Princess Pythonis asupervillainappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.
| Princess Python | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man#22 (Mar 1965) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Steve Ditko |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Zelda DuBois |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Circus of Crime Femizons Serpent Squad Serpent Society |
| Abilities | Trained athlete Extremely talented snake charmer and handler Carries a hand held, electric cattle prod Use of pet snakes as sidekicks |
Publication history
editPrincess Python, Zelda DuBois, is a snake charmer who controls a gigantic snake to help with her crimes. She first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man#22 (Mar 1965), created by writerStan Leeand artistSteve Ditko.[1]
Zelda DuBois started out as asnake charmer,using a 25-foot python in her act. She later became a criminal, using a gigantic snake under her mental control to commit crimes as Princess Python, part of theCircus of Crime.[2]DuBois and the Circus are part of a group of villains that interrupt the wedding ofAvengersYellowjacketand theWasp.She later becomes a member of theSerpent Squadas well as its successor theSerpent Society,but left the group as she is not a killer. She later rejoins the Circus, but later ends up in a romantic relationship withJohnny Blaze,former Ghost Rider, until they are attacked byArcade.DuBois has been married to bothStilt-ManandGibbonand was later revealed to be the mother ofExecutionerfrom theYoung Masters,although her son is not aware of his mother's alter ego. In 2015, Princess Python became a member of Serpent Solutions as part of theAll-New, All-Different Marvel.
Fictional character biography
editZelda DuBois, born inDarlington, South Carolina,developed an act as asnake charmerand circus performer using a twenty-five foot python as a young adult. Presumably, she joined the Circus of Crime in its early days but isn't actually seen as a professional criminal until the formation of the Masters of Menace. It is, in fact, the Princess who convinces the others to get rid of theRingmaster,appoint the Clown as the leader, rename the group (she comes up with the name), and go out on a crime spree of their own. The Masters of Menace steal paintings from a Madison Avenue Art Gallery where they run afoul ofSpider-Man.However, the web-slinger is unwilling to hit a woman and turns out to be putty in Zelda's hands. She tries to remove his mask but he stops her in time. She maneuvers the wall-crawler into a fight with her pet after jamming his web shooters with an electric prod, but is defeated when Spider-Man tricks the python into a knot and maneuvers her into the arms of the law.[3]
When they get out of prison, the Masters of Menace agree to rejoin the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. They try to hypnotize Avengers' membersHawkeye,Quicksilver,and theScarlet Witchinto joining them but fail. Princess Python fights hand-to-hand with the Scarlet Witch after trying to cover her eyes, but loses when the Witch uses her hex power to soak her down with water, preventing her whistling for her pet. The Circus of Crime does escape capture, however, though it is later mentioned the D.A. "wormed the truth out of Princess Python".[4]
The Circus next schemes to steal a huge golden bull but they need a new strong man to replace theirs since "he strained himself trying to lift the elephant". They find the MightyThorwho has been stripped of his godly power but is still superhumanly strong. Thor is hypnotized into stealing the massive golden bull but Princess Python is trapped under the idol in the melee that follows. Thor rescues her. The grateful and somewhat smitten Princess tells the police that Thor was duped into helping them before she uses her snake to escape and rejoin the Circus.[5]
In their next caper, the Circus disguises themselves as caterers in order to sneak intoAvengers Mansionso they can disrupt the wedding ofYellowjacketand theWasp.Zelda's giant python jumps out of the wedding cake and puts the squeeze on the Wasp. But Yellowjacket turns out to be Hank Pym (which no one knew at the time) and he disrupts the plan by turning into Giant-Man, yanking the python off of the Wasp and tying it around the Ringmaster instead. Princess Python tries to sneak away, only to be decked by a punch from the Wasp.[6]
The Circus then sets up a scheme that involves enlisting a mind-controlledUlikthe Troll as an accomplice. Thor thwarts the plan and ties Zelda up with her own python in the process.[7]
At this point, the Princess struck out on her own. She goes out toStark Industriesand manages to get an opportunity to get her python around Tony Stark. She tells the world that she wants "one million dollars and a jet plane to South America" or Stark dies. Stark, secretly Iron Man, frees himself by using his chest-plate to shock the snake. This isn't good enough. According to Zelda, her "precious" has been specially bred to be able to crush Iron Man's armor. The python nearly does so until Iron Man kills it by tossing it in a vat of acid. Zelda is so distraught over the death of her pet that she jumps in after it; only to be saved by Iron Man before she hits the acid. Iron Man, clearly not a pet lover, suggests the Princess be "taken care of by good doctors" because of her excessive hatred of him over the death of her snake.[8]
Apparently, the Princess gets away from those doctors to whom Iron Man consigned her. The Princess acquires a new trained python and gets recruited byViperto start a new Serpent Squad. Zelda breaks theCobraand theEelout of jail and they all battleCaptain Americain his Nomad identity. Eventually they are joined byWarlord Krangwho is in possession of theSerpent Crownand the whole thing ends up involving theSub-MarinerandRoxxon Oil.The Princess is defeated and led off to jail.[9]She is back with the Circus of Crime soon after, but she and the Circus are defeated by Daredevil.[10]
But the Circus never makes it to jail. They are freed from a prison wagon on its way to the penitentiary byLive Wirewho then joins the group.[11]
But she ends up back with the Circus when the group capturesLuke Cage.Zelda finds herself attracted to Luke which doesn't please Luke's girlfriendClaire Temple.With the help ofBlack Goliath,Luke Cage defeats the Circus. Zelda is stopped when Luke's palD.W. Griffithhypnotizes her with the Ringmaster's hat.[12]
With the Circus of Crime, Princess Python captured the sea-nymph Meriam, and fought theHulk.[13]The Circus reaches its lowest point when it tries to enlistHoward the Duckas an unwilling accomplice, but he defeats them with help from Iris Raritan. Zelda gets bitten on the nose by Howard and runs away sobbing.[14]
There is an adventure involving theThing,Iceman,and the former Black Goliath now calling himself Giant-Man,[15]and another involving the mind-controlled Hulk andDragon Man.[16]ThenDeath Adderrecruits Zelda to join the Serpent Society and she attends an organizational meeting. The Society is led bySidewinderand its other members areConstrictor,Black Mamba,Cottonmouth,Diamondback,Bushmaster,the Cobra, theAsp,theRattler,andAnaconda.The Society is a longtime thorn in Captain America's side but the Princess decides to break away from the group when they are dispatched to killMODOKand runs out.[17]She is captured and brought back, where she is questioned and tortured by Sidewinder.[18]She is sent to be ransomed back to the Circus of Crime, but Death Adder, who is delivering her, is killed by theScourge of the Underworldbefore the transaction is complete.[19]
Somehow, she finds her way back to the Circus where she is captured and defeated by theShe-Hulk.[20]Princess Python then turns up as the master of ceremonies at the "power pageant" ofSuperia's Femizons, introducing all the members of the group to each other. She battles Captain America andPaladinwhen they board Superia's cruise ship.[21]Later, she gets refused admittance to theBar With No Nameby the bouncer (Angar the Screamer) because she won't check her python at the door.[22]
Again with the Circus, she is thwarted by theBen ReillySpider-Man, Howard the Duck, andGambit;[23]Generation X;[24]and the Peter Parker Spider-Man,Devil DinosaurandMoon-Boy.[25]
Around this time, Zelda hooks up with Johnny Blaze, the formerGhost Rider,who operates the Quentin Carnival.[26]Python develops friendships among the crew and deep romantic feelings for Johnny. When there was trouble in a nearby trailer, she and Kody, a bear-man, rush over and succumb to knock-out gas by the trailer's owner, the assassin known asArcade.While Johnny defeats Arcade, Kody drags her to safety.[27]
Zelda and the other Masters of Menace (Clown, Cannonball and Gambonnos) resorted to armed robbery in between their stints of running the Circus (without the Ringmaster who has gone straight). The Hulk busted up these plans but the Princess was not captured in the process. She remains free and at large.[28]
Following theCivil Warstoryline, Zelda made the startling revelation that she had been married toStilt-Manduring the latter's funeral held by supervillains and former supervillains.[29]It was for her that a robot Doctor Doom was made to attend so as to give her the belief that Stilt-Man had been respected by some of the "major league" supervillains, and she also shared a sympathy dance with theGibbon.By the end of the issue, the Bar that the wake had been held in was blown up by the Punisher. It was later mentioned that "they all had to get theirstomachs pumpedand be treated forthird-degree burns."[30]
Later, it was revealed that she was blinded in the explosion, but she has since married the Gibbon in order to be included on his insurance. Her original pythonPythagorashad also gotten sick and died, however, Gibbon bought her a new python at the end of the story.[31]
At the beginning of theMarvel Apesstoryline, the Gibbon admits that even if Zelda truly loved him in the past, currently she's fed up with the loser streak of her new husband, and so they parted.[32]
At the end ofDark Reign: Young Avengers#2, Executioner of theNew Young Avengerscall his mother on the phone to talk aboutKate Bishop.His mother turns out to be Princess Python.[33]Daniel seems unaware of Princess Python's costumed adventures, as their dialogue implies Daniel knows Zelda DuBois as a simple, but shady and rich businesswoman. Princess Python pressures Daniel into contacting Kate Bishop, even setting him a large fund for his New Young Avengers/Young Masters of Evil.[34]InDark Reign: Young Avengers#4, Daniel places a bomb in Zelda's car after learning of her super-villain past. Zelda is caught in the explosion and was apparently killed.[35]
Princess Python turns up alive and appears as a member of Max Fury's newMasters of Evilline-up that serves theShadow Council.During this time, she has a new python to replace the one that died.[36]
As part of theAll-New, All-Different Marvelevent, Princess Python appears as a member ofViper's Serpent Society under its new name of Serpent Solutions.[37]
During the "Opening Salvo" part of theSecret Empirestoryline, Princess Python was with Serpent Solutions at the time when they are recruited byBaron Helmut Zemoto join the Army of Evil.[38]
Princess Python was among several animal-themed super-villains captured and hunted byKraven the Hunter.[39]
Powers and abilities
editPrincess Python has no super human powers but she is a trained athlete and an extremely talented snake charmer and handler. She usually carries a hand held, electric cattle prod capable of discharging 1,000 volts.
Princess Python has a 25-foot (7.6 m) trained petrock python.She has had more than one such snake in her criminal career.
Other versions
editRuins
editTheRuinsversion of Princess Python is a performer for theQuintanoCarnival, America's lastfreak show,and it is implied that her act consists of indulging inbestialitywith her python.[40]
Ultimate Marvel
editPrincess Python appeared in theUltimate Marveluniverse as a member of the all-femaleSerpent Squad.Unlike herEarth-616version, this Princess Python has super-strength and was able to knock a piece of theThing's body off him.[41]
Marvel Super Hero Adventures
editIn this comic book series aimed at young children, Princess Python appears as a member of the Serpent Society. Alongside her teammates, Python battledMs. Marvel,Spider-Man, and the Society's newest recruit, Garden Snake.[42]
In other media
editPrincess Python appears in theAvengers Assembleepisode "Crime and Circuses", voiced byHynden Walch.This version is a former member of the Circus of Crime who assists Hawkeye andFalconin battling the Ringmaster. After the Circus of Crime are defeated and arrested, Hawkeye brings Princess Python toNick Furyfor a second chance at life.
References
edit- ^DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019).The Marvel Encyclopedia.DK Publishing. p. 275.ISBN978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^Rovin, Jeff(1987).The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains.New York: Facts on File. p. 273.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ^Amazing Spider-Man#22
- ^Avengers#22
- ^Thor#145-147
- ^Avengers#60
- ^Thor#173
- ^Iron Man#50
- ^Captain America#180-181
- ^Daredevil#118
- ^Power Man#24
- ^Power Man#25
- ^Incredible HulkVol. 2 #217
- ^Howard the Duck#25-27
- ^Marvel Two-in-One#76
- ^Incredible HulkVol. 2 #292
- ^Captain America#309-311, 313
- ^Captain America#315
- ^Captain America#318
- ^Sensational She-Hulk#1
- ^Captain America#389-392
- ^Marvel Comics Presents #97
- ^Spider-Man Team-Up #5
- ^Generation X #32
- ^Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1998
- ^Blaze #2
- ^Blaze #8
- ^Incredible Hulk (vol.1) 470-471
- ^The Punisher War Journalvol. 2 #4
- ^She-Hulk(volume 2) #17
- ^Punisher War Journal#16
- ^Marvel Apes#1
- ^Dark Reign: Young Avengers#2
- ^Dark Reign: Young Avengers#3
- ^Dark Reign: Young Avengers#4
- ^Secret Avengers#21.1
- ^Captain America: Sam Wilson#4
- ^Captain America: Steve Rogers#16
- ^Amazing Spider-Man#18.HU (2019). Marvel Comics.
- ^Warren Ellis (w), Cliff Nielsen, Terese Nielsen, and Chris Moeller (p), Cliff Nielsen, Terese Nielsen, and Chris Moeller (i).Ruins,vol. 1, no. 2 (September 1995). United States: Marvel Comics.
- ^Ultimate Power#1
- ^Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Ms. Marvel and the Teleporting Dog#1 (2018)