Hydra (comics)

Hydra
Hydra agents
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Strange Tales #135 (Aug/ 1965)
Created by	Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Base(s)	Various
Owner(s)	Currently: Viper Formerly: Baron Strucker Red Skull
Employee(s)	Current members: Gorgon Baron Helmut Zemo[1] Former Members: Hardball Kingpin Silvermane Werner von Strucker Bob, Agent of Hydra

Hydra is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The name "Hydra" is a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra.^[2] The organization's motto references the myth of the Hydra, stating that "if a head is cut off, two more will take its place", proclaiming their resilience and growing strength in the face of resistance. Hydra agents often wear distinctive green garb featuring a serpent motif.

Publication history

Hydra first appeared in Strange Tales #135 (August 1965). In its original continuity, it was headed by nondescript businessman Arnold Brown, who was killed as S.H.I.E.L.D. apparently crushed the organization. Hydra soon returned, however, headed by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, with the support of the Nazi Red Skull; Hydra's changing origin was one of Marvel's earliest retcons. After its initial defeat, several of its branches, such as its scientific branch A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) and the Secret Empire, became independent.

Crypt of Shadows #3, published in 1973, reprinted a story from Menace #10 (1954), but with a change to a line of dialogue that erroneously implied that Hydra was first mentioned in the 1954 issue. In the reprint, an agent of an unspecified enemy government was changed to identify himself as working for Hydra when he paid off a scientist named Dr. Nostrum for information about a cobalt bomb that turned people into monsters. Dr. Nostrum shot all the other scientists on his team after they were turned into monsters, then shot himself after his son put an image from a monster magazine on his mirror.

Organization

"Hail, Hydra! Immortal Hydra! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off a limb, and two more shall take its place! We serve none but the Master—as the world shall soon serve us! Hail Hydra!"

—The Hydra Oath from Strange Tales #135 (Aug. 1965)

Before the evolution of mankind, a cabal of immortal hooded reptoids came to Earth, planning to start a legacy of evil.^[3] Millions of years later, they corrupted an Asian secret society of geniuses known as the Brotherhood of the Spear, which resulted in that group being called "the Beast" by the Brotherhood of the Shield.^[4] The corrupted Brotherhood of the Spear spread out, ingraining itself like a multi-headed serpent into all facets of human society, from science to magic and politics. As time wore on, the organization's name changed and it included the Cathari sect as well as the Thule Society.^[5] The Nazi sub group, funded by the Thule Society, was brought into the main Hydra fold after the end of World War II.^[6]

One of the Nazi members, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, quickly seized control of the Hydra organization and restructured it to be dedicated to world domination through terrorist and subversive activities on various fronts, resulting in a neo-fascist New World Order. To this end, Baron Strucker used his personal fortune, based on his recovered hoard of Nazi plunder from World War II, and funds established by the original leaders of the Japanese secret society that became part of the old Hydra.^[6] However, after Strucker's first death, Hydra broke into factions (such as AIM, Secret Empire, Them, etc.) that each adopted its own reorganized modus operandi.^[6] Eventually, this fragmentation would lead to a Hydra civil war, even after Strucker's resurrection.

According to the files discovered by Nick Fury, Hydra is split into four independent sectors: International Corporations (fronts created using a legitimate business to conceal illicit activities), Government Assets (Individuals within the chain of command. Long-term resources that benefit from the minimal turnover inherent in bureaucracies), Global Criminal Groups (Subsidiary organizations created for short-term goals. Also used to deflect unwanted interest from the global law enforcement community), and Intelligence Gathering (S.H.I.E.L.D. and all their underlying resources)^[6] Hydra regards S.H.I.E.L.D. as their "most valuable proactive intelligence asset" while its Government Assets include the US Department of Treasury, FBI, and NSA as well as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the GRU and SVR of Russia.^[6]

Nick Fury theorized that his previous successes against Hydra were either feints to make him believe that he was making headway against the group or manipulation by Hydra to eliminate any possible competition or possible rogue sub-organizations.^[7]

In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion and Baron Strucker's second death, there followed a series of power struggles which eventually left Hydra without a formal leader.^[8] The splintering of Hydra accelerated, with various cells operating seemingly independently.^[9][10][11] Eventually, the Red Skull, returning to his Nazi beliefs, started building a new Hydra from the ground up. However, this brought him into conflict with Baron Zemo, who was trying to control what was left of the old Hydra.^[12][13]

The Red Skull convinced his now aware Cosmic Cube, Kobik, to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D. in creating Pleasant Hill and discovered that Kobik could alter people's memories to make them believe they had been members of the Hydra of which the Red Skull had told them stories.^[14] However, the Red Skull failed to realize that the Hydra he was building and the Hydra Kobik had created false memories of were two different things, with the now Hydra Captain America disobeying the Red Skull and planning something.^[13]

Technology

Hydra's level of technology is as highly advanced as that of any on Earth, based in part on technology of the alien Gnobians discovered by Baron von Strucker in 1944. Hydra uses various advanced experimental vehicles and devices in its activities, and various conventional military vehicles, seacraft, aircraft, pistols and standard concussive force blasters, and conventional communications equipment.

Hydra personnel are issued cowled jumpsuits, which have included a number of designs over the years. Originally, the jumpsuits were green with a yellow H design, and later incorporated a red and brown color scheme, but in time were changed back to green with a serpent motif.

Fictional organization history

Hydra's history as depicted in Marvel Universe continuity is a long, tumultuous and convoluted one, spanning millennia ago to the Third Dynasty of Egypt, with all references to the ancient group disappearing around the Renaissance.^[6] Surviving fugitive members of the governments of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan (including the The Hand) are recruited to become the modern incarnation of Hydra.^[6]

A cabal of Japanese ultranationalists planned to use Hydra to overthrow the Japanese liberal democratic government, assassinate the prime minister, and install a neo-militarist government, which would re-arm Japan. However, after joining Hydra, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker seizes control of the organization and constructs the Hydra base Tsunami - called Hydra Island.^[6] The original Hydra Island was invaded by the Leatherneck Raiders and the Japanese Samurai Squad, and the base was destroyed.^[15] Strucker slowly steered the organization towards the goal of world domination. That campaign brought him into conflict with Charles Xavier and the future Magneto among others, and once Hydra became more brazenly public in its operations, eventually led to the creation of the original agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. specifically to counter Hydra's threat to world security. After Hydra apparently assassinated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first executive director, Nick Fury was appointed as executive director. Hydra agents attempted to assassinate Nick Fury before his appointment as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director, but failed.^[16]

This decision, after several Hydra campaigns including the failure of the world blackmail attempt using the Betatron Bomb, the creation of the Overkill Horn (designed to detonate all nuclear explosives worldwide), and the bio-engineered "Death-Spore" Bomb, led directly to von Strucker's first death at the hands of Fury and several deceived Hydra operatives. In the wake of von Strucker's first death, the surviving elements of Hydra broke into factions that each adopted its own reorganized modus operandi. Several of these factions developed "super-agents" that would occasionally break away in turn to become freelance operatives, or, in some rarer cases, superheroes such as the first Spider-Woman. During this era, their collective threat was mitigated by not only occasionally fighting among themselves, but their operating policy of punishing failure with death often meant they were killing each other more often than their intended victims after their frequent defeats by SHIELD, superheroes and even civilians like the motorcycle racing team, Team America. Von Strucker was eventually revived and reunited several of the Hydra factions under his leadership to renew his campaign against S.H.I.E.L.D. and humanity for several more years.

Despite his reorganization of the group, various independent Hydra factions continue to operate around the Marvel Universe, and a Hydra Civil War would later result. While Baron Helmut Zemo had Strucker placed in stasis for his own ends, Gorgon and Strucker's second wife Elsbeth von Strucker mystically created a clone of Strucker who they set up to fail, allowing for a public execution of him, after which—as part of an alliance with The Hand, they utilized an army of brainwashed superheroes and supervillains, including Northstar and Elektra to launch a massive assault on S.H.I.E.L.D. The assault was ultimately repelled and Wolverine would kill Gorgon.

Hydra later planned an all-out attack on the United States by smuggling missiles into New York for use in a planned bio-weapon assault on the Ogallala Aquifer. They formed a distraction through using a team that had the duplicated powers of several Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America and former Avengers Thor and Hawkeye) but were inevitably foiled by Spider-Man and the other New Avengers.

When Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. during the events of Civil War, Hydra stormed the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and freed her. Spider-Woman, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and member of the Avengers, had been working for Hydra under the orders of Nick Fury, deposed as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. following the events of Secret War, whom she was still loyal to. Hydra revealed that they knew of her betrayal and wanted her to replace Viper as their current leader, for she was unstable. Spider-Woman refused their offer, destroying the Hydra base she had been taken to in an explosion.

As Spider-Woman revealed her true identity as Queen Veranke of the Skrull Empire, Hydra was left with a void in his control organization, filled by Congressman Woodman. Under his rule the young Hardball, empowered by the Power Broker is appointed as a double agent, acting both as an Initiative recruit and as a Hydra spy with the role of gathering information about the Initiative and doing errands for Hydra in exchange of secrecy and the expensive health care needed by his brother, a former UCWF wrestler who was crippled on the ring.

Hardball however, deeply hurt and shamed by the compromises Woodman forces him to endure, and Komodo's attempt to bail him out of Hydra by telling his secrets to his field leader Gravity, mercilessly kills Congressman Woodman in front of his subordinates. His ersatz coup d'état pays off, and Hardball is appointed as the new Supreme Leader of the organization, severing every tie with his former life.^[17] His joining Hydra however, was revealed to simply be caused by his having nowhere else to go. He surrenders to the Shadow Initiative, and is sent to the Negative Zone prison, destroying his Hydra cell.^[18]

After the events of Secret Invasion, Nick Fury discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. was under the control of Hydra, and apparently had been from the beginning. He also discovers a number of organizations under Hydra's alleged control including the United States' FBI Science and Technology Branch, NSA and US Department of Treasury, as well as the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate and Foreign Intelligence Service and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.^[6]

Meanwhile, after having to destroy Hydra's undersea headquarters, Ichor - it had been infiltrated by the Skrull invasion force - Von Strucker decides to rebuild Hydra from the ground up, and after learning that Fury has learned the truth, reconvenes the other main heads of Hydra: Viper, Madame Hydra, Kraken, and The Hive; as well as resurrecting The Gorgon for the purpose of showing Hydra's "True self" to the world.^[7]

Hydra (alongside A.I.M.) later appears in an alliance with H.A.M.M.E.R..^[19] Following the defeat of Norman Osborn, H.A.M.M.E.R. ends up disbanding with Madame Hydra using the remaining members to reinforce Hydra.^[20]

After the existence of Pleasant Hill - a community where Maria Hill kept various supervillains after brainwashing them to believe they were regular civilians via a sentient Cosmic Cube - was exposed and shut down, Red Skull's clone used the subsequent backlash in the intelligence community to assemble a new version of Hydra starting with Sin and Crossbones.^[21] Although his efforts are still focused on rebuilding the organization, he has already scored a significant victory after the sentient Cosmic Cube - having been 'raised' by the Red Skull to see Hydra as a great organization - alters Steve Rogers' memories so that he believes he has been a Hydra sleeper agent since childhood.^[14]

Membership

Other versions

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel version of Hydra can be also be seen.

At the time when Spider-Man was presumed dead following the events of the Ultimatum storyline, J. Jonah Jameson recalled the time when Spider-Man saved Tony Stark from an attack by Hydra.^[22]

In more recent Ultimate titles, Hydra has been described as an "anti-government" organization (though their political philosophy is left deliberately vague). Modi (Thor's son) is seen in allegiance with them, and acquiring weapons from Project Pegasus, including Modi using the Mind Gem on Director Flumm (to attempt to kill the U.S. President), and Giant-Woman attacking Spider-Man (until stopped by his venom-strike).^[23] They are defeated by both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Ultimates although some members escaped.^[24]

Nick Fury later masqueraded as Scorpio and infiltrated Hydra and came across Abigail Brand, a Hydra soldier who captures and brings Fury to Commander Crimson. Commander Crimson later sends Brand to the Death's Head Camp along with Fury until rescued. S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Monica Chang grants Fury permission to re-form the Howling Commandos to stop Hydra.^[25]

Exiles

Another alternate version of Hydra appears throughout Exiles #91-94, where they are well underway with their plan to take over the world. This version is being led by Madame Hydra (Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman in the regular Marvel universe) and her lover, Wolverine. Various other superhumans, including Captain America (now Captain Hydra) and Slaymaster, are agents of Hydra in this world.^[26]

Amalgam Comics

Another version of Hydra has appeared in Amalgam Comics. They are very similar to the normal Hydra and wear the same green and yellow outfits, but with black eyes not red. They first appear in Super-Soldier #1 and are led by Lex Luthor (later known as Green Skull).

In other media

Television

• In The Incredible Hulk episode "Enter: She-Hulk", Hulk and She-Hulk battle Hydra's forces. The Supreme Hydra featured was Steve Perry.
• Hydra appeared in X-Men: Evolution. In the episodes "X-23" and "Target X", they were behind the creation of X-23 from Wolverine's DNA, and Viper appears to be the Supreme Hydra while Omega Red and Gauntlet are shown as mercenaries working for Hydra.
• Hydra appears as a recurring foe in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. First appearing in the episode "Meet Captain America" as a branch of Nazi Germany under Baron Heinrich Zemo's rule with the Red Skull as the group's super soldier.^[27] At that time, Red Skull uses Hydra's resources and a rune stone to abduct Nordic mythological beasts from the Nine Realms and subject them to their control before Captain America and Bucky Barnes thwarted the scheme. Hydra continued its attempts of world dominion after the war ended under Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's leadership prior to his capture. In the episode "Iron Man is Born", Hydra stole some Stark Industries technology to bolster Dreadnoughts for an attack on the United Nations before being defeated by Iron Man with the captured agents taken to the Vault where Strucker is held. But it is revealed to be an attempt by the Grim Reaper to free Strucker prior to Grim Reaper's own incarnation before they managed to escape during the two-part episode "The Breakout". The episode "Hulk vs the World" revealed that the Black Widow is Hydra's double-agent that steals the Hulk's DNA and frames Hawkeye as a double-agent. In the episode "Living Legend", Zemo finds Strucker as Hydra's leader yet allows Strucker's status kept alone while Zemo seemingly severing ties with the organization. In the episode "Panther's Prey", Grim Reaper and Hydra managed to pick up some Vibranium from Man-Ape and Ulysses Klaw when Man-Ape takes over Wakanda. In the episode "Widow's Sting", Grim Reaper and Hydra meet with MODOK and A.I.M. for a transaction that would help in the Cosmic Cube's creation which is crashed by Hawkeye's search for Black Widow. Grim Reaper manages to escape (not knowing of Hawkeye's tracer) while both the defeated agents of Hydra and A.I.M. were arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D.. When Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Captain America and Black Panther trace Grim Reaper to Hydra Island, the heroes end up fighting Hydra's forces. Strucker activates the computer's self-destruct 'Fenris' sequence. Though Hawkeye goes after Black Widow and Strucker. Hawkeye is taken down by Black Widow who secretly attacks Strucker while trying to take Hawkeye's youth. Black Widow escapes from Hydra Island with Strucker while Grim Reaper, Madame Hydra (who was later revealed to be a Skrull) and the remaining Hydra Agents present are arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D.. While waiting for MODOK, Black Widow tells Strucker that Black Panther attacked from behind. MODOK arrives and tells Strucker that the Cosmic Cube was a failure and gives back the money. After MODOK left, Strucker suspects that MODOK was lying about the Cosmic Cube being a failure. In the episode "Hail Hydra", Hydra and A.I.M. tear the city apart for the Cosmic Cube's control, forcing the Avengers to intervene. It is revealed that Black Widow was a double agent that infiltrated Hydra to learn the Cosmic Cube's nature. In the end, the Avengers prevailed when both Strucker and Captain America touched the Cosmic Cube and it appeared as if nothing happened. The agents and Strucker were arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Hydra appears in The Super Hero Squad Show. In the episode "Brouhaha at the World's Bottom", Baron Strucker leads the Hydra forces into attacking a S.H.I.E.L.D. Base in Antarctica so that they can use the technology there in order to head to another world.
• Hydra is featured in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hydra is introduced in the middle of season one (as part of a tie-in with the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Besides Dr. List and Baron Strucker, its featured members are John Garrett (Bill Paxton), Daniel Whitehall (Reed Diamond) and Sunil Bakshi (Simon Kassianides). The reveal of Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. exposes a Hydra mole within the core cast of the show, and the show retools as a group of fugitives on the run from both the U.S. military and Hydra. In season two, new S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Phil Coulson works to exterminate Hydra, and Coulson's team progressively eliminates senior Hydra leaders. Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), the mole from Coulson's original team, takes what is left of the organization under his control. Season three retcons the history of Hydra, explaining that the group is an ancient religious order dedicated to the return of its banished Inhuman leader Hive with the Nazi organization being merely its latest incarnation. Hive's devotees today are scarce within the organization, but are headed up by industrialist Gideon Mallick (Powers Boothe) assuming full control of Hydra upon Ward's death. After Hive returns to Earth in Ward's body and kills Malick's own daughter Stephanie Malick (Bethany Joy Lenz), Malick betrays the organization to Coulson upon capture and is able to instruct U.S. General Glenn Talbot to destroy its remaining infrastructure.
• Hydra appears in the Marvel cartoons seen on Disney XD with the majority of their organization's appearances bare resemblance to their MCU counterparts.
  • Hydra has sporadic appearances in Avengers Assemble. The group is occasionally seen throughout season one. They're first seen in the episode "The Avengers Protocol" Pt. 1 as the Red Skull's forces. They first fight Captain America and then Iron Man. The group continues fighting on Red Skull's behalf but are defeated by the Avengers. Also throughout season one, both Iron Skull's armor and the Cabal's submarine are seen with Hydra's symbol. Hydra makes occasional appearances throughout season two. Some Hydra agents are seen try to use a superweapon in the episode "The Arsenal" before being quickly foiled by Captain America. More Hydra agents are seen in the episode "Ghosts of the Past" where a branch demands Red Skull's release but were defeated by Captain America and the Falcon which is used as a distraction for the Winter Soldier's own kidnapping. Another Hydra group is seen in the episode "Secret Avengers" when the S.H.I.E.L.D.-affiliated Avengers rescue a captured S.H.I.E.L.D. agent which eventually lead to information on Crimson Dynamo and Radioactive Man. Hydra can also be seen in Avengers: Ultron Revolution. The episode "Saving Captain Rogers" shows Hydra agents led by Baron Heinrich Zemo that fight with Captain America and Bucky Barnes. This was part of Baron Helmut Zemo's hypnosis plot to find Heinrich's secret laboratory for his father's perfect super-soldier serum. Helmut subsequently uses his own imperfect super-soldier serum on his Hydra operatives to distract Iron Man and Black Widow. Despite being turned into large brutes, Helmut's Hydra soldiers eventually tire out and are defeated by the two Avengers just when Helmut effectively euthanizes himself with one of Heinrich's super-soldier serums. In the episode "Into the Future", World War II-era Hydra soldiers during a time-jumped fight between Captain America and Kang the Conqueror. The group is seen again in the episode "Seeing Double" as part of Baron Strucker's branch. Thanks to the new Black Widow, Strucker has Bruce Banner captured and altered into the Winter Hulk until the original Black Widow got to Winter Hulk's senses. Strucker was defeated while Belova got away.
  • Hydra can also be seen in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series. In season one's "Great Power", Spider-Man imagines Nick Fury fighting Hydra soldiers (in their original depiction). Hydra has a central role in Ultimate Spider-Man vs The Sinister Six (along with the Sinister Six) with Arnim Zola and Crossbones as known members.^[28] In the two-part premiere "HYDRA Attacks", Doctor Octopus collaborates with Zola. After using a special Octobot that took control of Swarm's nanites to convert the S.H.I.E.L.D. Tri-Carrier into HYDRA Island and attack the Triskelion. Zola subsequently led his own army of HYDRA Goblins transformed from selected Hydra Soldiers by Doctor Octopus using the Goblin Formula. However, Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider use Norman Osborn's anti-Goblin serum to restore the Hydra Goblins back to normal. With additional help from Agent Venom and Iron Spider, Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider send HYDRA Island (and Zola) to Saturn while Doc Ock escapes. Subsequent episodes show Doc Ock using Hydra resources to eliminate Spider-Man in contradiction to his new employers' plans; "Miles From Home" shows Doc Ock and Baron Mordo use the Siege Perilous to summon an alternate-reality Green Goblin with Spider-Man getting help from Doctor Strange and Kid Arachnid to prevent further interdimensional damage, "Double Agent Venom" shows Doc Ock trying to take the Venom symbiote on Hydra much to Zola's annoyance, "Anti-Venom" depicts Doc Ock as Anti-Venom's creator with Hydra scientist Michael Morbius' assistance. In the two-part episode "The New Sinister Six", the Sinister Seven fights S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy while Doc Ock steals Curt Connors's anti-Hydra weapon. Despite Spider-Man's best efforts, Doc Ock uses the anti-Hydra weapon to convert Zola's HYDRA Island into his own Octopus Island until Scarlet Spider's change of heart. After Zola's demise and HYDRA Island's destruction, Crossbones became Hydra's acting leader where he led different Hydra plots like trying to capture Fury and Madame Web (in the episode "Agent Web") and to have Morbius recreate the Carnage symbiote in order to launch to other locations (in "The Symbiote Saga" three-part episode).

Film

• Hydra appears in the television film Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The Hydra Agents are shown with Men in Black-type suits rather than the green uniform from the comics.
• Hydra agents appear in the animated film Ultimate Avengers 2 fighting against Captain America. Seen in the beginning of the film, they are identifiable by their green uniforms.
• Hydra appeared in Heroes United: Iron Man and Hulk. The Hydra scientists Dr. Cruler and Dr. Fump hire Abomination to catch Hulk for an experiment. They later turn on Abomination in order to use him in the same experiment.
• Hydra appears in Heroes United: Iron Man & Captain America.^[29]
• Hydra is a key element in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, founded on a belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom and must be subjugated for its own good.
  • Hydra first appears in the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger under the Red Skull's leadership, depicted to have originally started as an advanced science branch for the Third Reich, utilizing several experimental aircraft such as the Focke-Wulf Triebflügel VTOL aircraft and a huge intercontinental flying-wing bomber based in part on the Horten Ho 229 design.^[30][31] But upon acquiring the Tesseract with Arnim Zola developing the technology to harness its energies, Hydra goes rogue as Red Skull eventually plans to betray Nazi Germany after the Allies are defeated. Ultimately, Red Skull is apparently incinerated upon touching the Tesseract, and Hydra's bases are systematically destroyed by the Allies.
  • The 2012 film The Avengers revealed that Nick Fury had S.H.I.E.L.D. gather everything there was related to the Tesseract (then in the possession of Thor's foster brother Loki), including Hydra technology. A plan known as Phase Two deals with using the Tesseract to develop weapons, using the Hydra weapons as a template. Gideon Malick (Powers Boothe), part of the World Security Council and secretly a member of Hydra, is featured and expanded upon in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Hydra resurfaces in the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier despite the organization's apparent disbandment. When S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, Arnim Zola implanted Hydra agents into various intelligence organizations in a decades-long plan to convince humanity to surrender their freedom for security by orchestrating assassinations and international conflicts. After Zola's consciousness is transplanted into a computer, Hydra's leadership came to senior S.H.I.E.L.D. member Alexander Pierce, as well as various S.T.R.I.K.E. members (including Brock Rumlow and Jack Rollins). When Nick Fury and the World Council decided to put "Project: Insight" into action, Hydra secretly planned to use their advantage to wipe out any known (or potential) threats to them. Captain America, Black Widow, Fury and Falcon discover this and expose Hydra's plan to the world, while also managing to stop Project: Insight in the process. Following the destruction of Hydra's master plans with Pierce's death and also S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, small Hydra groups are shown to still be active (as revealed in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). The mid-credits scene shows Baron Strucker overseeing Hydra's end.
  • In Avengers: Age of Ultron, a Hydra branch under Baron Strucker and Dr. List (Henry Goodman) has been using Loki's scepter obtained from Thanos to create weapons as well as superhumans Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. During the Avengers' raid on Strucker's lair in Sokovia, Dr. List gets killed by Iron Man while Strucker was captured by the Avengers and later killed by Ultron.
  • In Ant-Man, a Hydra group led by Mitchell Carson wants to buy Darren Cross's crude shrinking technology. Ant-Man is able to defeat the Hydra agents, however, Carson escapes with a vial of the makeshift particles while being attacked by ants.
  • Hydra is featured in Captain America: Civil War. It is further explained how Hydra used the Winter Soldier to kill Howard Stark and Maria Stark in order to acquire samples of the Super Soldier Serum which Vasily Karpov used to create multiple Winter Soldiers at a Siberian base. Helmut Zemo interrogates and kills Karpov in order to gain access to Winter Soldier's programming.

Video games

• Hydra appears in X-Men: The Official Game. In the game, Hydra is partially responsible for the creation of the Master Mold and Sentinel robots alongside William Stryker. Under orders of their leader Silver Samurai, Hydra infiltrates Stryker's base to remove all evidence and Sentinel equipment, and by accident, activated the Master Mold.
• Hydra is the major villain in the rare Sega 32X video game titled Spider-Man: Web of Fire.
• In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, one of the levels includes an old Hydra base that the Anti-Registration group was using.
• Hydra's aerial base can be seen attacking the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier in the latter's stage in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. The organization's logo can also be seen on the car that attempts to run She-Hulk down in one of her special moves.
• Hydra appears in the video game Captain America: Super Soldier.
• Hydra is featured in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. Known members include Baron Helmut Zemo, Moonstone, Viper, and the Hydra Four. Hydra's Power Armors appear as bosses and were created from stolen Stark Industries technology. Their foot soldiers consist of Hydra Ballistas, Hydra Burners, Hydra Cannons, Hydra Judicators, Hydra Officers, Hydra Pyros, Hydra Soldiers, and Hydra Vanguards.
• Hydra is featured in Avengers Initiative, with its members serving as enemies in the Captain America chapters of the game.^[32]
• Hydra appears in Marvel Heroes.
• Hydra Agents appear in Lego Marvel Super Heroes. They are seen with Red Skull and Arnim Zola in a secret Hydra base beneath the Empire State Building. A Hydra Agent is an unlockable character.

Live performance

• Hydra agents appear in the Marvel Universe: LIVE! stage show.^[33]

References

1. "A Marvel Editor Explains How Captain America Was a Hydra Agent All Along". TIME. May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
2. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe HC entry for Hydra
3. Wolverine Vol. 3 #29
4. S.H.I.E.L.D. #4
5. Fear Itself: Book of the Skull #1
6. Secret Warriors #1
7. Secret Warriors #2
8. All-New Captain America #4
9. Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #1
10. Free Comic Book Day Vol 2015 #Avengers
11. Deadpool Vol. 4 #7
12. Avengers: Standoff at Pleasant Hill Omega
13. Captain America: Steve Rogers #3
14. Captain America: Steve Rogers #2
15. Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders #2-4
16. Strange Tales (vol. 1) #135
17. Avengers: The Initiative Special #1
18. Avengers: The Initiative #24
19. New Avengers Vol. 2 #18
20. Avengers Vol. 4 #24
21. Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1
22. Ultimate Requiem: Spider-Man #1
23. Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #16
24. Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #18
25. Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #21
26. Exiles #92
27. Medinnus, David (January 1, 2011). "An Interview With Christopher Yost". Retrieved April 1, 2011.
28. "Marvel's Spider-Man & the Avengers Will Return with All-New Seasons to Disney XD". Jun 1, 2015.
29. "Twitter / Marvel: Watch an exclusive clip from Marvel's "Iron Man & Captain America"". Twitter.com. December 3, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
30. "Red Skull's Escape Vehicles (2011)". MonsterMinions. July 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
31. Maksel, Rebecca (August 9, 2011). "Captain America and the Horten Brothers". Air & Space/Smithsonian. National Air and Space Museum - Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
32. Aldrin Calimlim (December 13, 2012). "Thumbs Up, Soldier! Captain America Enters The Avengers Initiative". AppAdvice. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
33. "Character Reveals for Marvel Universe LIVE! | News". Marvel.com. Retrieved August 15, 2014.

External links

• Hydra at Marvel.com
• Marvel Directory entry
• Villains of Marvel Comics: Hydra
• Wayback Machine backup