SET
Real Name: Set
Identity/Class: Demon, Class One; Elder God (Distant Past to the present day)
Occupation: Would Be Conqueror
Group Membership: Elder Gods
Affiliations: Alexus, Atra,
Attuma, Balaal, Black Ring,
Brides of Set (Andromeda (Andromeda Attumasen), Dagger, the Invisible Woman, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), the Scarlet Witch,
She-Hulk (Jen Walters), and Storm),
C'harona, Destiny
(Paul Destine), dinosaurs, Dorma, Dragon of Set,
Dragon
Kings of Lemuria (possibly), Eallal, Ghaur, Haasl,
Ikthon, Hugh Jones, Khorus,
Krang, Kulan Gath, Llyra, Man-Serpents,
Midgard
Serpent, Naga, Narcia, possibly Nexxx, Phraug, Pyscatos, Scully, Serpent Cartel, Serpent
Men,
Serpent Men of Starksboro, Serpent Men of Viper and Tyrannus, Set of Earth-712 (see
comments), Thoth-Amon, Thugra
Khotan, Thulsa
Doom, Unliving, the nihilist Viper, Xaltotun;
Formerly Quasar, Myron Wilburn, and anyone else who has worn the Serpent Crown (pretty
much the whole population of Project: PEGASUS at some point;
Set has been worshipped by the Serpent Men, Thulsa
Doom, pre-Cataclysmic Deviants, Acheronians and
Stygians, Kushites, and degenerate cults in mountains
between Nemedia
and Aquilonia, as well remnants of Stygian civilization in Shem, and undersea Lemurians and other Homo mermani in
Atlantis and elsewhere at various times in history, and invoked by
many sorcerers.
Enemies: Ancients , Atum, Avengers (Beast, Captain America, Iron Man, Sersi, Vision, Wasp, Wonder Man), Conan, Doctor Strange, Hyppus, (deceased), Gaea, Gaea of Earth-712, Ibis, Mitra, Neptune, Omm, Ossem, Quasar, Scarlet Witch, Seth, Spider-Man, Spider-Men, Thing, Thor, X'Ka'Ak
Known
Relatives:
Demiurge (father);
Chthon , Hyppus (brother), Gaea, Isuus, Oshtur (sisters), other Elder Gods
(siblings);
Damballah,
Dragon of the Moon, Phorcys, Siapep,
Sligguth, Yamato-no-Orichi (sons),
Ishiti,
Tartessus (daughter);
Echidna, Gorgons (Euryale,
Medusa, Stheno), Graea, Ophions, Scylla, Zirnitra
(grandchildren);
Angerboda,
Cerberus, Chimera,
Ladon,
Lernaean Hydra, Maralith, Nemean Lion
(great-grandchildren);
Bolla,
Fenris Wolf,
Merro,
Midgard Serpent, Pegasus, Pressyne, Zmey Gorynych (great-great-grandchildren);
Llyra (wife of Merro);
Drang,
Hoarfen, Iceworm, Melior, Melusine, Palatine,
Sturm (great-great-great-grandchildren);
Nagala,
Yith (great-great-great-great-grandchildren (6th generation
descendents));
Children of Ishiti,
Dragon Kings of Lemuria, Man-Serpents, Serpent Men, Sirens,
Snakes of Many Colors, Wolf Gods of Asgard (descendents)
see also Chthon and Gaea for more distant relations
Aliases: Apep, Apocalypse, Father Set, the Great Serpent, Lotan, Leviathan, Ophion, Serpent God, Serpent Emperor of the Waters, Tiamat, Flood
Base of Operations: Currently unknown;
formerly his own dimension;
formerly Earth in the distant past, especially prominently worshipped during the Hyborian
Age
First Appearance: (Mentioned) "The Phoenix on the Sword", Weird Tales (December, 1932);
(mentioned
in the Marvel Universe) Conan the Barbarian I#7 (July, 1971);
(seen) Marvel
Feature I#6 (May, 1976)
Powers: Set is a being of vast mystical power. He can send his power out of his home dimension when called on by sorcerers. However, Set is not free to actually leave his dimension physically, except for special circumstances. Within his own pocket dimension, for some reason he looks very disgusting, as if his normal body had been turned inside out, with his inner organs outwardly visible.
Set grants power via the Serpent Crown, and he can also control its wearers, forcing them to do his bidding. He did not seem to control wearers of the Cobra Crown, though.
Height: 50' (variable)
Weight: 25 tons

History: (Thor Annual#10, Silver Surfer Annual#2/7, Doctor Strange III#9/2,
Doctor Strange III#11/2)
- Set was created by the Demiurge along with Gaea and Chthon as one of the Elder Gods
as one of the first example of terrestrial life. Set sought more power, so
he created spawn such as Sligguth and Damballah. To even further add to his power,
Set killed his brother Hyppus to absorb energy from him-becoming Earth's first
murderer; other Elder Gods imitated Set's tactics, leading to massive slaughter. Gaea, wishing to stop this,
gave birth to Atum, who banished many of the Elder Gods. Set and his spawn were
among the ones forced to leave Earth.
(Marvel Tarot) - Set's devoted followers know him by seven names, each of which became linked to a mythic serpent or dragon. Quite possibly Set had a "hand" in the development of the prevalent serpent stories in almost every culture. The seven names of the Serpent have also become connected to the seven deadly sins with each of Set's heads possessing a specific deadly sin.
(Punisher Annual#2/4) - Set created a mystical affinity with the dinosaurs which he used to absorb the life-energies released by their violent deaths. Over millions of years, he amassed an enormous amount of power.

(Iron Man Annual#10/4 (fb)) - Gaea became aware that the dinosaurs that had evolved on Earth had reached an evolutionary dead end. She also realized that their existence prevented mammals from evolving to their full potential and she shifted her attention to them. Not wishing to lose his power source, Set ordered the dinosaurs to destroy the mammals of Earth. Gaea dared Set to face her, and Set appeared on Earth in a physical form created by the fusion of the bodies of three dinosaurs. It was only after Set appeared Gaea realized that she would need help fighting him and called upon her son Atum for protection.

Atum appeared and did battle with Set, cutting off his head in the process. However, Set re-grew two heads for each one severed until he had seven (the number of heads he retained subsequently), but during the course of the lengthy battle, nearly all the dinosaurs of earth were destroyed except for an isolated few in areas such as the Savage Land. With Set weakened, Atum in the form of Demogorge proved victorious in breaking Set's control on the Earth. Set, due to this battle, could not return to Earth unaided.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#7, Savage
Sword of Conan#192 (fb))
<@ One million years BC> - Set brought about the emergence of
the serpentine race of followers. It remains unclear if they are his literal
offspring or he directed the evolution of Terran reptiles or man-apes to bring
about their emergence. They are a race either descended from or created by the
Elder God Set. For eons, there was a single scaly race, which did Set homage for
longer than the human mind can conceive. Then, for reason unknown, it split into
two distinct races--the Man-Serpents and the Serpent Men.
(Uncanny X-Men Annual#13/3 - BTS) - One day, before the
emergence of homo sapiens, two primate life forms went
to a special green haven. This haven had been created for two of their
ancestors by the time-traveling sorcerer Sise-Neg. As part of the course of the primate tribe's annual migration, the
tribe leader and his mate returned to this special place. This year, the tribe leader and his mate
found a strange primate tribe in Sise-Neg's haven.
One of these odd primates communicated with the leader and his mate
telepathically, saying "We are the tribe of Set". He informed them of
how Set fed them, keeping them warm and happy. The tribe leader and his mate
were offered membership in Set's tribe on condition that they slew the members
of their own tribe as food for Set, and bring Set's tribe to see upcoming
"visitors from the sky.". The tribe leader and his mate refused the
offer and attacked the Setian tribe. The Setian tribe revealed their true faces-the heads of Serpent
Men. The primate tribe drove the Serpent Men from Sise-Neg's
garden. Immediately after the battle, the "visitors from the sky"-the
First Host of the Celestials-arrived. Gaea was with them, imploring the
man-apes to come to the Celestials. Gammenon the
Gatherer scooped them up and brought them to the starship.
The Serpent Men, who thanks to Set had more
highly evolved minds than normal, approached the Celestials, asking them for a
boon. Arishem the Judge instead fired at them,
dispersing them.
(Savage Sword of Conan#39-43? - BTS) - The Serpent Men
apparently created the Cobra Crown (which drew on the power of Set) in pre-human
ages, to create "an empire of the Earth" from Valusia.
At some point, the Cobra Crown, which had been worn by the
kings of the Serpent Men, was hidden under a black shrine to Tsathoggua, guarded
by a living stone idol of the Toad-God. Presumably, Tsathoggua had formed an
alliance with Set. In any event, this shrine was located on the Nameless Isle,
and would not be found for years, due to the island being located far away from
any other land or shipping lanes.
(Official Handbook of the Conan Universe#1,
Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb - BTS),
Kull the Conqueror I#2 (fb -
BTS), Kull the Conqueror
II#1 (fb - BTS), Kull the Conqueror II#2 (fb - BTS), Savage Sword of Conan#192 (fb))
<Distant
Past, Thurian Era, Pre-Cataclysmic Age> -
Over the succeeding
millennia the
Serpent Men harried the emerging homo
sapiens. For an epoch, the ancestors of humanity served the Serpent Men. They
also vied with other demonic or bizarre races (Elderspawn), such as the Harpies, Spider
People, and Wolf Men. Eventually, man became strong enough to defeat them. The
Serpent Men became enemies of King Kull of Valusia. In addition, Thulsa Doom
also worshipped Set.
(Conan the Barbarian Annual#8 (fb - BTS) - A group of Set-worshipping cultists named the Unliving sought to create a powerful leader
through human sacrifice, which they used to generate rapid pregnancy. Under
their control, one such pregnant woman gave birth to two children, one male, the other female. However, Kull
raided the cult's base, killing them. The two children were to be killed, but Tu (Kull's vizier) gave them to
shepherds. These children later gained the names Narcia
and Alexus.

(Marvel Team-Up Annual#5 (fb),
Amazing Spider-Man Annual#23/7 (BTS))
<Around 18000
BC> - Five centuries after Kull's death, the Deviants,
an offshoot of humanity created by the experiments of the First Host of the
Celestials, had emerged as the first developers of sophisticated technology.
Based in Lemuria, they conquered much of the Earth. Atra, a normal homo sapien of Lemuria, wished to unseat the Deviants. To that
end, he formed an alliance with the Serpent Men to create the powerful Setian object the Serpent Crown.
The Serpent Crown was presumably created as a replacement for the Cobra Crown,
which, as would become clear later, had not been manufactured properly.
Set linked the Serpent Crown with his mind.
Though the human alchemists were led to believe that the Serpent Crown would be
used to depose the Deviants, in fact Set transferred his allegiance to the
Deviants once the Serpent Crown was created. This was much to the chagrin of
Atra, who was the first to wear the Serpent Crown. Set refused to allow the
power of the crown to be used against his new worshippers, the Deviants.
Emboldened by their new deity, the emperor of
the Deviants, Phraug, ordered an attack against the
Second Host of Celestials, who were returning for a follow-up investigation of
the human race. The Celestials shrugged off Phraug's
attack and caused a massive nuclear explosion that destroyed the Lemurian
continent as well as damaging the Atlantean continent. This served as the Great
Cataclysm that ended this stage of world history. Atra and Emperor Phraug were dead center under the main explosion and died
immediately, but the power of the Celestials caused their skeletal remains to
be left preserved, as a warning about pride.
(Official Handbook of the Conan Universe#1,
Savage Sword of Conan#192 (fb), Conan the Adventurer#5/2 (
BTS), Giant-Size Conan#1 (article), Savage Sword of Conan#229 (
BTS), Savage Sword of Conan#230 (BTS))
<
Hyborian Age/ age of Acheron> - Some Serpent Men survived
the first, Great Cataclysm, which destroyed much of civilization. However,
later the Serpent Men were dealt a further blow when humans (who had lived on
the eastern coast of the Thurian continent before
enslaving and fleeing from the ancestors of the people of Khitai)
forging westward took much of the remaining Serpent Men-ruled territory,
setting up the kingdom of Stygia in the process, as well as Acheron. Much of
the activities of the Serpent Men in the following millennia are unknown.
Set was worshipped by both the people of Stygia and its related kingdom,
Acheron. Eventually, Acheron was toppled, but Stygia survived.
(Conan the Barbarian: The Skull of Set (
fb ) -
BTS) < chronology
uncertain> - In the city of
(Marvel Feature Presents Red Sonja I#6 (fb))
<chronology
uncertain> At some point, Set battled the bird-headed god Ibis.
(Conan the Barbarian I#125 (fb) - BTS)
<chronology
uncertain> - Legends tell of Set meeting the dark god Nexxx in Stygia.
(Savage Sword of Conan#65 (fb) - BTS)
<chronology
uncertain> - Set became the foe of the demon Xka'Ahk.
(Savage Sword of Conan#216 (fb) - BTS)
- Stygians believed Set had a sister called Isuus.
(Conan the Barbarian I#144 (fb) - BTS)
<chronology
uncertain> - The town of
(Conan the Barbarian Annual#8 (fb - BTS) - Narcia & Alexus, immune to aging, achieved positions of power in the city-state of Tarsus in the Border Kingdoms. While Narcia sought only to use her magical powers to help others, Alexus sought power to conquer and destroy. Narcia was forced to slay the physical form of Alexus to save her lover, Conan, from him; and she then had Conan slay her form so that she could stop Alexus, whose non-corporeal form had become immensely powerful. Their true astral forms grappled eternally.
(Savage Sword of Conan#40 - ) - Ninus, a former thief turned Mitraic priest, attempted to sell the map to the Nameless Isle to Conan, but was killed by the Setian priest Menkara and the corsair Zarano, who stole the map. Arriving upon the Nameless Isle, Menkara, ignorant of the existence and location of the Cobra Crown, stole only a copy of the Book of Skelos. Conan, however, followed their trail, destroyed an idol of Tsathoggua, and discovered the Cobra Crown.
(Savage Sword of Conan#41-43, Punisher Annual#2 - BTS) - The Cobra Crown was stolen from Conan, eventually ending up in the hands of Amazon warriors. Thoth-Amon learned of the near-miss of the Cobra Crown by probing Menkara's mind, after which he located and claimed the Cobra Crown, using it in an effort to usurp the leadership of Zingara from King Ferdrugo. When Thoth-Amon removed the Cobra Crown to accept the crown of Zingara, another would-be usurper named Villagro rushed forward and donned the Crown. Thoth-Amon, with great effort (and assistance from Menkara), managed to overpower and slay Villagro, who was unable to fully tap into the Crown's power. In the process, however, Villagro burnt out the Crown, rendering it useless. Thoth-Amon and Zarono fled Zingara and escaped Conan and its soldiers, while Menkara was killed in the ensuing battle.
(Conan the Barbarian I#147 - BTS)
- Set managed to
recruit a turncoat Mitraic priestess named
C'Harona with promises of power. Set instructed her to free his "most
hideous demons" from "the center of the Earth". To that end,
C'Harona mesmerized the popular Mitraic
priestess Pelijah Lon and had her persuade the people
of D'eim to build a tower to Mitra.
In fact, C'Harona used the tower to hide a drill that was being used to burrow
into the Earth to free rat-like demons serving Set. C'Harona intended to use
these demons to help destroy the Mitraic
religion in D'eim.
Conan received an image of
Pelijah asking for help. Going to D'eim,
he investigated and found the truth. Eventually, C'Harona, as promised, was
transformed by Set into a powerful "hideous shrieking harpie"
(sic), but Conan and Pelijah Lon managed to destroy
C'Harona, and the rat-like demons were destroyed when the tower was demolished.
(Fantastic Four Encyclopedia, Marvel Team-Up
Annual#5 (fb) - BTS)
<chronology
uncertain> - Set influenced the development of the Midgard Serpent.
(Punisher Annual#2) - The Hyborian Age ended. Set
worshipped continued in Stygia (now Egypt). However, an upstart god impersonated
Set, convincing Set's worshippers that he was their deity….and that they should
call him Seth. Set, watching from his dimension, writhed in frustration, but could do nothing.
(X-Factor I#24 (fb), Official Handbook of the Marvel
Universe#1: Apocalypse Entry) - The ancient Egyptians mistook En
Sabah Nur, later Apocalypse, for
both Set and Seth.
(Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#9/5) <2000 years ago> - Set sought worshippers among Atlanteans
enraged at the death of their loved ones at the hands of barbarians of Skarka. Neptune encountered this cult of Atlanteans after
speaking with Ossem, and destroyed them. They had attempted to summon
Set, and so a part of Set's life-force remained in a golden globe known as the Golden
Serpent.
(Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#9/5) <600
years ago> - Naga, leader of the undersea Lemurians
who had long ago found the remains of Phraug and Atra
but shunned them, told a man to retrieve the Serpent Crown for him.
Naga embraced the
Crown's power, and the Lemurians were
gradually mutated by Set to have a scaly appearance.
(Daredevil Annual#4B/6 (fb) - BTS)
- Set showed Naga how to treat the Serpent Crown with
material from certain strange undersea life forms, allowing Naga
to have an elongated life.
(Sub-Mariner I#10 (fb) / Daredevil Annual#4B/6 (fb)
- BTS) -
A group of telepathic Lemurians (later called the Ancients) stole the Crown.
They went to the Antarctic, finding Atlantean technology left over from the
creators of the Savage Land. They encased the
Serpent Crown in metal. One of the ancients, Pyscatos, years later gave in to
temptation and donned the Crown. Eventually repenting, he killed himself, and
set off an explosion.
(Avengers Annual#18/4, Saga of the Sub-Mariner#1 (BTS),
Sub-Mariner I#1 (fb - BTS),
Tales to Astonish I#101 (BTS), Iron Man and the
Sub-Mariner I#1 (BTS), Sub-Mariner I#6-8 (
BTS))
- Set used his power to preserve a dynamo of the
Ancients, hoping that someday someone would again find the metal-encased Crown.
In 1920, Paul Destine traveled to the Antarctic
with Leonard McKenzie aboard the Oracle ship. Acquiring the Crown, Destine went into suspended
animation.
(Avengers Annual#18/4, Saga of the Sub-Mariner#1 (BTS),
Sub-Mariner I#1 (fb - BTS),
Tales to Astonish I#101 (BTS), Iron Man and the
Sub-Mariner I#1 (BTS), Sub-Mariner I#6-8 (
BTS))
- Emerging in 1958, Destine took the name Destiny, and called the
Crown the Helmet of Power. Destiny attacked the Atlanteans who had since
relocated to the Antarctic due to Set's prodding. Wiping out
Namor's memory, Destiny left him to wander the streets,
alleys, and boweries for decades.
Destiny again went into hibernation.
(Avengers Annual#18/4, Saga of the Sub-Mariner#1 (BTS),
Sub-Mariner I#1 (fb - BTS),
Tales to Astonish I#101 (BTS), Iron Man and the
Sub-Mariner I#1 (BTS), Sub-Mariner I#6-8 (
BTS))
<Modern era> - Awakening and using his power to run for the
presidency, Destiny reached the apex of megalomania when he believed he no longer needed the
Serpent Crown for power. Taking it off, he tried to levitate to the street
after jumping off of a building. Set, urgently protesting Destine to regain his
senses, could not save Destiny from splattering on the sidewalk.
(New Mutants Annual#5/3, Sub-Mariner I#9-10, 12-13 (fb -
BTS)) - Namor took the Crown
to Atlantis, where it cracked its outer metal shell off, revealing the Serpent
Crown. Set used its power to enslave Dorma,
Ikthon, and others. Later, Karthon
found the Crown and returned it to Naga.
Naga died later after a battle with Namor,
and the crown was lost in an upheaval. (Much of this was observed remotely by
Ghaur.)
(Captain America I#180-182 (BTS), Marvel Team-Up I#84 (
fb - BTS), West Coast Avengers
Annual#4/5) - Krang found the Serpent
Crown. Directed by Set, he made contact with the Viper. They kidnapped Hugh
Jones, an oil executive, and made him wear the Crown, linking him to Set. The
Crown was later lost during a shoot-out between the Viper and the police,
falling into a sewer.
(West Coast Avengers Annual#4/5) <chronology uncertain> - The Gregory Hungerford Gideon of
Earth-S was presented with the Serpent Crown of Earth-S by his workmen, who had
found it while working on an oil rig in the Pacific. Directed by Set (or
perhaps his Earth-S counterpart; see comments), they presented it to him.
Gideon formed the Serpent Cartel, which included President Nelson Rockefeller.
(Web of Spider-Man Annual#5/4, West Coast Avengers Annual#4/5, Avengers
I#141-144, 147-149, 153, Annual#6, 154 (fb -
BTS)) Gideon allied himself with Earth-616's Hugh Jones,
who was still a thrall to the power behind the Crown. Ordering the Squadron
Supreme to assist Jones in defeating the Avengers (the Squadron remained
unaware that their president was possessed), the Serpent Cartel saw the
Avengers imprisoned within Roxxon's premises. However, the Avengers eventually
broke free, traveled to Earth-S, and acquired the Serpent Crown of that world.
They brought it with them to Earth-616. The Avengers foe the Living Laser
briefly possessed the Serpent Crown of Earth-S after that, but the Vision
dropped the Earth-S Serpent Crown into the ocean.
(Marvel Two-In-One#66 / Thor Annual#14/4 (
fb))
- Hugh Jones, still linked to Set, sent a workman to
reacquire the Earth-616 Serpent Crown from the sewer, and sent the Serpent
Squad to the Pacific to find the Earth-S crown. Uniting them into one crown, he
faced Stingray, the Thing, and Scarlet Witch in
(Marvel Team-Up Annual#5 / Fantastic Four
Annual#22 (fb))
- The Thing had brought the Serpent
Crown to Project: PEGASUS for safekeeping. However, Set started bending the
workers at the Project to his will. Finally, one technician donned the crown,
and others fell to Setian domination. Quasar, head of
security, was also enslaved. The Project began bringing Serpent Crowns from
numerous alternate Earths to form one giant crown to summon Set. However,
Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, the Thing, and the Scarlet Witch arrived to thwart
this plot. Before Set could come to Earth, the four of them acquired the Cosmic
Cube (also held at the Project) and used it to shatter the immense crown, stop Set, and exorcise his
influence on the Earth.
(Silver Surfer Annual#1 (fb - BTS)/Fantastic Four Annual#22 (fb - BTS)) - The spell of Doctor Strange was weakened when many of his artifacts disappeared from Earth, taken by Agamotto for safekeeping. As a result, Seth was able to use his power to contact the disembodied Deviant leader Ghaur. Ghaur managed to reincarnate himself by tricking the Silver Surfer. He set about a scheme to return Set to Earth, with Llyra (a priestess of Set) helping him.
(Silver Surfer Annual#2, Iron Man Annual#10, Uncanny X-Men Annual#13, Amazing Spider-Man Annual#23, Daredevil Annual#4B, Avengers Annual#18, New Mutants Annual#5, X-Factor Annual#4, Web of Spider-Man Annual#5, Fantastic Four Annual#22 - BTS) - Ghaur and Llyra arranged a series of plots to gain power to summon Set.
(West Coast Avengers Annual#4/1) - Ghaur and Llyra retrieved the Golden Serpent, having earlier enslaved seven women to form the Brides of Set. Using the Scarlet Witch's power, Ghaur activated the portion of Set's life force in the Golden Serpent to bring Set to Earth.

(Thor Annual#14) - Doctor Strange had summoned Thor earlier. With Quasar and the
Thing, the four of them flew to the scene of the battle and into one of Set's
mouths to access Set's pocket dimension. Set withdrew from Earth to battle
these four adventurers. Thor briefly returned to Earth to converse with Gaea,
but Set had cast a spell to trap her. Thor then went to Atum to try to persuade
him to battle Set. Atum refused, but Thor intentionally provoked Atum, causing
him to become the Demogorge again. The Demogorge consumed Thor, but Thor
managed to assert control over their melded form. Thor returned to Set's realm and
severed Set's heads from his body, tossing them to seven different parts of the
multiverse. Set's dimension began to collapse; the implosion of Set's dimension
caused his body to be destroyed before it could regrow its heads. Set's defeat
freed Gaea from Set's spell.
It remains to be seen if one or more of Set's heads will reunite, regenerate a
new body or return to Earth.
(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/3 (fb) - BTS) - Set transformed Llyra into monstrous form and sent her to the ocean's depths to guard the giant Serpent Crown.
(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/3 (fb) - BTS) - From the immense Serpent Crown, Nagala invoked the seven names of Set and obtained new Serpent Crowns.
(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/3) - Nagala returned to the floor of the Atlantic Ocean where she confronted the now monstrous Llyra, who begrudgingly let her enter the chasm that contained the immense Serpent Crown. There Nagala invoked the seven names of Set and formed a new Serpent Crown atop her head. Ian McNee manipulated Nagala into a battle with Llyra, and he stole the Serpent Crown.
Comments : Created/adapted by Robert E. Howard; adapted to the Marvel Universe by Roy Thomas; first shown on panel by Frank Thorne.
Set is behind the scenes in probably
hundreds of pre-Cataclysmic and Hyborian era stories not referenced here. See
also the Serpent Men, the Black Ring, Thulsa Doom, etc.
So far as is known, Set was never depicted with seven heads or said to have
seven heads in any Conan story. It was when the Serpent Crown (which is in the
form of a seven headed snake) was tied to Set that Set was described as having
seven heads. In Marvel Two-In-One#66, Set was shown with one head. When this
story was retold in Thor Annual#14, Set was shown with seven heads.
The deaths of the dinosaurs has been ascribed to:
These events are not mutually exclusive (and the Earth X and Ultraverse ones are moot). While the presence of Asgardians around 65 million BC doesn't make sense, the meteor fragments could have been magically sent back in time. Also, time may not function the same way in a magical realm like Asgard. Anyway, That Which Endures decision and the struggle between Gaea and Set could have occurred concurrently. The magical energies of the the Mjonlir forge, combined with (and possibly drawn through time to/by) the struggle between Gaea and Set, brought forth either one immense comet or a fierce meteor shower that pelted Earth. Without Set or That Which Endures to back them, the dinosaurs rapidly died off.
Marvel Two-In-One#66 had Hugh Jones create images of everyone who had worn the Serpent Crown before him, and one of these images was of Thoth-Amon. A later letters page stated that at some point Thoth-Amon wore the Serpent Crown. However, Marvel Team-Up Annual#5 shows that the Crown was lost in 18,000 BC and not rediscovered until long after Conan's time. So, this made it impossible that Thoth-Amon could have ever worn the Serpent Crown. Luckily, Thoth-Amon had worn the Cobra Crown. When Thor Annual#14 retold the story from Marvel Two-In-One#66, Thoth-Amon's image was shown wearing the Cobra Crown.
It was unclear for years whether each alternate Earth in the multiverse has its own counterpart of Set or whether only one Set exists in the multiverse. This was somewhat settled in What If II#25 and Quasar#30, which showed an alternate Earth where Set was not defeated by Thor. Presumably, the various counterparts of Set in the multiverse are in communication with each other and work together. Another alternate Earth version of Set is behind the scenes in What If I#39 (granting a boon to Thoth-Amon.)
The Serpent Crowns exist or existed on hundreds of alternate Earths. Besides Earth-616, and Earth-S, Silvers Surfer Annual#2/1 featured a one-panel came of a wearer of a Serpent Crown of an unnamed alternate Earth. What If I#41 featured an alternate Earth Serpent Crown (as the Helmet of Power). At least 776 Serpent Crowns from alternate Earths were brought to Earth-616 in Marvel Team-Up Annual#5 and destroyed. During Atlantis Attacks, Ghaur and Llyra brought even more Serpent Crowns to Earth-616 to form one giant crown. Allegedly, Ghaur and Llyra brought all remaining Serpent Crowns in the multiverse to Earth-616; however, What If II#25 shows alternate Earth counterparts of Ghaur and Llyra bringing Serpent Crowns to their respective alternate Earth, so the Earth-616 Ghaur and Llyra must have not snagged all Serpent Crowns remaining in the multiverse, or else their alternate Earth counterparts would not have been able to find any.
For the record, wearers of the Serpent Crown (s) include Atra, Naga, Destiny,
Dorma, Sub-Mariner, Krang, the nihilist Viper, Hugh Jones, Nelson Rockefeller of Earth-S and all other members of the Serpent Cartel of Earth-S, the Scarlet Witch, the Living Laser, the Thing, Quasar, Myron Wilburn, Pyscatos, the Destiny of an alternate Earth (What If I#41), and
an unnamed individual seen in one-panel of Silver Surfer Annual#2 who presumably came from an alternate Earth.
Pretty much the whole population of Project: PEGASUS wore
Serpent Crowns (777 in total) during Marvel Team-Up Annual#5--Snood
Of course,
Thoth-Amon and Villagro wore the Cobra Crown.
Nagala has worn the new crown, and the Key was seen wearing a Serpent Crown in an issue of JLA/Avengers. JLX#1 showed the Amalgam Universe had a Serpent Crown.
At one point during Atlantis Attacks,
Thor says that he and the Thing had fought Set in the past. The writer of this
issue, John Byrne, missed that famous back-up in Punisher Annual#2 where
it was firmly stated that Seth is not Set, as Thor had never faced Set in a
recorded encounter before Thor Annual#14; he had rather fought Seth with the
Thing in MTIO#23.
Incidentally, Thor noted that Set is older than the Asgardians.
--Per Degaton
Counterpoint
by Donald Campbell
I consider Uatu to be about as reliable and impartial
observer as you could hope to get and any "fact" that he states should
(almost always) be considered accurate. However, if we chose to disregard
Uatu's statement, is there any solid proof showing that the Cobra Crown was
created first? According to your profile on it, page 91 of Conan the
Buccaneer "makes it clear that the Cobra Crown was created when the Serpent
Men still ruled Valusia, which would have been before the Great Cataclysm."
However, as you pointed out yourself, novels are not generally made a part
of Marvel continuity so it is the adaptation of that novel that appeared in
Savage Sword of Conan#40-43 that is "in continuity." That leaves me with
some questions: Does the storyline in those Savage Sword issues also claim
that the Cobra Crown existed BEFORE the Great Cataclysm? If so, what is the
nature of the claim and how reliable is the source? For example, if a
character simply says that "legends claim" that the Cobra Crown was created
during the Serpent Men's rule of Valusia, I would find that statement
dubious (even if it was the "omniscient narrative" that made the claim). I
would only really consider a Pre-Cataclysmic origin possible if there were a
first-hand account of its creation by someone who was there at the
time...like Uatu, who says it was created later.
Also, in his commentary in the Saga of the Serpent Crown
chapter in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#9, Uatu says: "Both the Cobra
Crown and the Golden Serpent had been destroyed - - And so, Set decided, he
must find a new pawn to wear the first receptacle of his power, the long
lost Serpent Crown."
I don't think that proves anything, for the same reasons. It could be
interpreted as first in importance, power level, or primacy.
Savage Sword of Conan#41 has the smoking gun. The narration
says "For hours, Thoth-Amon has searched the astral plane for some clue to
the whereabouts of the Cobra Crown, precious relic of the Serpent Men of
age-lost Valusia."
Case closed.
--I'd go with the original description, and consider the Watcher's description to be as prone to error
as any writer's info.
Set has handbook entries in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update'89#7 and Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Other Monstrosities.
Profile by Per Degaton and Snood.
(I didn't include objects, like the Cobra and Serpent Crowns,
or places, like Serpent Valley, or the Warpie Serpents, etc.
...and let me know who else I missed.
Thanks, good luck, and, HEY, let's be careful out there.
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe:Update '89#1 (top image)
Iron Man Annual#10, page 63, panel 2 (vs Demogorge)
Silver Surfer Annual#2, page 26, panel 1 (creation of Serpent Crown)
Silver Surfer Annual#2, page 62, panel 1 (slaying Hyppus)
Marvel Feature I#6, p10, panel 4 (vs Ibis)
Marvel Two-In-One#66, page 6, panel 4 (encircling worlds)
Thor I Annual 14, page 13, panel 2 (inside out)
Other Appearances:
Last updated
: 11/11/11
Any Additions/Corrections? please
let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
Tales to Astonish I#101 (March, 1968) - Archie Goodwin (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dan Adkins (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner#1 (April, 1968) - Stan Lee & Roy Thomas (writers), Gene Colan (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks)
Sub-Mariner I#1 (May, 1968) - Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#6-8 (October-December, 1968) - Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Dan Adkins (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#9 (January, 1969) - Roy Thomas (writer), Marie Severin (pencils), Dan Adkins (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#10 (February, 1969) - Roy Thomas (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dan Adkins (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#11 (March, 1969) - Roy Thomas (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), George Klein (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#12 (April, 1969) - Roy Thomas (writer), Marie Severin (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#13 (May, 1969) - Marie Severin &, Roy Thoams (writers), Marie Severin (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#7 (July, 1971) - Roy Thomas (writer), Barry Windsor-Smith (pencils), Sal Buscema & Dan Adkins (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Kull the Conqueror I#2 (September, 1971) - Roy Thomas (writer), Marie Severin (pencils), John Severin (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Giant-Size Conan the Barbarian#1 (September, 1974) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Gil Kane (pencils), Tom Sutton (inks)
Captain America I#180-181 (December, 1974 - January, 1975) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#182-183 (February-March, 1975) - Steve Englehart (writer), Frank Robbins (pencils), Joe Giella (#182) & Frank Giacoia (#183) (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Avengers I#141-144 (November, 1975 - February, 1975) - Steve Englehart (writer), George Perez (pencils), Vince Colletta (#141-142), Sam Grainger (#143) & Mike Esposito (#144) (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Avengers I#147-149 (May-July, 1976) - Steve Englehart (writer), George Perez (pencils), Vince Colletta (#147) & Sam Grainger (#148-149) (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Avengers I#151 (September, 1976) - Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart & Jim Shooter (writers), George Perez (pencils), John Tartaglione (inks), Gerry Conway (editor)
Marvel Feature Presents Red Sonja#6 (September, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Frank Thorne (artist)
Avengers I#153 (November, 1976) - Gerry Conway (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Avengers Annual#6 (1976) - Gerry Conway (writer/editor), George Perez (pencils), Mike Esposito, Duffy Vohland & John Tartaglione (inks)
Avengers I#154 (December, 1976) - Gerry Conway (writer/editor), George Perez (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks)
Marvel Two-In-One#64-65 (June-July, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald & Ralph Macchio (writers), George Perez (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One#66 (August, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio & Steven Grant (writers), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#65 (June, 1981) - Michael Fleisher (writer), Gil Kane (artist), Louise Jones (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#125 (August, 1981) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#111 (November, 1991) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Marvel Team-Up Annual#5 (1982) - Mark Gruenwald (writer/pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Thor Annual#10 (1982) - Mark Gruenwald & Alan Zelenetz (writers), Bob Hall (pencils), Rick Bryant, Joe Rubinstein, Andy Myshynsky, Al Gordon & Kevin Dzuban (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Kull the Conqueror II#1 (December, 1982) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), Dennis O'Neil (editor)
Kull the Conqueror II#2 (March, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), John Bolton (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#144 (March, 1983) - Bruce Jones (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#147 (June, 1983) - Bruce Jones (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Conan the Barbarian Annual#8 (1983) - Jim Owsley (writer), Val Mayerik (artist), Larry Hama (editor)
Official Handbook of the Conan Universe#1 (1986)
Conan: The Skull of Set (1989) - Doug Moench (writer), Paul Gulacy (pencils), Gary Martin (inks)
Silver Surfer Annual#2 (1989) - Steve Englehart (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Iron Man Annual#10 (1989) - David Michelinie (writer), Paul Smith (pencisl), Mike Gustovich (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Uncanny X-Men Annual#13 (1989) - Terry Austin (writer), Mike Vosburg (artist), Bob Harras (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual#23 (1989) - Gerry Conway & David Michelinie (writers), Rob Liefeld (pencils), Tim Dzon, James Brock, Vince Mielcarek & Keith Williams (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Punisher Annual#2 (1989) - Mike Baron (writer), Bill Reinhold (artist), Carl Potts (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#9 (1989) - Gerry Conway (writer), Dave Ross (pencils), Andy Myshynsky & Mike Gustovich (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Daredevil Annual#4B (1989) - Gerry Conway (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Sam De La Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers Annual#18 (1989) - Peter Sanderson (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
New Mutants Annual#5 (1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor Annual#4 (1989) - John Byrne (writer/pencils), Walt Simonson (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Web of Spider-Man Annual#5 (1989) - Gerry Conway (writer), Javier Saltares (pencils), Randy Emberlin (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
West Coast Avengers Annual#4 (1989) - John Byrne (writer/pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Thor Annual#14 (1989) - Roy Thomas (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Don Heck (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual#22 (1989) - Roy Thomas (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update ‘89#1 (June, 1989)
Doctor Strange III#9 (October, 1989) - Roy Thomas & Jean-Marc Lofficier (writers), David & Dan Day (artists), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Doctor Strange III#11 (December, 1989) - Roy Thomas & Jean-Marc Lofficier (writers), David & Dan Day (artists), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update ‘89#7 (December, 1989)
Savage Sword of Conan#192 (December, 1991) - Dann & Roy Thomas (writes), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#216 (December, 1993) - Roy Thomas & Alfredo Alcala (writers), E.R. Cruz & Alfredo Alcala (pencils), E.R. Cruz & Jon Babcok (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Conan the Adventurer#5 (October, 1994) - Roy Thomas (writer), Audwyn Newman (pencils), Rey Garcia (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#229 (January, 1995) - Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Docherty (pencils), E.R. Cruz (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#230 (February, 1995) - Roy Thomas (writer), E.R. Cruz (artist), Richard Ashford (editor)
Fantastic Four Encyclopedia (2004)
Marvel Tarot#1 (2007) - David Sexton
(writer/designer), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1: Ian McNee story (October, 2007) - David
Sexton (writer), Eric Nguyen (artist), Nathan Cosby (assistant
editor), Mark Paniccia (editor)
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