Hive (Marvel)
Hive is a comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Hive
Six years ago, a candidate for the Hive host was sought from the California-based recruitment centre known as Ravenous. This recruit was chosen due to his low white-blood content that meant rejection to the parasites was low and his low intelligence meant that he would be easily overcome. Thus, he was chosen to take part in the experiment with Ms. Fischer escorting to the special program where they travelled to The Hive facility located deep underwater. Once there, the candidate was stripped where he was led into a chamber filled with parasite pods that latched onto the host and consume his body against his will. This left him in agonising pain as the creatures slowly took control over his body in a process that took years until the original host personality was long gone. The Kraken and Baron Strucker both were present as the parasite gained his host body and went through the transformative process. (Secret Warriors v1 #12) Imbued with a quiet, chilling intelligence and unconditionally conditioned to serve the global conquest goals of its creators, the Hive rapidly ascended the ranks to be appointed to the High Council of HYDRA alongside Baron Strucker and Madam Hydra. The parasitic entity solidified its terrifying status during the war against the rival faction Leviathan; following the execution of the original Viper, the Hive shocked its allies by absorbing the woman's corpse and reanimating her under its absolute mental dominance, cementing its role as a core threat to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the global order. (Secret Warriors v1 #2)
Madame Hydra Elisa Sinclair with Black Ant and Taskmaster travelled to a Hydra temple where she summoned Hive whereupon she sent him on a mission of violence. The creature later joined her and sat at the table of the new High Coucil of Hydra. (Captain America: Steve Rogers v1 #14)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Hive was a massive, grotesque humanoid being whose entire physiology was composed of millions of tightly writhing, genetically engineered parasites. It lacked distinct human features or skin texture, presenting a bulbous, heavily segmented torso and limbs covered in an organic, deeply veined dark mass. When it chose to claim the deceased body of the high-ranking HYDRA operative Viper, its aesthetic underwent a highly disturbing, dual-natured transformation. The bottom portion of the figure retained the human physique, while the entire upper skull was completely consumed and replaced by a large, pulsating mass of violet-toned parasites. From this bulbous, faceless head erupted four incredibly long, thick, prehensile tentacles that whipped through the air around it, creating a chilling and monstrous silhouette that completely lacks traditional uniform markings or heroic symmetry. (Secret Warriors v1 #2)
Powers and abilities
Hive was a genetically engineered parasite designed to latch onto host bodies and gain dominance over them. Initially, Hydra lacked the means to breed and centrally control the parasites with the solution being finding a host body. Upon latching onto a body, the host's mind would eventually cease to exist with the form and the parasite developing sentience thus effectively forming a group consciousness. The physical transformation was noted to be quick but the higher brain functions took time to complete. The circulatory system took quite sometime to be properly transformed. The parasites tended to want to feel the host's pain so as to continue to produce adrenaline with the higher brain functions being the last to be subsumed into the creature. (Secret Warriors v1 #12)
The Hive possessed an incredibly lethal, highly specialized suite of biological and parasitic traits derived from its synthetic creation as a living hive-mind. It possessed absolute physiological autonomy, allowing individual parasites to break away from the central mass and be launched at high speeds to act as projectile weapons that physically shred targets. Its primary supernatural trait was cellular reanimation and bio-possession, which granted the swarm the power to engulf dead human bodies, halt their biological decomposition, and fully override the host's motor functions to act as a puppet vessel. While it could significantly amplify a host's natural physical strength, its collective consciousness granted it complete amphibious functionality, enabling the entity to breathe seamlessly on land and underwater. However, its core biological vulnerability remained its absolute dependence on a human host framework; it was entirely incapable of performing physical impossibilities—such as flight—if the underlying body lacked that trait, and it remained fully susceptible to any pre-existing ailments or genetic defects afflicting its current vessel. (Secret Warriors v1 #2)
As one, Hive is capable of asserting itself as an individual, albeit without name or personality. In this form, Hive is capable of speech -- the language, however, is unknown, though spoken also by other Hydra agents -- suggesting it's one of their own design, created for strategic secrecy when in the field. The Hive is capable of breathing both on land and underwater.
It was possible for the Hive to evolve over time with the host and parasite capable of spawning a third or fourth mutation variation. (Secret Warriors v1 #12)
The Hive's only weakness is that despite the deadly nature 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 impossible tasks 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 Viper, these ailments would no longer be present.
Notes
- Hive was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev where he made his first appearance in Secret Warriors v1 #2 (May, 2009).
In other media
Television
- In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., an alternate take of Hive appeared in the setting of the live-action television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was portrayed by actor Brett Dalton. This version was an ancient Mayan warrior who long ago was abducted by the Kree Reapers and subject of their experiments in Terrigenesis to create the race of Inhumans. One of the first Inhumans, he was now known as Alveus where the Terrigenesis process was intended to turn him into a supersoldier where he was transformed into mass of cellular parasites that inhabited the bodies of the dead where they gained the memories of the body in the process. He was able to disguise himself as a human but could manifest a more alien form that contained numerous protruding tentacles. Hive was able to expel parasites to devour humans for nourishment or infect them to make them fall under the control of his hive mind. The danger posed by Hive was so great that the Kree ended up banishing him to a far off planet named Malveth. His remaining worshipers established a secret society to prepare the world for his return which ultimately evolved into the terrorist organization HYDRA and provided new victims/hosts. Among these included Lord Manzini, Nathaniel Malick and astronaut Will Daniels. Through HYDRA's efforts, Hive returned to Earth and possessed Grant Ward. He seized control of the group, and recreated the Terrigenesis experiment, seizing a warhead to spread a virus that transforms humans into Hive-infected primitive Inhuman warriors. However, he was ultimately defeated and killed through the efforts of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the episode "The Real Deal", a fear manifestation of Hive was created after the explosion of the Kree Beacon, only to be destroyed by Phil Coulson and Deathlok.
Video games
- In Marvel Duel, Hive appeared as a playable card in the setting of the card-based video game.
- In Marvel Rivals, Hive made a cameo appearance in the setting of the third person hero shooter video game. He was depicted in the Hydra Charteris Base: Hell's Heaven that was a site for super-soldier experiments. Depictions of Hive were shown within the facility.
Appearances
- Secret Warriors v1: (2009)
- Captain America: Steve Rogers v1:
External Links
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