Cottonmouth (Cornell Cottonmouth)
| Cottonmouth | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Power Man Vol. 1, #19 (June 1974) |
| Created by |
Len Wein (writer) George Tuska (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Cornell Stokes |
| Species | Human |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Team affiliations | The Rivals Flashmob Pride |
| Notable aliases | Cornell Cottonmouth |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength Sharp teeth Good knowledge of different poisons |
Cottonmouth is a fictional villain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist George Tuska, the character first appeared in Power Man #18 (June 1974).
The character is portrayed by Mahershala Ali in Netflix's Luke Cage, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Cornell Cottonmouth first appeared in Power Man #18 (June 1974) in a story written by Len Wein and drawn by George Tuska. Cornell Cottonmouth, or just Cottonmouth, started out as a drug kingpin in New York City, involved in the events that led to Luke Cage gaining super powers becoming "Power Man". Cottonmouth tried to recruit Cage to his organization, but ultimately Cage knocked Cottonmouth out and turned him over to police. During the "Shadowland" storyline Cottonmouth returned as part of Nightshade's gang Flashmob where they come into conflict with Daredevil as well as a new Power Man, who, like his predecessor, knocked Cottonmouth out and turned him over to police.
Not much is known about Cottonmouth's history except that he has established himself as a drug lord in New York. When Willis Stryker wanted to frame Carl Lucas, he stole a shipment of heroin from Cottonmouth's organization.
Upon changing his name to Luke Cage, Carl decided to track down the drugs that were used to frame him. Cage used a number of informants in his search. The informant Flea was successful in his search yet his investigations were discovered. Before dying from the poisons inflicted on him by Cottonmouth's men, Flea managed to inform Cage of his discovery. Upon learning who sent Flea to infiltrate his organization, Cottonmouth got the idea of recruiting Cage to his organization. He sent his trademark of snakes to Luke's office "to show him that he means business." Cottonmouth then sent his henchmen Mike and Ike to make an offer to Luke. Luke managed to take out the snakes and defeat Mike and Ike. Mike ended up snitching to where Cottonmouth was located. Luke agreed to join Cottonmouth's organization (to learn where his records were kept). Cottonmouth then began to test Cage's loyalty by sending him to steal a shipment of heroin from the rival crimeboss Morgan. Luke succeeded in that. Cage earned Cottonmouth's trust and began working for him until Cottonmouth caught Cage attempting to steal his records. Cottonmouth attacked Luke and was assisted by his henchman Slick. Cage then knocked Cottonmouth into Slick who fell out the window to his death. When Cottonmouth stated that the supposed records were in Slick's mind, Luke slammed Cottonmouth into an oak desk where Cottonmouth fell unconscious and then called the police to come pick up Cottonmouth.
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