Iko Akakowa (Earth-616)
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Iko Akakowa, also known as the Serpent, was a lethal agent of Imperial Japan who appeared in the Marvel Universe during World War II. Akakowa was famed for having poison glands beneath his fingernails, which he deployed in both espionage and assassination missions. Dispatched by Emperor Hirohito to eliminate Ling Toy, a Chinese-American girl with knowledge of a secret tunnel between Japan and America, Akakowa relentlessly pursued her and battled the Young Allies across continents. His abilities nearly led to the success of a Japanese invasion via the underground tunnel, but the Young Allies ultimately defeated him. Shamed by his failure, Akakowa ended his own life with a poisoned scratch as an act of ritual suicide ("soppiku"). His powers were ambiguous, possibly resulting from mutation or advanced science, and his solitary appearance solidified his role as one of the deadliest propagandist figures in wartime comics.
- Name: Iko Akakowa
- Alias: Serpent
- Universe: Earth-616 (Marvel Multiverse)
- Publisher: Timely/Marvel Comics
- First Appearance: Young Allies #7 (February 1943)
- Total Appearances: 1
