Puff Adder (Gordon Fraley) is a fictional character, a

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. He made his debut in ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

'' #337 (January 1988), created by writer

Mark Gruenwald Mark Eugene Gruenwald ( ; June 18, 1953 – August 12, 1996) was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler known for his long association with Marvel Comics. Career Early career Gruenwald got his start in comics f ...

and artist

Tom Morgan Tom Morgan may refer to: Sports * Tom Morgan (rugby union) (1866–1899), Wales international rugby union player * Tom Morgan (footballer), football (soccer) manager with Wrexham and Port Vale * Tom Morgan (baseball) (1930–1987), American basebal ...

. The character is depicted primarily as a member of the

Serpent Society The Serpent Society is an organization of snake-themed supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The society is a continuation of the original group the Serpent Squad and was later changed into Serpent Solutions. ...

. Fraley makes his debut as Puff Adder as part of the fourth version of the Serpent Squad alongside Copperhead, Fer-de-Lance and Black Racer, when the group robs a casino in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

as a ploy to gain acceptance into the

from Society leader Sidewinder. After becoming a part of the Society, they help

Viper Vipers are snakes in the family Viperidae, found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, New Zealand, Ireland, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipe ...

take control of the Serpent Society, supporting her in a plot to take control of the President of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The plot is eventually foiled by

and several members of the Serpent Society who remain loyal to Sidewinder. After Viper is defeated the Serpent Society was reformed, with Puff Adder becoming a regular member of the group. He later becomes a member of Serpent Solutions when the Serpent Society is reorganized.

Publication history

Puff Adder first appeared in ''

'' #337 (January 1988), and was created by

and

Fictional character biography

Gordon "Gordo" Fraley was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. Large and strong but not very bright, Puff Adder is a mutant with the ability to inflate, or "puff," his body mass, enhancing his strength greatly, and making him a dangerous adversary for superheroes. As a member of the fourth Serpent Squad, Puff Adder attempts to rob a Las Vegas casino, and battles

, the

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

Nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

, and D-Man. With the Serpent Squad, he is freed from jail by Sidewinder. Puff Adder is inducted into the second incarnation of the Serpent Society as a double agent of the

during her invasion of the group. Puff Adder and the Viper's agents then betray Sidewinder, and encounter Captain America again. With Coachwhip and

Rock Python Rock Python (M'Gula) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a member of the Serpent Society. He first appeared in ''Captain America (comic book), Captain America'' #34 ...

, Puff Adder is sent to steal the Falcon's uniform in order to regain admission into the Serpent Society, and he battles

Battle Star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

and the Falcon. Alongside

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large boas of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Three to five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the l ...

, Puff Adder serves as bailiff at the Serpent Society's trial of Diamondback. With Anaconda and Rock Python, Puff Adder is sent to Diamondback's apartment to apprehend her. He battles Captain America and seemingly overpowered him. Puff Adder crash-lands a Serpent Saucer on Diamondback's apartment. He abducts Diamondback, Asp, and

Black Mamba The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally species description, described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is ...

. Rock Python and Puff Adder are thrown from the Serpent Saucer by

MODAM Maria Trovaya Pym is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, depicted as the first wife of Hank Pym and the mother of Nadia van Dyne. After being initially held captive by the Red Room and killed, she is res ...

, and Puff Adder is injured in the fall. He is interrogated by Captain America and

Paladin The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers (), are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, wh ...

about the abduction of Diamondback and her friends. As a member of the Serpent Society, he develops a romantic relationship with Anaconda. He also serves briefly with

Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''The Amazin ...

Masters of Evil The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years. Publication ...

. He participates in the attempted takeover of the

Avengers Mansion Avengers Mansion is a fictional building appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New Y ...

while the other heroes are distracted by the events of the Infinity War. There, the team encounters the

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...

. Puff Adder is given permission to "play with"

Yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...

and Nikki but is stopped by Major Victory before he can touch them. After a brief fight, both teams are overwhelmed with alien doubles of absolutely everyone involved. Out of necessity, the two teams work together to destroy wave after wave of doubles. After the last wave, Doctor Octopus wants his team to continue fighting but Puff Adder, along with the rest, turn on him. They do not want to hurt the others who just helped save their lives. The team chases Doctor Octopus out of the mansion. He is seen as member of the

under Cobra's leadership. After the group captures and chains

and Diamondback (really an L.M.D.) in this underground New York headquarters, the pair escapes.

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...

subsequently takes Rattler and the rest of the Society into custody. He appears in " Brand New Day" as one of the villains in the "Bar With No Name". He is one of many to get in on the super-hero related gambling action headed by the man known only as 'The Bookie'. He is a member of the Serpent Society, who are engaged in a bank robbery. He is instantly defeated by

Hope Summers Sarah Hope Summers (June 7, 1902 – June 22, 1979) was an American actress known for her work on ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and '' Mayberry R.F.D.'', portraying Clara Edwards. Early life Hope Summers was born in Mattoon, Illinois, the daugh ...

after she copies his powers and knocks him out with a single bolas. As part of the

All-New, All-Different Marvel All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched wi ...

branding, Puff Adder appears as a member of

's Serpent Society under its new name of Serpent Solutions. Puff Adder appears in the 2017 "

Secret Empire Secret Empire may refer to: * Secret Empire (organization), an evil organization in Marvel Comics ** Secret Empire (1974 comic), comic book storyline ** Secret Empire (2017 comic) "Secret Empire" is a 2017 Marvel Comics crossover storyline pu ...

" story line, being with Serpent Solutions when they are recruited by

Helmut Zemo Helmut Zemo is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Captain America (comic book), Captain America'' #16 ...

to join his Army of Evil. In a prelude to the " Hunted" storyline, several members of the Serpent Society are captured by

Kraven the Hunter Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Николаевич Кравинов) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, th ...

, Taskmaster, and Black Ant and forced to participate in a murderous hunt set up by

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

. Black Mamba, Cottonmouth, Bushmaster, Black Racer, Puff Adder, Rock Python, and Fer-de-Lance are placed in electric cages to wait for the hunt to commence. During the "

Devil's Reign "Devil's Reign" is an American comic book event written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto, published from December 2021 to May 2022 by Marvel Comics. Premise In a ploy to increase his power, Mayor Kingpin (character), Wilson Fisk has ...

" story line, Puff Adder and Coach whip appear as members of Mayor Wilson Fisk's incarnation of the Thunderbolts at the time when Mayor Fisk has outlawed superhero activity. They, alongside the Thunderbolts unit, attack

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first major version is Jessica Drew (and later impersonated by Veranke), the second major version is Julia Carpenter, and the third m ...

, only to be fought off by Spider-Woman as she gets Lindsay McRabe to safety.''Spider-Woman'' Vol. 7 #18. Marvel Comics.

Powers and abilities

Puff Adder has the

ability to cause the epidermis of his entire body to engorge with blood and thus swell his body to a more intimidating size, upwards of approximately . In ''

'' #29

Charlie-27 Charlie-27 is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character usually appears in the Earth-691 timeline of the Marvel Universe as a member of the original 31st century incarnation of the team known as the Gua ...

states that Puff Adder can increase his mass to over five tons, the limit of what Charlie-27 can lift on Earth. Puff Adder can only remain fully inflated for approximately fifteen minutes at a time. Puff Adder also possesses a slight degree of superhuman strength and stamina. Fraley is a competent hand-to-hand fighter, with extensive experience in street-fighting techniques. He is experienced in the piloting of certain aircraft. The cowl of Puff Adder's costume contains a pressurized container of noxious gas which can be released from his mouth area. It is activated by a specific motion made with his jaw muscles.

Race variation

His race varies from artist to artist. In his first appearance, he was depicted as

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Common meanings *Anything from the Caucasus region or related to it ** Ethnic groups in the Caucasus ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus re ...

. A few issues later, he is depicted as

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

References

External links

Puff Adder
at Marvel.com * * {{Captain America characters African-American characters in comics Characters created by Mark Gruenwald Comics characters introduced in 1988 Fictional characters from Georgia (U.S. state) Fictional characters who can stretch themselves Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics supervillains