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 leaders of HYDRA. Originally a high ranking officer of the Nazi Schutzstaffel, during World War II he led many expeditions to recover mysterious artifacts for HYDRA. Despite his capture by the Strategic Scientific Reserve in 1945, he continued to have influence in HYDRA, once offering advice to Gideon Malick, until he was finally freed in 1989 by undercover 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 his freedom and new identity, Whitehall 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 Whitehall could learn the true power of his obsession, he was shot and 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."

- Werner 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 with the power to turn the living 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
"Beautiful, is it not? Your group was digging in the ground at night, how you found it is a mystery, do tell us." "We've heard the same stories as you." "Well, we've both searched so long for a think we barely understand."

- Werner Reinhardt and HYDRA Prisoner

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, who was also known as the Red Skull, Schmidt told Reinhardt that the Obelisk may hold the answer to death itself and must be understood so it could be used against the United States Armed Forces. Reinhardt and a HYDRA Scientist 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, questioning if race, gender or age affected was soon the victim died but seemingly finding no one factor that changed it's deadly effects. Eventually, having killed several men and women, Reinhardt invited Jiaying to touch to Obelisk. As Jiaying resisted, Reinhardt's men forced her down and pressed her face against the artefact, only to discover that Jiaying could touch the Obelisk without dying, and instead triggered an unusual response whereas the Obelisk radiated a bright light. Before Reinhardt could begin his study of the woman, word of the Red Skull's apparent demise at the hands of Captain America became known, and he ordered his men to lock the woman in a cage and evacuate the fortress immediately.

Defeat
"Herr Reinhardt, I-I fear Schmidt..." "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 Werner Reinhardt

Afraid that the United States Armed Forces would find and capture him now that HYDRA's strength had been weakened in the wake of the Red Skull's death, 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 boxes marked with the logo of the, all of which Reinhardt ordered his men to transfer into their jeeps and trucks. As his small army moved the various weapons and treasures out of the facility, Reinhardt spoke to a HYDRA Officer and recommended that they move their operation faster as the clock was ticking until they would be would. The Officer expressed his fear of the Red Skull learning of them abandoning HYDRA strongholds, but Reinhardt reassured him that Schmidt was dead and HYDRA would live on without him. They then discussed the Obelisk, with Reinhardt noting that it had killed many men and that before his death the Red Skull had believed that it held the key to death itself. 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 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 top secret S.S.R. facility. While imprisoned, Agent Peggy Carter came to interrogate him, with Reinhardt noting that she had clearly tried to test him by leaving a pen for him to use however he pleased. As many former Nazi scientists had been recruited by the United States of America, Reinhardt expressed the wish to be recruited as well and use a pen to sign a deal, as he considered himself to be more valuable than those who would make parlor tricks by sending rockets into space. Agent Carter then mentioned his many war crimes, including locking Jiaying in a cage for his planned experimentation on her, but he offered to help her understand the items the S.S.R. has confiscated from his last commanding post. Reinhardt told her about the myth he knew 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. Although Reinhardt attempted to convince Carter that together they could learn so much, she told him that instead they would forget all about him and his monstrous legacy, promising that once she had gone then nobody would come to find him and he would be buried. Although Reinhardt claimed that nothing stayed buried forever. 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. During this time Reinhardt could only pass the time by reading and playing chess alone, although he maintained his loyalty to HYDRA.

Advising the Malicks
"It's time you choose a path forward in HYDRA. And with your father gone, I believe you should choose mine." "And why would we do that, old man?"

- Werner Reinhardt and Gideon Malick

By 1970, Reinhardt learned that HYDRA was rebuilt and gained some influence in it, even though he remained locked in the Rat. He also learned about the legend of HYDRA's origin and the Monolith that was supposedly used to send people to Maveth. As a man of science, Reinhardt considered the belief in Hive to be nonsense. He also knew that the head of the Malick family regularly cheated when he and other believers assembled to choose the next unfortunate sacrifice to Hive. When the head of the Malick family died, Reinhardt sent for Malick's sons, Gideon and Nathaniel. When they arrived, he openly told them that he expected them to reject their traditions and choose the path of science, not religion. The brothers called him a coward, saying that becoming a Traveler was a great honour, to which he replied that their rituals were foolish, unlike their father who survived many ceremonies by doing a parlor trick. The brothers did not believe him, but Reinhardt told them to take a look at, a book in their father's study, which would soon confirm his story.

Years in Prison
"I know how rare second chances are, if you're given one, you take it. The opportunity may be fleeting, so it must be recognised and seized. Sometimes the solution takes days, or weeks, or years, but no matter the sacrifice, one must be willing to endure the trauma of shaking off all that you were, to become something new, something better."

- Daniel Whitehall

In 1989, now an old man, Reinhardt was visited by two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who told him that he was free because Undersecretary Alexander Pierce gave him a medical parole, citing that Reinhardt had joined 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 grew old living no life, she lives a full one and doesn't age a day." "Sir how is this possible?" "I don't know, but we'll learn. Discovery requires experimentation. I think it's time we find out exactly what makes you so special."

- Werner Reinhardt and Hauer

Reinhardt was quickly returned to his old HYDRA Fortress in Austria, where he expressed his sadness at all the years of work he could have achieved having been lost due to Peggy Carter locking him away in the Rat. Once he arrived, Hauer and the other HYDRA Agents presented him with a captured elders of the village where he had conducted his original experiments on the Obelisk many years earlier. As Reinhardt raised from his wheelchair and began looking through the group of terrified hostages, he was amazed to find Jiaying among them, looking exactly the same since he had last seen her during World War II. 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. Hauer asked how this was possible and Reinhardt claimed he did not know. Fascinated, he said that he would find out what made her so special by experimenting on her to learn exactly what made her so special. Having her tied down onto a table, he operated on the woman in an attempt to find the truth behind her immunity to the Obelisk as well as her youthful appearance, cutting her open and removing her organs to be studied, yet finding little results as to the reasons behind her gifts. To ensure that he got the best results from the experiment, Reinhardt kept her alive for as long as possible. Eventually, Jiaying died during the many days of torturous operations; however, Reinhardt harvested her organs and kept them in jars for study and further experimentation into her incredible gifts. Reinhardt was able to use Jiaying's DNA to physically regress himself back to his middle-age; when Hauer asked what Reinhardt had taken from her, he informed him that he had taken everything that he possibly could. He ordered his men to take her mutilated corpse and dump it outside. Reinhardt then officially rejoined the ranks of the new modern day 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 and focused his efforts on finding the Obelisk to understand it's power.

Leading the American HYDRA
"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, Doctor 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 and 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 by Raina before Whitehall could get it, and Creel was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. before being turned over to Brigadier General Glenn Talbot.

Brainwashing Agent 33
"Surrender, and you will find meaning. Surrender, and you will find release. Take a deep breath. Calm your mind. You know what's best. What's best is you comply... Compliance will be rewarded. Are you ready to comply, Agent 33?" "I will never work for HYDRA!" "I expected it would be a long night."

- Daniel Whitehall and Agent 33

HYDRA managed to capture former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Agent 33 after Bobbi Morse gave them the intel on the whereabouts of her secret safehouse, Doctor Whitehall decided to personally oversee her brainwashing, hoping to turn her into his own loyal HYDRA agent and assassin. Before he began, Whitehall poured himself a glass of extremely rare wine that he had first bought just before enlisting in the German army during World War II, explaining to her that he always liked to enjoy the finer parts of life. With Agent 33 refuseing to surrender to Whitehall's control he continued his method while Sunil Bakshi took notes and she tried desperately to break free. A few hours into the session, Whitehall was questioning why Agent 33 was remaining loyal to the core values of S.H.I.E.L.D. which he deemed to be a plague upon man king when he was interrupted by Sunil Bakshi, who requested permission to go on his own mission to recapture rogue HYDRA agent Donnie Gill whose powers they wanted to take advantage of. Whitehall allowed him to go, saying he trusted in his judgement absolutely. With Bakshi away on the mission, Whitehall then continued to twist and corrupt Agent 33's mind by explaining to her the key details of HYDRA's intentions for causing chaos across the world, comparing it to a flower that would be reborn in a fire, claiming that HYDRA would burn down the world to rebuild it in something more beautiful than it ever was before. Whitehall then told Agent 33 that it was time for her to stop burning and be reborn as a loyal member of HYDRA working for him. Seeing that her mind was starting to break, Whitehall politely asked if Agent 33 was now ready to comply to him. Despite her bold proclamation that she would never serve HYDRA and her many attempts to break her handcuffs, Whitehall kept Agent 33 in her place and ensured that she continued staring down at the Faustus screen which burned her eyes while he implored her to give in, pushing the ideals of HYDRA into her mind. Eventually in spite of her valiant battle for her own sanity, Whitehall succeeded in breaking Agent 33 after many hours of work and allowed her to be free and begin serving himself and HYDRA during his campaign to remake the world in HYDRA's own twisted image of perfection. When Sunil Bakshi returned from his mission in Morocco, he spoke with Whitehall and informed him that he had been unsuccessful in returning Donnie Gill to 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. 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

Having learned of a painting with the Words of Creation craved into the back, Whitehall sent in Sunil Bakshi to collect it, disguised as General Glenn Talbot. During the mission, Bakshi reported that he had collected the painting but S.H.I.E.L.D. was also there, when Bakshi asked if he should come in, Whitehall ordered him and Agent 33 to attack and destroy the Bus using the Photostatic Veil to get past Phil Coulson's team and secretly plant a Hijacker bomb. Whitehall discovered 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 calmly 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 she encountered and would not be so easily swayed by her persuasion skills. He then threatened her that if she did not deliver the Obelisk back to him in 48 hours, she would experience even more torture and eventually, a very slow and painful death before turning off the device and leaving.

Duplicating the Obelisk
"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."

- 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 was not 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 then opened the bag he was carrying to reveal the Obelisk inside. He 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 he told him that the two had a common enemy: Phil Coulson whom they could finally kill together.

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."

- Daniel Whitehall and Calvin Zabo

This new alliance quickly proved to be very fruitful for Whitehall's continued research into the Diviner. 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 deadly new weapon known as the Splinter Bomb. Also during this time, Sunil Bakshi mysteriously vanished, having seemingly been betrayed by someone and handed over into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, leaving Whitehall's men on edge and quick to the trigger. Whitehall however remained frustrated by the lack of results his own researchers were having with the Diviner so called in Calvin Zabo to explain it further, with his guards present to protect him. Zabo insulted Whitehall's efforts, calling them insane for just poking at the Diviner when he already had the answers, telling Whitehall to explain all that he currently knew of it for him to expand upon. When Whitehall claimed the Diviner was a weapon, Zabo corrected him by claiming that it was in fact a key that needed to be taken to a special place where it would do something much cooler than killing. Whitehall explained the story about the blue angels who had come to conquer the Earth, but Zabo claimed that they had come to end man kind and replace them with a chosen few, who the Diviner chose to be worthy. When Zabo claimed he could get Whitehall into the secret city, Whitehall questioned this, vowing not to give him men and money on the off chance he would find it as he suspected Zabo would steal the power for himself. Zabo however insisted that he was not worthy to claim this power and promised that he would give it to HYDRA, leading to Whitehall asking about his motivations. Zabo claimed he had lost everything and wanted to kill those who took it from him so he could be reunited with his family in the Afterlife. Later, on Whitehall's orders, Marcus Scarlotti led a team disguised as S.H.I.E.L.D. to attack the United Nations Headquarters, creating more outrage against S.H.I.E.L.D., meanwhile Julien Beckers, the Belgian Minister, declared Belgium a safe heaven for all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The trap was not as successful as Whitehall had predicted. Only six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were killed while Beckers, Scarlotti and his team were captured by General Glenn Talbot and his men.

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 the help of Sunil 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 and get revenge for the years of torment he had suffered. During their meeting, Calvin Zabo returned from his encounter with Phil Coulson and introductions were made. Whitehall stated that he believed that together, with their combined knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Diviner, there was much that they could achieve. Ward asked about Zabo's encounter with Coulson, explaining that he was a former member of Coulson's Team. Zabo claimed it had not been wasted as it was always good to look your enemy right in the eye, before making eye-contact with Whitehall. Whitehall soon learned that Jiaying was Zabo's wife and that Zabo was there seeking revenge.

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

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 informed 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 authorize an destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane. Some time later, Whitehall was informed about the location of the Kree City, that it was buried under the city of San Juan in Puerto Rico. Whitehall then also learned that Skye was Calvin Zabo's daughter.

Taking Charge
"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 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 in order to finally discover what the Diviner could really do. When Whitehall arrived to San Juan, he came to the theater, where he ordered a sudden meeting. With Calvin Zabo, Raina, Grant Ward, and Ward's new hostage Skye assembled, Whitehall expressed his gratitude for Zabo's work, but then asked Ward why he did not order the destruction of the Bus from which Raina and Skye were taken. When Agent 33 brought in the Diviner, Whitehall ordered Skye to pick it up. When she did that and the symbols appeared, she attacked one agent with it while Zabo also killed another, and Ward drew his gun. The mutiny was short-lived and once all the mutineers were disarmed, Whitehall told Skye that he hoped she was special like her mother had been.

Battle for the Kree City
"Discovery requires experimentation. I killed your wife and before I kill you, I want you to watch what I do to your daughter"

- Daniel Whitehall to Calvin Zabo

Later, in another section of the theater where Grant Ward and Skye had been restrained and were being guarded by the HYDRA soldiers, Whitehall came in to gloat over Calvin Zabo, who had just awoken after being knocked out by Whitehall soldier. As Zabo attempted to charge at Whitehall and rip him apart with his bare hands, Whitehall calmly shocked him with the remotely controlled miniature Control Device implanted on his neck, causing Zabo to fall on the floor in complete agony as Whitehall calmly kicked him aside to speak instead to Skye. As Zabo fell down, Whitehall asked if Skye knew what her mother's special gift was. When Skye claimed that she did not, Whitehall told her about her mother's apparent immortality, he expressed his hopes that that was Skye's special ability too or if they would find another special gift within her, vowing to discover the truth through his usual horrific experimentation. But just as he told Zabo that he wanted him to watch as he butchered 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 with violence. In the main corridor, Whitehall gave orders to his men to search the theater floor by floor and kill any of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who they encountered, putting Agent 33 in charge the hunt for the attackers. Immediately after he was left alone, Calvin Zabo suddenly appeared, having escaped from his torturous Control Device and intending to finally kill Whitehall for murdering his wife years before. Instead of being threatened by the man who desired nothing more than to tear him apart with his bare hands, Whitehall turned and faced Zabo, with a smile on his face as Zabo began walking towards him. Whitehall calmly aimed his pistol at the enraged doctor, but just as he was about to shoot him, Phil Coulson snuck up behind him and shot him twice in the back. Whitehall looked down at his chest as he began to bleed from his fatal wounds before falling down onto his back dead. Zabo became outraged for not being able to exact his revenge and kill Whitehall himself and vowed to get his revenge against Coulson for taking that away from him. Whitehall's death left a void in HYDRA's leadership ranks that S.H.I.E.L.D. believed had raised Sunil Bakshi's value as Doctor List sought to replace him.

Personality
"I'm not like most people with whom you interact. I'm not easily confused. I've been around too long to lose sight of what's mine. I generally don't do my own dirty work anymore. We should all aspire to do only that which we enjoy. Don't you agree? But in your case, I will make an exception."

- Daniel Whitehall to Raina

Daniel Whitehall was completely amoral and capable of committing any crime that could help his or HYDRA's goals, in his mind to answer the keys to death itself. Confident and arrogant in his capacities, he took seemingly all situations presented to him with calm indifference if not sadistic humor. He had no problems with killing dozens of people in horrifically cruel ways to test the Obelisk's power with no remorse what so ever. He did not care about any of his lower henchmen, because he had hundreds of them ready at his disposal.

Whitehall constantly calculated. and sought a person's motive before applying action. When confronted by Calvin Zabo in his office, he stopped Sunil Bakshi from acting to learn why Zabo was there, despite witnessing 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 was dedicated to understanding and discovery. As a scientist, he was observant to and fascinated by new situations and will experiment endlessly to find solutions to his questions. He developed a mantra of discovery requires experimentation to justify his amoral experiments.

Powers

 * Longevity: While originally an elderly man from World War II, Whitehall was able to reverse the aging process by transplanting Jiaying's blood and organs to himself. This restored the former appearance of his prime, along with its matching health and vitality. Until his death, his aging was slowed down so much that he showed no noticeable signs of aging 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 spoke fluent German and English. He could 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 wore a modified 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, and he wore the HYDRA membership stickpin. 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 † - Second-in-Command
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * List †
 * Octavian Bloom †
 * The Sheikh †
 * The Baroness †
 * The Banker †
 * Kenneth Turgeon
 * Carl Creel - Former Subordinate (brainwashed)
 * Agent 33 † - Subordinate (brainwashed)
 * Marcus Scarlotti
 * Hauer
 * Gideon Malick †
 * Nathaniel Malick †
 * Rivera

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
 * Calvin Zabo - Situational Ally turned Enemy
 * Raina †
 * Glenn Talbot
 * Donnie Gill - Target
 * Pete Leitner
 * Mariah Leitner
 * Schneider † - 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.

Behind the Scenes

 * Paradise Lost creates a continuity error by having Gideon and Nathaniel Malick refer to Reinhardt as "Whitehall" while he was still imprisoned in the Rat in 1970, despite the fact that The Things We Bury established that he did not take on the name Daniel Whitehall until he was smuggled out of the prison in 1989.