Snakeman Archenemy: Tecuani (Patreon)

Alright folks! Time to officially and formally introduce some of Snakeman's Rogues Gallery! Let's start with his avatar opposite, Tecuani the Jaguarman!

ORIGIN

The second avatar created by the Aztec gods of creation, the Jagaurman, or “Tecuani” as he preferred to be called, was brought into existence by the jaguar god Tezacatlipoca, who’s domain carried over war, bloodshed and the night sky. Charged alongside the Snakeman in protecting the world from the return of Cipactli, Tecuani firmly believed that only a god could truly destroy a powerful, primordial creature like Cipactli. And fearing the day when the Aztec gods would forever die out, Tecuani’s method of keeping Cipactli at pay was approached with a more barbaric means- sacrificial blood rituals. Choosing to spend his eternity since the fall of the Aztec empire performing sacrifices of bloody rituals to satisfy Cipactli and keep her at bay, Tecuani’s methods continuously brought him into conflict with the Snakeman.

When the last of the Aztec gods fell, Tecuani could sense the return of Cipactli growing stronger, and knew his rituals would no longer be sufficient to appease the monster. To keep Cipactli at bay, more blood had to be spilled, and so he has taken on his role as his chosen deity’s avatar to spread conflict and induce bloodshed across the Central Americas to sustain the barriers that keep Cipactli trapped; in doing so created a cult following of modern jaguar warriors to aid him in Tezacatlipoca’s name. Realizing Tecuani’s methods would only bring more harm than good if not stopped, it fell on the Snakeman to put an end to his brother’s interferences with the locals, even if it meant, unfortunately, putting an end to Tecuani.

Powers/Abilities:

Tezacatlipoca jaguar physiology grants Tecuani numerous abilities such as:

Superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability and healing that rivals Snakeman’s.

Superhuman senses and tracking

Camouflaging abilities

Razor sharp claws capable of ripping flesh from Bone.

In addition to his avatar powers, Tecuani weilds Tezacatlipoca’s magical obsidian mirror, a magical artifact of create power that enhances his shamanistic abilities and control over the night, hurricane winds, and more.

Leads a cult of Jaguar warriors in creating conflict and bloodshed to appease Cipactli.

Don't know about you guys, but I'm super excited to finally introduce some of the villains we have planned for our jungle superhero! When I first conceived the idea of Snakeman being tied to mesoamerican mythology, I knew I wanted to create an evil opposite against him who was the avatar of the second biggest Aztec god, Tezacatlipoca. It just made sense to, kinda like Killmonger to Black Panther. Given the a couple of Teza's roles are being a god of war and bloodshed, this offered me a chance to play with the history of sacrifices in Aztec mythology. But here Tecuani is doing it to as he feels its the only way to really keep Cipactli at bay, so he's pretty stuck in the old ways of the world where as Snakeman is slowly learn to accept and embrace that world has changed.

Designing Tecuani was a little difficult, but I think TonyTempest did an amazing job. I knew that the jumping point had to be Snakeman's own design as it set the president for an aztec avatar already. The trick was finding the right way of transforming Snakeman's snake-themed design into a jaguar theme. The head piece we designed off many Aztec artworks of leopard warriors of history.

Hope you guys like this first new Snakeman villain! Let us know with a comment below!

Snakeman: Desperado of the Jungle © NRG Comics

Design by TonyTempest

Art by Danilo Cassonato