Naga

Naga is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Naga was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Marie Severin and first appeared in Sub-Mariner #9 (January 1969). Fictional character biography Naga was a member of the water breathing humanoid race Homo mermanus which settled in Lemuria centuries after the continent was submerged during the Great Cataclysm. Approximately 600 years ago, Naga was the ruler of Lemuria when the Serpent Crown was discovered among the ruins of the old human built cities in the kingdom. Upon donning the helmet, Naga came under the influence of Set, a malevolent serpent god who was exiled in another dimension, but could use the Crown as a means to exert its malign influence on Earth. Naga's physical appearance was changed from exposure to the crown; his facial features came to resemble those of a snake, and his skin became scale-like and green. As the Emperor, he converted the Lemurian people to the worship of Set, and he, satisfied with Naga, explained him how to grease the crown with some fish oils to stop his aging - however, this effect could not last if the Crown was not on Naga's head, allowing him to rule over his people for centuries. With time, even Naga's subjects, the Lemurians, began to share this features. Naga's use of the crown eventually came to an end hundreds of years later, when the rebel group Piscastos stole it from him as he slept. Without the Crown, Naga began to grow old. He formed a group of warriors, The Searchers, and sent them after the Crown, but they failed for decades. In more recent times, a half-Lemurian mutant called Llyra came to prominence in Lemuria, eventually becoming the high priestess of Set. Attempting to attain even more power for herself, Llyra manipulated the by now senile and possibly insane Naga into arranging her marriage to his oldest surviving son, Merro, wanting to became empress of Lemuria herself.