Armin Zola was a German scientist working for HYDRA before and during World War II. Originally an employee of the Nazi Sturmabteilung, he was recruited by Johann Schmidt to become the master of science for the far greater threat to the world peace.
Not much is known about Arnim Zola's early life except that he became one of Germany's top scientists. At some point in his life, he joined the Nazis. In 1934, he worked at Sturmabteilung's Weapons Testing Grounds at Kummersdorf. His newest invention was the advanced exo-skeleton which could make one soldier fight like the whole battalion.
In July, the SA base was attacked by the SS troops led by Johann Schmidt. Almost the entire personnel of the base was killed, and he was spared only because he agreed to work on genetics. Schmidt wanted to use Zola's knowledge to turn himself into a superior man.
Soon after, Schmidt organized his own SS division, HYDRA. Zola became HYDRA's top scientist and second-in-command. In September 1935, Zola was allowed to resume his work on exo-skeleton battle suits and various high-tech weaponry. Schmidt captured Abraham Erskine, a German scientist who worked on the Super Soldier Serum. 5 years later, Peggy Carter rescued Dr. Erskine and brought him into the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
After HYDRA forces found the Tesseract, Schmidt asked Zola if he could study its power, and accidentally he discovered how to transform its energy into advanced laser ammunitions and engines. He designed advanced weapons for HYDRA when they became separated from the Nazi-Germany. When three SS officers came to Schmidt's base to question him about the progress in developing advanced weapons for Third Reich, Schmidt showed them Tesseract powered weapons made by Zola. But when they discovered that Schmidt intends to nuke Berlin, Schmidt vaporized them with his advanced cannon. Schmidt told Zola that HYDRA could grow no further in Hitler's shadow, to which Zola responded by saying "Hail HYDRA!"
In November 1943, the super-soldier Captain America arrived at the HYDRA base in Austria to rescue the American soldiers they were using as menial labor there. While Cap rescued the prisoners and fought the guards, Schmidt took off in a single-man rocket, but not before giving Zola the keys to his car, mercifully allowing his top scientist to escape the self-destructing factory.
In the months that followed, Captain America and his Howling Commandos progressively managed to destroy most major HYDRA operations, preventing Zola any real ability to work on his scientific projects. Eventually he had to be moved via armored train, which Captain America and his side-kick Bucky attempted to invade. In the ensuing battle, Bucky was supposedly killed when he fell off the damaged train, but Zola was captured and handed over to Allied forces.
After the presumed death of Bucky; who had previously been tortured and subjected to unknown experiments under Zola's subjugation, Zola was captured by Captain America and the Howling Commandos and interrogated by Col. Chester Phillips. Not wanting to die personally, he told them everything he knew about HYDRA and revealed that Schmidt's plans were of world domination. His final fate is unknown, but he was under Ally captivity when Captain America crashed into the arctic during his final mission.
Character traits
Arnim Zola was recruited by Johann Schmidt because of his expertise in the fields of energy and applied mechanics. A scientific genius, Zola designed most of HYDRA's advanced weaponry, but his lack of morality led him to not really consider the goals his inventions would ultimately be used for. Seeing discovery as a goal unto itself, he was even willing to commit atrocities such as experimenting on prisoners of war. A small, weak man, he was fascinated Dr. Erskine's Super-Soldier research.
Nonetheless, Zola was genuinely terrified by the Red Skull, once the warped extent of his global domination scheme become apparent. Zola hadn't really considered what Schmidt intended to do with all of the weapons he invented for him, and was stunned when Schmidt turned them on his former Nazi supporters. Even so, Zola continued to aid Schmidt out of fear, preferring to stay at his right hand rather than stand in his path and be crushed. Tellingly, after Zola's capture Col. Phillips accurately guessed that he didn't wholeheartedly support Schmidt and would be willing to collaborate, given that all previous members of HYDRA had committed suicide (with cyanide pills implanted in their teeth) rather than face capture.
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