Advanced Idea Mechanics

A.I.M.
(Advanced Idea Mechanics)
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Strange Tales #146 (July 1966)
Created by Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
Type of organization Terrorist
Leader(s) Baron Strucker
MODOK
Agent(s) Doomsday Man
Monica Rappaccini
Head Case
Allesandro Brannex

A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics Universe. The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 (July 1966) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Contents

Publication history

The organization that would become known as A.I.M. was originally known as THEM, and was first mentioned in Strange Tales #142 (March 1966). THEM was first depicted in Tales of Suspense #78 (June 1966). Soon after that, the organization would change its name to A.I.M., which first appeared in Strange Tales #146 (July 1966).

Organization

A.I.M. is an organization of brilliant scientists and their hirelings dedicated to the acquisition of power and the overthrow of all world governments by technological means. Its leadership traditionally consisted of the seven-member Board of Directors (formerly known as the Imperial Council) with a rotating chairperson. Under the Directors are various division supervisors, and under them are the technicians and salesmen/dealers.

The organization supplies arms and technology to various terrorist and subversive organizations both to foster a violent technological revolution and to make a profit. A.I.M. operatives are usually involved in research, development, manufacturing, and sales of high technology. Members of A.I.M. are required to at least have a Master's degree, if not a Ph.D, in some area of science, mathematics, or business.

A.I.M.'s reach is worldwide, including various front organizations such as Targo Corporation, International Data Integration and Control, and Cadenza Industries. A.I.M. has also operated under some other fronts including Koenig and Strey, Pacific Vista Laboratories, and Omnitech.

A.I.M. has had a number of bases of operations, including a nuclear submarine mobile in the Atlantic Ocean; a base in the Bronx, New York; Black Mesa, Colorado; West Caldwell, New Jersey; Asia, Canada, Europe, Haiti, India, Sudan and Boca Caliente (also known as AIM Island), an island republic in the Caribbean.

Technology

A.I.M. has created three major implements of deadly potential which stand far above the rest of their accomplishments. The greatest of these was the Cosmic Cube, a device capable of altering reality. A.I.M. did not realize that they had only manufactured the cubical containment device; the real power was an entity accidentally drawn into this dimension. The Cosmic Cube eventually evolved into Kubik. The second was the Super-Adaptoid, an android capable of mimicking the appearance and superpowers of other beings. The Super-Adaptoid's powers were made possible by incorporating a sliver of the Cosmic Cube into its form. When Kubik repossessed the sliver after defeating the Adaptoid, the android was rendered inanimate. A.I.M.'s third achievement was the creation of MODOK (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), an artificially mutated human with an enormous head and corresponding massive computational brain, and psionic abilities.[1] MODOK was originally an ordinary AIM scientist who was selected by A.I.M.'s leader at the time, the Scientist Supreme, to be the subject of the bionic and genetic experiments that turned him into MODOK.[2] After his transformation, MODOK killed the Scientist Supreme and took control of A.I.M., and later took advantage of the organizational chaos following the destruction of HYDRA Island and the deaths of Baron Strucker and most of HYDRA's leading members to sever A.I.M.'s ties with HYDRA.

A.I.M.'s level of technology is as highly advanced as any on Earth, and its scientists have also built various cyborgs, robots, and androids; its agents utilize a variety of submarines, hovercraft, jets, etc. A.I.M. has also attempted to recreate versions of MODOK, including transforming Dr. Katherine Waynesboro into Ms. MODOK[3] and creating SODAM[4] (later revamped as MODAM).[5] Since A.I.M's redirection as an exotic arms dealer,[5] its members have access to whatever exotic weaponry is available in its warehouses.

A.I.M.'s leaders traditionally wear yellow three-piece business suits. Technical supervisors wear yellow jumpsuits, skull-caps, and goggles. However, the organization is renowned for the 'beekeeper'-looking helmets and NBC suit uniform of its underlings since the first appearance. As revealed by the mysterious entity Fantomex, the uniform's helmets can bring a profit on eBay.

However, as a result of the "Scorpion: Poison Tomorrow" arc of Amazing Fantasy, A.I.M. has gained a new costume, which tends towards insectoid armor and large guns.

A.I.M. may be connected in some way to the Livewires, as one of their members, Cornfed, wears an A.I.M. uniform. He also wears a button referencing "The Real A.I.M".

Fictional organization history

A.I.M.'s origins began late in World War II with Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's creation of his subversive organization HYDRA. Under the code name of THEM, he created two HYDRA branches called Advanced Idea Mechanics, and the Secret Empire. A.I.M.'s purpose was to develop advanced weaponry for HYDRA. They were close to developing and attaining nuclear weapons when HYDRA Island was invaded by American and Japanese troops. Although HYDRA suffered a major setback, it survived and grew in secret over the following decades.

A.I.M. has had numerous encounters with various superheroes and supervillains, and is the subject of ongoing undercover investigations by S.H.I.E.L.D.. It was responsible for reviving the Red Skull from suspended animation.[6] An A.I.M. android factory in a Florida swamp was once raided by S.H.I.E.L.D., which also involved Count Bornag Royale in a weapons deal negotiation with S.H.I.E.L.D.[7] A.I.M. then raided S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York City headquarters.[8] As a result of these events, Royale was discredited, and A.I.M.'s headquarters was destroyed.[9]

A.I.M. employed Batroc the Leaper to recover an explosive compound called Inferno 42[10] and dispatched a chemical android against Nick Fury and Captain America.[11] A.I.M. also dispatched their special agent the Cyborg against Captain America.[12] A.I.M. was involved in a skirmish with the Maggia and its "Big M".[13] A.I.M. has also captured Iron Man in an attempt to analyze and replicate his armor.[14] A.I.M. was responsible for transforming Betty Ross Banner briefly into the gamma-irradiated Harpy.[15] A.I.M. dispatched their special agent the Destructor to capture Ms. Marvel.[16]

For a time, a schism developed within A.I.M., causing it to split into the Blue and Yellow factions. These factions battled each other, employing Deathbird as an operative.[17] A.I.M. captured the Thing and Namor to test the Virus X on them.[18] The Blue faction later made an attempt to recapture the Cosmic Cube.[19] A second battle occurred between the rival factions,[20] but factions no longer seem to be active within A.I.M.

A.I.M. eventually hired the Serpent Society to kill MODOK, which they did.[21] A.I.M. was responsible for a jet attack on the West Coast Avengers compound[22] and then took over Boca Caliente[23] and unleashed a microbe aboard the Stark space satellite.[24] A.I.M. also sent an agent to attempt to confiscate the quantum-bands given to Quasar.[25]

The organization was revealed to have become a 'techno-anarchist' group, with no connection to HYDRA, and even a hatred for fascism. With the introduction of the Death's Head 3.0 character, a pacifist future version of the organization is promised, with a surprise character as leader.[26]

It is later revealed that A.I.M. helped General Thunderbolt Ross and Doc Samson create the Red Hulk.[27]

Splinter groups

Over time, some AIM splinter cells have appeared:

Fronts

Membership

Leaders

Former

Members and agents

Other versions

A.I.M. has outposts active in several other universes in the Marvel Multiverse, including the universes for Ultimate Marvel, Marvel 1602, and Age of Apocalypse.

2020 Death's Head Future

A future (2020) version of A.I.M was featured heavily in the Marvel UK limited series Death's Head II. This future organisation created the cyborg Minion, which was later taken over by the personality of Death's Head. A.I.M's representative Evelyn Necker became a popular character in the ongoing series that followed.

In Amazing Fantasy ##16-20, set further in the same future, A.I.M is on the point of making peace with the UN, when a renegade AIM scientist unleashes Death's Head 3.0 on the peace conference.

Avengers UTS

Members of AIM appear in The Avengers: United They Stand #5.

House of M

In the House of M, Advanced Idea Mechanics is re-imagined as a human resistance movement.

Marvel Adventures

In the Marvel Adventures version of Iron Man, AIM, through the use of dummy companies, acquired Stark International's hover platform and uni-beam technology in their invasion of Madripoor, a third world country. Gia-Bao Yinsen tried to tell the world about AIM's terrorist attacks on his country. However, his message is dismissed. During Tony Stark's test of his new solar-powered glider, AIM causes Tony to crash on their artificial island. Tony's heart is damaged, and AIM force him to build an EMP weapon to allow AIM's forces to finish their conquest of Madripoor. In exchange, AIM will repair his heart. Tony learns that Yinsen was also kidnapped, as AIM wanted to prevent him from telling the world about their attacks on his country and to use his intellect to build technology for AIM. Similar to Iron Man's main Marvel Universe origin, Yinsen and Tony both build armor to escape. However, Yinsen destroys the generator powering the island in order to save his homeland. The explosion kills Yinsen, but Tony Stark lives. Tony becomes Iron Man to prevent people like AIM from committing evil against innocents. Here, the Supreme Scientist is a black-haired woman who is extremely brilliant. In addition, the uniforms that AIM uses are basically NBC orange suits. However, the Supreme Scientist wears black clothing in a style similar to Darth Vader.

Ultimate Marvel

In the Ultimate Marvel world, the AIM commissioned the Ultimate Mad Thinker to steal Cerebro from the Ultimate X-Men and frame the Ultimate Fantastic Four, as seen in the Ultimate X4 mini-series. Ultimate AIM's full purpose and function has yet to be revealed. The mini-series Ultimate Vision introduces AIM as composed of several directorates spread across the globe, with George Tarleton as an AIM leader on an orbital research facility. Tarleton and his team attempted to take control of a Gah Lak Tus module that was left behind in orbit after the swarm was driven away. Being unable to do so on their own, they lured Vision to the station to help them by claiming they would use the knowledge to order the Gah Lak Tus swarm to self-destruct. Once the cyborg Tarleton had connected to the module using Vision, he had the module fire an energy beam at her. Tarleton then incorporated the Gah Lak Tus' circuitry into his own body, but it has seemingly taken him over, transforming him more into a machine, with a monstrous appearance. He has since taken over the entire station remotely and has set it to plummet out of orbit, along with the Gah Lak Tus module, which he says has "unfinished business on Earth." Ultimately Tarleton was broken free of the module's control and helped the Vision and the Ultimate Falcon in destroying the module.

In Ultimate Comics: Avengers, a group of A.I.M. terrorists stole advance technology from the Baxter Building and have some associations with the Ultimate Red Skull. It was recently revealed that the technology stolen is used to create a new Cosmic Cube.

In other media

Television

Video games

References

  1. ^ Tales of Suspense #93-94
  2. ^ origin revealed in Captain America #133
  3. ^ Hulk #190
  4. ^ Solo Avengers #14-16
  5. ^ a b Quasar #8
  6. ^ Strange Tales #79
  7. ^ Strange Tales #146
  8. ^ Strange Tales #147
  9. ^ Strange Tales #149
  10. ^ Tales of Suspense #75-76
  11. ^ Tales of Suspense #78
  12. ^ a b Captain America #124
  13. ^ Iron Man and Sub-Mariner #1
  14. ^ a b Iron Man #1
  15. ^ Hulk #167-168
  16. ^ a b Ms. Marvel #2
  17. ^ Ms. Marvel #7-10
  18. ^ Marvel Two-In-One #81-82
  19. ^ a b Captain America Annual #7
  20. ^ Hulk #289
  21. ^ Captain America #313
  22. ^ a b c Iron Man #201
  23. ^ Iron Man #207-208
  24. ^ Iron Man #215
  25. ^ Quasar #1
  26. ^ the Scorpion: Poison Tomorrow arc of Amazing Fantasy
  27. ^ Incredible Hulk #600
  28. ^ Captain America vol. 5
  29. ^ Captain America vol. 5 #13
  30. ^ Captain America vol. 5 #17
  31. ^ Invincible Iron Man #1
  32. ^ Amazing Spider-Man Annual #27
  33. ^ Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26
  34. ^ a b Annex #4
  35. ^ a b Annex #1
  36. ^ Captain America #315
  37. ^ Master of Kung Fun #102
  38. ^ Master of Kung Fu #102
  39. ^ Quasar #5
  40. ^ Identity Disc #2
  41. ^ Iron Man vol. 3 #44
  42. ^ Iron Man vol. 1 #207
  43. ^ a b Quasar #9
  44. ^ a b c d e Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #7
  45. ^ Tales of Suspense #93
  46. ^ a b Captain America #133
  47. ^ Captain America vol. 3 #35
  48. ^ Ms. Marvel vol. 2 #13
  49. ^ ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5
  50. ^ a b Captain America vol. 3 #13
  51. ^ Astonishing Tales #8
  52. ^ Avengers #87
  53. ^ Captain America vol.3 #3
  54. ^ New Mutants Annual #7
  55. ^ Captain America vol. 3 #25
  56. ^ Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #10
  57. ^ Marvel Comics Presents #174
  58. ^ Captain America vol. 3 #33
  59. ^ Astonishing Tales #18 (Jun 1973)
  60. ^ a b c d Uncanny X-Men #352
  61. ^ a b c Sabretooth & Mystique #1
  62. ^ a b Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #11
  63. ^ Ms Marvel #3
  64. ^ a b Strange Tales #141
  65. ^ Iron Man #171
  66. ^ Iron Man #200-216
  67. ^ a b ClanDestine #9
  68. ^ a b c Captain Universe/Hulk #1
  69. ^ Captain America #120
  70. ^ Marvel Comics Presents #137
  71. ^ Death's Head II #1
  72. ^ Marvel Holiday Special 2006
  73. ^ a b c Punisher Annual #3
  74. ^ Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #11
  75. ^ a b Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #8
  76. ^ Strange Tales vol. 1 #146
  77. ^ Captain America #127
  78. ^ a b Nova #12
  79. ^ Strange Tales #171
  80. ^ Captain America Comics #1
  81. ^ a b Defenders #57
  82. ^ Ka-Zar the Savage #18
  83. ^ Marvel Feature #9
  84. ^ Iron Man Annual #4
  85. ^ Marvel Graphic Novel #16: Aladdin Effect
  86. ^ Iron Man #216
  87. ^ Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11 #2

External links