Captain America #209
Arnim Zola - The Bio-Fanatic!
Captain America and Donna Maria have just been saved by a horrifying Fish-Man by its creator, the bizarre geneticist named Arnim Zola.[1] Zola, a scientist who has a mechanical box in place of his head and a face projected on his chest summons another one of his creations, a giant gooey creature he calls Dough-Boy. The creature quickly restrains Cap and Donna Maria and absorbs them into its body along with Arnim Zola. The creature then turns into a ship that will fly them back to Zola’s castle in the Alps.
Back in the United States, the regional director of SHIELD visits with Sharon Carter and Leila Taylor to update them on the whereabouts of the missing Captain America and Falcon.[2] There is no word on the pair, but the director presses Sharon Carter to come out of retirement and help SHIELD investigate File 116, an investigation into strange monsters that have been appearing around the world.[3] After some convincing, Sharon decides to return to the spy agency.
Back aboard the flying Doughboy, Arnim Zola demonstrates his ability to mold the creature based on his commands thanks to a device that gives him control over all his creations. He admits that he has not figured out a way to make it work on natural life. This prompts Captain America to ask Zola where he gained these abilities. He tells Cap that he was once a scientist who lived in seclusion of family castle in Switzerland, where he watched the destruction caused by World War II from afar. His family had kept ancient records that revealed the secrets of genetic engineering that dated back to the Crusades.[4] After he created his first micro-organism, Zola continued experimenting creating monstrosities that he’d eventually have to kill. He eventually used his science to create a new body for himself, one that replaced a normal human brain with his ESP-Box that sits atop his shoulders. With his new “perfect” body, Zola continued perfecting his skills in the decades that passed.
Hearing all this makes Captain America realize that he is dealing with a madman and he tries to smash the ESP-Box. Unfortunately, Zola can retract it into his body to protect it from harm. He then summons Primus, a humanoid creation, which has been hiding inside Doughboy’s mass this entire time. As Captain America fails to defeat Primus, the Falcon investigates a massive nest constructed out of logs that he found while searching for Captain America. When the shadow of the massive creature that built it appears above him, the Falcon tries to follow after the beast. With Captain America defeated Primus — a being of some intelligence — decides to claim Donna Maria as his mate.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Falcon, Arnim Zola, Leila Taylor, Primus, Doughboy, Donna Maria, SHIELD (Kurt Jacobson, Sharon Carter)
Continuity Notes
Donna Maria’s full name is not given here. Her last name is revealed to be Puentes in Captain America #350.
The SHIELD regional director is unnamed here. The SHIELD profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #10 identifies him as Kurt Jacobson.
Sharon had been on a leave of absence from SHIELD since Captain America #153.
This wasn’t Zola’s only education in genetic engineering. As revealed in X-Factor Annual #3, he was also educated on the subject by Inhuman/Deviant hybrid named Phaeder who shared his secrets with many scientists in the 1920s.
Topical References
This story refers to bio-engineering as a “new science”, that should be considered topical as what was considered almost science fiction back then is now very real today, albeit not as fantastic as what is displayed here.
