History of Hydra: Part 1

Though some believe the roots of Hydra’s subversive evil grew out of the early 20^th century, its tendrils in fact date back centuries and beyond, making the organization one of the oldest on Earth.

Few records exist of Hydra’s birth, but stories persist of a species of cold-blooded alien reptiles that came to our planet in the time before mankind’s assent and planted the seed that flourished into today’s evil empire. Eager for power and to spread darkness, the aliens branched out to touch upon many paths to their goals, thus first cementing the idea of a many-headed creature, undying and malignant.

Their first real victory in this campaign arrived in the seduction and infection of an Eastern society of intelligent and clever men called the Brotherhood of the Spear. So virulent did stain upon them prove that their enemies, the Brotherhood of the Shield, began to refer to them simply as “The Beast,” echoing ancient beliefs in a devilish presence.

By the time of the great dynasties of ancient Egypt, the proto-Hydra encompassed other great yet shadowy sects and cults. This too furthered the image of the legendary hydra among impressionable and superstitious minds as the group’s evil purpose thrived and grew. Interestingly, as the great Renaissance captured the imaginations of people throughout Europe, Hydra seemed to wane, eventually disappearing into obscurity as that remarkable period in Earth’s history came to an end.

For Hydra to rise again and continue on its march toward total world domination, it needed both a powerful, central figure to lead it, and an epic, worldwide crisis for it to take advantage of. These arrived in the form of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and the conflict known as World War II…

Further Reading: SECRET WARRIORS #1, S.H.I.E.L.D. #4, WOLVERINE #29