Dr. Monica Rappaccini is a terrorist leader and takes the title of Scientist Supreme of A.I.M., an organization bent on acquiring power via technology, that she intends to use take down Western civilization for its many environmental and political failures.
Early Exploitation
While enrolled as a biochemistry student at the University of Padua, Monica Rappaccini went to New Mexico’s Desert State University to study and shared a brief relationship with Bruce Banner, a physics student who would later become the Hulk. The ruthless Monica used their relationship to exploit Banner’s radiation expertise for her own research. Upon attaining her doctorate, Monica quickly became a world-renowned innovator of anti-toxins and antidotes for various environmental poisons and nearly won the Nobel Prize.
Recognizing the many environmental and political failings of western civilization, Monica decides it was too corrupt to exist. She joins a series of terrorist organizations—first the pan-European leftist group Black Orchestra, then Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), where she has a brief relationship with fellow agent George Tarleton (later M.O.D.O.K.). Now making poisons instead of curing them, Monica’s expertise with toxins allows her to rise quickly through A.I.M.’s ranks.
Biochemical Genius
A biochemical genius, Monica is one of the world’s foremost authorities on organic toxins. Her inventions include memetic antibodies and the enhanced lymphatic system of the A.I.M. waker agents that granted them total immunity to all biological, chemical, and radiological weapons; synthetic microbes that attack the human psyche and trigger pre-coded memories and impulses; hallucinogenic drugs that deliver programmed hallucinations before being absorbed into the system; and many innovative weapons of mass destruction, from gas attacks to nanobacteria bombs. Rappaccini’s A.I.M. uniform belt contains a phasing device that allows her to teleport short distances.
A.I.M. Allies and Frenemies
Rappaccini is a committed scientist at A.I.M. and eventually the organization’s foremost leader, the Scientist Supreme. Though she remains independent from A.I.M.’s original Scientist Supreme George Tarleton, AKA M.O.D.O.K., especially after he attempts to kill her. She allies herself with criminals such as Norman Osborn, AKA Green Goblin, and Dimitri Anatoly, AKA Chameleon, but also heroes such as the Hulk, and Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, when it suits her ultimate goal of maintaining control over A.I.M.
Monica’s Terrorist Tales
She implanted her own daughter, Thasanee Rappuccini, and several other newborn children of A.I.M. members with memetic antibodies and released them into the world as A.I.M. waker agents with no knowledge of their heritage, programmed to travel instinctively to the nearest A.I.M. biohaven when their antibodies activated at age 16. Monica’s daughter was raised in Vermont as Carmilla Black by undercover A.I.M. agents. Monica went underground for nearly two decades, studying potential power sources such as the sentient Uni-Power and orchestrating attacks on capitalism, such as the dioxin-based gas attack on Hong Kong.
When the A.I.M. Scientist Supreme Lyle Getz was slain by his own renegade creation, M.O.D.O.K., Monica became head of the splinter faction of A.I.M. that remained independent from M.O.D.O.K.’s control. Upon M.O.D.O.K.’s defeat by Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, and Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, Monica’s splinter group absorbed his A.I.M. cell and reunited the organization. The A.I.M. Ruling Council unanimously elected Monica Scientist Supreme shortly after. As A.I.M. leader, Monica rarely did field work, preferring to act through agents and proxies. When she recently led an A.I.M. attack on the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, it was thwarted by her estranged 19-year-old daughter, who had since joined forces with S.H.I.E.L.D. and become the costumed Scorpion. Rappaccini eluded capture and soon attempted to harness the malfunctioning Uni-Power, but her plans were thwarted by Scorpion and several heroes who bonded with the Uni-Power.
When the mutant Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch, warped reality into the mutant dominated “House of M” society (Reality-58163), Monica worked alongside Scorpion and the Hulk to overthrow Governor Exodus’ fascist mutant government in Australia. When the Hulk became Australia’s new leader, Monica’s secret plan to create a cybernetic army to overthrow Earth’s mutant rulers was exposed. Denying any knowledge of the army, Monica promised to restore the cyborgs’ humanity. When this warped reality was undone, a disoriented Monica found herself stranded in Australia alongside Bruce Banner. Evading Scorpion’s attempt to arrest her, Monica returned to A.I.M. Though she was later betrayed by M.O.D.O.K. and his son Sean Madigan, and captured by Ms. Marvel (now Captain Marvel). Monica pledged to work with Danvers making an argument that A.I.M. was splintering into several factions and without her help, she’d face them all instead of a united A.I.M. led by her. Danvers agreed and Monica helped take down M.O.D.O.K. and Madigan by killing the latter.
Later, Monica (aided by A.I.M.’s Ultra-Adaptoid who was actually Chameleon) and M.O.D.O.K. both sought the immeasurably powerful Hypernova, which could create a new Cosmic Cube. M.O.D.O.K. ultimately tricked Monica into buying the decaying Hypernova from him just before it exploded, seemingly killing her. Surviving, Monica planned to detonate a “dirty bomb” in Spain and tried to recruit elite scientist/spy Bobbi Morse, AKA Mockingbird, but Morse rejected her and defeated Monica with the aid of Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye (at the time known as Ronin) with an arrow that struck her belt which teleported her elsewhere.
After Norman Osborn, formerly the Green Goblin, became head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and turned it into H.A.M.M.E.R., he recruited Monica to help him become a Super-Adaptoid, a perfect defense bio-weaponization that allows the user to adapt to any physical abilities that they touch. Though Osborn fails at his own machinations, Monica succeeds at unlocking genetic secrets of the Super Hero world which she planned to manipulate. But she and A.I.M. were soon attacked by the Avengers and detained.
When Roberto da Costa, AKA Sunspot, purchased A.I.M. legally, Monica helped him coordinate a hostile takeover and in exchange offered her freedom in exchange for brokering the deal. He also gave her the title of Secretary of Affairs, but she immediately betrayed him by attacking him and siding with Scientist Supreme Andrew Forson. Teleporting away just after she threw a bomb at Sunspot, Monica arrived on AIM island with Andrew where she and he sought to rebuild the A.I.M. Empire and seize the future. Their plans were disrupted with the arrival of Sunspot and his Avengers Marcus Milton, AKA Hyperion (Earth-13034), and Eden Fesi, AKA Manifold, who went head-to-head with Forson. Sunspot defeated Forson, but Monica helped him escape by teleporting them both out of harm’s way.
She later rebuilt A.I.M. and attacked the Genius In action Research Labs (G.I.R.L.) Expo. The Expo was an event hosted by G.I.R.L., a collective of girl geniuses using science and engineering to change the world with Nadia Van Dyne, AKA Wasp, at the helm. But as Monica and A.I.M. successfully overtook the Expo and started transporting their scientists through a portal, she found herself outmatched so she destroyed the portal. Though she got what she wanted, Monica was captured and detained by Greer Nelson, AKA Tigra.
