| Arnim Zola | |
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Arnim Zola Art by Steve Epting |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Captain America #208 (Apr 1977) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Arnim Zola |
| Partnerships | Red Skull |
| Notable aliases | The Bio-Fanatic |
| Abilities | Genius intellect, Telepathic control of genetic creations |
Arnim Zola is a fictional character a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a master of biochemistry, and frequent foe of Captain America and the Avengers.
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Created by Jack Kirby, Arnim Zola first appeared in Captain America #208 (April 1977), followed by issues #209-212 (May-August 1977) of the same title.
The character subsequently appeared in Super-Villain Team-Up #17 {June 1980}, Captain America #275-277 (November 1982-January 1983), The Avengers Annual #13 (1984), X-Factor Annual #3 (1988), Captain America #350 (February 1989), Marvel Comics Presents #24 (July 1989), Captain America #383 (March 1991), #387 (July 1991), #393-396 (October 1991-January 1992), Captain America Annual #11 (1992), Marvel Comics Presents #106 (1992), Fury #1 (May 1994), Captain America #437 (March 1995), Iron Man/X-O Manowar: Heavy Metal #1 and X-O Manowar/Iron Man in Heavy Metal #1 (September 1996), Thunderbolts #4 (July 1997), #24 (March 1999), Wolverine #139 (June 1999), Thunderbolts #33 (December 1999), Captain America #50 (February 2002), Secret War: From the Files of Nick Fury (2005), Marvel Holiday Special #2006, Captain America #24 (January 2007), #26 (July 2007), X-Men #200 (August 2007), The Uncanny X-Men #488 (September 2007), Cable & Deadpool #45 (November 2007), Thunderbolts: International Incident (April 2008), Captain America #34-36 (March-May 2008), and #38 (July 2008), the wizard freebie deadpool #0, and most recently, Invaders Now! #2 (November 2010).
Arnim Zola received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #1, and All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #12 (2006).
Arnim Zola was a 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, the Deviants. He found a ready home among the Nazi party, who saw his actions as the ability to ensure the existence of a master race.
One of his first accomplishments was the creation of a brain pattern imprinting device, which would allow someone's mental essence to be projected into a cloned brain. Zola presented such a gift to Adolf Hitler, creating the Hate-Monger. Zola also used these skills to form a new body for himself, surviving through the war and into modern times.
The Red Skull also financed some of Zola's experiments, allowing Zola to produce such creations as Primus, Doughboy, and Man-Fish. This association led to Zola's first confrontation with Captain America in the jungles of Central America.
Zola has since continued his experiments at various times and locations around the globe. Often, his crimes against humanity bring him into conflict with various heroes, from Captain America to Deadpool.
During one such experiment Zola collected humans from the rubble of New York City after the devastation caused by the being known as Onslaught. Zola endowed a teenager with superpowers, creating the hero known as Jolt, who brought the Thunderbolts to stop him.
As part of another experiment, he collected the DNAs of Basilisk I, Ben and May Parker, Bird-Man II, Bucky, Cheetah, Cyclone, Gwen Stacy, Kangaroo I, Mirage, Porcupine I, Red Raven, Ringer, 5 of the Salem's Seven, Turner D. Century, and Whizzer and then used them to create Proto-Husks that were destroyed by Deadpool.[1]
During the Endangered Species storyline, Arnim Zola was among the 9 supervillain geniuses recruited by Beast to help him reverse the effects of Decimation.
In the aftermath of the Superhuman Civil War, Zola joined the Red Skull in his newest attempt to kill Captain America, which succeeds. Afterwards, while the Skull is busy in his plans on controlling America with a puppet government, Zola attempted to reverse-engineer a mysterious device given 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 had 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 the Skull out of Lukin but his current body was destroyed by the Grand Director. Currently, the Skull is stuck in one of Zola's robot bodies.
Stuck in a computer somewhere, Zola is located by Norman Osborn. He informs the current director of H.A.M.M.E.R. that Captain America was really 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 had become unstuck in time, causing him to relive the events of World War II.[2] By the time Arnim Zola had rebuilt the machine in Castle Doom, Sharon Carter was brought to him so that he could transfer the Red Skull's mind into her body.[3]
A flawed copy of Arnim Zola's consciousness in a robot body was recruited by the Shadow Council. He faced the Secret Avengers who were investigating the Shadow Council's mining operations inside of a bad continuum (a malformed reality). Although he was defeated by the Secret Avengers, his fate afterwards is unknown.[4]
Arnim Zola has no natural superpowers, but he is a scientific genius specializing in genetics and cloning. He is not only capable of creating exact clone copies of his "clients", he has also created monsters which are conditioned to do his bidding.
Zola's most noticeable feat, however, was performed upon himself. He has constructed a specially modified body which lacks a head. Instead, Zola's face is located - via holographic projection - on his chest, and atop his shoulders is an ESP Box, a psychotronic device which he uses to exert his control over his monster creations. In a limited effect, the Box can also be used as an offensive weapon.
Whenever his current body is damaged, or utterly destroyed, Arnim is able to send his personality to another one stored elsewhere, thus giving himself a form of immortality.[5]
Arnim Zola recently appeared in the second Annual of the Ultimates written by Charlie Huston. Just like his Earth-616 incarnation he was also a Nazi biochemist. His role in World War II was to make a cadre of special master race troops so as to serve as Adolf Hitler's bodyguards.[6]
Captain America was able to infiltrate Arnim Zola's facility and kill his first experimental monster, which Zola dubbed "Siegsoldat" ("Victory soldier"). The experiment's dead body then fell on Arnim Zola, seemingly killing him.[6]
However Arnim Zola did not die and the O.S.S. rescued him so as to harvest his intellect on the post-war super soldier program. Later they mapped his brain and created an artificial intelligence out of it before the tumors he had could degrade his mind.[6]
A short time before the Liberators attacked the United States,[7] a white survivalist group called the "Marauders" attacked the military base where Arnim Zola's AI was being held and stole it, along with some other weaponry. Arnim Zola was then able to convince the leader of the "Marauders" to allow Zola to commence experiments on him.[6]
Zola mutated the man until he was approximately 20-foot (6.1 m) tall and installed armor plating (and Zola's AI brain) on him with a hologram of Zola projected from the chest and was called "Uber-Siegsoldat". He then took over the "Marauders" and got them to gather people for his experiments.[6]
Captain America and the Falcon were sent after him and were able to defeat him by freeing the people he had kidnapped, who promptly tore apart his body, whereupon Captain America collapsed a support strut onto the Zola AI.[6]
A young, apparently fully human "Arnim Zola III" appeared in Ultimate Mystery, as a member of Roxxon's brain trust.[8][9]
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