Cold War

"The only way the Cold War can end is in mutual destruction. You know that. Once the Americans and Russkies are done dancing around each other and get down on it..."

- Escobar to Nick Fury

The Cold War was a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies and others) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact). However, neither side realized that a large portion of their respective actions were orchestrated by the terrorist group HYDRA, which was thought to have been disbanded at the end of World War II. This clandestine manipulation by the resurgent HYDRA fed many crises and led to global unrest; part of their grand plan to seize power.

History
"I know it's strictly "need-to-know", but since you're a wanted man and I could end up going it alone-what does Verliecki have that's so valuable? "Full dossiers of twelve of twelve undercover CIA operatives in the Soviet territories." "That could be worth millions to the Soviets..." "And if they get them, the ops die. And this Cold War heats up real fast."

- Escobar and Nick Fury

The Cold War began in 1947 during post-war tensions between the United States of America and the Soviet Union, with both sides' allies in between.

Stark Industries was involved in developing weapons for the United States Armed Forces during the Cold War. A fake town was built during the 1940s in the Mojave Desert to serve as a nuclear test site but was abandoned when the war ended.

What neither the Soviets nor the Americans knew was that the terrorist organization HYDRA, thought to be disbanded shortly before the end of World War II, was responsible for many crises of the Cold War during the 1960s and 1970s, including the, the rise to power of in Libya, the , and the. HYDRA's best assassin, the Winter Soldier, was sent to eliminate many people who posed a threat to HYDRA's plans.

The American counterintelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., that was infiltrated and controlled by HYDRA since its founding, was active during the war.

During the last years of the Cold War, Nick Fury was sent on a mission to Budapest. He encountered a person named Vinorovsky, who was deported some months earlier when he tried to sell bad information. Fury's partner Escobar asked what Verliecki had that was so valuable, and Fury said full dossiers of 12 undercover CIA operatives in Soviet territories.

Fury met with Comrade Verliecki. Inside the apartment, Fury was attacked, but Verliecki was quickly defeated. Suddenly, Escobar pointed his gun at Fury and ordered him to hand over the case they found in the apartment. He told Fury to not take it personally, as it had nothing to do with him, but for the end of the Cold War. Fury attacked and defeated him, then Verliecki knocked Escobar out. Verliecki told Fury to take the case as he filled it with cigars for him, as it been a long time since they sparred. Verliecki asked Fury if he was okay, and Fury simply replied that he could not hurt him if he tried; Verliecki said that he tried. Fury left and called Timothy Dugan who asked Escobar's status; Fury stated that he flipped. With him gone, Dugan stated that it was time to celebrate. Fury told him not to start without him, as he was bringing cigars.

When a group or radicals in East Berlin obtained a piece of HYDRA technology and attempted to reverse-engineer it, Doctor Hank Pym was sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to ruin their plans. After he did successfully, he decided to do more field work for them in his Ant-Man Suit. However, his wife, Janet van Dyne, was apparently killed during a mission with him to intercept and disable a Soviet ICBM.

The Cold War ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.