Arnim Zola

"I am not a recording, fraulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am me."

- Arnim Zola to Black Widow

Armin Zola was a Swiss scientist working for HYDRA before, during, and after World War II. Originally an employee of the Nazi Sturmabteilung, in 1934 he was recruited by Johann Schmidt to become the master of science for the far greater threat to the world peace, Schmidt's HYDRA organization. During the war, he designed many advanced weapons to aid HYDRA in its quest for world domination. Despite being captured by the Allies shortly before Schmidt's defeat in 1945, he was offered a position in S.H.I.E.L.D., the newly formed peacekeeping organization, and he used that opportunity to secretly rebuild HYDRA.

Nazi scientist
"I am working on advanced exo-skeleton technology... To make o-one soldier fight ...like a battalion..."

- Arnim Zola

Not much is known about Arnim Zola's early life except that he became one of Germany's top scientists. At some point in his life, he joined the Nazis. In 1934, he worked at Sturmabteilung's Weapons Testing Grounds at Kummersdorf. His newest invention was the advanced exo-skeleton which could make one soldier fight like the whole battalion. In July, the SA base was attacked by the SS troops led by Johann Schmidt. Almost the entire personnel of the base was killed, and he was spared only because he agreed to work on genetics. Schmidt wanted to use Zola's knowledge to turn himself into a superior man.

Working for HYDRA
Soon, Schmidt organized his own SS division, HYDRA. Zola became HYDRA's top scientist. In September 1935, Zola was allowed to resume his work on exo-skeleton battle suits and various high-tech weaponry because Schmidt captured Abraham Erskine, a German scientist who worked on the Super Soldier Serum.

By the time of the Spanish Civil War, Zola had created several advanced war machines. His finished exo-skeleton battle suit was used by HYDRA against the Spanish Republicans at Guernica in 1937.

Schmidt's transformation
"How does it feel, Abraham? To have your hubris be responsible for the deaths of your wife and children?"

- Arnim Zola to Abraham Erskine

In November 1940, Zola was at Castle Kaufmann when Johann Schmidt tested the unstable Super Soldier Serum on himself. The serum enhanced his strength, but it also disfigured his face. Two days later, Zola visited Dr. Abraham Erskine in his cell and told him that Schmidt will kill him for failing to give him what he wanted. However, Zola and all guards in the castle were drugged by the British agent Margaret Carter who helped Erskine to escape.

Studying the Tesseract
"The energy we have just collected could power my designs. All my designs. This will change the war." "Doctor Zola, this will change the world."

- Arnim Zola and Johann Schmidt

After HYDRA forces found the Tesseract in 1942, Schmidt asked Zola if he could study its power, and accidentally he discovered how to transform its energy into advanced laser ammunitions and engines. He designed advanced weapons for HYDRA. With Zola's suits, weapons, vehicles and equipment HYDRA became more powerful than ever.

Later, Zola saw that Schmidt finally discovered Dr. Erkine's exact location. After asking Schmidt if he should give the order for Erskine's assassination, Schmidt responded that the order was already given.

Departing from the Reich
"As you can see, production of the Valkyrie is progressing on schedule, even with components of this size."

- Arnim Zola

When three SS officers came to Schmidt's base to question him about the progress in developing advanced weapons for Third Reich, Schmidt showed them Tesseract powered weapons made by Zola. But when they discovered that Schmidt intends to nuke Berlin, Schmidt vaporized them with his advanced cannon. Schmidt told Zola that HYDRA could grow no further in Hitler's shadow, to which Zola responded by saying "Hail HYDRA!"

In November 1943, the super-soldier Captain America arrived at the HYDRA base in Austria to rescue the American soldiers they were using as menial labor there. While Cap rescued the prisoners and fought the guards, Schmidt took off in a single man rocket, but not before giving Zola the keys to his car, mercifully allowing his top scientist to escape the self-destructing factory.

Captain America attacks
"This is hardly my area of expertise! I... I merely develop the weapons. I... I cannot fire them."

- Arnim Zola

In April 1944, Zola was in a castle on an island in the Nazi occupied Danish Straits. The castle was invaded by Captain America, who managed to destroy one of Zola's exo-skeleton suits and an armored vehicle.

Captain America also began attacking HYDRA bases fighting off HYDRA troops powered by the machines of Zola such as Iron Cross and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. When Captain America was apprehended by Iron Cross following his fight with Baron von Strucker in the castle of Baron Zemo, Arnim Zola and Madame Hydra ended up extracting some of Captain America's blood so that Zola could recreate the Super Soldier Serum for Project Master Man. Later on, Captain America encountered one of Zola's robots where Arnim Zola speaks through it stating that he will kill Captain America, drain his corpse of his blood, and use it in order to make James Montgomery Falsworth his pawn. All of Zola's robots were destroyed by Captain America, and the small amount of super-soldier serum he had managed to create from prior analysis of Captain America's blood was destroyed. Later, Zola came across one of his robots. Schmidt told Zola to stop wasting time on his failed experiments and to get back to work because they will see Captain America again.

Cap and his Howling Commandos progressively managed to destroy most major HYDRA operations, preventing Zola any real ability to work on his scientific projects. Eventually he had to be moved via armored train, which Captain America and his friend Bucky Barnes attempted to invade. In the ensuing battle, Bucky was supposedly killed but Zola was captured and handed over to Allied forces.

In captivity
"Schmidt believes he walks in the footsteps of the gods. Only the world itself will satisfy him."

- Arnim Zola

Zola was taken to the SSR base and interrogated by Col. Chester Phillips. Phillips noted that his lack of the cyanide pills normally used by HYDRA agents to prevent capture suggested that he did not want to die personally. Zola told them everything he knew about HYDRA and revealed that Schmidt's plans were of world domination.

Rebuilding HYDRA
"After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew, a beautiful parasite, inside S.H.I.E.L.D."

- Arnim Zola to Captain America and Black Widow

In the aftermath of World War II, the United States started Operation Paperclip, a program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States and deny their scientific expertise and knowledge to the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. As part of the operation, Zola was recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D., the newly formed peacekeeping organization. However, the leaders of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't know that they were growing a parasite. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, Zola managed to build an entire computer system which his mind was uploaded into as an artificially intelligent user interface. Though Zola's body died in 1972, his mind continued to live in cyberspace, from which he was able to provide easy passage into the agency for HYDRA sleeper agents that either managed to escape justice during the war or were corrupted from within.

21st Century
"Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving. On two hundred thousand databanks. You are standing in my brain."

- Arnim Zola to Captain America and Black Widow

Two years after the battle of New York, Alexander Pierce, a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official who was one of the corrupted operatives, attempted to initiate HYDRA's new global rule by taking control of Project Insight. Natasha Romanoff and a recently revived Steve Rogers, in their efforts to stop Pierce, discovered a hidden bunker beneath Camp Lehigh where the mainframe containing Zola's downloaded conscious was located. From him, the duo learned of HYDRA's infiltration and intentions.

Shortly thereafter, the bunker was attacked and destroyed, with the mainframe being destroyed too in the explosion.

Personality and traits
"Captain, what a pleasure to meet you face to face. I am Arnim Zola. How wonderful that you have awoken in time for me to show off my laboratory facilities."

- Arnim Zola

A man of dubious morality, Dr. Zola was one of the most infamous scientific minds on the planet. There was no crime he wasn't willing to commit if that could help him in his scientific experiments. Despite his amorality, Dr. Zola wasn't sadistic, evident by the shock and fear he often displayed towards Red Skull's actions and megalomania.

Equipment and skills
Dr. Zola was the greatest scientist who ever worked for the Third Reich, and later HYDRA. He was interested both in technology and genetics, though he prefered making the new weapons to aid the Axis in world conquest instead of enhancing human bodies to the peak of human perfection. He had dozens of HYDRA soldiers at his disposal and loyal lieutenants like Madame Hydra.

Relationships

 * Red Skull - Leader
 * Captain America - Enemy
 * Madame Hydra - Ally



Trivia

 * The blueprints for Dr Zola's android body can be seen when Zola is gathering his papers to escape the factory.
 * The character's first appearance in the film is a close-up of his face on an old-style television screen, evoking his comic-book counterpart.