Ariana Saddiqi (Earth-616)

A quiet woman with the power of super speed, Black Racer first joined the fourth Serpent Squad, robbing a casino in Las Vegas with her teammates Copperhead, Puff Adder, and Fer-de-Lance. Sidewinder took note of this, and invited the Squad to join his Serpent Society.^[1]

The group accepted but were really just a ploy to get Viper into the leadership position of the Society. Black Racer was among the several members to side with Viper and betray their leader Sidewinder. She was ordered by Viper to search all the hospitals in the area for the injured former leader. Locating him in a speeding ambulance, Black Racer tried to abduct Sidewinder but was defeated by the neophyte heroine Vagabond, who had been assigned to guard him. After Viper abandoned the group, Black Racer continued to serve with the Society under the leadership of Cobra.^[2]

Black Racer also participated in a race between various superheroes and villains who all possessed the power of super speed, organized by the Elder of the Universe known as the Runner. She was, however, outpaced quite early in the race.^[3]

Black Racer disappeared for quite some time, only resurfacing recently alongside the rest of the Serpent Society as they sought to exact their revenge on Diamondback, a former teammate whom they believed had betrayed them.^[4]

Black Racer was not seen for many years, but returned with the Serpent Society when they captured Captain America.^[5]

Black Racer later appeared as a member of Viper's Serpent Society under its new name of Serpent Solutions. She assisted Cottonmouth and Copperhead in attacking Diamondback. When the new Captain America fought them to help Diamondback, he learned too late that Diamondback had joined up with Serpent Solutions where she knocks him out and brings him to Serpent Solution's base. After Captain America managed to escape, Black Racer joined the group in attacking him and the new Falcon. She and the other serpents were eventually defeated and taken into custody.^[6]

Alongside Anaconda, Asp, Black Mamba, Princess Python, and Fer-de-Lance, Black Racer burst from a giant cake during the Thing's bachelor party. The female members of Serpent Solutions battled the superheroes in attendance, but were eventually defeated and taken into custody.^[7]

Hunted[]

Black Racer was among several animal-themed super-villains captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant to serve as hunting targets in Central Park for a host of wealthy participants controlling robotic drones, part of a plot concocted by Kraven the Hunter and Arcade.^[8] When the force field keeping the criminals inside Central Park dissipated, several superheroes ambushed and apprehended Black Racer and the other escaped villains.^[9]

• Superhuman Speed: Black Racer can run at high speeds, but the terminal velocity that she can reach is not known.^[10]

• Black Racer, like Puff Adder have some confusion as to what her ethnicity is, sometimes depicted as Caucasian, others as African-American. Meanwhile, her full name suggests a Middle Eastern descent.

Recommended Readings[]

• Captain America #337-338, 341-342, 365, 367, 379-382
• Captain America v.2 #30-31
• Quasar #17
• Uncanny X-Men Annual #13