This article is about the organization set in the Marvel Comics. For the creature from Hercules, see Hydra.
“Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA!”
―HYDRA motto
HYDRA is a subversive organization whose main goal is to take over the world. Originally a branch of Nazi-Germany under the command to recipiency of Red Skull, it is now an evil organization that has spread across the world.
Its name comes from the mythological Hydra, and their motto is the metaphor "cut off one head, two more will take its place", proclaiming the organization's resilience to foes. They would usually begin cheering out "Hail HYDRA!", upon hearing their motto.
HYDRA started as a rogue Nazi research division led by Johann Schmidt, better known as Red Skull. They looked in Norway a mystical object that was lost long ago. They used the power of mystical object object known as the Tesseract to create weapons of mass destruction. When the Schutzstaffels visited the HYDRA's facilities they realized that Red Skull sought the world domination. As Schutzstaffels learned about his plan, Schmidt decided to kill them.
When Schmidt learned that Americans with the help of Abraham Erskine would create a super soldier, he sent Heinz Kruger that if the experiment was a success, Kruger would to kill Erskine and retrieve the perfect formula for him. When Kruger was captured by Steve Rogers, he decided to commit suicide. After Steve Rogers managed to defeat an entire army, the SSR teams up with Captain America and the Howling Commandos to destroy the different HYDRA's facilities around Europe. Captain America defeated the Red Skull when this one when to launch a super bomb on New York City. With Schmidt defeated, it was believed that HYDRA was disbanded.
HYDRA is mentioned, when Steve Rogers discovers several cases of HYDRA weapons aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. These weapons and technology are kept by S.H.I.E.L.D. for their program "Phase 2", which involves reactivating the HYDRA weapons with the Tesseract for use against super-powered or other-worldly forces.
Rogers also mentions during a meeting that Bruce Banner should study Loki's Staff while hunting for the Tesseract, as it functions similar to HYDRA's weapons.
In "0-8-4", Agent Phil Coulson's team travels to Peru to investigate an "0-8-4", an unknown object of concern to S.H.I.E.L.D. The object is an anachronistically advanced metal device in an ancient pyramid. Coulson's team eventually discovers that it is a Tesseract energy-powered weapon designed by surviving Nazi/HYDRA scientists who escaped Allied justice after WWII and were recruited by Peru. A team of Peruvian military police attempts to kill the team in order to retrieve the device, but Coulson's ingenious team members foil them. In the end, the 0-8-4 is deemed too dangerous to be allowed to exist, and it blasted off on a rocket into the Sun.
In Turn, Turn, Turn is revealed that there HYDRA agents posing as SHIELD agents. Coulson and his team discovered that Garrett is a member of HYDRA, Coulson asks to other agents arrest Garrett but they are also being agents of HYDRA.
In "Shadows", after hearing about the demise of Red Skull, Reinhardt and his men dislodged one of the facilities of HYDRA in Austria, suddenly SSR members appears and capture all members of HYDRA, including Reinhardt.
Back in the present, Creel by order of HYDRA go in search of Obelisk. Later, Bakshi informs Whitehall that Creel is in possession of the Obelisk.
In "A Fractured House", a group of mercenaries led by Marcus Scarlotti attacked the United Nations facilities, while the General Talbot gave a speech. After the attack, Coulson sends Morse, May, and Hunter to Okinawa, Japan to get information about the artifacts used during the attack. In Okinawa, Toshiro Mori and his men faces Morse, Hunter, and May because Mori had learned Morse true loyalty. Meanwhile, Marcus Scarlotti kills the agent Walters because she found out that Julien Beckers was a HYDRA agent. Later, Hunter, May, and Morse manages to capture Scarlotti and his group of mercenaries. Talbot tells May that Beckers was arrested when he tried to leave the country.
In "The Things we Bury", in 1945 in one of the headquarters of HYDRA, Reinhardt and some scientists experimenting the Obelisk with Chinese people, in these investigations found a mysterious woman that not was petrified by the Obelisk, when Reinhardt wanted to find out what made her so special, an officer tells him the Red Skull and that the allies were approaching. After forty-four years in prison, the Secretary Pierce sends two agents to the Rat to free him.
In "Aftershocks", After the unexpected death of Daniel Whitehall, HYDRA leaders met to decide who would be the new American commander. List told the others that the person who destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. would be the replace of Whitehall. Later, Coulson and his team pretend to be ambushed by HYDRA agents so Bakshi believe he was free. Bakshi met with Octavian bloom to inform him that he was almost killed presumably by the Baroness, the Banker and Sheikh. They called List, who informed them that he nor Baron Wolfgang von Strucker placed a kill-order on him or Sunil Bakshi. With this information, Bloom decided to send a kill order on the others three members of the HYDRA Council. Suddenly, Morse and Hunter entered to Bloom's mansion killing everyone, including Bloom. Bakshi then realized it was all a plan of SHIELD, in order that they kill each other.
Grant Ward and Phil Coulson sent Sunil Bakshi to meet with Doctor List, the right hand of Baron Strucker. List distrusted of Bakshi because it was the only one who survived the slaughter of the leaders of HYDRA caused by SHIELD. But Bakshi using his talent managed to convince him, and also he offered Deathlok to List in order to experiment on him. List informed Bakshi about their last experiments and that they would go to capture gifted people before going with Strucker. Bakshi, Deathlok, and other HYDRA agents broke into the building where they were Skye and Calvin Zabo. Deathlok pretended capture Lincoln Campbell, however, Bakshi ordered the other agents to capture the two.
Having captured Mike Peterson and the Inhuman Lincoln Campbell, HYDRA took them to their base in the Arctic where Doctor List would perform experiments on them both. Here, Bakshi and List discussed how they both missed Daniel Whitehall and the twins were the only survivors of his experiments. However, while List led the experiments, Coulson and his team arrived with the mission to rescue both of them. As the base was under attack, List was taken by operatives, who would take him to Sokovia where he would met with Baron Strucker.
A few days later, after the fall of HYDRA at the hands of the Avengers, the organization was in chaos because its leaders had been killed during and after the battle. The ex-double agent, Grant Ward called Kebo, one of the operatives was still active. Ward informed him that he was now in charge, but he refused to follow his orders which caused that Ward hit him against the table, leaving him unconscious. Seeing this, the other agents were happy to cooperate with their new leader.
HYDRA succeeded their mission to bring Hive back to Earth as the Dark Inhuman possessed Ward's corpse.
In retaliation for Hive killing his daughter, Gideon Malick gave S.H.I.E.L.D. information on HYDRA, reducing it to the small facility run by general Hale and her daughter Ruby. However, after their demises, HYDRA had been permanently destroyed.
“HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you tried to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew, a beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crises, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed.”
HYDRA is revealed to have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. since the organization's was first founded thanks to Armin Zola. HYDRA is now under the leadership of senior S.H.I.E.L.D. member Alexander Pierce and various S.T.R.I.K.E. members. Two years after the Battle of New York, Nick Fury presented the Project Insight to World Security Council. However, HYDRA's agents took control of the project and so use it to eliminate potential threats to them. Suspecting that something strange was happening, Fury asked Pierce to delay the launch, Pierce agreed. After learning that Fury used Georges Batroc to access the Lemurian Star and get information about Project Insight, Pierce sent the Winter Soldier to assassinate him.
As Rogers did not yield information about Fury, Pierce begins a manhunt for Captain America. Meanwhile, Rogers and Romanoff were at Camp Lehigh find information about Project Insight. Here they discover that Arnim Zola was still alive. Zola tells them how HYDRA grew as parasite into SHIELD for years.
He relayed the plans to Captain America, while secretly transmitting their location in an attempt to ensure his death. Zola tells Cap that is better this way because they both are men out of time. After the constant failure of Strike, Pierce sent Winter Soldier to kill Black Widow and Captain America. Although Winter Soldier failed in his mission, Rumlow and his men captured Rogers, Romanoff, and Wilson (eventually escaped with the help of Maria Hill). Later, Rogers reveals that Alexander Pierce and STRIKE are members of HYDRA, which resulted in a battle between the two factions.
After stopping HYDRA for the final time, Fury implies that some members of HYDRA managed to escape under cover. This was later confirmed in a mid-credits scene where Baron Strucker had gained possession of the chitauri scepter, viewing it as such an asset that Strucker was unconcerned with the other cells and bases being exposed and taken out. He also was revealed to have Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch locked in separate adjoining cells with plans for them.
Avengers: Operation HYDRA
Doctor Jensen was stationed at Port Sudan experimenting with Chitauri technology. The Avengers arrived to the location of her laboratory after being informed by Black Widow. Her troops fought fiercely; however the Avengers easily defeated them. With the battle all but lost, Jensen took a Chitauri weapon to face the Avengers. When she was defeated by the Avengers, Jensen did not understand why she was defeated because she had the powers of the gods.
“Report to your stations immediately. This is not a drill. We are under attack. We are under attack.”
―HYDRA soldier informing his comrades about the attack
The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Phil Coulson found out the secret location of the main base of HYDRA after attacking the Arctic base. Coulson gave this information to Maria Hill, who gave it to the Avengers. Getting this information, the Avengers went to Sokovia to retrieve Loki's Scepter and capture HYDRA's last leader, Baron Strucker. Despite having advanced weaponry, the HYDRA soldiers were no match for their attackers. List asked Strucker send the twins but he refused because they were not yet ready. However, Wanda and Pietro went to the battlefield to fight against the "invaders". Knowing they would not win, Strucker ordered List eliminate all information about their experiments. Eventually, the Avengers broke into the base where Captain America captured Strucker and Iron Man killed List. After killing List, Iron Man found Strucker's lab and retrieved the scepter after seeing a vision caused by Scarlet Witch.
With the battle ended, Baron Strucker and many HYDRA operatives were handed over to NATO. Days later, Ultron, an AI created by Tony Stark broke into Srucker's cell and asked him about the location of one of his associates named Ulysses Klaw, who possessed vast amounts of Vibranium. After getting the information he needed, Ultron proceeded to kill Strucker and write with his blood the word "PEACE" as a direct message to the Avengers.
Two months later after the fall of HYDRA, Mitchell Carson a former head of defense of S.H.I.E.L.D. attended the presentation of Darren Cross carried out at Pym Technolofies facilities. As Carson was always interested in the shrinkage technology, he proposed to Cross be the first buyer of his latest invention.
A week later, Carson with two HYDRA operatives went to Pym Technologies headquarters to buy the Yellowjacket suit and also the shrinkage serum. During the transaction, Scott Lang the new Ant-Man unsuccessfully tried to steal the Yellowjacket suit. As Cross tried to kill Hank Pym, Hope reveals her true loyalty and attacked Cross, while Lang beat the two HYDRA agents. During the confusion, Carson managed to flee with the "Cross Particle".
With HYDRA almost defeated, Sokovian soldier Helmut Zemo located Vasily Karpov, a remaining member of the Winter Soldier program in hiding. Zemo attacked and tortured Karpov for HYDRA's files on the Winter Soldier but Karpov refused. Zemo killed him with the following last words: "HAIL HYDRA".
When the Avengers travel to (a parallel) 2012 to retrieve the Mind Stone and the Tesseract, they have to contend with the HYDRA-infiltrated SHIELD. Steve exploits by saying "Hail HYDRA" to get past a bunch of SHIELD agents.
One of the "fake commercials" is for HYDRA Soap. HYDRA gets revisited later on, when it's revealed that HYDRA didn't give Wanda her powers, they merely awoke her latent magical powers.
The HYDRA organisation appears in the animated series, in a world where Peggy Carter became a super soldier instead of Steve Rogers. HYDRA is still trying to overtake the world like in Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Carter is tasked with stopping HYDRA during World War II, instead of Captain America. The world war is fought and America wins just like the film.
Then in season 2, Peggy learns HYDRA found Steve Rogers after he fell off the train (mirroring Bucky Barnes' fate in the main timeline) and experimented on him, but instead of giving him a metal arm like Bucky had, Steve's suit of armour got controlled and he was brainwashed, turning him into the Hydro-Stomper with the help of the Red Room.
“Doctor Strange: I don't care if you formed the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D.- Baron Mordo: We're neither. Doctor Strange: What then? HYDRA? Baron Mordo: The Illuminati will see you now.”
When 616 Doctor Strange and America Chavez find themselves in earth-838, Strange leans that an alternate Christine Palmer works in a facility owned by the Illuminati and believes the team is an alternate version of HYDRA, which Baron Mordo says they are not. This is the first official mention of the name HYDRA in over a decade, since at least the events of Captain America: Civil War.
HYDRA is mentioned in the film by both Bucky Barnes and the Red Guardian. Red Guardian asks Bucky which Super Soldier Serum he received and Bucky replies with whatever one HYDRA used when they experimented on him in the 1940s.
HYDRA is a terrorist organization led by Baron Strucker. This organization was originally led by Baron Zemo and Red Skull during the World War II. HYDRA hires A.I.M. to create the Cosmic Cube to Strucker.
"In Iron Man is Born", When Iron Man learned that HYDRA was attacking the United Nations he immediately went to the scene, after defeating HYDRA soldiers, Iron Man had to face Robots HYDRA. While he was fighting, he realized that HYDRA stole their technology. After being defeated by Iron Man, HYDRA soldiers were taken by SHIELD to one of their prisons but this was a plan to free Strucker from his confinement. Finally HYDRA plans to release their leader not work and end up all imprisoned.
In "Living Legend", Baron Zemo confronts Strucker for the throne of HYDRA, Zemo recriminates Strucker having left him in prison. Finally Zemo "gives" Strucker the HYDRA's throne after learning that the Capitan America was still alive.
In "Panther's Quest", Grim Reaper and HYDRA troops went to Wakanda to get Vibranium. When the Avengers arrives to Vibranium mines, Grim reaper orders his troops to go with all the Vibranium but before leaving Grim Reaper attacks Klaw. That attack turns Klaw into a creature made of sound. Finally the HYDRA troops are defeated by Klaw.
In "Hulk Versus the World", When Hulk tells Hawkeye that SHIELD uses the gamma creatures to create weapons. Hawkeye decides to investigate and discovers that Black Widow is HYDRA. Later, Black Widow makes believe that Hawkeye is a member of HYDRA, she tells her contact that other day she deliver energy gamma samples.
In "Meet the Captain America", Captain America, Bucky, and Howling Commandos goes to Castle of Red Skull, in that place find a lot of mythological creatures captured by HYDRA. After an intense battle, HYDRA troops are defeated by Captain America and mythological creatures.
In "Widow's Sting", Grim Reaper was informed by MODOC that AIM needs more money to finish the Cosmic Cube, suddenly Hawkeye appears asking the whereabouts of Black Widow, this led to a fight between the Avenger and the two terrorist groups. During the confrontation, Grim Reaper offered a million dollars for the Hawkeye's Bow, MODOK and Grim Reaper flee, but Clint manages to defeat many HYDRA soldiers and AIM agents.
Later, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Captain America, and Mockingbird went to one of the HYDRA's hideouts. In that place Hawkeye and Mockingbird faces Grim Reaper and HYDRA soldiers, Barton pretending to be defeated to be brought next to Strucker. When Grim Reaper stands before Strucker, he informs him that MODOK wants more money and he captured an Avenger. Strucker was stopped by Madame HYDRA when he sought to use his Satan Claw in Hawkeye. Hawkeye with the help of Mockingbird attacks Strucker and his troops, which caused the destruction of HYDRA Island. Later, MODOK returns the money to Strucker saying that the Cosmic Cube was a failure but Strucker knows that he is lying.
In "Hail, HYDRA", after hearing that MODOK betrayed HYDRA, Strucker orders his troops to attack AIM to retrieve the Cosmic Cube, this caused a war between HYDRA and AIM on the streets of New York. When the Cosmic Cube was completed, AIM was attacked by HYDRA troops led by Baron Strucker. After being defeated by Captain America, Strucker and his troops were imprisoned for their crimes against the world.
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.
HYDRA on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
Hydra on the Marvel Database
