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Death Adder is the name of twosupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The original Death Adder (Roland Burroughs) first appeared inMarvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980), created by writersMark Gruenwald andRalph Macchio. The second Death Adder (Theodore Scott), first appeared inCivil War Files #1 and was based on the concept of the original Death Adder.
Burroughs was a hired criminal who was given his powers by theBrand Corporation that gave him razor-sharp claws, gills and a long tail, but also left him mute. After a failed mission to steal theSerpent Crown, Death Adder joined up withSidewinder as Sidewinder created theSerpent Society. During a mission, he was shot and killed by the vigilante known as theScourge of the Underworld. He was later briefly revived as a member of theLegion of the Unliving and then brought back to life bythe Hood to fight thePunisher.
Theodore Scott, the second Death Adder, first appeared during theCivil War storyline in 2005-2006 as one of the criminals forced to join theThunderbolts army. He would later join the Serpent Society just like his predecessor, he also became part of Serpent Solutions when the group was reorganized during theAll-New, All-Different Marvel relaunch of several Marvel comic books.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(July 2014) |
The first Death Adder first appeared inMarvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) and was created byMark Gruenwald andRalph Macchio. His identity was revealed byRick Remender during an interview forComic Book Resources.[1]
| Death Adder | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald Ralph Macchio |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Roland Burroughs |
| Team affiliations | Serpent Society Serpent Squad Savage Six |
| Abilities | Bionic tail with spikes Poison-tipped talons Ability to breathe underwater |
Roland Burroughs was born inRochester, New York. A small-time thug, Death Adder is chosen byRoxxon Oil Company to participate in a covert operation to retrieve theSerpent Crown from the Atlantic Ocean. At Roxxon, Roland is surgically given gills and a bionic tail, as well as poison-tipped claws, to help him in his endeavors. An accident happens during this process which renders Death Adder mute. During the mission, he and his group, the thirdSerpent Squad, come into conflict with theThing,Stingray, andTriton. They recover the Crown, but are defeated and taken into custody.[2]
He and his former teammates,Black Mamba andAnaconda, joined with him again to retrieve the "micro scanner", a weapon that scans and disrupts various body functions. They are ambushed and defeated byIron Man, but escape.[3] They later receive an invitation to joinSidewinder'sSerpent Society.[4] During his first mission in the Serpent Society, Death Adder succeeds in killingMODOK.[5] He also participates in a mission to killCaptain America, whom the retiredPorcupine had ostensibly captured. This ruse is actually devised by the Captain, and it eventually leads to a battle in which Death Adder is defeated.[6]
While returningPrincess Python to her original group, theCircus of Crime, Death Adder's serpent saucer crashes in the SouthBronx after it is hit by an unknown weapon. Leaving Princess Python where she was and attempting to take a cab back to the base, he is shot and killed by theScourge of the Underworld, who is posing as a cab driver.[7][8][9][10]
Death Adder, among other villains, is revived by theGrandmaster and battles theAvengers as part of theLegion of the Unliving. AfterDeath is freed from her imprisonment, she reverts the world back to the way it was before the Grandmaster's meddling.[11]
Death Adder is among the seventeen victims of the Scourge who are resurrected by theHood to eliminate thePunisher, claiming that they will die if they do not kill the Punisher within one month. Death Adder is one of the few villains to survive the battle against Punisher andG. W. Bridge.[12]
In the seriesVenom, Death Adder appears as part of the newCrime Master's syndicate.[13] He later becomes a member of Crime Master'sSavage Six before being killed byVenom.[14][15]
| Death Adder | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Civil War Files #1 (November 2006) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Theodore Scott |
| Team affiliations | Assassins Guild Serpent Society Thunderbolts |
| Abilities | Bionic tail with spikes Poison-tipped talons Ability to breathe underwater |
A new Death Adder,Theodore Scott, was introduced duringCivil War as a member of theThunderbolts.[16]
During theSecret Invasion storyline, Death Adder joins theSerpent Society. The Serpent Society held a number of civilians hostage in a compound in theAmerican Midwest, claiming they were protecting themselves from theSkrulls. However, they are easily defeated byNova and theNova Corps.[17]
InAll-New, All-Different Marvel, Death Adder appears as a member of the Serpent Society under its new name of Serpent Solutions.[18] InSecret Empire,Helmut Zemo recruits Death Adder, among others, into his Army of Evil.[19]
Later, Death Adder joinsBella Donna'sAssassins Guild. Alongside several other assassins, he confrontsDeadpool, who kills him with ashuriken.[20]
Through mutagenic experimentation by theBrand Corporation, the first Death Adder's strength, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes were artificially enhanced. He also became amphibious, enabling him to breathe underwater, survive oceanic pressure, and swim at high speeds. Death Adder wore lightweight armor supplied by the Brand Corporation, which included titanium claws and a spiked casing for his tail.
An unidentified incarnation of Death Adder from Earth-33900 appears inAvengers American Armed Forces.[21]
An original female incarnation of Death Adder from Earth-1610 appears in theUltimate Marvel imprint. This version is a member of the Serpent Squad who possesses lizard-like abilities.[22] Additionally, the Roland Burroughs incarnation of Death Adder appears as a member of the Serpent Skulls street gang before being killed by the Scourge of the Underworld.[23]
