| Serpent | |
|---|---|
 The Serpent as depicted inFear Itself #5 (October 2011). Art byStuart Immonen andWade 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 |
TheSerpent (Cul Borson) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Known as the NorseGod of Fear, he is the brother ofOdin and the uncle ofThor andLoki as well as a foe of both relatives, as well as theAvengers.
The Serpent first appeared inFear Itself #1 (June 2011), and was created byStuart Immonen andMatt Fraction.[1]
Cul Borson first appears in the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, when he is freed from his underwater prison bySinthea Shmidt / Red Skull, who possesses the Hammer ofSkadi. Upon emerging as an old man, the Serpent claims that he is the true All-Father ofAsgard, and notOdin. 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, theHulk 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 theThing 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 killThor, and not theMidgard 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 later confronts theAvengers, and breaksCaptain America'sshield 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 inBroxton, 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 stop them.[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 thatIron 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 otherAsgardians, and locks himself alone with the body until the end of time, blaming himself for not preventing Thor's death.[8]
In the 2014 "Original Sin" storyline, Odin resurrects the Serpent, who reforms and becomes Asgard's RoyalInquisitor andMinister of Justice.[9] He attempts to take Mjolnir fromThor, but is defeated by her, Thor Odinson, and Frejya.[10]
In the 2019 storyline, "The War of the Realms", the Serpent discovers that Malekith is using theBifrost. He frees Malekith'sDark Elf slaves before being killed by his guards. After the Swamp Mines' destruction, the Elves fight the other Dark Elf soldiers in his honor.[11]
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 transport, revive the dead and transform into a giant serpent.[8] As the God of Fear, he could consume fear to empower himself.[5]
In 2020,CBR.com ranked the Serpent 9th in their "10 Marvel Gods With The Highest Kill Count" list.[12]
