Zola, Dr. Arnim Villain
Real Name: Dr. Arnim Zola.
Occupation: Scientist, subversive.
Identity: Known to the authorities.
Legal Status: Citizen of Switzerland with an international war criminal record, legally deceased; has legal paperwork identifying himself as his own son, also with Swiss citizenship, with no criminal record.
Other Aliases: Arnim Zola, Jr.
Place of Birth: Bern, Switzerland.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: None.
Group Affiliation: AIM, formerly NASA and the Nazi Germany Hydra science division.
Base of Operations: Unrevealed.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: CAPTAIN AMERICA #
History: A scientific prodigy born in Switzerland, Arnim Zola earned his first doctorate at age 15. By the time the National Socialist (Nazi) Party gained power in Germany, Zola had obtained his third Ph.D., all in various fields. It was this genius that led him to being recruited into the Hydra Science Division by the Red Skull. Zola is credited with many of the scientific advancements Hydra developed during the war, but in 1945 he defected to the Allies, citing disillusionment with the vision of the Nazi regime. Among his many achievements was the development of genetic creations – most of which were made from his own genetic sequence – which he could then temporarily transfer his mind into.
Although convicted of war crimes for his actions in Hydra, Zola was recruited into NASA in the early 1950s. Upon leaving NASA, he founded a corporation along with a number of other scientists, Advanced Idea Mechanics, intending to use it as a front to secretly subvert the United States and her allies into a technocracy, with himself in charge.
In the 1970s, Zola was diagnosed with being in the terminal stages of lung cancer. Having solved the telomere loss problem decades before, he cloned a younger body for himself and transferred his mind into the new body, leaving his old one to go into a coma and die of the cancer. Now touting himself as his own son, Zola continued to lead AIM.
Because of AIM's criminal and subversive actions, Zola has come into conflict with Captain America and CIA operative Nick Fury on several occasions. He has been "killed" on at least two occasions, but each time transferred his mind to another cloned body. He has also come into conflict with the renegade "living computer" MODOK, who has taken control of many of AIM's facilities.
Age: 98 (appears 38).
Height: 5' 6".
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Brown.
Uniform: None.
Strength Level: Arnim Zola possesses the normal human strength of a man his physical age, height, and build who engages in regular exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: Zola's only superhuman power is his ability to transfer his mind to one of any number of younger clones. Each cloned body has a transmitter implanted in his brain which permits him to upload his mind – intellect and memories alike – to an AIM mainframe, which then downloads his mind into the prepared cloned body. The exact number of clones he has available for emergency transfers is unknown.
Other Abilities: Zola is a multidisciplinary scientific genius, though he tends to focus on the biological sciences, including genetic manipulation and cloning. He has also become a capable administrator.
487 points
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 15 [100]; HT 12 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 13 [-10]; Per 13 [-10]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 5.50 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 8.
Languages: English (Native) [6]; French (Native) [6]; German (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Italian (Native) [6].
Cultural Familiarities: Western (Native) [0].
Advantages: High TL +2 [10]; Merchant Rank 8 [40]; Natural Scientist 4 [40]; Omnilingual [40]; Possession (Mind Swap, +10%; Puppet Only, -30%; Psionic, -10%) [70]; Puppet Group [10]; Single-Minded [5]; Status 5 [0*]; Wealth (Multimillionaire 1) [75].
Perks: Controllable Disadvantage (Callous) [1]; I Lived It! (TL6+) [1].
Disadvantages: Compulsive Rhetoric (12) [-5]; Delusion (Minor; "I am the smartest man alive.") [-5]; Dependent Group (Clones; built on 0 or fewer points) (6) [-15]; Enemy (MODOK) (9) [-20]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5].
Quirks: Careful [-1]; Devout Believer (Technocratic Ideals) [-1]; Imaginative [-1]; Needs Reading Glasses [-1]; Upset He Still Needs Reading Glasses [-1].
Skills: Administration (A) IQ-1 [1] – 14; Beam Weapons/TL10 (Pistol) (E) DX+2 [4] – 12; Bioengineering/TL10 (Cloning) (H) IQ+5 [16] – 20†; Bioengineering/TL10 (Genetic Engineering) (H) IQ+5 [24] – 20; Biology/TL10 (VH) IQ+5 [12] – 20‡; Electronics Operation/TL10 (Scientific) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 15; Guns/TL10 (Pistol) (E) DX+2 [4] – 12; Inventor! (WC) IQ+1 [36] – 16§; Leadership (A) IQ-1 [1] – 14; Mathematics/TL10 (Applied) (H) IQ+3 [2] – 18‡; Science! (WC) IQ+1 [36] – 16§.
Starting Spending Money: $,4000,000
* Includes +2 from Wealth and +3 from Merchant Rank.
† Defaulted from Bioengineering/TL10 (Genetic Engineering).
‡ Includes +4 from Natural Scientist.
§ Conditional +4 from Natural Scientist when substituting for a relevant skill.
Role-Playing Notes:
Zola is patient and meticulous, yet quietly arrogant in his belief that all others are not as intelligent as he is. He is motivated first by his belief in technocracy, then by his need for revenge against those who have thwarted his plans. His plans are generally elaborate and full of misdirection; GMs using him as the villain mastermind in their games should be reminded to sprinkle their plans with several red herrings. And with his ability to transfer his mind between bodies, one can never be sure if his death, should it occur, is truly the last they've seen of Arnim Zola.
In his long life (lives?), he has never overcome his inability to kill directly. He has no qualms ordering underlings to kill for him, however.
One of the biggest questions in Zola's history regards where he earned his High TL and learned the TL10 versions of his Biology and Bioengineering skills.