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History

Created in the Hydra laboratories in their underwater base of Hive, the Hive was an experiment made to physically embody the Hydra ideal. The entity is composed of untold numbers of genetically-engineered parasites. An unknown and unwitting Hydra agent was offered/fed to these parasites as a host around which they could merge into a singular being. Grotesque and menacing in both stature and appearance the Hive had no identity of its own, per se, as its collective will dominates the human host it engulfs; however, it possesses a quiet and cunning intelligence and as a result of its conditioning is completely dedicated to the Hydra cause to the extent that Baron von Strucker appointed it as a figurehead alongside himself, the Viper, Gorgon, Kraken, and the new Madame Hydra in the form of triple agent Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.[1]

When Hydra went to war against a rival organisation, Leviathan, Valentina revealed her true allegiance and murdered her predecessor, the Viper. When von Strucker and the other heads discovered her corpse, the Hive shocked and appalled them all by merging with the deceased woman's body -- re-animating her, but with the parasites themselves gathering into a bulbous mass atop her head with four prehensile tentacles.[2][3][4][5]

Taking back her title as Madame Hydra, she and Gorgon subsequently broke away from von Strucker's weakening grip on Hydra and formed an alliance with the recently escaped Norman Osborn and his H.A.M.M.E.R. organisation. During this brief and fragile union, Osborn arranged for Madame Hydra to undergo surgery to remove the Hive from her in a way that would keep her alive.[6]

Hive was tracked down and found alive years later by the new Madame Hydra, Elisa Sinclair, in an ancient Hydra temple in Egypt, and had it become a member of the new High Council of Hydra she was gathering.[7]



Powers and Abilities

Powers

The Hive's body, whilst bipedal, is not a solid figure but a writhing congregation of its many parasites. As such, these parasites can actually shoot away from the mass and attack others at high speed -- making them effective projectile weapons.

Abilities

As one, the Hive is capable of asserting itself as an individual, albeit without name or personality. In this form it is capable of speech -- the language, however, is unknown, though spoken also by other Hydra agents -- suggesting it is one of their own design, created for strategic secrecy when in the field. The Hive is capable of breathing both on land and underwater.

Strength level

It is never actually revealed but it is implied that the Hive possesses a greater than average physical strength from the combined efforts of its parasites.

Weaknesses

The Hive's only weakness is that despite the deadliness of its parasites it still has the physical limitations of its human host; in other words, whilst it can improve upon the host's strength and skills it cannot perform impossibilities such as flight if the host cannot. Also, any ailments afflicting the host prior to absorption will still be present and will affect the Hive -- for instance, its original human host possessed a minute blood disorder and was also a diabetic -- hence, why the Hydra heads deemed him fodder for the Hive experiment and would have also made him weak enough to be absorbed. These maladies would have also been present within the Hive afterwards; however, when the Hive later merged with the Viper these ailments would no longer be present.



Notes

Due to the Hive's sickly first host it can be construed that it is always on the search for newer, stronger bodies to inhabit. These bodies, however, need to be weak enough to be absorbed -- a biological flaw perhaps designed by Hydra to keep the Hive under control. Madame Hydra's body, being dead, was a perfect host and offered no resistance -- the process healing her bullet wounds. It is unknown, however, if the reborn Madame Hydra is the original woman, a symbiotic bond between her and the Hive, or the Hive entirely in its latest host. To add further confusion, when Norman Osborn arranged for Madame Hydra to have the Hive removed it is unclear to what extent this reaches. The exterior physical form of the Hive is gone but there is no indication of it being present within her or if it is indeed truly removed and even then, destroyed.

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