Daniel Whitehall

"Freedom. Equality. Individual rights. These principles make mankind a plague on this planet. Think of a forest. It dries up and catches fire with the first spark. Now, mankind would fight that fire, believing every individual plant perfect in its own individual way. But it's the fire that's perfect."

- Daniel Whitehall

Werner Reinhardt, later known as Daniel Whitehall, was one of the most prominent members of HYDRA. Originally a high ranking officer of the Nazi Schutzstaffel, during World War II he led expeditions to recover mysterious artifacts for HYDRA. Despite his capture by the Strategic Scientific Reserve in 1945, he was freed in 1989 by members of HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D.. Back in his old base, he used organs and DNA from an Inhuman named Jiaying to de-age himself and have a middle-aged appearance into the 21st century.

With the new identity, he reclaimed his position in HYDRA and started the quest to recover the object of his lifelong obsession, the mysterious Obelisk. During his campaign he worked alongside an expert on the Obelisk, Calvin Zabo, however before he could learn the true power of his obsession, he was killed by Phil Coulson during a S.H.I.E.L.D. attack.

Youth and Early Career
Werner Reinhardt was born in Arnsberg, Germany on October 9th, 1904. Following the end of, Reinhardt joined the Nazis and became an officer of the Schutzstaffel. He rose through the ranks until he became an, eventually joining HYDRA, the special science division led by Johann Schmidt.

The Obelisk
"Not everything we dug out of the ground was an antique, my friend. Some of it was quite advanced." "Is this the reason these men...? Hmm?" "Ja. The Red Skull said it may hold the answer... the answer to death itself."

- Reinhardt and HYDRA Officer

When World War II broke out, Reinhardt actively participated in German conquest of Europe, earning several high military decorations, including the, the , and the. As an officer of HYDRA, he was sent to search for mysterious artifacts. On one occasion, his team discovered the corpse of a blue-skinned humanoid organism. Somehow, during this time, Reinhardt learned about Johann Schmidt's disfigurement that earned him the nickname "Red Skull".

Among the various myths HYDRA researched, to Reinhardt the most intriguing one was the story about an Obelisk-like object with the power to turn living creatures into stone. Reinhardt became especially obsessed with the Obelisk, and came to learn of the myth behind it, an old story from the East about the "stars that fell from the heavens". Being an intelligent man, Reinhard realized the "stars" were actually extraterrestrials who came to Earth thousands of years earlier; Reinhardt was led to believe that the aliens intended to conquer Earth, but failed.

Monstrous Experiments
"Discovery requires experimentation."

- Werner Reinhardt

By March 1945, Reinhardt was the commanding officer of a HYDRA Fortress in Austria. He personally discovered a mysterious item which would become known as the Obelisk in Chaves, Portugal. Reinhardt soon learnt that the Obelisk had the power to kill anyone who came into contact with it, in order to learn more, Reinhardt ordered his team to capture a group of people from China who knew about the Obelisk. When he showed the object to his leader, Johann Schmidt also known as the Red Skull, Schmidt said that the Obelisk may hold the answer to death itself. Reinhardt continually tested the Obelisk's power on various prisoners in order to find the reason behind the lethal effects, and why the effects differed from person to person. Eventually, one of his subjects, a young woman named Jiaying, was able to touch the Obelisk without dying, and instead triggered an unusual response whereas the Obelisk radiated a bright light. Before Reinhardt could study the woman, word of Johann Schmidt's apparent demise at the hands of Captain America became known, and he ordered his men to lock Jiaying in a cage and evacuate the fortress.

Defeat
"Herr Reinhardt, I-I fear Schmidt..." "Oh, there's no reason left to fear the Red Skull. He's dead. However, his vision is not. The work HYDRA has done will live on."

- HYDRA Officer and Reinhardt

Afraid the Allies would find and capture him now that HYDRA's strength had been weakened, Reinhardt and his men moved to a more secure location, a HYDRA Research Facility in Austria. The facility housed dozens of artifacts collected by HYDRA over the years, many of them held in the boxes marked with the logo of the. However, the Allied advance into Austria was faster than Reinhardt predicted, and he made a plan to escape with the artifacts from the facility and continue HYDRA's work. Before they could escape, the facility was attacked by a Strategic Scientific Reserve team led by Peggy Carter, Jim Morita, and Dum Dum Dugan. Reinhardt and all of his men were captured and all their experiments and experiments were locked away, including the Obelisk. Before he was taken away, Reinhardt warned Agent Carter that if one of HYDRA's heads was cut off, two more would grow in its place, although Carter assured him that the SSR would continue cutting off the heads regardless.

The Second Chance
"The US Government has recruited many German scientists." "They'll send rockets into space. Maybe they can strap you to one of them." "They'll show you parlor tricks. Giving me a second chance could save all of humanity."

- Werner Reinhardt and Peggy Carter

After his capture, Reinhardt was taken to a secret S.S.R. facility. While imprisoned, Peggy Carter came to interrogate him. As many former Nazi scientists were already recruited by the US Government, Reinhardt expressed the wish to be recruited as well, as he considered himself far more valuable than those who would make parlor tricks by sending rockets into space. Agent Carter then mentioned his many war crimes, but he offered to help her understand the items the S.S.R. has confiscated from his last commanding post. He told her about the myth concerning "blue angels" and revealed the extraterrestrial origin of the artifacts. While visibly interested in this revelation, Carter's disgust towards Reinhardt's actions proved stronger and she opted to let the man rot in prison for the rest of his days as punishment for his uncountable crimes against humanity. Sentenced to life imprisonment, Reinhardt spent the next forty-four years in a small cell in a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison called the Rat.

Years in Prison
"Nothing stays buried forever."

- Werner Reinhardt

In 1989, now a weak old man, Reinhardt was visited by two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who told him that he was free because Director Alexander Pierce gave him a medical parole, citing that Reinhardt had joined the SS and HYDRA under duress - though in fact Pierce was a member of HYDRA. As one agent left the cell, the other whispered "Hail HYDRA". When Reinhardt replied with the same salute and asked why he was needed after so many years, the agent said that he would have to see himself.

New Experiments
"I see it's time we find out exactly what makes you so special."

- Werner Reinhardt to Jiaying

Reinhardt was quickly returned to his old HYDRA fortress in Austria, where the HYDRA Agents presented him with a captured Jiaying. Reinhardt was both shocked and elated to discover that Jiaying was still alive and retaining her youth even after so many years while he had become an old man. Fascinated, he said that he would find out what made her so special by experimenting on her. He operated on the poor woman in an attempt to find the truth behind her immunity to the Obelisk, cutting her open and removing her organs to be studied, yet finding little results as to the reasons behind her gifts. Eventually Jiaying died during the torturous operations, however Reinhardt was able to use Jiaying's DNA to physically regress himself back to his middle-age. He ordered his men to take her mutilated corpse and dump it outside. Reinhardt then officially rejoined the ranks of HYDRA, and by the next year he had taken up the identity of Doctor Daniel Whitehall, becoming one of HYDRA's most prominent figureheads in the new modern world.

HYDRA Uprising
"Creel has escaped and did indeed make off with the Obelisk. He should contact us shortly. I would have him come in, but I'm being overly discreet with this operation. I know how long you have been searching for this, Dr. Whitehall." "You have no idea."

- Sunil Bakshi and Daniel Whitehall

In 2014, after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., Whitehall had become the leader of the HYDRA forces in America, was a regular attendee at the biannual meetings of the terrorist organization, and had resumed his search for the Obelisk. He had his second in command, Sunil Bakshi, hire Carl Creel to reclaim the Obelisk from the United States Armed Forces. At first, Creel's mission was successful, but the Obelisk was stolen from Bakshi and Creel was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and turned over to General Glenn Talbot.

The New S.H.I.E.L.D. Strikes
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s becoming a problem. Do we know who's in charge?" "I'm afraid not."

- Daniel Whitehall and Sunil Bakshi

When HYDRA captured a former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Agent 33 after Bobbi Morse gave them the intel on her safehouse, Whitehall personally oversaw her brainwashing, hoping to turn her into a loyal HYDRA agent. Before he began, Whitehall poured himself a glass of extremely old and rare wine, explaining to her that he liked to enjoy the finer parts of life, while Sunil Bakshi took notes. A few hours into the session, Whitehall was interrupted by Sunil Bakshi who requested permission to go on a mission to recapture rouge HYDRA agent Donnie Gill, Whitehall allowed him to go, saying he trusted in his judgement. He then continued to twist Agent 33's mind by explaining to her the details of HYDRA's intentions for causing chaos across the world. Despite her bold proclamation that she would never serve HYDRA and her many attempts of break her handcuffs, Whitehall succeeded in breaking Agent 33 after many hours of work. When Sunil Bakshi returned from his mission in Morocco, he spoke with Whitehall in his office and informed him that he had been unsuccessful in his attempt to return Donnie Gill back into HYDRA's control and Gill had seemingly been killed during a firefight with S.H.I.E.L.D.. During their conversation, the brainwashed Agent 33 walked into Whitehall's office and handed him paperwork that needed his signature, informing him that she was now happy to comply and loyal to HYDRA. Once Agent 33 had left, Whitehall asked Bakshi about Jemma Simmons' loyalty to HYDRA, telling him that she could be reprogrammed if they deemed it necessary.

Meeting Raina
"I once operated on a woman, on and off, for a full week. The struggle really is keeping the patient awake. The pain at certain levels has the tendency to cause us to black out. That can be... incredibly frustrating. But I'm confidant that I can do better now. I can find you wherever you are. Bring me the Obelisk. Forty-eight hours. The clock starts... now."

- Daniel Whitehall to Raina

Somehow, Whitehall found out that it was Raina who took the Obelisk. Tracking her down, Whitehall and a few of his men confronted Raina in her car. She initially attempted to talk her way out of the situation, but Whitehall instead planted a Control Device on her hand and told her that he was not like most men with whom she encounters and would not be so easily swayed by her persuasion skills. He then threatened her that if she did not deliver the Obelisk to him in 48 hours, she will experience even more torture and eventually, a very slow and painful death. With that, he switched off the device on her hand and left the car.

Duplicating the Obelisk
"There were positives. Many of the deceased were enemies of HYDRA." "Some of us are pleased with these small triumphs. Others have loftier aspirations passion, even. Our founder, he had his Tesseract. As for me, well, it would be an understatement to say that I've waited my whole life to get possession of the Obelisk, to harness its power."

- Lingenfelter and Daniel Whitehall

Later, Whitehall and his scientists attempted to duplicate the Obelisk's power. HYDRA's demonstration at the wedding of Pete and Mariah Leitner ended with a few dead civilians and U.S. Navy officers, but that wasn't the result Whitehall hoped to achieve. Later, Whitehall had a meeting with his top scientists, including Dr. Lingenfelter, Jemma Simmons, and Kenneth Turgeon. He expressed his disappointment, but Simmons assured him that the Obelisk could be used for mass executions. Later, after Bobbi Morse and Jemma Simmons escaped from the HYDRA Laboratories when their covers were exposed, Whitehall was discussing with Sunil Bakshi about moving to a new location when an unknown man broke into Whitehall's office. When the two guards tried to stop him, the stranger easily killed them. The man, Dr. Calvin Zabo, then opened the bag he was carrying to reveal the Obelisk inside. Zabo offered to teach Whitehall not only how to use the power of the artifact, which he called the Diviner, but how to survive it. Whitehall asked for his motives, and Zabo told him that the two had a common enemy: Phil Coulson.

A New Alliance
"Can you tell me how to use it?" "Better yet, I'll teach you how to survive it." "And why would you do that?" "We share a common enemy. A guy named Phil Coulson. I thought maybe together, you and I could kill him along with, you know, everyone else."

- Whitehall and The Doctor

The new alliance soon proved to be very fruitful. Whitehall and Zabo sent schematics based on the work of Vincent Beckers and adapted with the power of the Diviner to Toshiro Mori to create the Splinter Bomb. Later, on Whitehall's orders, a group of HYDRA operatives led by Marcus Scarlotti and disguised as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attacked the United Nations Headquarters, creating the new wave of outrage against S.H.I.E.L.D. across the world. In coordination with Whitehall, Julien Beckers, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and a secret member of HYDRA, declared Belgium a safe heaven for all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, attracting many of them to his country. However, the trap wasn't so successful as Whitehall predicted. Only six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were killed and Beckers, Scarlotti and his team were captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the United States Armed Forces under General Talbot.

In a meeting with Sunil Bakshi, Grant Ward, who escaped the FBI's custody, wondered who was Bakshi's direct superior since Wolfgang von Strucker was working overseas so he could meet him. Bakshi told Ward that Whitehall was too busy for a meet-and-greet. Ward tried to entice Bakshi by saying that he could get Whitehall and Phil Coulson to meet so Whitehall could kill him.

Recruiting Grant Ward
"Everyone deserves a second chance, but few are willing to do what it takes to earn one." "I completely understand. I think my skills could be of use to you. I know sacrifice, what it takes to move forward in life." "I have no doubt that's true"

- Daniel Whitehall and Grant Ward

Whitehall had a meeting with Grant Ward, who found him without Bakshi. Whitehall spoke to Ward about second chances and allowed him to rejoin HYDRA before he showed him news footage of the alleged murder-suicide of his brother Christian Ward and his parents, which Whitehall was aware was a murder committed by Grant Ward to destroy his brother's legacy.

While in their meeting, Calvin Zabo returned from his encounter with Phil Coulson and introductions were made. Whitehall stated that he believed that together, with Ward's knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Zabo's knowledge of the Obelisk, there was much that they could achieve for HYDRA. Ward asked Zabo about his encounter with Phil Coulson, explaining that he was a former member of Coulson's Team which seemed to greatly interest Zabo. He explained that his encounter with Coulson had not been wasted as he felt it was always good to look your enemy right in the eye, before making eye-contact with Whitehall. Somehow, Whitehall learned that Jiaying was Zabo's wife and that Zabo was there seeking revenge on Whitehall for her murder years before.

Search for the Kree City
"They've got her, sir. I'm sorry, but she did mention that they implanted a tracker in her." "How fortunate. I'll get my best man on it right away."

- Agent 33 and Daniel Whitehall

After learning that Raina was one of those who survived touching the Obelisk, Whitehall sent a few agents to find her. Led by Agent 33, they found her in Vancouver, but when they tried to kidnap her, she was saved by a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and taken onboard the Bus. Whitehall was called by Agent 33 who informed him about the failure of the operation. When Agent 33 said that Raina had a tracker on her, Whitehall replied that he would send his best man to take care of the situation. When Whitehall met with Agent 33, she told him that Grant Ward successfully captured Raina but he also obtained Agent Skye from the Bus, promising that the four HYDRA quinjets surrounding the plane would not fire if she came willingly. Whitehall told her that Ward did not have the authority to give such a promise and ordered her to order an attack. Some time later, Whitehall was informed about the location of the alien city. It was buried under the city of San Juan in Puerto Rico. Whitehall also learned that Skye was Dr. Zabo's daughter.

Death
"It's a pity that you won't get to fulfill that destiny, or that after all these years, you won't get your vengeance for what I did to your wife. Secure him. Remain alert around Agent Ward. He's a trained killer, one of the best. I have a feeling that, in time, I can make you comply."

- Daniel Whitehall to Skye, Calvin Zabo, HYDRA Agents, and Grant Ward After scanning the city through the ground, Whitehall's men discovered the temple inside the city was located exactly a couple hundred feet beneath the Ponce de León Theater. They quietly occupied the theater and started drilling right through the volcanic rock. When Whitehall arrived to San Juan, he came to the theater, where he ordered a meeting. With Calvin Zabo, Raina, Grant Ward, and a captured Skye assembled, Whitehall expressed his gratitude to Zabo, but asked Ward why he did not order the destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane from which Raina and Skye were taken. As Agent 33 brought the Diviner, Whitehall ordered Skye to take it from its box. When she did that and the symbols appeared, she attacked one agent with it, killing him. Zabo also killed one agent, and Ward pointed his pistol at Whitehall's men. However, the mutiny was short-lived. When the mutineers were disarmed, Whitehall told Skye that he hopes she's special like her mother. Later, in another section of the theater, where Ward and Skye were restrained, Whitehall came to gloat over Zabo. As the doctor tried to kill him, Whitehall shocked him with the remotely controlled miniature Control Device implanted on his neck. As Zabo fell down, Whitehall told Skye about her mother's apparent immortality. He expressed his hopes that that was Skye's special ability too. But just as he told Zabo that he wanted him to watch him butchering his daughter, Phil Coulson and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attacked the theater. Whitehall and Agent 33 then left the room to deal with the intruders. In the main corridor, Whitehall gave orders to his men to clean the theater floor by floor. Immediately after he was left alone, Calvin Zabo suddenly appeared, intending to finally kill Whitehall for murdering his wife years before. Whitehall calmly aimed his pistol at the doctor, and just as he was about to shoot him, Phil Coulson snuck behind him and shot him twice in the back, killing him. Zabo became outraged for not being able to exact his revenge and kill Whitehall himself.

His death left a void in HYDRA's leadership ranks that S.H.I.E.L.D. believed raised Sunil Bakshi's value.

Personality
Daniel Whitehall is completely amoral and capable of committing any crime that could help his or HYDRA's goals. He had no problems with killing dozens of people in horrifically cruel ways to test the Obelisk's power. He doesn't care about any of his lower henchmen, because he has hundreds of them at his disposal.

Whitehall constantly calculates and seeks a person's motive before applying action. When confronted by Zabo in his office, he stopped Sunil Bakshi from acting to learn why Zabo was there, though he witnessed Zabo kill two of his operatives moments earlier. Before he acted on Grant Ward's disobedience for not attacking the Bus, Whitehall met with him and asked his reasons.

Whitehall is dedicated to understanding and discovery. As a scientist, he is observant to and fascinated by new situations and will experiment endless to find solutions to his questions. He developed a mantra of "discovery requires experimentation" to justify his amoral experiments.

Powers

 * Longevity: Whitehall was able to reverse the aging process by transplanting Jiaying's blood and organs to himself, becoming the same man he was at the end of World War II. Until his death, his aging was slowed down so much that he looked like he had not aged between 1989 and 2014.

Abilities

 * Master Tactician: Whitehall possessed military knowledge and skills of a World War II general, improved with years of study while imprisoned at the Rat. Once he re-joined HYDRA following his liberation, he assumed a leadership role within the organization, harvesting resources for HYDRA while developing a long-term strategy to gain access to the Obelisk that was taken from him by the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
 * Master Scientist: Whitehall was one of the top scientists in HYDRA during World War II, focusing in the study of an ancient eastern myth that led to the discovery of the Obelisk, and once found, he sought to weaponize its effects, even killing countless human subjects to analyze its properties.
 * Expert Physician: Whitehall had advanced medical skills and knowledge, being able to vivisect Jiaying in order to analyze and harvest her blood and organs, later ordering to transplant her organs on himself.
 * Multilingualism: Whitehall speaks fluent German and English. He can speak English with a perfect American accent.

Weapons

 * : Whitehall was armed with the standard pistol used by members of the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
 * : The standard side-arm used by HYDRA security officers. Whitehall personally carried one of these handguns, and he grabbed it during S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attack on the Ponce de León Theater. He attempted to kill Calvin Zabo with the gun, but was unable to fire as he was killed by Phil Coulson.

Other Equipment

 * Control Device: A small device used by Whitehall to control his enemies, attaching it to their skin and then using it to inflict a considerable amount of pain. He used it on Raina to make her retrieve the Obelisk that she stole from one of his subordinates, and then to incapacitate Calvin Zabo as he attempted to bring the Obelisk to the Kree City under Puerto Rico.
 * : During World War II, Whitehall used an official black SS uniform, wearing the rank insignia of . The SS runes on the right side of the collar were replaced with the HYDRA badge. The cuff title on his uniform's left sleeve read HYDRA. His officer cap also had the HYDRA badge instead of the SS Totenkopf badge. He wore four military decorations on the left side of the uniform.
 * The - In recognition of a tank commanders' achievements during armored assaults.
 * The - For taking part in 25 battles of close combat.
 * The - For being wounded three or four times.
 * The - In recognition for bravery in battle or military contributions in a battlefield environment.

Family

 * Wife †

Allies

 * HYDRA (World War II)
 * Red Skull - Leader
 * HYDRA Officer - Subordinate
 * HYDRA Fortress Officer - Subordinate
 * HYDRA Scientist - Subordinate
 * HYDRA (Second Incarnation)
 * Alexander Pierce † - Liberator
 * Sunil Bakshi † - Subordinate, Second-in-command
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * List †
 * Octavian Bloom †
 * The Sheikh †
 * The Baroness †
 * The Banker †
 * Carl Creel - Subordinate
 * Agent 33 † - Enemy turned Subordinate (brainwashed)
 * Hauer

Enemies

 * Strategic Scientific Reserve
 * Peggy Carter
 * Dum Dum Dugan
 * Jim Morita †
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Phil Coulson - Killer
 * Jemma Simmons - Former HYDRA Subordinate
 * Bobbi Morse - Former HYDRA Subordinate
 * Skye - Kidnap Victim
 * Calvin Zabo - Uneasy Ally turned Enemy
 * Raina † - Kidnap Victim
 * Grant Ward - Ally turned Enemy
 * HYDRA Prisoner † - Victim
 * Jiaying † - Victim

Trivia

 * In the comics, Daniel Whitehall is a legendary member of HYDRA known as the Kraken.
 * Both Daniel Whitehall and John Garrett were members of the Great Wheel of the Zodiac, a collection of eleven of the most experienced espionage leaders in the Marvel Comics main continuity. Other prominent members that already appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe were Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan and Wolfgang von Strucker.
 * Daniel Whitehall's death marks the second time Phil Coulson had killed a main antagonist in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..