The Fangs Of The Racist

"As the first serpent drove Adam and Eve from Eden, so shall we drive from this land the unfit, the foreign-born, the inferior."

At first glance, the credo of the Sons of the Serpent might seem counter-productive to their goal of purging non-white, non-indigenous persons and ethnic groups from America; after all, even people of like mind might think twice about siding with an organization which appears to take pride in the means by which two white people were driven from paradise forever. But the group we're talking about has little to do with logic, or reason--or, it perhaps goes without saying, humanity.

Looking back at the appearances of the Sons of the Serpent and those who have opposed them, it might be difficult to see even a clearly racist organization such as themselves drawing the involvement of a super-team such as the Avengers, who have gone up against them twice; were it not for the fact that the Sons adopted flamboyant, menacing costumes and had a S.H.I.E.L.D. dossier, they might have been a group better suited to the F.B.I. to investigate and build a case against.  And if the involvement of costumed heroes somehow were warranted, individuals such as Daredevil and/or the Black Panther could be dealt in to make for an intriguing and perhaps even more gripping story than a cry of "Avengers Assemble!" might provide.

That said, it's been surprising how writers Stan Lee and Roy Thomas were able to craft Avengers tales which directly involved the Sons and spanned more than one issue. Both stories were a means to an end, in that each came down to a figurehead that could be unveiled and toppled and thus be quickly and neatly wrapped up--though frankly the Sons' cause wasn't helped by adopting a snake motif and having their organization fronted by their spokesperson, the "Serpent Supreme," thus conveying the impression that it was his agenda that he sought support for rather than pushing a message to reflect that the Sons as a whole were tapping into the pulse of all Americans.  Instead, the Sons crafted a deception within a deception, which could only make their organization appear even more insidious.

Yet would the Avengers have been as effective against an organization that wasn't so blatant in its operations? We've seen how the team became split right down the middle when it came to choosing between tracking down the movements of the criminal cartel, Zodiac, vs. helping a Native American seeking justice against a white, ruthless businessman trying to force his people to vacate their lands. Would the team have even turned their attention to the Sons if that group's activities didn't involve one of their own, as was the case in each of their dealings with that group as well as with Red Wolf? With the exception of giving assistance to the Panther... er, the Leopard following his disappearance in Rudyarda, a white supremacist stronghold, the Fantastic Four's adventures seldom pivoted to stories on race--preferring to make their statement on the subject by analogy (e.g., the Monster of the Lost Lagoon, the Mole Man, Omega, et al.)--the X-Men taking a similar tack with their focus on the persecution of and bigotry against mutants.

You would think, then, that the non-team known as the Defenders would have even less reason to cross paths with the Sons, since the amount of interaction and exposure involved would represent a sharp turn toward the very things they seek to avoid: television cameras... news coverage... large crowds... to say nothing of the paper trail of culpability leading back to one Defender in particular (though we'll get to that in due time). Yet writer Steve Gerber manages to craft a well-structured and at times riveting four-part story* which makes folding the Defenders into the Sons' race war believable--all the more so since it will lead to the involvement of not just one but two of their members on a personal level.

*It seemed negligent not to emphasize that; one can grow very fatigued with that much Sons of the Serpent exposure if the material isn't handled carefully.

The first of those we come to immediately--the Valkyrie, who responds to a terrified cry and is witness to a sight more horrific than any she has beheld in the company of her comrades.

Victims of bureaucracy as much as the tight-fisted management of her building's landlord, Harold Holliman, the woman, Elena, and her daughter are escorted by the Valkyrie to the sanctum of Dr. Strange.  But the Valkyrie is of course unaware of how Gerber's web is already being woven, as Kyle Richmond (a.k.a. Nighthawk) becomes bored at a cocktail party and even more so with an insistent real estate magnate--none other than our Mr. Holliman, who wants him to invest in a new high-rise on the lower east side of Manhattan. Eventually, Richmond makes his way to Strange's house, as well, where Strange has already agreed to file a complaint with the Board of Health regarding Holliman's property.

But the Defenders discover that very evening that the Sons of the Serpent have taken a different approach with the building's "problems"--using fire to rid it of "the unfit, the foreign born, the inferior." And when tempers flare with Holliman's arrival on the scene, the Sons decide to take advantage of the situation, making Holliman's "safety" the flashpoint for their vitriol.

Unfortunately for the Sons, a rash remark from their ranks about only the white race being "beautiful" reaches and sets off the Hulk--which galvanizes Nighthawk and the Valkyrie and, consequently, draws the rest of the Sons into a furious battle. To prevent loss of life, Strange puts an end to hostilities on both sides; but it becomes clear that the Sons of the Serpent have only just begun to fight, on all fronts.

While the Sons of the Serpent have demonstrated that they're undeniably dangerous in both action and frame of mind, thus far in this story they've risen very little above two-dimensional villains, complete with artist Sal Buscema's trademark villain lunges, hunching, charging, and mob mentality posturing. You could even go so far as to say that the hordes of Hydra would convey more of a threat visually, and that's saying something. As is the case with Hydra, the real threat from the Sons of the Serpent lies with what they represent, and what actions they take behind the scenes to bring about the culmination of their plans--that is, to fan the spark of racial violence. By their actions here, however, conducting late-night raids in the slums and bringing their forces to bear against first responders and costumed heroes isn't going to have much of an effect beyond terrorizing those tenants who escaped and putting police precincts on alert. As this story progresses and the steps they take become more threatening, we'll see more of their resources, no doubt; but you might want to let all of this simmer in your thoughts for the time being, since we'll be coming back to this train of thought.

For now, the Defenders regroup at Strange's sanctum, where they receive a welcome visitor they've worked with before--bringing a gift that provides the group with their first look at who they're up against.

Which leads to a chilling midnight national broadcast--preceded by an unseen voice that calmly announces, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Serpent Supreme of the United States." A calm, dignified opening which belies the bile that subsequently spews forth.

If they're to be believed, the Sons have begun an initiative designed to branch out from New York City to all parts of the country, which, if Gerber is successful in pulling it off, will raise the profile of this hate/terrorist group considerably--particularly since it's been made clear that they are no longer beholden to those who have hidden agendas, but instead are wholly united as average Americans who are resolved and determined to (forgive the expression) take their country back--from those they feel have diluted their race... from those who do not contribute... from those who are foreign-born... from anyone who seeks to disenfranchise the "white majority." How shocking to recall that this story was published nearly 45 years ago--a gloomy footnote that will likely have the words of either Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr or George Santayana resonating in your mind.**

**Respectively, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (loosely translated, "The more things change, the more they stay the same")... and "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (often paraphrased as "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it").

In the Defenders' urgency to put a face to the power behind the Sons, the name of Holliman comes up--but before they can deliberate further, a shock wave signals that the Sons have wasted no time in following up on their broadcast and making their move, this time with an even more destructive strike in the same area they had attacked earlier. In response, Yellowjacket shows this non-team how a true team responds in a crisis--direction that even a former Avenger instinctively follows.

But as Strange and the others arrive in the vicinity of the firebomb, the whereabouts of Yellowjacket are unknown, having fallen prey to capture by their foes and removed from the scene. So distracted are the Defenders by the news of his disappearance that they're caught off guard when the Sons of the Serpent viciously attack--taking out three quarters of the group before rallying to face the brute force of the behemoth who angrily advances on them.

With the exception of the Hulk, the unconscious Defenders are also removed, to later be made examples of in a public execution that will make clear what happens to "traitors" of their race. But once the Sons depart, we find that a familiar transformation has taken place. The question is: Given that this is his first appearance in this entire story--well after the Sons of the Serpent first emerged--will Bruce Banner have any memory of the events that have occurred, the people involved, or what became of them?

Astonishingly, Mr. Gerber feels the answers should be: yes, yes, and yes.

NEXT:

The Defenders get some backup, as they find themselves trapped...

"In The Jaws of the Serpent!"

The Defenders #s 22-23 Script: Steve Gerber Pencils: Sal Buscema Inks: Mike Esposito and Vince Colletta Letterers: Charlotte Jetter and June Braverman