Rock Python (M'Gula) is a

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 ...

. The character is usually depicted 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. ...

. He first appeared 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 ...

'' #341 (May 1988), and was 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

Kieron Dwyer Kieron Dwyer (born March 6, 1967) is an American comics artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics as well as for his creator-owned projects. Biography During his career, Dwyer has worked on such comic book titles as ...

. He has durable bones, skin and muscles, and uses specially designed grenades that entangle his opponents in steel ribbons. He was first introduced as a henchman of

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 ...

as she took control of the

, deposing Sidewinder as the leader of the Society. Viper's ploy to take control of the United States was foiled by

and members of the Society still loyal to Sidewinder. Rock Python was allowed to remain with the Society after Viper was defeated. He became a member of Serpent Solutions when the Society was reorganized.

Publication history

Rock Python first appeared in ''

'' #341 (May 1988), and was created by writer

and artist

Fictional character biography

M'Gula was born in Viceroy, Rudyarda, South Africa. As Rock Python, he first joined the Serpent Society when the villainous

invaded, and battled

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 ...

. After she abandoned them, he took a test to prove his worthiness of being in the Society; he tried to steal

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 ...

's uniform, but wound up battling Falcon and Battlestar instead. He also later battled the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

's Rogue, Havok, and

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue; colossal statues, are generally taken to mean a statue at least twice life-size ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ...

with the rest of the Serpent Society, but quickly surrendered when he realized his opponents were much more powerful than him. He battled

later. His greatest accomplishment was nearly killing Captain America after he,

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 ...

, and Puff Adder were attacked. He dropped him from a rooftop, but was ordered by

King Cobra The king cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') is a species complex of snakes Endemism, endemic to Asia. With an average of and a record length of , it is the world's longest venomous snake and among the heaviest. Under the genus ''Ophiophagus'', i ...

to flee so as to not have their base revealed. He, along with Anaconda and Puff Adder, attacked Bad girls INC and was successful in capturing them, only to be attacked and thrown from their craft by MODAM. He and Puff Adder survive, but are injured. Subsequently, M'Gula has also appeared with the Serpent Society as they battled Jack Flag, but was defeated by Force Works. He was next seen with the organization as they captured Diamondback and Captain America, intending to hold them for ransom. The pair soon escaped and, in the ensuing battle, Rock Python was defeated. In "

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 ...

", Rock Python appears as a member of

's Serpent Society under its new name of Serpent Solutions. In the " Hunted" storyline, Rock Python and several other 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 ...

.''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' (vol. 5) #16 (April 2019)

Powers and abilities

Rock Python has durable skin, muscle, and bones, similar to his

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

. He is impervious to high-caliber arms fire, powerful explosions, intense heat and deadly impacts. He carries small "snake eggs" which, upon impact, release various substances such as smoke bombs, acid, and plastic explosives; and "snake wrap", long metallic ribbons designed to ensnare and immobilize opponents.

References

External links

Rock Python
at Marvel.com * {{Captain America characters Characters created by Mark Gruenwald Comics characters introduced in 1988 Fictional South African people Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics mutates