Hydra

"Cut off one head and two more take it's place" - Hydra Motto
Every school kid knows Hydra. They're the bad guys, the arch-enemies of Captain America and Bucky. Though that's just part of the story. 
Hydra began as Third Reich's science and espionage wing, but soon outgrew its purpose and became a force unto itself, with its leader the Red Skull at its head. Their mission was simple use whatever means necessary to conquer the world. When the Nazi's lost the war, Hydra kept fighting for that end, despite the death of their leader the Red Skull. 
Since the end of the war, the world has believed Hydra to be defeated numerous times, but, each time they've shown the truth of their motto and rose from the ashes stronger than before. Currently, Hydra is the world's premier terror organization devoted not to a race, creed or religion, but to power. As such they have a wealth of allies political, criminal and military who believe Hydra are just the people who can help them grab a little power of their own, unknowing or uncaring that in doing so they tighten Hydra's grip on the world.
Currently, Hydra's leader Baron von Strucker is in SHIELD custody, no one knows who has taken his place and many speculate their leadership is at odds with each other over that role.
==Members==
Leadership
redskull.jpg|Red SkullFounder Presumed Dead
strucker.jpg|Baron StruckerLeader Captured 
zola.jpg|Arnim ZolaResearch and Development
viper2.jpg|Madame HydraDirector Far East Operations
grimreaper.jpg|Grim ReaperDirector Combat Operations
zemo.jpg|Baron ZemoTechnology
Enforcers
andrea.jpg|Andrea von StruckerStrucker's Bodyguard
andreas.jpg|Andreas von StruckerStrucker's Bodyguard 
gorgon.jpg|Gorgon 
crossbones.jpg|Crossbones
sin.jpg|Sin
atlas.jpg|Atlas
bob.jpg|Bob
==Tech and Vehicles==
While Hydra's true focus is power. They haven't lost all touch with their super-scientific roots. As such Hydra has a vast array of advanced weapons at their fingertips ranging from handheld lasers, to doomsday weapons out of a pulp novel. Their supply of vehicles is equally broad, ranging from Mechagorgon walkers, to conventional cars and aircraft.
==History==
1935
Johann Schmidt forms Hydra on the orders of Adolf Hitler. Its primary purpose is to develop or steel Wunderwaffen (superweapons) and help further the development of the master race. Johann recruits Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Baron Helmut Zemo and geneticist Arnim Zola to assist him. They quickly recruit like-minded scientists the world over establishing a wide network of agents.
1936
NYPD officers Nick Fury and Red Hargrove capture Hydra agents in New York City coming to the attention of the United States government. Lt. Sam Sawyer recruits them for covert work and sees them trained to be OSS agents.
1938
Hydra agents steal a US prototype of the super-soldier serum and Johann Schmidt injects himself with it and becomes the Red Skull.
1940
Steven Rogers is offered the Super Soldier injection, though he is warned that of the five previous soldiers injected, four died and one was comatose (Isaiah Bradley). He agrees and goes through the process, though it is interrupted by an attack by the Red Skull and Hydra looking for the formula. The creator of the formula, Dr. Abraham Erskine, was killed in the attack. Steve survived and managed, though untrained, to fight off Red Skull and drive Hydra off. He is sent to advanced combat training, he excels due to being enhanced to just beyond peak human abilities.
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker meets with The Hand and the Dark Ocean Society forming an alliance between the groups and Hydra.
1942/1943
Battle of Stalingrad: The battle is used as a cover for Hydra kidnapping and beginning to train Russian kids as assassins. Captain America, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos led by Nick Fury infiltrate the HYDRA facility and rescue most of the children (including a ten year old Natalia Romanova; for Nick Fury, this is the second time he saved this particular little girl); however, Baron Von Strucker gets away with a candidate equally as promising to him: an eleven year old Ophelia Sarkissian, who will later become Madam Hydra.
Thor is briefly tricked into fighting for the Axis Cause by Red Skull, however after battling Captain America and the Invaders he realizes he is on the wrong side and helps destroy the HYDRA facility he was working from before being made to return to Asgard by Odin.
1943
Bucky is caught in an explosion at a HYDRA facility in Siberia, sacrificing himself so Captain America can get away. Cap is distraught, and the backlash back home regarding 'sidekicks' (despite Bucky having been 19 at the time of his death) is severe enough that any further youth programs of a similar nature are scrapped.
1945
Red Skull is seriously injured and escapes into a cryostasis pod that keeps him alive but does not heal him. Arnim Zola takes him into hiding.
Baron von Strucker continues Hydra past the end of the war as the new Supreme Hydra. Arnim Zola also has a following of agents most of whom are scientists, while Helmut Zemo establishes his own base of operations in South America.
1951
Hydra attacks the Russian Super Soldier facility, though they are driven off they do managed to acquire a few vials of the serum.
Alexi and Natalia wed. The news of this angers James, already unstable from the Hydra attack, who is put in stasis for six months. Natalia begins training in the Red Room.
1962
Nick Fury discovers Hydra influence behind the Cuban missile crisis and uses that to prove that Hydra is an international threat and is able to convince the US government to approach the United Nations about adopting the agency.
1964
Jack Munroe is injured in combat but escapes the hospital when he is approached by a scientist offering to make him a super-soldier. He takes the treatment and it is marginally successful but when Jack finds out the doctor works for Hydra he escapes and makes his way home to the United States.
1976
Charles Xavier meets Erik Lensherr in Haifa, Israel who has been outspoken about the potential of a race of mutants among normal humans. The two men discuss the theory neither mention they are mutants until the city comes under the attack of Hydra. They reveal their powers in fighting off the attack. The two men begin to travel.
Red Skull is revived and begins to gather followers.
1978
Erik is recruited by Mossad to help hunt Nazi war criminals and launch attacks on Hydra strongholds. Charles carries on with his travels and encounters the Shadow King for the first time.
1980
Baron Strucker is able to seize control of an island in Asia with the help of Heinrich Zemo. SHIELD’s attempt to re-capture the island is defeated by death-ray killing a number of agents and destroying the helicarrier. A nuclear option is discussed to destroy the island but rookie SHIELD agent John Burnside is able to acquire the plans for Zemo’s death-ray allowing SHIELD to storm the island and capture both Heinrich Zemo and Baron Strucker. Hydra as an organization is considered defunct despite Viper being at large. SHIELD begins focusing on the Russians.
1981
Heinrich Zemo dies in prison. His son Helmut succeeds him both as the Baron Zemo and in continuing the aims of Hydra.
2002
Facing defeat from the combined resources of Defence Initiative 10 the Taliban and other terrorist states reach out to AIM and Hydra for their own super-weapons.
2004
The Leader senses his time is short and makes a deal with the imprisoned Hydra operative Baron Zemo to gain mind control technology which he plans to use on the country’s heroes. He and gamma soldiers take over a missile base and threaten to use gamma bombs to convert the world into monsters. As predicted the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Ant-Man and Wasp appear as well as the X-Men. The gamma villains are able to drive back the heroes until the Hulk arrives (also as predicted) and The Leader employs his mind control tech taking command of the heroes as his new private army.
However Charles Xavier in mental contact with the X-Men is able to get Jean Grey free of the control long enough for her to use her powers to free the Hulk. The Hulk is able to destroy the mind control device freeing the heroes. The Hulkbuster forces arrive soon after led by General Ross, but their orders are to detain not just the Hulk but the other gamma criminals and the X-Men as well.
A new fight ensues but in the end The Leader's troops are defeated while The Leader escapes. Following the battle Hulk leads Ross’ troops off and allows the X-Men to escape while Tony Stark and Reed Richards begin discussions on how best to contain the gamma villains they have captured. Helmut Zemo escapes as well.
2006
Count Nefaria, his daughter Madame Masque and his Maggia family attempt to remove the Avengers from the New York underworld believing them to be a threat. They use Hydra Dreadnaughts to attack Avengers mansion so the terrorist organization will take the blame meanwhile Madame Masque, who has been dating Tony Stark in her civilian identity attempts to access the technology files of Stark Industries but is caught. The Avengers confront Count Nefaria and defeat him, but Madame Masque escapes. However the battle is not without its casualties, pushed by the Dreadnaughts attack the Hulk almost loses control and after the battle is over quits the Avengers to go back into seclusion.
Madame Masque brings the files she stole to Justin Hammer and the Mandarin who had been the ones to help sponsor the attack on the Avengers.
Category:Earth-24800 Team
Category:Villain team
Category:Tier 5 Villains