Some months ago, the Eternals and Avengers barely managed to defeat Ghaur when he obtained the power of a Celestial. The power of the Uni-Mind disintegrated his body and his consciousness was cast into the ether. But that didn’t stop the discoporated Deviant from planning his next move. The Silver Surfer is about to set things in motion that will bring Ghaur back so he can initiate his alliance with the serpent demon Set!
- YEARS OF GLORY, DAY OF DOOM – First appearance of the Serpent Crown
- NO FINAL VICTORY – The Serpent Crown is lost in the ocean
- ASSAULT ON ATLANTIS – Attuma claims the Atlantean throne from Namor
- THE SAGA OF THE SERPENT CROWN – The history of the Serpent Crown
Major Crossover: As a multiple-part event, largely containing longer chapters, Atlantis Attacks can be considered a major event. The storyline ran through the majority of Marvel’s 1989 annuals, impacting numerous characters in the Marvel Universe. All essential chapters are marked with an asterisk *.
- New Mutants #76 (tie-in)
- Silver Surfer Annual #2[1/7] * (also see THE KREE-SKRULL WAR II)
- Iron Man Annual #10[1/4] * (also see HEARTBEATEN)
- Iron Man Annual #10[2/4] (tie-in)
- Avengers West Coast Annual #4[4/5] (tie-in)
- Marvel Comics Presents #26[4/4] (tie-in)
- Iron Man Annual #10[3/4] (tie-in)
- X-Men Annual #13[1/3]
- Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23[1/7]
- Punisher Annual #2[1/4]
- Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9[1/5]
- Daredevil Annual #5[1/5] (misnumbered #4, sometimes referred to as #4B)
- Avengers Annual #18[1/4]
- West Coast Avengers #52 (tie-in)
- New Mutants Annual #5[1/3] (also see HOME!)
- X-Factor Annual #4[1/4]
- Web of Spider-Man Annual #5[1/7]
- Avengers West Coast Annual #4[1/5]
- Thor Annual #14[1/6]
- Fantastic Four Annual #22[1/5]
Deep in space, the Silver Surfer‘s involvement in the renewed Kree-Skrull War (during THE KREE-SKRULL WAR II) is interrupted when he reconstitutes space fungus to its original form, that of the Deviant called Ghaur. Alive again since he was discorporated by the Eternals and Avengers, Ghaur heads back to Earth. The Surfer sends a mental warning Talisman of Alpha Flight and Doctor Strange. Ghaur heads to the undersea kingdom Lemuria and recruits Llyra to assist him in locating the Serpent Crown, planning to use it to bring the serpent god Set to the Earthly plane and destroy his enemies. Set seems more intent on destroying all life on Earth…
Attuma, ruler of Atlantis, agrees to help Ghaur and Llyra restore the Serpent Crown, seizing the opportunity to invade the surface world. Iron Man and Namor intercede in the ongoing war between Hydra and the Maggia, discovering both organisations are behind the recent sabotage attempts on Stark Enterprises (during HEARTBEATEN). Iron Man learns of Hydra’s plan to give free addictive drugs to American citizens, making them dependent on Hydra, but destroys their supply. Iron Man and Namor locate a Hydra ship that’s soon attacked by an army of invading Lemurians. Iron Man is too late to save Namor when he boards the Hydra ship just as it blows up. Namor the Sub-Mariner is dead.
Iron Man Annual #10[2/4] (tie-in)
A band of Atlantean and Lemurian invaders get lost and end up in Baja, Mexico, after their clash with Namor and iron Man. As they struggle with the heat, they wander into Firebird who melts their weapons and talks them out of invading, taking them safely back to the ocean.
Marvel Comics Presents #26[4/4] (tie-in)
Andromeda returns to Atlantis days after Namor’s death and is reunited with her friend and ally Colonel Dakkor who updates her on Attuma’s latest plans for war against the surface world. Andromeda confronts her father Attuma, but is quickly forced to retreat. She plans to put an end to her father’s mad rule once and for all.
Diamondback left the Serpent Society when Sidewinder was deposed as leader, but now she rejoins the Society under Sidewinder’s orders when Ghaur hires them to locate specific items of arcane power. When Diamondback tries to steal one of these items from Mister Jip, he captures both her and Dazzler of the X-Men and swaps their minds into each others’ bodies. Using this as leverage, he forces the X-Men into locating the other mystical items before the Serpent Society can. The X-Men beat the Society, though Longshot is lost when he’s buried under a rockslide. Jip restores Dazzler and Diamondback to their own bodies and returns Longshot when Wolverine threatens him. Sidewinder teleports in, grabs Diamondback and the magical items, and teleports out. He sells the items to Ghaur and gives the Serpent Society a cut. Jip regrets not being able to use the items to save Dagger from Ghaur’s intentions. Ghaur and Llyra relocate to Magneto‘s old Bermuda Triangle base and prepare to recreate the Serpent Crown…
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23[1/7]
Lemurian soldiers to free the Abomination, whose body is now inhabited by the mind of Tyrannus. Ghaur and Llyra pull Tyrannus out of the Abomination, restoring human form. They return Emil Blonsky to the Abomination body, but he becomes a mindless beast. Spider-Man and She-Hulk pursue the rampaging Abomination through the streets of New York. When She-Hulk is knocked unconscious, Ghaur tattoos her with the Mark of Set. When she recovers, Shulkie throws a petrol tanker at the Abomination, sending the monster off the bridge. Heading home, Spider-Man swings past a sign for a campaign called SOS. Days later, ‘Dr Tyrone’ (a disguised Tyrannus) meets up with one of Captain America‘s old foes…
Dr Tyrone reveals his true identity to the recently-blinded Dagger and takes her to become one of Ghaur’s brides-to-be. Tyrannus steals the book of Keel to gain the power to betray Ghaur and raise Set himself. Spider-Man and Cloak locate Dagger as a stranger in Atlantean armour helps them free her. With Dagger now safe, Cloak turns his back on Spider-Man as he’s hypnotised by Tyrannus and shoved in the back of a van…
One week later, in upstate New York, Doctor Strange convinces the nomadic Daredevil to rescue a man from Dr Tyrone’s Save Our Society rehab group that acts as a cover for his ‘factory’ for Serpent-Men. Daredevil breaks into Tyrannus’ compound and immediately fends off a savage Spider-Man. Strange arrives at Tyrannus’ sanctum in time to witness him betray Viper and open a portal. But instead of summoning Set, he pulls one of Dormammu‘s demons, Yiggorum, from the Dark Dimension. Viper throws Tyrannus to the demon to consume him, then Doctor Strange sends the demon back and closes the portal. He magically cures the Serpent-Men and Spider-Man and erases their memories of everything they’ve witnessed. Daredevil heads back to the road.
Avengers Annual #18[1/4] *
Ghar activation of the Serpent Crown is felt by those who’ve worn it before. He orders the full-scale Atlantean assault on America, targeting four key locations. Captain America summons every available Avenger to defend the surface. Orka and Lord Arno are driven out of the Shoreham Nuclear Plant, though She-Hulk starts to feel the effect of the Mark of Set during the fight. Tyrak uses the power supply at Langley Air Force Base to supersize himself until Moondragon unleashes Rick Jones‘ Destiny Force powers (briefly displayed during THE KREE-SKRULL WAR) against him and his soldiers. Hank Pym shrinks down U-Man‘s forces when they invade Fort Hamilton Army Base. Cap’s team are assisted by the mystery Atlantean who helps them defeat Krang and his troops at Cape Canaveral.
An entranced Marvel Girl telekinetically flies at speed herself the Atlantic Ocean on a tractor beam with the Beast desperately hanging from her ankle. He wakes her which sends them into the depths below. Attuma hopes to claim Marvel Girl for himself, believing her to be the Phoenix who rejected him previously. Andromeda comes to Beast’s aid. Marvel Girl wakes in Atlantean attire, with Atuma calling her ‘Phoenix’ not realising she’s quite not the same person he previously encountered. Beast and Andromeda arrive while she’s fending him off as he tries to drown her for rejecting him. Beast takes Marvel Girl to the surface where he’s met by Ghaur’s forces and has no choice by to let him take her in order to save her life. Andromeda is defeated by her father but is snateched right from under him before he can decapitate her. Now Ghaur has six of his seven Brides…
Attuma puts his issues with Ghaur aside and leads a final assault on the surface world. Standing against them in New York harbour are US military armed forces, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. While they defend the city from the Atlantean army and the Megasaur, Llyra sends her Lemurian forces to attack the undefended Atlantis to create the ultimate blood sacrifice. Ghaur takes the Invisible Woman as the seventh bride. The mystery Atlantean joins the fight once more. When Attuma hears news that Atlantis has been destroyed by his supposed allies, he orders his forces to retreat and surrenders to the humans. With the Atlantean army still living, Ghaur’s intended blood sacrifice didn’t pan out the way he’d planned…
Avengers West Coast Annual #4[1/5] *
Ghaur’s plans are in tatters, so he sends the Seven Brides of Set – Andromeda, Dagger, the Invisible Woman, Marvel Girl, She-Hulk, the Scarlet Witch & Storm – to claim artefacts he could use to free Set. Despite the efforts of Captain America, Beast and the West Coast Avengers, the Brides succeed, but they track She-Hulk back to Ghaur’s undersea lair. Wonder Man smashes the lens. Ghaur orders the entranced Scarlet Witch to use her reality-warping powers on the fragment of Set’s life force. Beast uses an iron gauntlet to break the spell, but the resulting explosion allows Set to tear through a tight portal into the Earthly plane…
Thor, Quasar, the Thing (actually Ben Grimm in a robotic ‘Thing’ body) and Doctor Strange arrive on the scene, entering Set’s dimension by flying into his mouth and ripping out through his tail-end. Strange, Quasar and Thing fight Set in his inside-out true form, while Thor turns to his attention to rescuing his mother Gaea. He heads to the centre of the Sun to summon Atum, goading him into becoming the god-eating Demogorge. Demogorge consumes Thor, but his face emerges as he takes control of the creature’s body. Thor/Demogorge rips off Set’s heads and sends them into seven different dimensions. Demogorge then spits Thor out. The heroes return to the Earthly plane and the defeated Ghaur teleports away with the Seven Brides and the Serpent Crown…
In a back-up feature, Captain America is reunited with the original Human Torch, just before Iron Man reports back to the team that Namor the Sub-Mariner is dead.
Uatu the Watcher recounts the origin of the Serpent Crown to Gaea immediately following Ghaur’s defeat during THE SAGA OF THE SERPENT CROWN.
Emil Blonsky regains control of the Abomination’s form.
Avengers West Coast #55 (1990)
Avengers #319-324 (1990)
Tyrak leads the next unsuccessful Atlantean attack on the surface world.
Marine biologist Caleb Alexander saves Namor’s life and discovers his hybrid human/Atlantean genetic make-up has been the cause of his emotional instability for all these years; Namor uses the wealth built up by sunken treasure to set up Oracle, Inc and work towards doing more for the planet.
Namor the Sub-Mariner #2-5 (1990)
The Thing is returned to his more familiar rocky appearance.
Avengers Annual #20 (1991)
It’s revealed that Attuma returned to what was left of Atlantis as ruler, despite his tactical failures during SUBTERRANEAN WARS.
Namor the Sub-Mariner reclaims the throne of Atlantis.
Andromeda and Dakkor continue to fight against Attuma.
The Dreaming Celestial finds a loophole that allows him to briefly wake up during HEROES REBORN: DOOMSDAY.
Defenders #7 (2001)
Defenders #11 (2001)
Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch #1 (2007)
Sidewinder forms a new Serpent Society with Anaconda, Black Mamba and Death Adder.
See how this story fits into the wider Marvel Universe with these reading orders:
- ABOMINATION: Emil Blonsky (1967-2014)
- CAPTAIN MARVEL: Monica Rambeau (1982-1994)
- DAREDEVIL: A Touch of Typhoid (1986-1991)
- DAZZLER: Live! Tonight! Sold Out! (1980-1990)
- HULK: Mister Fixit (1987-1990)
- MOON KNIGHT: The Deaths of Marc Spector (1989-1994)
- PUNISHER: Back to the War (1974-1989)
- SHE-HULK: Sensational (1989-1991)
- VISION & SCARLET WITCH: Bizarre Break-Up (1984-1990)
