Antihero Analysis: Snake Symbolism and Naming Conventions

Originally published on June 18, 2026. This article explores the connection between snakes, snake symbolism, and snake imagery with antiheroes, heroes, and villains across pop culture.

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Snakes are fascinating creatures. Highly individual, with incredible personalities and abilities, they are also very misunderstood in the Animal Kingdom. Most people find snakes scary or disturbing. After all, snakes are cold, slithering things. Some are poisonous or venomous. Others swallow rodents — or, in a few instances — larger mammals like deer — whole, and then ingest them over periods ranging from weeks to months. The further an animal travels from what a human can conceptualize as cute, the less they are liked.

In modern culture, a snake can also colloquially refer to a deceptive or conniving person. A backstabber. Of course, the association stretches farther back than internet speak. Christian mythology points to snakes as the origin of sin. In the Garden of Eden, a snake tricks Eve into giving into desire and temptation, biting the apple and unleashing evil upon humanity. Good Omens further fictionalizes this event with the demon Crowley — whose snake tattoo reminds every audience remember that he’s the original bad guy, in some respects.

But like snakes themselves, Crowley’s story is a little more complicated. So are other characters who are made up with snake symbolism/imagery. So, slither on over and discover the connection between snakes and antiheroes. And then join us for a breakdown of this fascinating pop culture phenomenon.

Pop culture characters associated with snakes:

• Crowley
• Snake Plissken
• Snake Eyes
• Solid Snake
• Liquid Snake
• Orochimaru
• Jafar
• Loki
• The Man With No Name
• Indiana Jones
• Voldemort

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Characters with “snake” in their name

Names, codenames, and nicknames are a writer’s shorthand. They can easily inform audiences about character traits before the character acts or speaks. So, why name a character “Snake”? In many instances, it is to denote that this character is dangerous or duplicitous. Perhaps they have a dark side.

Antiheroes, for instance, operate in some gray moral area between “good” and “bad”. With one notable exception, our list of characters (which is not fully comprehensive or indicative of all media in the world) is all antiheroes. That is thematically relevant and quite significant.

Film

• Snake Plissken

Not only does Snake Plissken have a snake name, but he’s sporting a cobra tattoo! Escape From New York never explains Snake’s moniker. But it suits the slippery escapee and mercenary. Lean, lithe, leather-bound, and likely to flip a switch quicker than a blade, Snake embodies a real snake’s soul. Well, again, in a symbolic sense. Not all snakes are this unfriendly, after all.

Television

• Snake Eyes

In G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes’ name and appearance lends him an air of absolute mystery. This enigmatic character wears black body armor, his identity completely concealed from allies and enemies alike. Snake Eyes is even a codename. His birth name, personal life, and military service before the commando unit are all classified. Most interestingly, Snake Eyes fights against a terrorist organization called “Cobra.”

Video games

• Solid Snake and Liquid Snake

Originally called David, Solid Snake is an American soldier and spy from Metal Gear Solid. He is a “legendary hero” whose video game design and personality pay homage to Kurt Russell’s iconic role. His brother/clone Liquid Snake — or White Mamba — often felt inferior to his counterpart and tried to defeat him in combat. He was unsuccessful. However, the siblings’ dynamic can be fun to analyze from a wild perspective; territory and gene disputes are very common among animal species.

Anime

• Orochimaru

Orochimaru’s name does not, obviously, feature the English word “snake”. Instead, this Naruto character is named for Yamato no Orochi, an eight headed serpent from Japanese folklore. In the anime, Orochimaru craves immortality. He uses serpent venom and unethical experiments to achieve this, putting him in direct opposition to our ninja heroes. However, Orochimaru eventually took a more altruistic path and chose to help develop and support life, rather than manipulate it.

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Additional snake symbolism in pop culture

Jafar wields a snake staff

Disney’s Jafar is a dangerous sorcerer willing to do anything for power. Scheming and skeevy, he infiltrates the royal palace and attempts to wed Princess Jasmine without her consent. When he must resort to magical means, he utilizes a serpent-shaped staff to cast spells. Then, he turns into a giant snake to destroy what he cannot claim for himself.

Loki is associated with the serpent

From Norse mythology to Marvel comics, Loki is heavily associated with snakes. He has a cunning, forked tongue used to insult and cast illusions. A trickster and story teller, Loki vacillates between villain and unlikely ally. Ultimately, however, he is untrustworthy — and sheds his skin like a snake to best suit whichever situation he finds himself in at the moment.

The Man with No Name has a snake on his gun

The Man With No Name is a bounty hunter who prefers to fight with a revolver. That revolver features a silver snake on its grip. Like snakes, Blondie is very silent in both manner and behavior. He moves quietly, menacingly, striking out to kill only when the time is right. Clint Eastwood embodies the desert-dwelling outlaw with a gruff exterior and brooding interior — the likes of which you might find in a rattlesnake.

Indiana Jones is terrified of snakes

Indiana Jones, while sarcastic and sharp-witted, values honesty. He is a scholar who champions education and preservation of artifacts in museums. He is also terrified of snakes. Although this could just be a fun character quick for comedy’s sake, we can get deep with it. Perhaps it is what snakes represent — sneakiness and dishonesty — that scares Indy.

Voldemort speaks Parseltongue

Harry Potter employs a ton of snake imagery. House Slytherin’s crest and colors embrace the reptiles. This Hogwarts House is also full of cold-blooded, ambitious bullies. Severus Snape sounds a lot like “Snake”. Lord Voldemort, the biggest snake of them all — a dark wizard with no nose and smooth, pale skin — was once sorted into Slytherin. Additionally, the Basilisk fights for the Heir of Slytherin, and Nagini the snake is one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Talk about picking a theme and sticking with it!

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Who are your favorite characters associated with snakes? Do you think it automatically makes them evil, or is the symbolism more complex? Share your theories at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!