Highlights
- The Serpent Society, a group of serpent-themed villains, will be one of the major antagonistic forces in Captain America 4.
- The group has a deep history in Marvel comics, initially starting as the Serpent Squad and later evolving into the Serpent Society.
- Not much is known about the specific villains in the Serpent Society for the upcoming film, but leaked reports and set photos suggest several potential appearances.
Originally, the Serpent Society was teased much sooner than Captain America 4. Marvel may have included the group in previous mentions years ago leading up to Captain America: Civil War, but now, the group is slated to be one of the major antagonistic forces for Captain America 4: Brave New World. Surprisingly little is known about Anthony Mackie’s first feature film as Captain America, but what is known is that he’ll certainly have his hands full with the Serpent Society when the film slithers into theatres on July 26th 2024.
Captain America’s history is packed with tons of great villains, and even a few villainous groups that don’t get enough love. The Serpent Society is just one such group, though thanks to the anything-can-happen nature of the MCU, there’s no telling exactly which villains will be a part of the society and just how far corruption will go in the brave new world of the MCU. With the blip caused by Thanos in the rearview mirror, it feels like anything can happen, and that might just be the case in Captain America 4.
What Is the Serpent Society in Marvel Comics?
Making their first appearance in Marvel comics all the way back in 1985 in Captain America#310, the Serpent Society is a group of serpent-themed villains who come together in order to take over the world. Despite that, it is worth acknowledging that the group has an even deeper history, initially beginning as the Serpent Squad in 1973, the group was created by the villain Viper, though the group was still relatively similar to what it would later become. The Serpent Society was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary and saw the villain Sidewinder forming the group to bring villainy together in order to accomplish various tasks for higher powers.
The group itself was meant to be a spiritual successor to the Serpent Squad, and arguably, it was much more successful in the hands of Sidewinder. The villain capable of jumping through inter-dimensional spaces to teleport would almost immediately betray the other members of the team in order to see his goals accomplished. This lack of concern for others proved to be a smart move for Sidewinder as he was quickly able to make the Serpent Society a powerful and shadowy group, something that would end up benefiting the other members in the long run. As the name suggests, the group brought in all the snake-themed villains they could including names like Constrictor, Asp, Diamondback, and the Viper.
Working out of an abandoned institution in New York, the group was able to increase their power in a hurry thanks to the sheer number of villains within, and the different organizations they chose to do work for. Over the years, the Serpent Society did work for figures and groups like the Kingpin, HYDRA, and the Maggia. Thanks to the teamwork and resources the Serpent Society managed to build, Captain America actually had a shockingly difficult time handling the group whenever they’d come into conflict, and that’s even when he had help from various other heroes. The trouble is that when a villainous group becomes successful, other villains want a hold of that power.
The Viper ended up plotting a coup of sorts and it splintered the Serpent Society into two groups, one side believing Viper should be the leader and the others believing Sidewinder should remain in power. After all was said and done, Cobra would rise to become the new leader as King Cobra and would remain so for quite some time. Over the years the leadership would bounce between the three main villains depending on the storyline, but a key factor to keep in mind when thinking of the group is that it often took the might of The Avengers all together to handle the group.
Serpent Society In Captain America 4
The trouble with the Serpent Society in Captain America 4 is that not too much is known about them aside from what small leaks have come out through reports and set photos. There are plenty of heavy hitters set to appear in the film including villain The Leader, the controversial character known as Sabra, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and some still undisclosed roles, one of which is WWE superstar Seth Rollins. What has been said to be possible is that Julia Louis-Dreyfus may be making an appearance in the movie with a group of villains who will be known as the Serpent Society. Of course, rumors like that are what have led many to believe that the likes of Seth Rollins, Xosha Roquemore, and others are actually going to be playing different villains within the group.
With so many potential villains making an appearance, it’s not hard to come to the conclusion that while a figure like The Leader may in fact be pulling the strings from behind the scenes, the Serpent Society will be the big antagonistic force of the film with a potential slot for the Red Hulk on the team. While that many villains may be tough to balance, it could mean that the Serpent Society will more or less be tertiary villains for Sam to come into conflict with throughout the film, though even that could be wrong. With the title being changed from New World Order to Brave New World, it’s possible that this Captain America film won’t have the happiest of plots, leading to an outcome where fans of the MCU discover that the villains are now fully in charge of this brave new world.
Leaked videos and photos from the set certainly do make it appear as if the Serpent Society will play a significant role in the film, but only time will tell what impact they have. For all MCU fans know, the Serpent Society could be adapted into just another arm of what used to be HYDRA, showing that the world will always need a Captain America, no matter who is holding the mantle. Sam Wilson is going to be in for a big struggle in his first solo big-screen adventure in Captain America 4, and if Seth Rollins is bringing as much physicality to the role as he brings to the ring, Captain America might be about to meet his match without the help of old friends.
Captain America 4 is set to be slithering into theatres on July 26th, 2024.