Ancient beings of great power, the Elder Gods, came into being in Earth’s infancy— Gaea, Chthon, and Set. More beings of magic and power were begotten, but Set craved the power that could only come from death and destruction. He killed Equus, thus performing Earth’s first murder, and the energy he absorbed flushed him with power. Other ancient beings imitated his actions, and a vicious power struggle erupted. Gaea created the Atum the God-Eater in order to stem the chaos, and his battle with Set was the most fierce. During the battle, Atum would attempt to cut off Set’s head, only to have two grow back in its place. By the end of the battle, Set had grown seven heads. Ultimately, however, Set and his followers were banished to another dimension.

This wouldn’t stop Set from trying to influence events on Earth. He set himself up as a patron deity over the dinosaurs, until Gaea was forced to declare them an evolutionary dead end and allow events to effect their extinction. In a last-ditch effort, Set managed to manifest himself on Earth through a gestalt of dinosaur hosts, only to be defeated by Atum the God-Eater once more.

Millennia past, and Set turned his favor on the Serpent Men, a race of reptilian humanoids. Worshippers of Set, the Serpent Men held a vast empire during the Pre-Cataclysmic Age until humans rose up in revolt. In these barbarian times, the Serpent Men were an enemy to all, especially King Kull. A remnant of Serpent Men survived for countless years, even after the Great Cataclysm, into the Hyborian Age. Other races took up the worship of Set, most notably the people of Stygia, constant enemies to various barbarian tribes and the champion, Conan. Worship of Set continued into the earliest of historical times, although the god Seth usurped his influence in Ancient Egypt, claiming it as his own.

Set is best known for his association with a powerful artifact known as the Serpent Crown. Nearly 20,000 years ago, the Serpent Men allied with the Lemurians, an ancient culture that warred with the underground Deviants. The Serpent Crown was mystically forged with Set’s essence, a link to his very mind, so that whoever would wear it could command vast mystical power. However, the Deviants began to worship Set themselves, and thus the Crown was powerless against them. About this time, the Deviants launched an attack on the second host of the Celestials, resulting in the Great Cataclysm that sunk Lemuria and Atlantis beneath the ocean. There it lay until 2,000 years ago, the Crown was recovered by the Lemurian priest Naga. The race mutated due to their devotion to Set, becoming green and scaly, snake-like in appearance. However, a group of Lemurians known as the Ancients stole the crown, intending to hide it away. It remained buried for years, until a 1920 Antarctic expedition led by Paul Destine happened to uncover it, becoming the villain Destiny.

Upon Destiny’s death, the Crown was returned by his archenemy, Namor the Sub-Mariner, to Atlantis. Once there, Set managed to influenced various villains through their possession of the Serpent Crown. This included Dorma, Ikthon, and again Naga. Eventually, the Crown was recovered by a Roxxon Oil executive, but was lost in a conflict with Captain America. Other victims of a Serpent Crown from the Squadron Supreme’s dimension include the Serpent Cartel and the Living Laser.

Roxxon Oil’s Hugh Jones recovered both versions of the Serpent Crown, uniting them into one, more powerful object. The Thing teamed up with Stingray and the Scarlet Witch to confront Jones, and the Witch battled Set directly via the astral plane. Ultimately, it was the Thing who won over, taking the crown off Jones’ head. He returned it to Project:PEGASUS, but Set’s influence steadily grew. Soon, he dominated the minds of everyone at the Project, including Quasar, its head of security. Set used his influence to have the scientists retrieve various Serpent Crowns from alternate dimensions, 777 in total, and begin combining them into one huge all-powerful version. The Thing returned with Doctor Strange and allies, finally using a Cosmic Cube from the Project to shatter the Crown. Set’s connection with Earth was believed severed for all time.

Set eventually managed to make contact with the Deviant priest Ghaur, who became determined to summon Set to Earth. He allied with Llyra of the Lemurians to send agents of the Serpent Society to collect objects of power that would aid his ritual, and they also arranged to kidnap the “Seven Brides of Set,” seven women of great power that would be needed for the summoning. One of the brides, the Scarlet Witch, was used to bring a portion of Set’s essence bodily to Earth. Various heroes assembled to stop the Elder God’s plot, and the Thing, Doctor Strange, Quasar, and Thor flew into one of Set’s mouths to enter his dimension instead, drawing Set back into himself.

While his allies battled on, Thor escaped to try to find Gaea for help, only to lead her into Set’s trap. Thor turned to Atum the God-Eater, provoking him until he turned into the Demogorge. Thor managed to subvert the Demogorge’s powers, using them to face Set. During the battle, Thor/Demogorge severed each of Set’s seven heads, casting each one into a separate part of the multiverse. With Set’s defeat, Gaea was set free and Set’s pocket dimension was destroyed.