin | Asgard |
| Team affiliations | Worthy |
| Notable aliases | Serpent, God of Fear |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina and durability Healing factor Shapeshifting Magic manipulation Longevity Fear consumption |
The Serpent first appeared in Fear Itself #1 (June 2011), and was created by Stuart Immonen and Matt Fraction.[1]
Cul Borson first appears in the 2011 Fear Itself storyline, when he is freed from his underwater prison by Sinthea Shmidt / Red Skull who possesses the Hammer of Skadi. Upon emerging as an old man, the Serpent claims that he is the true All-Father of Asgard, and not Odin. The Serpent prepares Skadi's army and calls the Hammers of the Worthy, which he sends to Earth,[2] transforming a number of superhuman beings into the Worthy, his henchmen who will help him spread fear and chaos across the globe: Juggernaut as Kuurth: Breaker of Stone, the Hulk as Nul: Breaker of Worlds, Attuma as Nerkodd: Breaker of Oceans, Titania as Skirn: Breaker of Men, Grey Gargoyle as Mokk: Breaker of Faith, Absorbing Man as Greithoth: Breaker of Wills, and the Thing as Angrir: Breaker of Souls. As the Worthy attack a number of high-profile cities on Earth,[3][4] the Serpent is rejuvenated by the fear experienced by the global citizenry, restoring his youth. When Thor appears at his stronghold to confront him, the Serpent confirms to Thor that he is the Serpent destined by prophecy to kill Thor, and not the Midgard Serpent. The Serpent reveals that he is Odin's brother and Thor's uncle. He dispatches Thor, sending him to Manhattan, which lies in ruins following an attack by Skadi and two of the Worthy, Nul and Angrir, who then attack Thor.[5]
The Serpent himself later confronts the Avengers, and breaks Captain America's shield with his bare hands before teleporting away. Thor manages to dispatch Nul, who is transformed back into Thing, and as Nul,[6][clarification needed] but is seriously wounded, and transported to Asgard to recuperate. In an attempt to destroy Odin and his followers, the Serpent and his followers appear in Broxton, Oklahoma to use Heimdall's Observatory to transport themselves to Asgard. They are confronted by the heroes of Earth, who stage a last stand to prevent them from doing this.[7]
When the healed Thor appears, the Serpent transforms into a giant serpent and battles his nephew while the Avengers fight the Worthy with weapons that Iron Man made in Asgard's workshops. Thor sacrifices himself to kill him, fulfilling the prophecy. Following Thor's funeral, Odin takes the Serpent's corpse to Asgard, casts out the other Asgardians, and locks himself alone with the body until the end of time, blaming himself for not preventing Thor's death.[8]
During and after the Original Sin storyline, Odin resurrects the Serpent, who reforms and becomes Asgard's Royal Inquisitor and Minister of Justice.[9][10] He attempts to take Mjolnir from Thor, but is defeated by her, Thor Odinson, and Frejya.[11][12][13]
Following the destruction of Asgardia, the Serpent travels to Svartalfheim to uncover how Malekith's forces travel undetected.[14]
In War of the Realms, the Serpent discovers that Malekith is using the Bifrost. He frees Malekith's Dark Elf slaves before being killed by his guards. After the Swamp Mines' destruction, the Elves fight the other Dark Elf soldiers in his honor.[15]
Cul Borson possesses all the conventional attributes of an Asgardian God. However, as the son of Bor, many of these attributes are significantly superior than those possessed by the majority of his race. He possesses sufficient superhuman strength to shatter Captain America's shield with his bare hands.[6] He possesses the ability to manipulate magic as he was able to tele-transport, revive the dead and transform into a giant serpent.[8] As the God of Fear, he could consume the fear of other people to empower himself.[5]
In 2020, CBR.com ranked Cul 9th in their "10 Marvel Gods With The Highest Kill Count" list.[16]
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