Advanced Idea Mechanics

Revision as of 09:47, 23 April 2018

A.I.M. in Avengers v5 #26.

Advanced Idea Mechanics is an organization that features in Marvel Comics.

History

Origin

A.I.M. strikes in Strange Tales v1 #147.

Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) was an organization that operated in the world and dealt in advanced technology. Their origin was traced to World War II following the creation of Hydra by Baron Strucker. Under the code name THEM, two branches were created that included Advanced Idea Mechanics and the Secret Empire. A.I.M.'s objective was the development of advanced weaponry for use by Hydra.

It was said that they were established in 1962 and functioned as an international cartel. (Strange Tales v1 #146)

Fractured

A.I.M. was later fractured during the time when M.O.D.O.K. was dying from a disease with only a few were aware of this leading to various groups seeking to take control of the organization. (Ms. Marvel v2 #15) For months, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been targeting A.I.M. branches around the world with this being part of a new initiative known as Operation: Lightning Storm. (Ms. Marvel v2 #13)

A group that served as accountants for the organization later established a splinter cell who were led by Reginald Fisher. They used a number of old M.O.D.O.C.s for their computing power allowing them to launder money and fund their distribution side. After a few years, the cell began operating an accounting business and killed the M.O.D.O.C.'s to harvest them for parts to create Storyteller 2.0. to influence reality with their thoughts. Norman Osborn attempted to cement an alliance with this cell but they rejected his offer. (Ms. Marvel v2 #39)

Agents from A.I.M. were responsible for kidnapping Maya Hansen and forcing her to recreate the Extremis serum with them killing her when she attempted to escape but not before she warned Tony Stark. Afterwards, A.I.M. headed a sale of Extremis with Colin-44 offering it as a flexible precise means of creating Homo Extremis super-humans. As Iron Man, Stark stopped the sale of further Extremis and neutralised the enhancile A.I.M. warriors but learnt that the kit had been sold to four other people. (Iron Man v5 #1)

Marvel Now!

Under Forson's rule, A.I.M. made contact with a branch of themselves that would come into existence in several decade. An arrangement was struck between past and future self where they traded advanced technology as well as innovations that allowed A.I.M. to improve itself in the modern day. (Avengers World v1 #9)

Overview

It was claimed that they were not a simple business organization or political union but instead a society consisting of the greatest minds on Earth. Their objective was stated to be the benefit of mankind. (Strange Tales v1 #146) A.I.M. had the most advanced scientific apparatuses of any criminal organization on the planet. (Tales of Suspense v1 #93) A.I.M.'s designers, technicians and manufacturers were said to had been the best in the world. (Quasar v1 #9)

At one point, it established a leadership body known as the High Council of A.I.M. where it operated as a type of government for their nation. This included people taking position as Ministers that filled the roles for State, Public Affairs, Education, Science and Health. (Secret Avengers v2 #2) When it operated as a business, it was noted to had held a promotions department. (Quasar v1 #9) Operatives wore the yellow encompassing uniforms with the helmets actually containing a heads-up-display that showed a great deal of information on targets. (Ms. Marvel v2 #11)

A.I.M. had developed a number of creations that included:

• A.I.M. Viruses : these viruses were evolved to go through a continuous cycle of evolution allowing them to grow in size and adapt to attacks. (X-Men v4 #18)
• M.O.D.O.C. : the Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing were humans that were altered to become living breathing computers with distorted features as their bodies were mutated. (Captain America v1 #133)
• Storyteller Protocols : a project involving children being engineered from a young age to have reality manipulation abilities akin to the Scarlet Witch allowing them to rewrite existence or make things with their mind with many of the children dying except for one named Gavin. (Ms. Marvel One-Shot v1 #1)
• Storyteller 2.0 : created from killing M.O.D.O.C.s to harvest them to create a neural net of human foetuses whose minds were enhanced with the Storyteller Protocols whilst their bodies were wired into advanced life support systems whilst their brains were networked together. They were able to alter reality with anything they could imagine becoming real. (Ms. Marvel v2 #39)
• M.O.G.O.D. : the Microscopic Oddities Generated Only for Disintegration were small hand-sized versions of M.O.D.O.K. that swarmed targets and used psychic attacks. (A+X v1 #4)
• M.O.D.O.C. Squad : the Military Operatives Designed Only for Combat Squad were a team of engineered soldiers with a hive mind dispatched on missions. (Captain America v5 #8)
• M.A.D.A.K. : the Metal Arachind Designed for Aggressive Killing were insectile machines deployed to attack enemies. (Captain America v1 #616)

They could create artificial men in the form of androids that came in a variety of designs. These included the aquatic amphibian androids and the yellow-skinned powerful brute hammer-hand androids. The artificial beings were grown like plants with production lines being made by them. When not programmed for a mission then they turned into lifeless fibre making them harmless at this point of their construction. (Strange Tales v1 #146) There were numerous developments in M.O. Technology bio-mechanical research that allowed them to transform individuals into such powerful cybernetic entities. (Quasar v1 #9) Through gene manipulation, they were also able to create genetically engineered life forms like the Gnashers created from gorillas that were grown from artificial wombs and modify them in various ways such as reducing the need for sleep. (Ms. Marvel v2 #15)

It had created the A.I.M. Network as a communication tool designed to hold data that was accessed through set protocols. (Ms. Marvel v2 #11)

It established a number of bio-havens that were shielded from the world and were self-sufficient. (Amazing Fantasy v2 #10)

They operated several bases of operations that included:

• Barbuda :

Members

• M.O.D.O.K. :
• Andrew Forson :
• Monica Rappaccini :
• Alessandro Brannex : a male who operated as the newly appointed Chairman of the Board. (Quasar v1 #9)
• Sean Madigan : male member who was the son of George Tarleton who became M.O.D.O.K. and sought to kill his father and divide A.I.M. into a terrorist organization of splinter cells. He attempted to claim leadership of A.I.M. but was killed by Monica Rappaccini but was reanimated by two scientists of the organization whereupon he took the name Head Case with him now appearing as an armored humanoid with a skull in a jar of liquid. (Ms. Marvel v2 #16)
• Robert DaCosta :
• Cache : a sentient artificial virtual entity that was tasked with heading Parliamech and gathering data. (Captain America v3 #34)

Notes

• A.I.M. was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that made their first appearance in Strange Tales v1 #146 (July, 1966).
• In their original appearance, they were simply known as THEM in Strange Tales v1 #142 (March, 1966) that was depicted in Tales of Suspense v1 #78 (June, 1966) but was later referred to as A.I.M.

Alternate Versions

• In Astonishing Tales v2 (2009), a splinter group called Advanced Ideas Research was shown to exist in the alternate future reality of Earth-8410. This group operated as a corporate business who were headed by a CEO named Madam Modoc and were said to had distanced themselves from their parent organization.

In other media

Television

• In The Marvel Super Heroes, Advanced Idea Mechanics appeared as antagonists in the Captain America segments in Episode 13 "The Red Skull Lives", "He Who Holds the Cosmic Cube", "The Red Skull Supreme". They were an organization who in the modern age managed to uncover the Red Skull and his two henchmen who were both in a bunker from World War II with them being alive after being in stasis after exposure to an experimental gas. The grant imperator of A.I.M. allied with the Red Skull for his aid in defeating Captain America. By this time, they had also developed the powerful device known as the Cosmic Cube. After learning of its existence, the Red Skull placed a mind control device on the A.I.M. keeper of the Cosmic Cube causing him to betray his organization and bring the device to the villain. A member of A.I.M. attempted to stop the keeper but was shot down though in his final moments he warned Captain America of the danger posed by the Red Skull.
• In Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, A.I.M. appeared in a cameo role in the animated television series in the episode "The X-Men Adventure".
• In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Advanced Idea Mechanics were shown as being antagonists in the animated series. During the episode "The Outbreak", a number of their agents were sent to the Latverian border to trade stolen Stark technology to Lucia von Bardas but the exchange was interrupted by Iron Man. Iron Man defeated the A.I.M. operatives and took them to the Vault for incarceration. In the episode "Everything's Wonderful", it was shown that they were developing the Cosmic Cube weapon for Baron Strucker. Grim Reaper approached A.I.M. to transform his brother Simon Williams with superhuman abilities through an experimental procedure using ionic energy thus turning him into Wonder Man. At the time, Wasp and Thor had attacked the A.I.M. base but M.O.D.O.K. along with his forces escaped onboard their ship.
• In Avengers Assemble, A.I.M. made a number of appearances throughout the animated television series where they were frequently shown as minions of M.O.D.O.K.
• In Spider-Man, A.I.M. appeared briefly as antagonists in the 2017 animated television series in the episode "Symbiotic Relationship". They were operating from a warehouse when the black suit equipped Spider-Man found them and he fought their men. Despite their numbers and weapons, the A.I.M. operatives were defeated and left webbed up for the authorities to find and arrest.

Films

• In Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore, Advanced Idea Mechanics was mentioned as a highly disreputable group who did not pass the security audit from Stark Industries. They were know to had been researching bio-technological hybrid armors for years in secret and involved with numerous criminals. One of their facilities was situated in Karachi in Pakistan with their front company appearing as a warehouse for medical supplies but was actually involved in chemical warfare research and sale of illegal weapons.

Video games

Logo in Iron Man 2 the game.

• In Marvel Heroes, A.I.M. appeared as antagonists in the setting of the MMORPG video game. They were described as a terrorist organization with scientists heading the group and made use of robots such as the Swarmbots and Gunbots.
• In Marvel: Future Fight, A.I.M. appeared as antagonists in the setting of the iOS video game. Among the types of enemies encountered were A.I.M. Mechanical Soldiers and A.I.M. Rangers.
• In Marvel Avengers Academy, the A.I.M. Institute of Super-Technology made an appearance in the video game setting.
• In Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, the A.I.M. Brella Corporation appeared in the fighting video games story mode where they existed in a world where the Marvel and Capcom universes had merged. They were headed by M.O.D.O.K. and were responsible for the creation of B.O.W. living weapons.
• In Marvel Strike Force, A.I.M. appeared as antagonists and as support characters in the mobile video game. Among the different types of warriors included Infectors', Monstrosities, Researchers, and Security. A playable character in the game included a masked mysterious female Scientist Supreme.

Appearances

• Strange Tales:
• Avengers:
• Ms. Marvel:
• Avengers:
• Secret Avengers:
• Avengers World:
• New Avengers:
• U.S.Avengers:

External Links

• Marvel.Com Entry
• Marvel Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.