Taking place immediately after the event of ATLANTIS ATTACKS, Uatu the Watcher retells the history of the sinister Serpent Crown – an artefact that brings its wearer great power, but is designed to bring about the return of the serpentine demon Set to Earth since his banishment in prehistoric times. If you’re unfamiliar with the history of the Serpent Crown (and most people are!) then read this before the ATLANTIS ATTACKS event, but save the final chapter until after to avoid spoilers.
Crossover: The history of the Serpent Crown is told in a series of short back-up features in the ‘Atlantis Attacks’ crossover annuals.
- Silver Surfer Annual #2[7/7]
- Iron Man Annual #10[4/4]
- X-Men Annual #13[3/3]
- Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23[7/7]
- Punisher Annual #2[4/4]
- Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9[5/5]
- Daredevil Annual #5[5/5] (misnumbered #4)
- Avengers Annual #18[4/4]
- New Mutants Annual #5[3/3]
- X-Factor Annual #4[4/4]
- Web of Spider-Man Annual #5[7/7]
- Avengers West Coast Annual #4[5/5]
- Thor Annual #14[6/6]
- Fantastic Four Annual #22[5/5]
Uatu the Watcher tells the origin of the Serpent Crown, starting with the creation of gods and demons on Earth by the Demiurge. The gods watched over new life across the planet while the demons manipulated that life, looking to gain power. Gaea gave birth to Atum the Demogorge to combat evil. Set departs Earth for another dimension, but sheds his skin as a decoy. Atum destroys the hollow skin, making him believe he’d completed his mission. Atum left Earth to merge with the Sun.
Iron Man Annual #10[4/4]
Years later, Set began feeding off the life energies of dinosaurs from his other-dimensional abode. Gaea decided to let the dinosaurs die so that mammals – sentient creatures with the most potential – could live. Set influenced dinosaurs to attack mammals, eventually merging a few reptiles together to provide himself with a physical form on Earth. With this, Gaea was forced to summon Atum the Demogorge down from the sun to explode Set’s many heads. But Set survived, growing new heads and the conflict raged until it brought about the end of the dinosaurs on Earth (except for those in the Savage Land). Set retreated to his own dimension, allowing Gaea to remain on Earth oversee the evolution of humanity.
Early humans begin developing as tribes in the green haven created by the time-travelling sorcerer Sise-Neg. Set influenced the Tribe of Mighty Set (secretly shape-shifting Serpent Men) into attacking a tribe known as the Wanderers who beat the Serpent-Men out of Sise-Neg’s eden. The Celestials arrive on Earth, drive the Serpent-Men away and to turn the early-men into humans, Eternals and Deviants. Humanity was now smarter and capable of fending off demonic races like the Serpent-Men. The greatest of these men was King Kull…
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23[7/7]
The Second Host of the Celestials come to Earth to find the planet in chaos. The Deviants had enslaved most of humanity, leaving the survivors to create a paradise called Atlantis. Atra of the conquered Lemurians planned to overthrow the Deviant Phraug by making a deal Set to create the powerful Serpent Crown. The Deviant forces attacked Atlantis, forcing the city’s ruler Kamuu to unleash the lava beneath the island to kill the invading army. At that moment, his wife Zartra was assassinated by one of her own people in league with the Deviants. Atra sacrificed his own daughter to empower the Serpent Crown and attempted to kill Phraug, but the creature was immune to the Crown’s power due to his alliance with Set. As the two of the fought and Atlantis fell. The Celestials judged their Earthly experiment unworthy, flooding the planet. The Eternals rescued a small number of humans from the Great Deluge. The Celestials buried the Dreaming Celestial in the mountains as punishment for an unknown crime and left the skeletons of Phraug and Atra fighting over the Serpent Crown on display…
By the Hyborian Age, the wizard Thoth-Amon found a similar object called the Cobra Crown and used its powers to claim the throne of Zingara. Villagro, son of the deposed King, stole the Cobra Crown and used it to fend off Thoth-Amon’s army but was defeated when Thoth-Amon killed him and burned out the Crown’s power. Conan of Cimmeria and his son Prince Conn repeatedly thwarted Thoth-Amon’s plans for world domination, even wiping out the last of the Serpent-Men. Many years later, Egypt became the greatest power on Earth, introducing a new pantheon of gods. One was Seth who took the name and followers of Set leaving the serpentine demon with no choice but to start collecting followers from scratch…
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9[5/5]
The inhabitants of sunken Atlantis and Lemuria developed the ability to breathe underwater. The Atlantean ruler Ossem turned to Neptune for guidance in freeing his people from persecution by the barbarians of Skarka rather than go to war. Ossem’s own son Balaal tries to sacrifice his father to Set, prompting Neptune to stop Set from entering the Earthly plane. Neptune kills Balaal and all worshippers of Set. Ossem ostracises himself from the Atlanteans, but Neptune is now worshipped by the Atlanteans. 1500 years later, the Lemurian Naga finds the lost Serpent Crown, dons it and makes himself Emperor of Lemuria.
Emperor Naga gradually becomes serpentine under the Crown’s influence, until he believes he’s the son of Set. Atlantean rebels Bekkit and Psycatos stole the Serpent Crown one night while Naga slept. They headed to Antarctica where they developed the ability to breathe on land and gave the crown a new casing. When Psycatos became ill, he took the Serpent Crown to heal himself only for it to coerce him into killing Bekkit. Realising what he’d done, Psycatos killed himself and brought down an avalanche that buried them and the crown…
Right-wing politician Paul Destine discovered the lost and encased Serpent Crown after the first World War, naming it the Helmet of Power. Set put Destine into stasis for a number of years, allowing the Helmet to grow in might. Decades passed when Destine awoke and Namor the Sub-Mariner had become ruler of Atlantis (during YEARS OF GLORY, DAY OF DOOM). Under Set’s influence, Paul Destine became Destiny and used the Helmet of Power to defeat Namor. But Destiny wanted the world for himself and threw his helmet off. Without its the Helmet, Destine had no powers fell to his death when he tried to fly off a building…
Naga lived on for centuries without the Serpent Crown, but falls under the influence of Llyra. Namor managed to retrieve the Helmet of Power from the Thing and taken it back to Atlantis where it revealed itself to be the Serpent Crown and used its power to take control of Ikthon and Lady Dorma. Namor was able to take the Crown and send it into the depths of the ocean, only for it to be retrieved by Captain Barracuda. Namor defeated Barracuda but Naga’s agent, Karthon the Quester, got the better of him and took the Serpent Crown back to his master…
X-Factor Annual #4[4/4]
Set gave up on his plan to re-enter Earth-616 and instead set his sights on an alternate Earth, becoming ruler of Earth-712 through the Serpent Cartel. The Cartel ally Hugh Jones – CEO of the Roxxon Oil Corporation over on Earth-616 – and set out to conquer both Earths together. The Atlantean warlord Krang managed to obtain the Serpent Crown and kidnaped Hugh Jones with help from the criminal Viper. Set coerced Krang into giving Jones the Crown, then Nomad (Steve Rogers) showed up and defeated Krang while Viper disappeared with the Crown. Gregory Gideon of the Serpent Cartel located the Serpent Crown of Earth-712 and used it to subvert his world’s heroes, the Squadron Supreme. The Avengers of Earth-616 fought the mind-controlled Squadron. The Vision took the Crown and gave it to the Scarlet Witch, but it soon began calling to her…
Avengers West Coast Annual #4[5/5]
The Avengers freed the Squadron Supreme from the Serpent Crown’s control. Gaea appeared to Arcanna Jones and explained how the Scarlet Witch resisted the Crown’s control using her magical training. Kyle Richmond moved against his fellow members of the Serpent Cartel, donning his Nighthawk costume and taking down Gregory Gideon. Arcanna Jones and Professor Imam freed the rest of America from the Serpent Crown’s control. Much later, the Squadron decided they could do a better job of ruling America themselves. Nighthawk quit the Squadron Supreme and died while opposing them. The Squadron relinquished control of America (during SQUADRON SUPREME).
On Earth-616, Viper lost her Serpent Crown in the sewer. The Living Laser tried to use a Serpent Crown against the Avengers until the Vision dumped it into the sea (during NO FINAL VICTORY). Hugh Jones merged the Earth-616 and Earth-712 Serpent Crowns together, then laid claim to washing DC. The Scarlet Witch, Thing and Stingray opposed him, but the Crown bit the Scarlet Witch, sending her to Set’s dimension. The Thing took the Crown from Jones and used it to wished the Scarlet Witch back to Earth. Jones’ attempt to take the Crown back broke Set’s efforts to control the Thing who took it to Project PEGASUS.
Fantastic Four Annual #22[5/5]
At Project PEGASUS, the Serpent Crown took possession of a technician who placed it on the head of the Chief of Security, Quasar, and drew Serpent Crowns from other realities. Eventually, everyone in the building had a Crown and enough power to destroy the wplanet. The Crowns manipulated Project Head Myron Wilburn into defeating the Thing, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man, then merged the multiversal Serpent Crowns into one giant Crown which swallowed the heroes and unleash Set. Spider-Man used a Cosmic Cube to send Set home and destroy the Crowns of every reality. In the present, Uatu the Watcher has been telling Gaea the history of the Serpent Crown, including Ghaur’s recent efforts to create another giant Serpent Crown to summon Set (during ATLANTIS ATTACKS).
The original tellings of these stories in the order they appeared, along with the first appearances of the key characters.
Marvel Comics #1 (1939)
Sub-Mariner #7-12 (1969)
First appearance of Aurwel, Bekkit, Gargantos, Ikthon, Jhandark, Karthon the Quester, Llyna, Naga and Psycatos; first true appearance of the Serpent Crown; the death of Destiny; Namor defeats the Thing; the origin of Naga is revealed; the death of Destiny; the Helmet of Power is revealed to be the Serpent Crown; Dorma takes over Atlantis; Namor battles Karthon and Captain Barracuda; Namor defeats Naga and the Serpent Crown is banished during YEARS OF GLORY, DAY OF DOOM.
Conan the Barbarian #1 (1970)
First appearance of Thoth-Amon; Set is first mentioned.
Avengers #85 (1971)
First appearance of Sligguth.
Captain America #180-182 (1974-1975)
First appearance of Chthon (as ‘The Other’).
Avengers #141-148 (1975-1976)
First full appearance of Set – in a flashback sequence in a tale from the Hyborian Age – during THE BALLAD OF BÊLLIT & CONAN.
Avengers Annual #6 (1976)
Avengers #154 (1976)
Eternals #1-4 (1976)
Eternals #9 (1977)
Thor Annual #7 (1978)
Savage Sword of Conan #40-43 (1979)
Marvel Two-in-One #64-67 (1980)
Squadron Supreme #1-5 (1985-1986)
The Squadron Supreme take Earth and create their own form of behaviour modification; Nighthawk opposes the Squadron during SQUADRON SUPREME.
Nighthawk’s opposition of the Squadron leds to his death, but America is freed from their control during SQUADRON SUPREME.
Conan the King #53-55 (1989)
Fantastic Four Annual #22 (1989)
Namor the Sub-Mariner #52-53 (1994)
