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Set (Serpent God)
Encyclopedia
Set is the name of a fictional
demon
-god
within the continuities
of Conan the Barbarian
and Marvel Universe
.
He is apparently an amalgam
of the name of the Egypt
ian god Set
and the appearance and characteristics of the Egyptian monster Apep
and the Greek mythological
figure the Lernaean Hydra
. This interpretation of the figure may also be influenced by H. P. Lovecraft's
Cthulhu Mythos
.
of Set, the malevolent primeval seven-headed serpent
god of chaos, has its origins in Robert E. Howard
's first Conan short story The Phoenix on the Sword
, (first published in Weird Tales
, December 1932); this story introduces Thoth-Amon
, a follower of "the serpent god Set".
The god was later extensively used in Marvel Comics
' various Conan series
starting in the 1970s. Of those series, the issue which contains the first mention of "Set" is Conan the Barbarian, Vol.1 #7 (July 1971).
Set was shown visually for the first time in Marvel Feature
, Vol.1 #6 (May 1976), a Red Sonja
story which was set in the same world as Conan.
In the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian, the villainous Thulsa Doom
leads the "Cult of the Serpent God Set".
The Conan stories printed by Marvel Comics
were originally meant to be set in the Marvel Universe's prehistory, but his status as a property which is no longer licensed for use by the company means those stories' status as canon
is unresolved.
However, this iteration of "Set" is still a definite part of Marvel continuity
. He was first mentioned in an official "Marvel Universe" comic in Sub-Mariner
#9 (January, 1969 - which predates the first Conan comics), in which the Sub-Mariner is controlled by the Serpent Crown
, a device which Set can use to influence people's minds.
That story was written by Roy Thomas
, who shortly afterwards brought Conan to Marvel and adapted many of Howard's stories. Thomas's "Set" was clearly inspired by Howard's use of the character, and Thomas would later be instrumental in integrating the character into the history of the Marvel Universe (along with the Conan stories and other elements of Howard's work). Set remains an important part of Marvel Universe canon today http://web.archive.org/web/20091026181504/http://www.geocities.com/ratmmjess/wicksint.html.
The serpent god Set was created approximately 3 billion years ago, when the being known as the Demiurge
spread its substance over the Earth and "birthed" the Elder Gods
, of which it was one. Set "birthed" several lesser snake demons itself, such as Damballah and Sligguth
; but it hungered for power, and decided to obtain it by eating the weaker gods and absorbing their magical essence. The process worked, but it also devolved Set, turning it into a demon
.
The other gods began to imitate Set, and soon, all but Oshtur (of the Vishanti) and Gaea
, goddess of the earth, had become demons. Fearing they would hurt Earth's evolving life-forms, Gaea summoned and mated with Demiurge to conceive a son with the power to destroy the other gods: Atum
, the sun god. Atum began to kill the demons and absorb their energies, which caused it to take on a demon-like form himself, that of the "Demogorge the God-Eater". He continued to destroy the demons, until the last ones left realized that they would only survive by banishing themselves into other dimensions. In Set's case, it created its own 'pocket dimension' to hide, but lacked the power to escape from it by itself. It would remain there for a billion years.
Eventually, about 65 million years ago, Set began to feed on the energies of the dinosaur
s, possibly due to their reptilian nature. This gave it the power to manifest on Earth again. However, when Gaea decided to let dinosaurs die out and be replaced by mammal
s, Set took control of the dinosaurs and made them attack the mammals. Gaea responded by summoning Atum (who had been living in the Sun), and the deity reassumed his Demogorge form and battled Set. Demogorge ripped Set's head off, but the demon possessed the power to grow two replacements instantly. Still, Demogorge continued to rip off Set's heads.
Eventually, Set's power was exhausted, and it returned to its dimension, imprisoning itself again; by this time, it had seven heads. Demogorge changed back into Atum, and returned to the Sun. This titanic battle may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs in the Marvel Universe. Set remained imprisoned for several million years more.
At some point, Set somehow created a new race, the Serpent Men, to serve it on Earth. They tried to influence mankind's pre-human ancestors, but failed, and were rejected by the Celestials
for their empowering experiments. Still, Set would try to influence humanity (and strike at them) through the millennia. However, most of the Serpent Men were killed off by the forces of King Kull of Atlantis
.
Just before the continent of Lemuria
was sunk by the Celestials in the "Great Cataclysm", the Serpent Men and some human alchemists created the Serpent Crown
, an object which mystically accessed the powers of Set in his pocket dimension. The Crown could grant great powers to its wearers, but it also left them open to the serpent god's influence and even its control. The purpose of the Crown was to allow Set to control all the humans of Earth.
After the cataclysm, the Crown was lost to the Serpent Men, whose numbers rapidly decreased during the "Hyborian Age
" which followed. Other worshipers of Set emerged however, including the sorcerer Thoth-Amon
, an enemy of Conan the Barbarian who at one point wielded the Cobra Crown a device similar to the Serpent Crown which also served as conduit for Set's power on Earth, though it was quickly destroyed.
The Serpent Crown itself was eventually found by a group of Homo mermanus
(a race of aquatic humanoids), who had made their home in the sunken Lemurian continent. The Serpent Crown was used for centuries by their leader, Naga
, who converted his people to the worship of Set and whose appearance came to resemble that of a serpent through his extended use of the Crown. Eventually, the Crown was stolen from Naga by a group of "Lemurian" dissidents who created their own society, which was later called the "Ancients" when it was discovered in the twentieth century. The Crown was kept hidden in Antarctica by these "Ancients" for centuries, until it was buried in the avalanche which destroyed their society. This event was ultimately engineered by Set, who used its influence through the Serpent Crown to manipulate the society's leader into causing the devastating avalanche.
The Crown (disguised as the "helmet of power") was later found by a psychic called Paul Destine ("Destiny
"), who used it to attack the Homo mermanus of Atlantis, which led to Namor the Sub-Mariner
suffering through a period of amnesia. Years later, in contemporary times (circa late 1960s Marvel Comics publications), the Serpent Crown finally re-emerged and once again Set's influence came to be manifested on Earth for a period.
Though Set itself rarely appeared in the comics, its presence was regularly evoked through the use of the Serpent Crown. In various stories either followers of Set (such as Ghaur
), or individuals mind controlled by Set via the Crown (such as the Squadron Supreme
), attempted to facilitate the serpent god's return to the Earth Dimension. These attempts were stopped through the intervention of various Marvel Super Heroes
(see the Serpent Crown
entry for the full details).
One exception to this came during Marvel's Atlantis Attacks
crossover in 1989 when Set was briefly returned to Earth (West Coast Avengers
Annual #4, Thor
Annual#14). In this storyline the Deviant priest Ghaur
and the Homo mermanus villainess Llyra
managed to create a massive new Serpent Crown with which they intended to facilitate the return of Set. Their plan also involved kidnapping seven super-heroines whom they intended Set to mate with in order to spawn his offspring. The plan was defeated when Thor, taking control over the Demogorge, ripped off Set's heads and sent each to a different dimension; this caused Set's dimension to implode, destroying its body and apparently eliminating the threat of the serpent god for several centuries.
Universe all subsequent iterations of Set (such as the Egyptian Set and Greek Learnean Hydra mentioned above) are said to be legends largely inspired by the original ancient serpent god Set.
There are two exceptions to this where characters have misrepresented themselves as Set. "Seth", Marvel's version of the god from the Egyptian pantheon
and a more accurate version of the real Egyptian mythological Set (appearing in human form, being the son of Osiris
, etc.). In Marvel continuity this character adopted the name to make use of the "original" Set's fearsome reputation.
There was also En Sabah Nur ("Apocalypse
"), a mutant
who, when he first emerged in ancient Egypt, was mistaken for Set (or perhaps the above "Seth", though probably both as they are all parts of the same legend in the Marvel Universe). The character did not correct this error and instead used it to his advantage during his early activities in that era.
Vol.2 #25 (May, 1991) by Jim Valentino
, ("What if Set had come to Earth?") which explored what might have happened had Set remained in the Earth dimension. He massacres the Earth's heroes with Silver Surfer
and Quasar
as the only survivors. With the help of Thor (who is horribly burned and placed in stasis to keep him alive), they destroy two of Set's heads before Quasar, empowered by the Uni-Power, sacrifices his freedom to exile himself and Set inside Doctor Strange's Eye of Agamotto. Silver Surfer gives the Eye to Uatu
the Watcher for safe keeping, as Set's children are born. They then consume their brainwashed mothers and countless mindless serpent men and women before leaving to terrorize alternate universes in the name of their evil father.....
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
demon
Demons (Marvel Comics)
The Marvel Comics universe hosts a number of demons, many of whom are at times at conflict with gods and angels. All possess varying degrees of mystical power, feed upon souls for self-sustenance, and are inclined towards dark or “black” magic - evil....
-god
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
within the continuities
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
of Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
and Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
He is apparently an amalgam
Amalgamation (fiction)
Amalgamation or amalgam, when used to refer to a fictional character or place, refers to one that was created by combining, or is perceived to be a combination, of several other previously existing characters or locations...
of the name of the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian god Set
Set (mythology)
Set was in Ancient Egyptian religion, a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners. In later myths he was also the god of darkness, and chaos...
and the appearance and characteristics of the Egyptian monster Apep
Apep
In Egyptian mythology, Apep was an evil god, the deification of darkness and chaos , and thus opponent of light and Ma'at , whose existence was believed from the 8th Dynasty onwards...
and the Greek mythological
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
figure the Lernaean Hydra
Lernaean Hydra
In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra was an ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast, with reptilian traits, that possessed many heads — the poets mention more heads than the vase-painters could paint, and for each head cut off it grew two more — and poisonous breath so virulent even...
. This interpretation of the figure may also be influenced by H. P. Lovecraft's
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
.
Conan
This iterationIteration
Iteration means the act of repeating a process usually with the aim of approaching a desired goal or target or result. Each repetition of the process is also called an "iteration," and the results of one iteration are used as the starting point for the next iteration.-Mathematics:Iteration in...
of Set, the malevolent primeval seven-headed serpent
Serpent (symbolism)
Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...
god of chaos, has its origins in Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
's first Conan short story The Phoenix on the Sword
The Phoenix on the Sword
"The Phoenix on the Sword" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine December 1932. The tale was a rewrite of the unpublished Kull story, "By This Axe I Rule!" with long passages being...
, (first published in Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
, December 1932); this story introduces Thoth-Amon
Thoth-Amon
Thoth-Amon is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. He is an evil wizard in The Phoenix on the Sword, the first of the Conan the Cimmerian stories...
, a follower of "the serpent god Set".
The god was later extensively used in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' various Conan series
Conan the Barbarian (comics)
Conan the Barbarian was a Marvel Comics title starring the sword-and-sorcery character created by Robert E. Howard. It debuted in Oct. 1970 and ran for 275 issues until Dec...
starting in the 1970s. Of those series, the issue which contains the first mention of "Set" is Conan the Barbarian, Vol.1 #7 (July 1971).
Set was shown visually for the first time in Marvel Feature
Marvel Feature
Marvel Feature was the name of two comic book showcase series published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. The first volume led to the launching of the new ongoing series The Defenders and Marvel Two-in-One, while volume two led to the new ongoing series Red Sonja.- Volume One :The first series was a...
, Vol.1 #6 (May 1976), a Red Sonja
Red Sonja
Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, a high fantasy sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, and loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino in Robert E. Howard's 1934 short story "The Shadow of the Vulture"...
story which was set in the same world as Conan.
In the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian, the villainous Thulsa Doom
Thulsa Doom (character)
Thulsa Doom is a fictional character first appearing in the Kull short story "Delcardes' Cat" by Robert E. Howard. He has since appeared in comic books and film as the nemesis of Kull and, later, one of Howard's other creations, Conan the Barbarian....
leads the "Cult of the Serpent God Set".
Marvel Universe
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
were originally meant to be set in the Marvel Universe's prehistory, but his status as a property which is no longer licensed for use by the company means those stories' status as canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
is unresolved.
However, this iteration of "Set" is still a definite part of Marvel continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
. He was first mentioned in an official "Marvel Universe" comic in Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
#9 (January, 1969 - which predates the first Conan comics), in which the Sub-Mariner is controlled by the Serpent Crown
Serpent Crown
The Serpent Crown is a fictional mystical power object which has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It exists within Marvel's main shared universe...
, a device which Set can use to influence people's minds.
That story was written by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, who shortly afterwards brought Conan to Marvel and adapted many of Howard's stories. Thomas's "Set" was clearly inspired by Howard's use of the character, and Thomas would later be instrumental in integrating the character into the history of the Marvel Universe (along with the Conan stories and other elements of Howard's work). Set remains an important part of Marvel Universe canon today http://web.archive.org/web/20091026181504/http://www.geocities.com/ratmmjess/wicksint.html.
Fictional character biography
Though Set has rarely appeared in the comics, it is credited with playing a pivotal role in the development of life on Earth in the Marvel Universe.The serpent god Set was created approximately 3 billion years ago, when the being known as the Demiurge
Demiurge (comics)
Demiurge is a fictional character, a cosmic entity in the Marvel Comics universe, based loosely on the concept of the Demiurge. It is the sentient life force of Earth's biosphere, creator of the elder gods, and the father of Atum, conceived with Gaea....
spread its substance over the Earth and "birthed" the Elder Gods
Elder Gods (Marvel Comics)
The Elder Gods are fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe. They were the first generation of Earth's gods, apparently inspired by Greek mythology and the Cthulhu Mythos.-Fictional group history:...
, of which it was one. Set "birthed" several lesser snake demons itself, such as Damballah and Sligguth
Sligguth
Sligguth is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Sligguth was first mentioned in Marvel Premiere #4 ; the character actually first appeared in Marvel Premiere #5 , and was created by Archie Goodwin and Barry Windsor-Smith. Sligguth was apparently...
; but it hungered for power, and decided to obtain it by eating the weaker gods and absorbing their magical essence. The process worked, but it also devolved Set, turning it into a demon
Demons (Marvel Comics)
The Marvel Comics universe hosts a number of demons, many of whom are at times at conflict with gods and angels. All possess varying degrees of mystical power, feed upon souls for self-sustenance, and are inclined towards dark or “black” magic - evil....
.
The other gods began to imitate Set, and soon, all but Oshtur (of the Vishanti) and Gaea
Gaea (comics)
Gaea is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, based loosely on the Gaia of Greek mythology. She is a primeval Earth goddess, who has enfused her life essence into those of all Earth's living beings. She is the embodiment of the spirit of life, growth, harvest, and renewal...
, goddess of the earth, had become demons. Fearing they would hurt Earth's evolving life-forms, Gaea summoned and mated with Demiurge to conceive a son with the power to destroy the other gods: Atum
Atum (comics)
Atum is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics, based loosely on the Ra of Egyptian mythology. The character first appears in Thor Annual #10 and was created by Alan Zelenetz and Bob Hall....
, the sun god. Atum began to kill the demons and absorb their energies, which caused it to take on a demon-like form himself, that of the "Demogorge the God-Eater". He continued to destroy the demons, until the last ones left realized that they would only survive by banishing themselves into other dimensions. In Set's case, it created its own 'pocket dimension' to hide, but lacked the power to escape from it by itself. It would remain there for a billion years.
Eventually, about 65 million years ago, Set began to feed on the energies of the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, possibly due to their reptilian nature. This gave it the power to manifest on Earth again. However, when Gaea decided to let dinosaurs die out and be replaced by mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, Set took control of the dinosaurs and made them attack the mammals. Gaea responded by summoning Atum (who had been living in the Sun), and the deity reassumed his Demogorge form and battled Set. Demogorge ripped Set's head off, but the demon possessed the power to grow two replacements instantly. Still, Demogorge continued to rip off Set's heads.
Eventually, Set's power was exhausted, and it returned to its dimension, imprisoning itself again; by this time, it had seven heads. Demogorge changed back into Atum, and returned to the Sun. This titanic battle may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs in the Marvel Universe. Set remained imprisoned for several million years more.
At some point, Set somehow created a new race, the Serpent Men, to serve it on Earth. They tried to influence mankind's pre-human ancestors, but failed, and were rejected by the Celestials
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
for their empowering experiments. Still, Set would try to influence humanity (and strike at them) through the millennia. However, most of the Serpent Men were killed off by the forces of King Kull of Atlantis
Atlantis (Marvel Comics)
Atlantis is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. It is based on the mythical island of Atlantis first mentioned in Plato's initial dialogue the Timaeus, written circa 360 BC. In the Marvel Universe, Atlantis was a small continent with many human settlements...
.
Just before the continent of Lemuria
Lemuria (comics)
Lemuria is the name of two fictional locations in the Marvel Universe.Lemuria had been a small continent and group of islands in the Pacific Ocean 21,000 years ago, which was ruled by the Deviants. Lemuria became the center of the Deviant empire, and the only remaining free land was Atlantis, the...
was sunk by the Celestials in the "Great Cataclysm", the Serpent Men and some human alchemists created the Serpent Crown
Serpent Crown
The Serpent Crown is a fictional mystical power object which has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It exists within Marvel's main shared universe...
, an object which mystically accessed the powers of Set in his pocket dimension. The Crown could grant great powers to its wearers, but it also left them open to the serpent god's influence and even its control. The purpose of the Crown was to allow Set to control all the humans of Earth.
After the cataclysm, the Crown was lost to the Serpent Men, whose numbers rapidly decreased during the "Hyborian Age
Hyborian Age
The Hyborian Age is a fictional period within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, in which the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian are set....
" which followed. Other worshipers of Set emerged however, including the sorcerer Thoth-Amon
Thoth-Amon
Thoth-Amon is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. He is an evil wizard in The Phoenix on the Sword, the first of the Conan the Cimmerian stories...
, an enemy of Conan the Barbarian who at one point wielded the Cobra Crown a device similar to the Serpent Crown which also served as conduit for Set's power on Earth, though it was quickly destroyed.
The Serpent Crown itself was eventually found by a group of Homo mermanus
Homo mermanus
Homo mermanus is a fictional race of gilled aquatic humanoids that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This race is best known as the people who live in the Atlantis of Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
(a race of aquatic humanoids), who had made their home in the sunken Lemurian continent. The Serpent Crown was used for centuries by their leader, Naga
Naga (comics)
Naga is a fictional character and Marvel Comics supervillain. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Marie Severin, he first appeared in Sub-Mariner #9 .-Fictional character biography:...
, who converted his people to the worship of Set and whose appearance came to resemble that of a serpent through his extended use of the Crown. Eventually, the Crown was stolen from Naga by a group of "Lemurian" dissidents who created their own society, which was later called the "Ancients" when it was discovered in the twentieth century. The Crown was kept hidden in Antarctica by these "Ancients" for centuries, until it was buried in the avalanche which destroyed their society. This event was ultimately engineered by Set, who used its influence through the Serpent Crown to manipulate the society's leader into causing the devastating avalanche.
The Crown (disguised as the "helmet of power") was later found by a psychic called Paul Destine ("Destiny
Destiny (Paul Destine)
Destiny is a fictional character, in the Marvel Comics Universe whose first appearance was in Tales to Astonish #101.-Publication history:Destiny's existence was foreshadowed in Tales to Astonish Vol...
"), who used it to attack the Homo mermanus of Atlantis, which led to Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
suffering through a period of amnesia. Years later, in contemporary times (circa late 1960s Marvel Comics publications), the Serpent Crown finally re-emerged and once again Set's influence came to be manifested on Earth for a period.
Though Set itself rarely appeared in the comics, its presence was regularly evoked through the use of the Serpent Crown. In various stories either followers of Set (such as Ghaur
Ghaur
Ghaur is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, he first appeared in Eternals vol. 2, #2 .In the Marvel Universe, he is the head of the Deviant race's priesthood.-Fictional character biography:...
), or individuals mind controlled by Set via the Crown (such as the Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
), attempted to facilitate the serpent god's return to the Earth Dimension. These attempts were stopped through the intervention of various Marvel Super Heroes
Marvel Super Heroes
Marvel Super Heroes may refer to:* Marvel Super-Heroes , several Marvel Comics publications* Marvel Super Heroes , a 1995 arcade videogame* Marvel Super Heroes , a 1984 role-playing game...
(see the Serpent Crown
Serpent Crown
The Serpent Crown is a fictional mystical power object which has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It exists within Marvel's main shared universe...
entry for the full details).
One exception to this came during Marvel's Atlantis Attacks
Atlantis Attacks
Atlantis Attacks was a comic book super-hero crossover storyline which ran through most of the summer annuals published by Marvel Comics in 1989....
crossover in 1989 when Set was briefly returned to Earth (West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
Annual #4, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
Annual#14). In this storyline the Deviant priest Ghaur
Ghaur
Ghaur is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, he first appeared in Eternals vol. 2, #2 .In the Marvel Universe, he is the head of the Deviant race's priesthood.-Fictional character biography:...
and the Homo mermanus villainess Llyra
Llyra
Llyra is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics super-villainess. She was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema and first appeared in Sub-Mariner #32 .-Fictional character biography:...
managed to create a massive new Serpent Crown with which they intended to facilitate the return of Set. Their plan also involved kidnapping seven super-heroines whom they intended Set to mate with in order to spawn his offspring. The plan was defeated when Thor, taking control over the Demogorge, ripped off Set's heads and sent each to a different dimension; this caused Set's dimension to implode, destroying its body and apparently eliminating the threat of the serpent god for several centuries.
Other Marvel Comics versions
In the Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Universe all subsequent iterations of Set (such as the Egyptian Set and Greek Learnean Hydra mentioned above) are said to be legends largely inspired by the original ancient serpent god Set.
There are two exceptions to this where characters have misrepresented themselves as Set. "Seth", Marvel's version of the god from the Egyptian pantheon
Pantheon (gods)
A pantheon is a set of all the gods of a particular polytheistic religion or mythology.Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a...
and a more accurate version of the real Egyptian mythological Set (appearing in human form, being the son of Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
, etc.). In Marvel continuity this character adopted the name to make use of the "original" Set's fearsome reputation.
There was also En Sabah Nur ("Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
"), a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
who, when he first emerged in ancient Egypt, was mistaken for Set (or perhaps the above "Seth", though probably both as they are all parts of the same legend in the Marvel Universe). The character did not correct this error and instead used it to his advantage during his early activities in that era.
What If ...?
A sequel of sorts to that story came in What If... ?What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
Vol.2 #25 (May, 1991) by Jim Valentino
Jim Valentino
Jim Valentino is an American writer, penciler, editor and publisher of comic books.-1970s - 1992:Valentino began his career in the late 1970s creating small press and mostly autobiographical comics. The early-mid 1980s saw normalman which first appeared as a back-up story in Aardvark-Vanaheim's...
, ("What if Set had come to Earth?") which explored what might have happened had Set remained in the Earth dimension. He massacres the Earth's heroes with Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
and Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
as the only survivors. With the help of Thor (who is horribly burned and placed in stasis to keep him alive), they destroy two of Set's heads before Quasar, empowered by the Uni-Power, sacrifices his freedom to exile himself and Set inside Doctor Strange's Eye of Agamotto. Silver Surfer gives the Eye to Uatu
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
the Watcher for safe keeping, as Set's children are born. They then consume their brainwashed mothers and countless mindless serpent men and women before leaving to terrorize alternate universes in the name of their evil father.....