History Main / SnakesAreSinister

* ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' has General Serpentine, Lord Brevon's TriggerHappy [[TheDragon top general]] and a literal SmugSnake who constantly appears to give Lilac and co. hard time. Of the lesser variety, Hunter Snake is a giant snake-like robot who appears as the first boss fight in the game, and Chomper Snake is a monstrous mutant resembling [[MixAndMatchCritters a mix]] of a snake, an anglerfish and an eel, and it serves as the first stage boss in Milla's story.

* The snake is associated with the deadly sin of [[GreenEyedMonster {{Envy}}]] and its patron demon Leviathan is usually depicted as a giant serpentine sea monster. Leviathan in general is an example of this, even before the concept of the SevenDeadlySins came about.

* The snake is associated with the deadly sin of {{Envy}} and its patron demon Leviathan is usually depicted as a giant serpentine sea monster. Leviathan in general is an example of this, even before the concept of the SevenDeadlySins came about.

* ''VideoGame/JimmyAndThePulsatingMass'' features a giant snake as the OptionalBoss of a SurpriseCreepy level.

* ''Art/TheSin'': Considering it is the snake that first tempted Eve in Genesis, the snake is ObviouslyEvil in design.

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* Considering it is the snake that first tempted Eve in Genesis, the snake in ''Art/TheSin'' is ObviouslyEvil in design.

* ''Series/Charmed1998'': "That Old Black Magic" featured the evil witch Tuatha, who had a snake for a familiar. The snake could be summoned at will, sent for recon, and regenerated into two separate snakes when cut in half. There was also a spirit who protected an Egyptian urn that could summon animals to kill those who'd stolen it; one of those animals was a cobra. In "Animal Pragmatism" three college girls use a spell to turn a snake, a rabbit and a pig into human men. The "Snake" wants to stay human and is willing to kill people to achieve that goal.

* An early episode of ''Series/Charmed1998'' featured the evil witch Tiawatha, who had a snake for a familiar. The snake could be summoned at will, sent for recon, and regenerated into two separate snakes when cut in half. There was also a spirit who protected an Egyptian urn that could summon animals to kill those who'd stolen it; one of those animals was a cobra.

* ''VideoGame/JimmyAndThePulsatingMass'' features a giant snake as the BonusBoss of a SurpriseCreepy level.

* ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'' has a lot of snake-based deities and most of them come in different flavors; Nu Wa is a benevolent [[SnakePeople goddess with snake lower body]], Kukulkan is serpentine and can look like a callous jackass but actually works on BlueAndOrangeMorality and is usually just being CreepyGood, {{Medusa}} also has snake lower body but as the myth goes, she's a malevolent monster. Additionally, there's the aforementioned Apep/Apophis, while he's not shown with a lot of personality by the virtue of being a BonusBoss, everything that has been said about the Snake of Chaos are all true in this game. And then there's Jormungandr, who's a towering piece of malevolence who is eager to bring down [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Ragnarok]] to the realm.

** On one hand, we have Ushari the Egyptian cobra. While starting off as a rather normal albeit irritable snake, he ends up becoming one of the chief villains in Season 2 where he helps Janja in bringing back [[spoiler:Scar]], in a plot to get even with the Lion Guard and take over the Pride Lands, and then serves as [[spoiler:Scar]]'s second-in-command. Season 3 escalates this by revealing that [[spoiler:not only did Scar get his scar from a random cobra, but that cobra venom can remove your morals]]. So yes, cobras are pretty much the physical source of immorality in the Lion King verse.
** By contrast, African rock pythons are not shown as more menacing than the other predators in the show and have been the one large predatory reptile to never cause trouble, inverting the trope. However, this is invoked in "Baboons!" where Baby Baboon gets scared by a python on a branch, although the snake doesn't make an attempt to attack him. Apparently, only ''venomous'' snakes are sinister.

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* An interesting case was Kaa in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jungle Book|1967}}'', a python who, in the movie, tries to prey on Mowgli. A clear case of AdaptationalVillainy (Kaa was Mowgli's friend, though a [[CreepyGood rather frightening one]], in the book version) he was made a villain here ''because'' of this Trope. As in, Disney didn't think audiences would accept a benevolent snake character. However, this is downplayed with his younger self in ''WesternAnimation/JungleCubs''.

* Played with regarding Mr. Snake in ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys''. Just like his colleagues, he embraces the criminal lifestyle and negative stereotypes associated with his species because the world saw nothing else in a "scary, good for nothing, ''monster''" like him. [[spoiler:However, his morality is tested when his friends attempt to break free from their old stereotypes while he doubles down on it, even pulling a [[FaceHeelTurn Judas]] by working for the BigBad. Though he turns out to be a DoubleAgent as he foils the true villain's masterplan and assures his friendship with the others.]]

** Similarly, both [[SnakeCharmer Cobra Cadabra]] and Pit Boss both are serpents, but are ultimately heroic and work to defend Skylands.

People tend to fear snakes more than other crawling creatures. This is not an ordinary phobia, but an instinctive PrimalFear. Other mammals besides humans share it. Several hypotheses have been put forth, with the most popular thus far being as a defense strategy against venomous snakes: animals that are hard to spot and whose warnings can easily be missed. Snakes in general also embody [[UncannyValley qualities that most social primates dislike]], like unblinking eyes and "unnatural" legless movements. [[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221325.1963.10532516?journalCode=vgnt20 Do note that studies on monkeys show this phobia to be something of a learned behaviour]]. Many mythologies also tend to associate snakes with water and [[DarkIsEvil darkness]] (not inaccurately due to many species being aquatic), so they are easy to symbolically digest as a "degenerate" form of life opposite to humanity.

* ''Webcomic/{{Erma}}'': [[StringyHairedGhostGirl Erma]]'s maternal aunt Rin is a nure-onna, a yokai of a woman with a snake's body. Once introduced, she proves to be a JerkAss who [[FantasticRacism instantly dislikes]] Erma and her human father, [[NiceGuy Sam]], and only steps off when [[MamaBear Emi]][[ViolentlyProtectiveWife ko]] steps in and not-so-subtly threatens her. We do learn more about Rin though. [[spoiler: Over time, we do learn that she [[UsedToBeASweetKid was nicer]] back when she was younger. Additionally, her disdain for humans came from a combination of [[FreudianExcuse being scarred by one due to being mistaken for a water snake and the indoctrination by her father.]] She ends up [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone questioning her behavior when she realizes she's hated humanity for so long she doesn't remember why]] outside of her dad's teachings. She becomes [[TookALevelInKindess much friendlier]] to Erma and Sam while making amends with Emiko.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/GodzillaTheSeries'': The [[Characters/GodzillaTheSeries DNA Mimic]] uses the form of an anaconda to nearly kill Monique and absorb her DNA. After merging with its mate, its anaconda form is large enough to battle Godzilla.

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* Xenophobic ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'' villain Sir Edmund Dorrance invokes the evil snake concept through his large snake tattoo and using "King Snake" as his code name.

* Franchise/WonderWoman

* A ColdWar-era Royal Air Force InstructionalFilm, narrated by an animated cartoon snake with a faux Russian accent, warned of the dangers of HISS ([[FunWithAcronyms Hostile Intelligence ServiceS]]).