Origin
Blanche “Blondie” Sitznski was a former steelworker working for Taskmaster and his Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, until she was contacted by Roxxon and hired to retrieve a mystical object known as the Serpent Crown. In order to achieve her mission, she was bioengineered by Roxxon’s Mutagenics Division. They modified her skeletal structure, lacing her skeleton with Adamantium, which enabled her to elongate her arms and legs. They also surgically implanted gills and scales in order for her to breathe underwater. She was then trained alongside three other snake-themed mercenaries — Sidewinder, Black Mamba, and Death Adder — and set out to accomplish their task.
Creation
Anaconda was created by Mark Gruenwald and first appeared in Marvel Two-in-One #64.
Major Story Arcs
Serpent Squad
While searching for the Serpent Crown, the Serpent Squad came across Stingray and the Thing. Anaconda immediately attacked the Thing, enjoying the idea of crushing the life out of a member of the Fantastic Four. However, Sidewinder ordered Anaconda and the others to seek out the Serpent Crown. After searching underwater, Anaconda eventually found the crown.
Before they were able to escape, Triton rescued the Thing and the heroes were able to trap the Serpent Squad deep underwater, though Sidewinder was able to escape and successfully complete the mission by handing the Serpent Crown over to Hugh Jones. Anaconda was able to break free of their underwater captivity with her teammates, and they decided to accept another mission contract. They were sent to steal a powerful weapon known as the micro-scanner at a zoo. However, Iron Man interfered and defeated Anaconda by electrocuting her when she elongated her arms to snap his neck. Black Mamba and Death Adder were subsequently defeated by the hero, and the trio were taken to prison.
After escaping prison, Anaconda, Black Mamba, and Death Adder sought out Sidewinder for payment from their mission with the Serpent Crown. They tracked him down to his apartment, where they awaited his arrival. When he finally showed up, the Serpent Squad prepared to attack, but Sidewinder convinced them otherwise and promised them more money than they could imagine. The trio listened to his plan, and decided to go along with him. Their first job was to travel across the United States searching for criminals selected personally by Sidewinder.
Anaconda returned home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and found Constrictor at the Shamrock Bar. She informed him of Sidewinder’s invitation, and he hesitantly agreed to make an appearance. During the meeting of the proposed Serpent Society, all but one guest had attended. Constrictor showed up late and decided to bail out of the meeting, insulting Sidewinder and the other serpents in the process. Unphased, Sidewinder continued his speech and promised the members of the Serpent Society that they would never be imprisoned again, thanks to his teleportation cloak. He split the attendees into teams of three, and Anaconda was grouped with Cobra and the Rattler. Their mission was to steal mechanisms from the now-defunct Brand Corporation, where Anaconda had received her bio-engineering. Constrictor, afraid the Serpent Society might steal some of his business, alerted the Avengers of the Serpent Society’s actions, and during their mission, the trio of snakes was ambushed by Captain America. Anaconda ordered Cobra and the Rattler to leave with the apparatus, to which they agreed and fled. Anaconda proceeded to battle Captain America, surprising him with her strength and durability. His strongest punches had no affect on Anaconda, and just as she entangled him in her arms, he was able to muster up the last of his strength to smash her in the face with his shield. She was stunned, and the blunt trauma to her head forced her into unconsciousness.
When she awoke, the police had appeared and took her into custody. Later that night, Anaconda was sprung from prison by Sidewinder, who kept his promise. Anaconda then paid a visit to Constrictor, who was drinking at a bar. She knew it had to be him who blew the whistle on their actions, so she repaid him by thrashing him to near-death. She shrugged off his electrically-charged adamantium coils, commenting that her costume is insulated. After beating him to a pulp, Anaconda tossed a quarter to Cobra, who was bothered by the sight. When the Serpent Society was hired by A.I.M. to kill their experimental creation, MODOK, Anaconda and the other serpents were able to track their target down to a nearby mall. During the battle, Anaconda was knocked unconscious with a mind-blast, leaving her teammates Death Adder and Cottonmouth to finish off MODOK before Captain America could intervene. Laying low for a few days, Anaconda and Serpent Society members Asp, Cobra, and Black Mamba sought out MODOK’s body to retrieve for A.I.M. When they made it back to A.I.M. Headquarters, Anaconda tried to reason with the mercenaries, but Asp decided to handle it herself. They collected their reward money and returned back to the Serpent Citadel.
At some point, as the Serpent Society had just started out, Anaconda and her teammates encountered Iron Man once again, and was hired by The Pride to kill the hero. Though it was their first contract, they were unable to work together as a group, and were quickly defeated. Anaconda, her teammates knocked unconscious, was the last to strike at Iron Man, but was caught in an explosion which defeated her.
Scourge of the Underworld
Having captured Princess Python after her acts of cowardice during the mission against MODOK, Sidewinder decided to mind-wipe her and return her to the Circus Of Crime. Anaconda’s close friend Death Adder volunteered to return her to her former group, so Anaconda decided to tag along. However, at the last minute, Anaconda bailed on Death Adder in favor of a wrestling tournament in Madison Square Garden. Death Adder, while on his mission to return Princess Python, was shot and killed by the Scourge. Upon discovering this, Anaconda was deeply saddened, and vowed to get revenge for her fallen friend. Alongside the Asp, Anaconda questioned the Circus of Crime, fearing Princess Python had Death Adder assassinated. However, Anaconda never discovered the Scourge had been the murderer all along.
When the Viper had her incarnation of the Serpent Squad infiltrate the Society, Anaconda decided to join Viper’s ranks with many of the other original serpents. Betraying Sidewinder, the members figured Viper would earn them more of a profit. Captain America and his allies were eventually contacted by Diamondback and came to her rescue at the Serpent Citadel. When the heroes appeared, Diamondback tried to reason with Anaconda as a friend, but Anaconda revealed she had joined Viper. During the ensuing battle, Anaconda grappled with D-Man, who was unable to harm her. Diamondback assisted D-Man by jabbing Anaconda with an acid-tipped diamond, allowing D-Man to body-slam the villainess. Viper later abandoned the group after being betrayed by Cobra, who then took over leadership of the Serpent Society himself. During one mission, several members of the Serpent Society were ambushed by a mysterious being known as Mister Jip.
New Friendships
He switched the bodies of Diamondback and Dazzler, and Diamondback took refuge with the X-Men until she got her regular body back. The X-Men and the Serpent Society then sought out various mystical items, battling each other in the process. Anaconda was pitted against Colossus, and was able to ensnare him in her tentacle-like arms. Before she could lock her grip, he broke free and knocked her unconscious. Later, Anaconda aided Diamondback on her date with Captain America, though she didn’t realize it was the star-spangled hero at the time. Along with Black Mamba and the Asp, Anaconda set out to make sure everything went smoothly. When Poundcakes created a commotion over Jackhammer hitting on her, Anaconda knocked the pair out and drove off, allowing Diamondback and Captain America some peace.
As soon as Anaconda discovered the man Diamondback was dating was the Serpent Society’s worst enemy, she turned on her former friend. She served as bailiff during Diamondback’s trial, and voted guilty by punishment of death. Diamondback escaped her sentencing with help from Asp and Black Mamba, and Anaconda was sent to her apartment to await her arrival. Around this time, Anaconda became romantically involved with Puff Adder. Together with Puff Adder and Rock Python, Anaconda battled Captain America, who had ambushed Diamondback’s apartment. He was defeated and dropped from the building, though Cobra ordered Anaconda and the others to leave immediately. Captain America survived the fall and eventually put the entire Serpent Society, aside from Anaconda, Rock Python, and Puff Adder, into prison.
Diamondback, Black Mamba, and Asp returned to Diamondback’s apartment, though they were afraid Anaconda might find them once again. Anaconda indeed did, and crashed her Serpent Saucer into Diamondback’s building, demolishing it and injuring both Black Mamba and the Asp. Anaconda grabbed all three women and flew off on the Serpent Saucer. Rock Python, annoyed by Diamondback, attempted to use his sleeping gas on her, but it accidentally hit Anaconda instead, knocking her out. MODAM then ambushed the Serpent Saucer, tossing both Rock Python and Puff Adder out and keeping only the four women. They arrived to a cruise ship, where Anaconda revealed she had been awake the entire time. She attempted to kill MODAM, but MODAM simply blasted her away, forcing her to her knees. MODAM mentioned that all four women were invited to travel on the cruise ship and earn a massive amount of cash. Anaconda decided to stick along for the ride. On the S.S. Superia, Anaconda got into an argument with Quicksand, and the two women battled. However, Quicksand was too powerful for Anaconda, and despite B.A.D. Girls Inc. cheering her on, she suffered defeat. Anaconda later attended the Pageant of Power, and attacked Captain America and the Paladin when they invaded the ship.
Femizons
Superia herself showed up, revealing her plans to the Femizons. Anaconda, curious as to why Superia hates men, raised her hand and asked her, remarking that Superia must not have been asked to the prom. After Superia was defeated by Captain America, Anaconda abandoned the Femizons and returned to the Serpent Society, although she did take time out to participate in the A.I.M. Weapons Expo among several other super-villains. Cobra decided the Serpent Society was ready to relax, and he wished to retire. Jack Flag became a candidate to earn the Cobra’s name, though he revealed he was actually working for the government. Together with Captain America, Free Spirit, and Force Works, Jack Flag was able to defeat Anaconda and the Serpent Society. Anaconda also briefly battled Mr. Hyde after he beat up Puff Adder. Anaconda later participated in the Bloodsport Tournament, a tournament in which superhumans battle to the death. Anaconda’s first opponent was Forearm of the Mutant Liberation Front. She was able to defeat and kill Forearm by snapping his neck. However, her second opponent, Puma, brutally defeated Anaconda by cutting her throat. She recovered, and returned to the Serpent Society in their latest scheme to exact revenge on Diamondback and Captain America.
Six Pack
Although she continued to work with the Serpent Society, Anaconda also worked as a mercenary for the Six Pack, hired by S.H.I.E.L.D. Their main objective was to stop Cable during his attempt to create the perfect world. They were defeated quite easily, despite Anaconda’s attempts to crush Cable’s ribs with her elongated arms. Anaconda and her teammates Domino, Constrictor, and Solo betrayed the Six Pack and decided to work for Cable, after being promised a vast amount of money. Together, they battled the X-Men. However, when Silver Surfer attacked Cable, Anaconda and the other mercenaries aided the X-Men in getting civilians to safety. In the end, Cable wished to bring happiness to all those around him. The Six Pack, reformed, were later hired to find Cable’s body. As they did, they were sucked into his mindscape into a cartoony world. Cable informed them the only way they would survive was if Deadpool came to their aid. When Cable was about to get sucked into the techno-organic virus, Anaconda grabbed him in order to save his life. Deadpool eventually came through for Cable and the Six Pack, along with the Fixer, saving everyone involved. Much later, the Six Pack returned, only replacing Constrictor with Deadpool. They were hired to tarnish Cable’s reputation by committing acts of terrorism in Rumekistan. Anaconda revealed her true love of the theatre and of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Cable then discovered the Six Pack’s actions and quickly defeated them, deporting them back to the United States.
Anaconda then appeared to have been defeated by the New Warriors. She was left tied up with a form of webbing similar to Spider-Man’s web fluid, which baffled the detectives who found her.
Secret Invasion
During Secret Invasion, Anaconda and other members of the Serpent Society hid from the Skrulls in Ohio. She was defeated by Morrow of the Nova Corps. She was then seen briefly battling the New Avengers with the rest of the Serpent Society. Anaconda was then seen playing poker in Reno, Nevada. She was accused by a woman named Desire of running an illegal underwater animal fighting ring. Deadpool later corrected her, stating that the animal ring was an Australian reality show and that the only crime Anaconda is guilty of is “being a bleach queen.”
X-Men: To Serve & Protect
Later, the Serpent Society was contracted to kill the New X-Men Rockslide and Anole. Anaconda battled both Rockslide and Anole, but panicked when she thought Anole had taken her eye out of her head with his tongue. It was then revealed that Mister Negative had hired the Serpent Society, and Cobra eventually terminated the contract, forcing the Serpent Society to flee.
Battle Scars and Imprisonment
An open contract was placed on Staff Sergeant Marcus Johnson who was wanted dead or alive because his blood was needed by Orion, the former leader of LEVIATHAN. Johnson came into conflict with other contracted enemy agents like Deadpool and Taskmaster. Johnson found himself surrounded by Anaconda and the Serpent Society during his fight with Taskmaster at a construction site. Johnson tried his best to fight back but was simply overwhelmed and finally struck down by Rattler’s tail. Cottonmouth wanted to bite off the head of Johnson until he was shot in the head by Deadpool. Anaconda punches Deadpool in the head and he retaliates by slicing off her left arm. SHIELD would arrive on the scene and place Anaconda and the rest of the Serpent Society under arrest.
Later, along with several other members of the Serpent Society, Anaconda was seen robbing a bank. She was defeated by Hope Summers, who used Puff Adder’s mutant ability to headbutt Anaconda until she was unconscious. Anaconda was once again imprisoned.
Doom Maidens
Anaconda was among several female villains to be contacted by Caroline Le Fay to join her new Doom Maidens. Anaconda agreed under unknown circumstances. When the Defenders found the Doom Maidens’ base of operations, they attacked, and Anaconda managed to entangle Elsa Bloodstone in her arms. However, Bloodstone was saved by Danielle Moonstar, who shot and incapacitated Anaconda with one of her arrows.
Serpent Solutions
When Viper took over leadership of the Serpent Society, he re-branded the organization as Serpent Solutions. Anaconda continued to work with the group, and was eventually put in conflict with the new Captain America and the new Falcon. She was defeated alongside her teammates, and presumably taken into custody.
Powers and Abilities
Anaconda has the superhuman ability to elongate her limbs and constrict her opponents. Her arms and legs are able to elongate to about one and a half times their normal length (though most artists show her greatly exceeding that length), while her muscles engorge with blood, giving the appearance of massive, snake-like limbs. Once she has entwined her limbs around a human-sized foe, there are very few human beings able to break free of her grip. She has also been surgically given gills, which allow her to breathe under water, and modified lungs for extracting oxygen from water. Due to all the bio-engineering performed on her, Anaconda has incredible recuperative abilities and she is able to heal non-fatal wounds several times faster than a normal human being.
She has superhuman strength, able to lift c. 2 tons. She is also an excellent swimmer.
Alternate Universes
Ultimate Universe
In the Ultimate Universe, Anaconda is a member of the all-female Serpent Squad. She, along with Black Mamba, Asp, Princess Python, and Death Adder, battled the Fantastic Four in order to get their Serpent Crown back. However, they were defeated and taken into custody by Project: P.E.G.A.S.U.S. She later appears with the rest of the Serpent Squad as they battled Spider-Man in attempt to once again capture the Serpent Crown. She has been shown to have the ability to elongate her arms, though it is unknown if she has superhuman strength or the ability to breathe underwater.
Earth-27537
Anaconda was a member of the Serpent Society in this world, and was very similar to her 616 counterpart. She battled Power Princess briefly.
Marvel Adventures
Anaconda appears as a member of the Serpent Society in the Marvel Adventures universe. With the other members, she briefly battles Spider-Man and holds him in her grip. As soon as the Lizard is transformed into a monstrous beast; Anaconda and the Serpents teleport away.
Other Media
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Anaconda appears as a member of the Serpent Society in the episode, “Ultron-5.” She briefly battles Thor, but escapes with King Cobra and Rattler when the Avengers get the upper hand. She appears to have the same abilities as the comic version, with elongated arms and superhuman strength (enough to lift a subway train and throw it at Thor with ease). She later appears in “Along Came a Spider…” where she and the rest of the Serpent Society freed Viper and Cobra from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s custody. During the mission, the Serpent Society encountered Spider-Man and Captain America. When the group was close to defeat, the Society fled. Later, in “Yellowjacket,” Anaconda was hunted down by Hank Pym with the rest of the serpents. She was later imprisoned by the Avengers.