Cottonmouth first appeared in Power Man #19 (March 1974), created by writer Len Wein and artist George Tuska. He was introduced as one of New York City’s leading drug lords, who controlled most of the heroin trade in the city. He had a distinctive appearance, with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth that could tear through flesh. He also had super strength that matched Luke Cage’s, making him a formidable foe.

After sending him a package of deadly snakes as a twisted invitation, Cottonmouth tried to recruit Cage into his organization. Cage accepted as a ploy to bring Cottonmouth to justice but failed to find evidence to prevent his name from being framed by Willis Stryker, aka Diamondback. Cage eventually betrayed Cottonmouth to the police, which led to the death of Cottonmouth’s assistant, Mr. Slick, who had a photographic memory and knew all of Cottonmouth’s business dealings. Cottonmouth was incarcerated but would later escape and return to his criminal activities.

Cottonmouth joined Nightshade’s gang, The Rivals, along with other snake-themed villains like Black Mamba and Bushmaster. He was given a section of the city to run his business but was attacked by Daredevil and a group of Hand ninjas. He also clashed with Cage again, who broke his teeth. Cottonmouth replaced his teeth with surgical steel coated with 18-karat gold, making them even more deadly.

Cottonmouth was also involved in the Spider-Island event, where he tried to leave Manhattan with Nightshade and the Flashmob but was stopped by the Heroes for Hire. He later joined forces with Black Cat to take over Tombstone’s territory in Harlem but was defeated by Iron Fist and Luke Cage.

Cottonmouth has appeared in other media besides comics. He was featured in the animated series Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced by Tetsu Inada. Mahershala Ali also portrayed him in the first season of the Netflix series Luke Cage, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this version, he was a nightclub owner and crime lord related to Mariah Dillard, a corrupt politician. He had a history with Luke Cage and Pop, who were his childhood friends. He was also interested in music and art and did not have superpowers or metal teeth. He was killed by Mariah halfway through the season.