Why I like Hydra, AIM and Roxxon

04 Aug Why I like Hydra, AIM and Roxxon

I love these guys, they are always doing something, they are so proactive, so very keen and they always have a plan. Who are they? If you don’t know here is a quick run down; Hydra is a “world-wide subversive organisation dedicated to global domination.” AIM, (Advanced Idea Mechanics), is “an organisation of brilliant scientists and their hirelings dedicated to the acquisition of power and the overthrow of all government by technological means ” and previously an arm of Hydra. Roxxon Oil is a “powerful, expansive and influential… ”, ”…and unparalled leader in the energy industry”

They are also three different aspects of what we humans love to do. Hydra is the military arm, AIM is the science arm and Roxxon is the corporate arm. They are caricatures of some of society’s largest cornerstones. Sometimes they are displayed sinister, sometimes, mostly in the case of AIM, they are displayed as ridiculous. It isn’t always clear where all the minions come from and how you can have two more rise for each member of Hydra that falls, but they are representations of the faceless masses found in large corporations or organisations. They have a dream, they have goals, they reach for them and they constantly fail. They fail so often it might be better for the heroes of the piece to just relax and let them get on with the failing. They never succeed, well sometimes they do, but it isn’t long before they fall prey to their own failings again. Overreaching, over confindence, infighting, treachery, all of the classics. Again, I don’t really know why the heroes bother. It’s like watching a bumbling clown on repeat. I love it.

I love Hydra because they have all the style and all the cool gear. Massive tanks, ranks and ranks of faceless minions who have no regard for personal safety and GREAT outfits. All that leather, phew, it must get hot in those leather jumpsuits, no wonder they are angry all the time. Lead by the Red Skull, archenemy of Captain America, the first Red Skull was going to be called Hot Fudge, yeah, it strikes fear into my cavities too. That changed when the Red Skull was reintroduced in 1941 and went on to be punched, kicked and repeatedly humiliated by Cap and Bucky throughout WW2. Who doesn’t like punching super Nazis in the face and stopping their plans? I know I do. Finding two more Hydra minions to step into the shoes of one fallen agent must be hard work for human resources. I can only imagine the turnover in that department and then the subsequent growth. What happens when they lay people off, do they have to then hire twice the amount of people they made redundant? In fact, I am sure someone must have done the maths to work out a point at which everyone on earth would be a member of Hydra. How do they pay these people, also, who supplies all the extra shoes and uniforms? Probably Hugo Boss. More recently in the Marvel cinematic universe, they have had greater success, bringing down SHIELD and scattering them they almost succeeded, almost. Hydra plan, they fight , the fail, then they do it again. I feel Hydra’s mottos should be “Tenacity, stupidity, morbidity”

Advanced Idea Mechanics in contrast to Hydra, wear what must be the most ridiculous outfits. Essentially they are yellow bee keeper jump suits with big yellow beekeeper head gear. The artists who have to draw AIM minions in comics these days must curse Kirkby for his legacy. For all their ridiculousness, they have created some major threats to the Marvel universe(s). Super Adaptoid, the Cosmic Cube and M.O.D.O.K.

M.O.D.O.K. , Mental Organism Designed only for Killing, is as ridiculous as an AIM intern’s spare jumpsuit. The fact that M.O.D.O.K. was once an AIM technician, experimented on and mutated into a cross between a giant head and a nappy wearing baby, trapped inside his original AIM uniform helmet. You would think the Scientist Supreme would have the foresight to remove the subject from his uniform before experimentation? No wonder he killed everyone afterwards.

Unlike Hydra, not only are they less military in approach, they don’t seem to have endless minions willing to through themselves to their deaths. Instead, AIM technicians will quite often be seen running away once things go pear shaped. Lead by the Supreme Scientist and driven by a thirst for knowledge, AIM is constantly researching new and wonderful ways to kill, destroy and control things, like reality and the entire planet. Science gone wrong or science at it’s purest? They are much more interested in the wonder of dimensional travel or reality changing power than ruling the planet. In fact, if they actually succeeded I’m not sure they would know what to do. Thank the hory hosts of Hoggoth that their ranks are filled with cowardly technicians who run at the drop of a silly yellow hat.

That leaves us with Roxxon Oil Corporation. A greedy corporate oraganisation interested in wealth , market share and political power. They are a caricature of corporate values. Never overt, always getting away with things they shouldn’t. Corrupt and criminal practices behind a veneer of respectability. They represent everything we hate about large faceless corporations. They are the “man” you work for when you work for him. They cover their tracks and have even helped with research for SHIELD. One of my favourite things about Roxxon is how the name pops up all over the place in comics and films even when they aren’t part of the main story. You can see the name in the background, blazened on bill boards or buildings. Agent Carter even featured them. In fact they are scattered all through the Marvel cinematic universe. Agent’s of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Daredevil and most notably, Iron Man 1, 2 and 3. This is probably the most important appearance because of Roxxon’s role in the death of Tony Stark’s parents. If you work for Roxxon, you probably don’t know you are a minion; in fact you probably have benefits and dental. Maybe even your own mug and perhaps a few pictures of your family on your desk. But, they higher up the chain you get, the closer to the executive bathroom you are, the more likely you become to being involved in some very shadey practices. If you haven’t had someone killed or ruined the reputation of a congressman and gotten away with it , then you aren’t a Roxxon executive. It’s very easy to hate these guys, much more so than Hydra or AIM. Yeah Hydra kill people and shoot people, but they have a vision, an ideology. They actually think they are doing the right thing. AIM seem dangerous and they are, but they are scientists. They are too tied up in doing the new dangerous thing to stop to wonder if they should, plus , they are going to run away as soon as the Avengers show, so no big deal. But Roxxon, there is something I can really hate. Corrupt, mean, privileged corporate taking what they can and crushing the weak. I bet they even take helicopters to fund raising events.

In reality, they are just there as foils for our heroes, they can’t win out in the end , that would be just wrong and if they did, what then? Hydra run the world? AIM flounder and have no idea what to do and give it all back? AIM make profits? But I like to think of them as little pockets of society, reflections of our society, doing what we do and a great way for us to remember that we don’t have to be that way, we don’t have to accept the bad in our society, we can be Captain America, everyday, in small ways. So go be Cap and punch the bad in the face , metaphorically speaking.