Victoria Hand
Victoria Hand is a female comic character that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Victoria Hand
Whilst with her partner, Victoria came to disagree with Colonel Nick Fury's approach to the War on Terror and came to believe that the Director was mishandling the situation. She had wrote a letter that she intended to send despite the advice of her partner. After it was sent, Hand was then transferred to a new station site as punishment for the way she had sent it leading to her partner breaking up with her and ending their relationship. (Dark Avengers v1 #11)
After the death of Veranke, the Skrull's Secret Invasion was thwarted with Norman Osborn hailed a hero for slaying the alien queen. He was appointed as Tony Stark's replacement when Iron Man was disgraced with S.H.I.E.L.D. being disbanded. Director Osborn came to head a new peacekeeping agency that he named H.A.M.M.E.R. where he met with Victoria Hand and changed her from her position as business affairs operative to being Deputy Director. Thus, she was made Norman's second-in-command and tasked with weeding out people from his new organization whilst ensuring only those loyal to him remained in the organization. (Dark Avengers v1 #1) She coordinated directly with Director Norman Osborn inside Avengers Tower to establish a comprehensive data catalog of the premier international security threats left unresolved by previous administrations. When a tactical emergency erupted in Latveria revealing that Doctor Doom had been soundly defeated and rendered unconscious by the mystical entity Morgan le Fay, Victoria Hand processed the telemetry and monitored the war room as Osborn officially mobilized his newly formed Dark Avengers team for their premier deployment to the sovereign European nation. (Dark Avengers v1 #2)
Hand managed the central communications infrastructure and intelligence data logs at H.A.M.M.E.R. headquarters while the Dark Avengers were actively engaged in a devastating mystical conflict against Morgan le Fay's demon hordes in Latveria. Upon receiving an emergency request from Norman Osborn for immediate analytical readouts regarding the sorceress's history, Victoria Hand compiled and transmitted the necessary archives to the field, while strictly enforcing Osborn's directive to withhold traditional military reinforcements to ensure baseline human agents were not needlessly slaughtered by the supernatural threat. (Dark Avengers v1 #3) She came to oversee the administrative logistics of the agency's primary tactical assets when the Dark Avengers successfully returned to New York City following the spatial banishment of Morgan le Fay. Working from her executive suite, Victoria Hand reviewed the mission parameters and coordinated with H.A.M.M.E.R. medical personnel to evaluate the physical recovery of the team's high-durability operatives, ensuring that the heavy structural damage inflicted during the Latverian intervention was completely processed and classified under strict national security guidelines. (Dark Avengers v1 #4)
During an investigation of the town of Dinosaur, Colorado, the Dark Avengers led by the Iron Patriot disappeared before the H.A.M.M.E.R. forces. As Deputy Director, Victoria took control and told her forces to stand down as they sought to understand the nature of the threat. Ultimately, she decided to meet the entity responsible for disappearances and offered the surrender of the United States of America to them. (Dark Avengers v1 #11)
With Osborn defeated, the Dark Avengers were arrested and Victoria Hand surrendered herself into custody. She was met by the returned Steve Rogers where she explained her reasoning for working for Osborn. Rather than have her arrested, Rogers decided to give her a second chance and offered her a new assignment. (Dark Avengers v1 #16) This led to her being chosen to help supervise Luke Cage's incarnation of the Avengers that were being stationed at Avengers Mansion. At first, they refused but Cage along with Wolverine spoke to Hand with them deciding to accept her in this new role. (New Avengers v2 #1) Around this time, the city came under attack from entities that sought to claim the Eye of Agamotto. (New Avengers v2 #3) Afterwards, she was contacted by agents of H.A.M.M.E.R. who wanted her to join them in their cause against the Avengers. However, Hand decided to report their activities secretly to the Avengers with Steve passing the intelligence to Luke Cage's team in order to disrupt their operations under Superia. (New Avengers v2 #11)
She was secretly contacted by Osborn about aiding his H.A.M.M.E.R. organization in secret. Hand came to report this to Captain America who asked her to operate as a triple agent. Thus, she funnelled information on the New Avengers to Osborn with his actions in turn being covertly reported to Steve Rogers in the hope of shutting down his operations. (New Avengers v2 #22)
Unknown to Hand, she came to be possessed by Daniel Drumm who wanted to get revenge against the New Avengers for the death of his brother. Using her body, he began to assassinate various sorcerers in the world that included Jennifer Kale and Daimon Hellstrom. 'Victoria' then travelled to Avengers Mansion where Drumm left her body to possess Carol Danvers thus leaving Hand unconscious with Doctor Strange tending to her. He came to conclude she was possessed and took Hand into the astral plane to confer with her and came to learn that it was Daniel Drumm that was responsible for this chain of events. A battle erupted between the Sorcerer Supreme and Drumm within the astral plane with Victoria caught in the fight which led to her death. (New Avengers v2 #32)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Victoria Hand was a human female of adult age, possessing light skin, hazel eyes, and straight, dark raven-black hair that was parted neatly down the middle. Her most defining aesthetic trait was a vibrant, prominent stripe of dyed magenta-red hair running down the right side of her head, completely contrasting her otherwise disciplined appearance. Victoria Hand stood at five feet, six inches tall, maintaining a slender, poised, and strictly professional physical build optimized for corporate executive efficiency. Victoria Hand wore an immaculate, high-collared dark business pantsuit consisting of a tailored dress jacket and matching trousers, completely eschewing traditional superhero costumes or heavy tactical body armor in favor of a commanding bureaucratic aesthetic. (Invincible Iron Man v1 #8)
Initially, she disagreed with the manner Nick Fury had handled threats but after having to make the same decisions as a Deputy Director she decided that she owed him an apology. (Dark Avengers v1 #11)
She never regretted her actions in working for Norman Osborn as she felt that he achieved things that the heroes refused to do at the time. Victoria felt that she tried to help steer him on the right path but that ultimately he fell into villainous acts. (New Avengers v2 #1)
It was shown to be attracted to women as she was involved in a relationship with another woman when she was at S.H.I.E.L.D. (Dark Avengers v1 #11)
Powers and abilities
Victoria Hand was born a standard member of the human race and possessed no superhuman mutations, enhanced biology, or supernatural powers of any kind. On a basic feats level, Victoria Hand relied entirely on an elite level of organizational intelligence, advanced global espionage knowledge, and absolute mastery over high-level corporate logistics. Having been professionally trained in comprehensive resource management and forensic auditing during her initial career as a S.H.I.E.L.D. accountant, Victoria Hand possessed the precise analytical capability to manage massive government budgets, manipulate bureaucratic systems, and oversee multi-tiered military installations. Additionally, Victoria Hand exhibited immense psychological authority and administrative command, granting her the unique capability to oversee complex intelligence networks and enforce rigid compliance over an unstable team of superpowered assets. (Invincible Iron Man v1 #8)
Notes
- Victoria Hand was created by Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, and Salvador Larroca where she made her first appearance Invincible Iron Man v1 #8 (February, 2009).
In other media
Television
- In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the character appeared in the live-action television series first season starting in the episode "The Hub" where she was portrayed by actor Saffron Burrows. She was presented as being a S.H.I.E.L.D. director who headed the Hub secret facility.
Video games
- In Marvel: War of Heroes, Victoria Hand appeared on multiple playable cards in the video game.
Appearances
- Invincible Iron Man v1: (2009)
- Dark Avengers v1:
- New Avengers v2:
External Links
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