Viper's History

The Early '80s

Viper returned from her presumed death, after her second defeat by Captain America, and several times after that for that matter. By the early '80s, Viper had formed an interesting partnership with the Silver Samurai. The Samurai with his previous connections to HYDRA, was very devoted to Viper. The two carried out many schemes together, with Viper uncharacteristically taking on many of the Samurai's plans without any personal gain. One of the earliest schemes included an assination attempt on the U.S. President and the congress.


This plan was very close to sucess, until Viper and the Silver Samurai were stopped by Spider-Man and the Black Widow. An interesting development takes place in the pages of Spider-Woman, where Viper and the Samurai are involved in a battle with Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman. Viper makes the shocking realization after seeing the unmasked face of Drew, that the woman is the daughter Viper had previously given many years ago to the High Evolutionary to raise. Drew, a former HYDRA agent herself, was raised by the High Evolutionary and that is how she is believed to have the spider-like powers she pocesses. Viper also took the alias of Meriem Drew at this time. Due to events in her next storyarc in Captain America 281-283, the Spider-Woman storyline is fairly unreasolved. Viper's next storyline, included the kidnapping of Captain America. While Viper was holding the superhero captive, he was also being drugged and brainwashed senseless as part of Viper's bigger plan.


With the Constrictor as her partner in crime, Viper's plan included released a genetically enginered modern version of the bubonic plague being released by way of snakes Viper had modificated to use the her new chemical as Venom. At this time, Viper was living undercover in Hartsdale, Illinois. This is where she would start the virus, and it was planned to spread thoughtout the world, killing all life. Viper also was delighted at the planned use of the zombified Captain America and a few of his friends, as accessories to her plan. Unfortunately for Viper, the Constrictor, although a supervillian himself, was shocked at the insanity of Viper's plan after he actually found it out himself. Viper has a habit of keeping her always outlandishly psychotic and misanthropic plans to herself, and away from her underlings, who are usually happy enough about the large sums of money she is paying them, to care. The Constrictor sabotages Viper's plan by making sure that Captain America doesn't recieve any more mind control treatment. Viper planned to spread her newest toxin at a parade being held in Hartsdale, by way of a hot air balloon.


Captain America awakens from his drugged controlled stupor just in time to stop Viper. But it is not an easy victory for the star-spangeled hero. He at first tries to knock Viper out of the hot air balloon she is controlling the snakes from, but he fails. Ulitimately the hot air balloon Viper is in is shot, and blows up, both ending Viper's scheme, and making it appear that she had been blown to death, once again. Viper returns once again from the dead alongside the Silver Samurai in New Mutants 5. AT a fair where the motorcyclist daredevil group, Team America is preforming, The Silver Samurai appears. He kidnaps the New Mutant team member Dani Moonstar, or Mirage and takes her to Viper's mansion in Big Sur California. Dani wakes up after being heavilly drugged in a dark room and after surviving several attempts on her life by traps set up in the mansion, she is taken by the Silver Samurai to see Viper. Viper has a brief confrontation with the mutant girl, before Mirage uses her mutant power to make others have very realistic visions of their worst fear or greatest joy. In Viper's case, it is a memory of her hellish existance as an orphan in war torn Europe. Viper then attacks Mirage, and decides to keep her as a hostage. Viper has a new plan on her mind. She uses Mirage to persuade Team America to break into A.I.M. Headquarters in their base in Mexico, to steal a crystal for her. A.I.M. by the way, was orginally the scientific branch of HYDRA, but after the splintering that resulted in Viper leading the New York HYDRA branch for a time, A.I.M. continued on it's own being led by Armin Zola, the bio-fanatic. Team America succeeded in retrieving the crystal for Viper. The New Mutants find out where Viper is keeping Mirage by way of Dani's fellow team member, Karma's uncle, Nguyen Ngoc Coy.

Coy is the leader of a criminal empire and shared a history with Viper. The team shows up just in time for Viper and the Silver Samurai to teleport away safetly. Also as they leave they set the mansion afire, most likely to kill the mutant superhero team. During this time, the Silver Samurai was very distraught because his half-sister Mariko Yashida was the head of their family clan back in Japan, Clan Yashida. Also, Mariko's engagement to the X-Men's Wolverine, doesn't make the Samurai that happy either. He creates a plan along with Viper to both put an end to the engagement, as well as gain control of his family clan. When the X-Men arrive in Japan for the wedding, Viper does her part of the scheme by knocking Mariko's maid unconcious, and donning her clothes for a disquise. While in disquise as the maid, Viper poisons the X-Men, by way of hot tea, so they can't interfere with the Silver Samurai's plans. Mariko has a meeting with her brother to discuss family business, and is guarded by Storm of the X-Men and Yukio in disquise. Storm's powers short out, and distruction ensues. Eventually though, the Samurai and Viper gain the upper hand once again.


Viper and the Silver Samurai were about to kill Mariko and the then hospitalized X-Men, when Wolverine and Rogue showed up in the nick of time to stop the criminal duo. Wolverine defeated the Silver Samurai in combat, and Rogue stopped Viper from killing the X-Men with firing her blaster. Viper harms Rogue greatly though, which is significant, since Rogue is usually considered to be invulnerable. Regardless, the wedding takes place soon afterwards,but at the last minute, Mariko refuses Wolverine stating that he is not fit for marriage to someone of her stature. Mariko would turn out to have been controlled by another evil mutant at this time, Mastermind.


The Late '80s

By the late '80s, Viper had less to do with the Silver Samurai and continued to focus more on her own plans and schemes. This included taking over the Serpent Society, whose new leadership didn't go over too well with the group. Viper had previously led the Serpent Squad, which was the original version of Viper's new group. Her first goal as their leader was poisoning Washington D.C. by using a chemical in the water supply that would mutate its victims. During her scheme, Viper entered into a brief battle with Captain America, who at that time was disguised as U.S.Agent. She bit him in the neck with her poison injecting fangs that she had just started using, but was still defeated and appreheded. Fortunately, Viper escapes with the help of the Cobra from the Serpent Society. Viper then went to the White House and found the streets of Washington in great rioting due to the mutating chemical she poisoned the population with. She entered the White House to find a mutated Nancy Reagan, and later found President Reagan who was also beginning to mutate. Viper forces more of the infected water on the president and hides behind a curtain before Captain America showed up shortly afterwards to find a completely mutated president. Viper took great joy at seeing the two men that were considered great icons or of America demoralizing themselves in a fist fight. She leaves the scene but is captured by the Cobra who turns her into the custody of Captain America.




The '90s

At the end of Captain America 394, Viper makes a return as she is broken out of the Virginia State Pententry by goons of the Red Skull, and is taken to the supervillian himself. Viper awakens later and finds herself along with the Red Skull in a extravagant cabin in the Rocky Mountains. Viper is very confused and cautious as to why she is there, especially since up to that point, the two villians had never met. The Red Skull persuades Viper that he with his vast crime empire is in need of some fresh ideas as to how to conduct various criminal activites. He admired much Viper's previous felonious activities and feel that they could she could be a very vital aspect of his criminal plotting. He also pleases Viper much when tells her that he is also willing to provide her with the financial backing for any misanthropic, psychotic, crimal fantasy she could ever desire. One of Viper's next plots included stealing Russian nuclear missles, during deactivation.

Her plan was going great, and she was going to frame SHIELD for the whole scheme, but then Nick Fury showed up. As Fury and Viper battle, Solo, who can never decide whether he wants to be a superhero or supervillian, shows up as well. He is offered a place in Viper's Red Skull funded, criminal empire. He refuses and attacks Viper, who once again teleports away to safety. This greatly angers Nick Fury, who wanted Viper despertely for questioning in many affairs. In a scheme Viper has much later on, Viper was very thirsty for revenge on the family of Xi'an Shan Coy, or the former New Mutant team member, Karma. She kidnaps both of Karma's younger siblings and enlists the aid of the mutant Spiral and her Body Shoppe to mutate the children. Many years previously, Viper had been on a mission with HYDRA against rival criminal lord, and Karma's uncle, Nguyen Ngoc Coy. Viper shot to kill Coy, as Tran Coy, Karma's brother gained control of Viper's mind so she shot and killed a fellow HYDRA operative instead. Following this, Viper was imprisoned as a slave in Tran Coy hellish harem, and was for some time. Finally, Karma ended her brother's evil actions and freed all of his prisoners, when she merged his mind into her psyche. Viper was still very angry at the death of her HYDRA comrade, and her time imprisoned with Tran Coy.

Karma sought the aid of the X-Men, Beast and Cannonball, to reclaim her younger siblings. Battle ensues with Spiral at her Body Shoppe. As Beast fights the mutated younger sister of Karma, Cannonball and Karma are captured, and Spiral straps them up for mutating. Viper anger's Spiral when she strikes Karma in the heat of argument, for Spiral considers her part of the bargin with Viper met. Viper further anger's Spiral when she free's Karma when it is revealed that Tran Coy is still alive and well in Karma's psyche. Viper realized that if she allowed Karma to be mutated like her other siblings, Viper would lose any chance she now had to finally get her revenge on Tran. Due to the battles between the Beast and the mutated children, the Body Shoppe was about to collapse on top of everyone inside. A very angery Spiral escapes with Viper by use of Spiral's own teleporting powers, before it was too late. Viper's next scheme takes place in Wolverine 125. Viper has kidnapped many of the women that mean the most to Wolverine, including: Yukio, Jean Grey, Tyger Tiger, Psylocke, Rogue, and even Jessica Drew. These six women are brainwashed and given Viperesqe fashions decked out in green with green hairhighlights. They then are sent out to apprehend Jubilee and Kitty Pryde as well. The whole point behind the operation, is that Viper wants the women to bring her Wolverine. Jubilee and Kitty put up a good fight, but are apphended themselves, and then taken to Viper. Wolverine is then finally captured after being rendered unconcious by Psylocke's psychic knife. Wolverine is heavily drugged and awakens in a dark room, where he sees several serpent shapes. They eventually morph into the six women Viper has captured and strike and attack Wolverine.

Then Wolverine is treated to a series of visions of the most painful events of his life, the death of Silver Fox at the hand of Sabretooth, and then Mariko's death. The pain is too much for Wolverine and he erupts in a near fatal beserker rage, right as all illusions finally fall and Viper is revealed as the captor of all present, in the Princess Bar in Madripoor. Madripoor is an island ran by various crimelords that Wolverine has spent much time at, along with Viper Tyger Tiger, and Jessica Drew. Wolverine attacks Viper and they erupt into a fight to the death as Viper tries to explain to Wolverine why she brought him here. Viper tells Wolverine that she couldn't think of any better way to get his attention and that the use of the women he loved in the plan was make him more vunerable to her. Viper's whole reason for the scheme is to cash in a vow that Wolverine made many years ago to give Viper whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. The vow was made when both Viper and Wolverine spent much time at the Princess Bar.

The bar was ran by a mutual friend of the two named Seraph. Seraph met much too Wolverine as she taught him much about life after he was a very fractured, confused indivual after making his way finally out of the Weapon X program. This was also before Viper had joined HYDRA and became Madame Hydra. Seraph fought Sabretooth to save Wolverine and Viper, and it was Viper that got the two others back safely from the battle. Seraph was very injured after her battle with Sabretooth though, and on her death bed forced Wolverine to make this vow to Viper since she saved all of there lives.

Viper was now ready to cash in the promise and asks for Wolverine's hand in marriage. Wolverine is stopped from killing Viper by the persuasion of Jubilee that he had also made another vow as an X-Man to live to a certain moral standard, and not to kill. After the dust settles, Wolverine tells all of his friends present at the Princess Bar that for all intents and purposes, Viper is his wife. The two are set to be married the next day. All but Kitty Pryde leave before the wedding. After Wolverine and Viper are legally bound, Sabretooth attacks the wedding party. Sabretooth had just had his skeleton bonded with Adamantium, and was ready to settle his score with Wolverine. He slashes Viper, but she survives due to Kitty's phasing mutant power. Later on in the same plotline, the four individuals, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, Sabretooth and Viper are being held as prisoners of the Hand, HYDRA, and the criminal emperor, Matsuo Tsurayaba. All were also being mindcontrolled and drugged by their captors. Kitty is the first to escape the mind control, and frees Viper. Due to her mind control, Kitty is in an alterted feral state, and Viper has to stop Kitty from killing the HYDRA commander. Later on, after all four escape, Viper attempts to kill Sabretooth in revenge to the events that claimed Seraph's life as well as his latest attack on her, with a new deadly poison she had developed, but she is stopped by Kitty Pryde who phases with Sabretooth. Viper is very angry and vows revenge against Sabretooth is to come. Later on, Viper's true agenda for marrying Wolverine is revealed when she is installed as ruler of the island of Madripoor, due to her marriage to Wolverine.

Viper next appears after the villian Armin Zola lost a humilating battle with Wolverine. He is satisfied though as it was revealed that he had pocession of Viper, with very insidious plans in mind for her as well. Armin believed a friend of his would be very interested in Viper's whereabouts, most likely the Red Skull. Only monthes later, Viper appears again when the Generation X team is sent on a mission to Madripoor. Viper still as ruler of Madripoor at this time, wonders much what the Generation X team is doing on her island, especially Jubilee, one of Wolverine's closest friends. Nothing else has seem to come of the plot between Viper and Armin Zola, unless sometime in the future more developments of what took place are revealed.

Recently

Recently Viper returned in X-Men 109 to interrupt Wolverine while he was visiting Mariko's grave in Japan. Viper brought Wolverine one of his bone claws, which a symbol from Kitty Pryde that she was okay. Kitty had recently dissapeared during an X-Men space mission and hadn't been heard from since. Most recently in the pages of Wolverine, Wolverine flys to Madripoor at the request of a "friend" who sends him a letter requesting his prescene at a bloodsport game being held. Wolverine arrives and is taken to the Princess Bar, where he is very shocked to see Viper, who is running the contest. Wolverine thinks Viper is "the friend" who sent for him. Wolverine does well in the first few rounds of the contest but is less than pleased when Mr. X shows up who is being proclaimed as champion before the bloodsport is even over. Mr. X had caused some previous problems for Wolverine, and Wolverine is very suprised when Mr. X says several things to Logan regarding his past.


Wolverine continues on with the contest and nearly looses one battle after he realizes he has been drugged, by his lovely poison wielding wife. He then fights and nearly wins against Mr. X, but the battle ends in a stalemate. Later on Wolverine is confronted by Viper who tells him that she poisoned him to get his attention regarding a problem she had that she needs his help with. Ogun, a longtime Wolverine villian had once again returned and Viper wanted Wolverine to help her force the demon out of Madripoor, and stop him from pocessing her henchmen. He agrees to help her if she will promise to grant him a divorce. The two take to the streets to stop Ogun, who they run into several times. Wolverine stops Viper several times from killing the innocents Ogun had pocessed. Ogun tells Wolverine that he had been in control of Mr. X during their previous confrontation. He also tells Wolverine to meet him at the docks alone that night.

Wolverine goes to the docks that night and is shocked to find Viper there, who he warned to stay away for her safety. It is Viper, but she is being controlled by Ogun. Delighted at suprising Wolverine, Ogun then tries to pass from Viper's body to Wolverine's, but he is forced to surrender his ultimate goal of controlling Wolverine's body. This is when Ogun realized that Wolverine's mind was too fractured for his control. Ogun then is resolved to be in control of Viper and considers this an advantage over Wolverine, Viper's husband. Suprisingly unknown to Ogun, the marriage vows between Viper and Logan, don't stand for much and his plans are foiled when Wolverine slices his claws through Viper giving her wounds so severe that Ogun has no choice but to leave her body. Viper is obviously very angry with Wolverine and says that she will no longer grant him the divorce. This provision, was made by Viper so Wolverine would help her excorsise the villian from her island. In response to her threat, Wolverine refuses to get Viper medical attention unless the deal is secure. Viper agrees, but promises to finally claim Wolverine's eventual death.