Fictional character biography
Arnim Zola was a Swiss biochemist during World War II who became one of the first human genetic engineers in history after finding papers and equipment used by the offshoot race of humanity known as the Deviants. He finds a ready home among the Nazi Party, who see his experiments as a means to ensure the existence of the Master Race. [3]
One of his first accomplishments is the creation of a brain pattern imprinting device, which allows a person's mental essence to be projected into a cloned brain. Zola uses this machine on Adolf Hitler, creating the Hate-Monger. Zola was later approached by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker into taking part in the establishment of Hydra. [4]
The Red Skull also financed some of Zola's experiments, allowing him to produce such creations as Primus, Doughboy, and Man-Fish. [5] During one such experiment, Zola collects humans from the rubble of New York City after the devastation caused by a being known as Onslaught. Zola endows a teenager with superpowers, creating the hero known as Jolt, who is eventually stopped by the Thunderbolts. [6] Zola also collected DNA samples of Captain America at the time when Red Skull's body began to age rapidly, [7] and used this template to create a new body for his ally. [8]
As part of another experiment, he collects the DNA of multiple superpowered individuals and uses it to create Proto-Husks that are destroyed by Deadpool. [9]
A copy of Zola, who had been impersonating Brian Braddock's mentor Professor Walsh, dies at Meggan's hands. [10]
During the "X-Men: Endangered Species" storyline, Arnim Zola was among the nine supervillain geniuses recruited by Beast to help him reverse the effects of Decimation. [11]
In the aftermath of the Superhuman Civil War, Zola joins the Red Skull in his newest attempt to kill Captain America, which succeeds. Afterwards, while Red Skull is busy with his plans to control America with a puppet government, Zola attempts to reverse-engineer a mysterious device given to him by Doctor Doom, as well as craft a device that will separate the Skull's consciousness from the mind of Aleksander Lukin, which was the result of misuse of the Cosmic Cube. He manages to unlock the device's secrets and has a brainwashed Sharon Carter hooked up to it. However, she breaks off the connection, just as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents storm the base. Zola quickly transfers Red Skull out of Lukin but his body is destroyed by the Grand Director. Red Skull was then stuck in one of Zola's robot bodies. [12]
Stuck in a computer somewhere during the "Captain America: Reborn" part of the "Dark Reign" storyline, Zola is located by Norman Osborn. He informs the current director of H.A.M.M.E.R. that Captain America is locked in space and time on the date of his supposed death. Doom's machine was meant to bring him back for an unknown purpose but because of Sharon, he has become unstuck in time, causing him to relive the events of World War II. [13] By the time Zola rebuilds the machine in Castle Doom, Sharon Carter is brought to him so that he can transfer the Red Skull's mind into her body. [14]
Eventually, Captain America finds Zola hiding in an alternate dimension known as Dimension Z, where time moves at faster rate than on Earth. There, Zola has built a massive fortress where he is making a massive army of genetically altered soldiers with the intent of conquering Earth. In the initial assault, Cap rescues a genetically engineered infant boy (Zola's son, Leopold). In the decade stranded in Dimension Z, Cap raises the boy as his own son, Ian. The two take up with the peaceful Phrox, and eventually lead a rebellion to stop Zola's forces, now commanded by Zola's daughter, Jet Black. Ian is later captured by Zola, and brainwashed to accept Zola as his father again, but eventually breaks out of his control, only to be shot by Sharon Carter. Eventually, Carter sacrifices herself to destroy Zola and his fortress, allowing Cap and a now reformed Jet to escape back to Earth, where only seconds have passed since his arrival in Dimension Z. [15]
During the "AXIS" storyline, Red Skull tells Arnim Zola that everything is in place on his end. Zola is confronted by his daughter Jet Zola who refuses to return to her father's side. Falcon sneak attacks Zola. Ian finds and frees Sharon Carter, only to learn that Zola has a bomb strong enough to destroy all of New York City. Falcon removes the telepathic antenna on Zola's body to stop him from controlling the bomb, but it only sets the bomb to activate. Falcon takes the bomb high into the sky above New York before it goes off. [16] Upon the Unvengers being defeated, Arnim Zola fled with Jet Zola. [17]
Arnim Zola later appears as a member of Hydra's High Council at the time when Captain America had previously been brainwashed by Red Skull's clone using the powers of Kobik to be a Hydra sleeper agent. [18]
When Otto Octavius' mind in the Proto-Clone's body returns to one of his old bases only to find it is being occupied by Hydra following the "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy" storyline, he defeats the Hydra soldiers when Arnim Zola appears to recruit him into Hydra. Zola grants him the leadership of some Hydra soldiers to work for him in arranging the destruction of Parker Industries. [19]
During the "Secret Empire" storyline, Arnim Zola was present with Hydra's High Council as Hydra takes over the United States. [20] It was later revealed that Arnim Zola was behind the A.I. Virus that is controlling Vision to be a part of Hydra's Avengers. As the Hydra Helicarriers attack the hideout of the Underground, Arnim Zola mentions that their attacks will not bring down their defenses. Captain America states that they will unleash their secret weapon. Arnim Zola tells Captain America that their subject in the vault is awake but disoriented and that the procedure they did on him is temporary as his condition will degrade quickly. After brushing off Arnim Zola's concerns, Captain America states that they only need their subject for a short time to bring the Underground down. When the vault opens, it is revealed that the person they are talking about that is a somehow-revived Bruce Banner. [21]
During the "Spider-Geddon" storyline, Arnim Zola and some Hydra agents locate Superior Octopus' hideout to get him to return to Hydra and help rebuild it. When Superior Octopus states that he upheld his bargain with Hydra, Arnim Zola states that one "leaves" Hydra when he dies. Upon taking down the Hydra agents, Superior Octopus is then attacked by a bio-duplicate of Gorgon that Arnim Zola created. When Gorgon's blindfold falls off, Superior Octopus is turned to stone by his petrifying stare. Under Arnim Zola's orders, the bio-duplicate of Gorgon shatters the petrified Superior Octopus. Just then, the bio-duplicate of Gorgon is beheaded by Superior Octopus who revealed that Arnim Zola is not the only one who is an expert at cloning. After dismantling Arnim Zola, Superior Octopus has him carry a message to the rest of Hydra stating that he rejects their offer and that anyone who comes after him will receive similar "treatment." [22]
Arnim Zola 4.2.3
A flawed copy of Arnim Zola's consciousness in a robot body is recruited by the Shadow Council. He faces the Secret Avengers who are investigating the Shadow Council's mining operations inside of a "bad continuum" (a malformed reality). Although he is defeated by the Secret Avengers, his fate afterwards is unknown. [23]
