Southside Serpents

Southside Serpents

The **Southside Serpents** (often referred to as just **Serpents**) are a gang of dangerous criminals who predominantly reside on the south side of Riverdale, hence the name. They are led by FP Jones, the father of Jellybean and Jughead Jones. The serpents typically hang out at a local bar called the Whyte Wyrm.

In order for one to become a Southside Serpent, they must undergo an initiation ceremony. As tradition goes, there are four stages; First, every new member must take care of the Serpent's dog, "The Beast" otherwise known as Hot Dog. Secondly, they must memorize and recite the serpent laws in the order provided; these are rules the Southside Serpents live by. Thirdly, they must retrieve a knife from the Serpent's rattlesnake cage. Finally, the last stage, known as "the gauntlet", involves a physical demonstration of loyalty and strength, specifically, being jumped into the gang by its members, which essentially requires the initiate to endure multiple punches to all areas of the body only to rise and stand firm. Completing the final task, the initiate is congratulated by shaking the other members hands, a sign of "good sportsmanship", and granted the Serpent Jacket, now accepted as one of their own. This last stage demonstrates a sign of respect within the Serpents, as they must be willing to die for one another. Female Serpents have an alternative initiation ceremony. Byrdie claimed that if women wanted to join the "club", they'd have to do the "Serpent dance", an outdated, sexist Serpent tradition that Toni attempted to have outlawed, though misogyny prevailed.

Although the Southside Serpents are seen as dangerous criminals, Kevin Keller contradicts this; that the Serpents are just petty thieves and drug dealers.

In *Chapter Thirty-Five: Brave New World*, FP retires from being the Serpents' leader, stepping down from the throne and presenting Jughead as the new Serpent king. As his first act as king, Jughead grants Cheryl membership into the Serpents, gifting her with a custom red Serpent jacket.

Notably, the Serpents are not solely based in Riverdale and are comprised of several sets, spreading country-wide, such as the Centerville Serpents and the Toledo Serpents, led by Gladys Jones. According to Jughead, they can also be found north of the Canada–United States border.

## History

The Serpents date back as far as the 1940s, during the founding of Riverdale. The snake and the laws were all based on Uktena tradition. The Uktena is a horned serpent and/or a water serpent. Before there was a Riverdale, all the land belonged to the Uktena. Unfortunately, they were slaughtered, according to Thomas Topaz, one of the founding members of the Southside Serpents. When his grandfather was a baby, there was a raid led by Riverdale's very own General Pickens. The battle lasted all of 12 minutes, but the slaughter was total and savage. General Pickens, whose statue stands proudly in Pickens Park, was responsible for the massacre of men, women, and children. When Thomas' grandfather died, Thomas and the remaining Uktena formed the Serpents as a way to keep the family together.

At one point, prior to Jason's murder, FP became their leader after he was forced to resign from Andrews Construction. This is because he had become too much of a liability to the company due to his criminal activities.

After Polly Cooper became pregnant, Jason Blossom went to the Serpents, he needed money for him and Polly to run away together. The Serpents used him to run drugs which FP later clarified to be marijuana as a clean-cut kid like him would never be suspected. However, the last batch of drugs they had given him was never delivered, and they figured he had just run off with them until his corpse washed up at Sweetwater River.[1]

FP almost got framed for the murder of Jason due to the cops finding a gun in his trailer. It was later revealed that Cliff was the one who shot and killed his own son in cold blood and FP having to take the fall to protect his son Jughead.

The Laws of the Serpents

1. A Serpent never shows cowardice. / No Serpent stands alone.
2. If a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of.
3. *Unknown.*
4. No Serpent is left for dead.
5. A Serpent never betrays his own.
6. In unity, there is strength.

## Affiliates

* Betty Cooper (Serpent queen)
* *FP Jones* (formerly; retired)

Current Members* Sweet Pea
* Fangs Fogarty
* Archie Andrews (honorary serpent)
* *Thomas Topaz* (founding member)
* Gladys Jones (Toledo serpent)
* *Jellybean Jones* (Toledo serpent)
* Young Serpent
* Byrdie
* Slash
* Hog Eye
* Hot Dog (the Serpents' dog)

### Former Members

* Mustang †
* Alice Smith (left)
* Penny Peabody (attorney/drug supplier; kicked out of gang)
* Tall Boy † (former de-facto leader;exiled)
* Joaquin DeSantos †
* Toni Topaz (exiled)
* Cheryl Blossom (exiled)

### Former Employers

* *Hiram Lodge*
* Andrews Construction
* Clifford Blossom †

## Trivia

* In the Archie Comics, the Southside Serpents were a rival gang of Little Archie and his friends.
* Affiliates to the Southside Serpents bear the symbol of the gang tattooed on their body, usually the arm.
* The writers have discussed the possibility of Jughead "handing over the Serpents to Toni"