The Cobra is the alias of two fictional comic-book supervillains that appear in the Marvel Comics universe.
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Klaus Voorhees
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Klaus Voorhees, the original Cobra, was also known as The Human Cobra and King Cobra. Klaus Voorhees' Cobra most commonly associated with Daredevil and Thor comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck in Journey into Mystery #98 (November 1963) where he was confronted by Thor. The next issue saw him team up with Mister Hyde (with Hyde being the brains of the team) and the duo had a few encounters with the Thunder God before their first skirmish with Daredevil in Daredevil #30 (July 1967).
Fictional character biography
Klaus Voorhees was born in Rotterdam, Holland. Klaus was the Dutch assistant to Professor Schecktor, a scientist working in India and looking for a cure to snake bites. Unsatisfied with his lower condition, and intent on stealing Schecktor's discoveries, Voorhees killed the professor by using a cobra and in order to make himself look less guilty, let the cobra bite him as well. He used an experimental anti-toxin for snake venom to cure himself, but denied it to Schecktor. The cobra was radioactive, and in a process similar to Spider-Man's, Voorhees gained super-human abilities similar to a cobra's. As the Cobra, he fought Thor and Daredevil, and a number of other superheroes. Mister Hyde and the Cobra were partners for years, although their partnership ended not long before the Cobra joined Sidewinder's Serpent Society. When Sidewinder retired, the Cobra became the leader of the Society under the name "King Cobra". He still leads the Society (complete with a new Sidewinder) though he also partners with Hyde on occasion. He was later forced to join the Thunderbolts and trained by Swordsman. Klaus has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic book Avengers: The Initiative #1.[1] In spite of this, he has since turned up as a member of Sin's new Serpent Squad, in the employ of the Red Skull.
Powers and gadgets
Most notably his amazing contortionist powers and slithery body let him break in, and escape from, buildings. He also has the ability to stick to walls or ceilings. Combined with his super-strength and reflexes, they make him a formidable wrestler. Cobra is also armed with special gadgets that complete his cobra likeness: he is equipped with a "cobra cord" (an unbreakable cable) to tie up his enemies (solid enough to resist Thor's strength), can launch "cobra darts" (venom-filled projectiles) out of his wrists and release some toxic "cobra gas". In the Mini-series Toxin: The Devil you know, Cobra himself quotes:
| “ | My bones are almost impossible to break. My tissue doesn't tear. I don't get hangovers, either. | ” |
Piet Voorhees
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Piet Voorhees, the second Cobra, is the nephew of the original.
Fictional character biography
Piet's Uncle Klaus, the first Cobra, injected Piet with the same mutagenic serum that first gave him his own superhuman abilities. Using these new powers for selfish means, Piet became a high-level international mercenary. He has performed operations in Southeast Asia, Bosnia, Central Asia and Chechnya. More recently, King Cobra has become involved with an international cartel known as Chaeyi. He has been working to get stolen passports and visas to illegal aliens. This operation have brought him into conflict with the newest White Tiger.
Powers and abilities
Piet possesses certain unusual physical powers derived from his mutagenically altered physiology which among other things help him simulate the movement of a snake by using his great degree of independent control over every muscle in his body, enabling him to slither across the ground (at up to 50 miles per hour), without using his arms and legs, simply by muscle contraction. All of the bones in his body, including his skull, are malleable and his muscle tissue is exceedingly resilient, making his body very flexible and pliant. It is nearly impossible for him to break a bone or tear a muscle.[2] The Cobra's flexibility enables him to slither into and out of very tight and small places. Through compressing his body, the Cobra can fit into any hole or slot down to four inches in diameter. By using his flexibility to wrap himself about a victim's body and then exerting his full strength, the Cobra traps that victim within his "Cobra Grip." Unlike his uncle however, Piet also possesses enhanced olfactory senses, which enables him to track his targets by way of scent. He can also produce a toxic substance from his body which he calls his "Cobra Venom". He projects his venom at selected targets by spitting at them.
Notes and references
- ^ Avengers: The Initiative #1 Character Map
- ^ F.B.I. Agent Coville revealed in White Tiger #1 that Piet has all of the same super-powers that his uncle possesses.
