HYDRA has its own version of the Avengers in a nightmare dimension within Marvel Comics that can briefly be seen in the MCU. In 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Sorcerer Supreme is transported through multiple dimensions by America Chavez, one of which is a HYDRA-controlled New York. The evil organization has been a constant thorn in the side of Captain America and the Avengers, but now they can finally rival Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
The 2015 Hail HYDRA comic book miniseries by Rick Remender and Roland Boschi takes place during 2015’s Secret Wars storyline, which sees the Marvel multiverse collapse with only fragments of destroyed realities surviving on the patchwork planet of Battleworld. All regions of Battleworld are parts of different universes and one of them is a New York that is controlled by HYDRA. This fractured city is seen from the perspective of Nomad, the adopted son of Steve Rogers and the biological son of HYDRA’s Arnim Zola. After escaping capture from Baron Zemo, Nomad discovers that his former home has been taken over by a HYDRA-ruled universe. Not only that, Nomad encounters a darker version of Captain America who is also his counterpart in this universe named Leopold Zola aka Captain Hydra.
Earth's Heroes Don't Stand A Chance Against HYDRA's Avengers
This world where HYDRA reigns supreme includes with its own “superhero” team made to replace the real Avengers. After finding the Steve Rogers of this universe, Nomad discovers that this world’s HYDRA has been a part of American history since the Revolutionary War. They betrayed the Democrats and changed America for the worst. Arnim Zola takes over the world for HYDRA and creates his own team to carry out his diabolical plans. The HYDRA Avengers are composed of infamous villains including Captain Hydra, Baron Von Strucker as Iron Baron, and even a HYDRA version of Venom. Their mission: To hunt down and destroy all traces of the original Avengers team, known in this world as “The Resistance.” The original Avengers heroes have been cast out and forced into hiding until Nomad accidentally leads HYDRA right to them. Venom and its backup, the Vipers, storm the Resistance’s underground base, where legendary heroes like Tony Stark, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, and even Steve Rogers meet their grizzly deaths.
When Iron Baron and Captain Hydra stand before the citizens of New York and announce that the Resistance has been trampled, they are met with raucous cheers and cries of "Hail Zola!" Though HYDRA has appropriated the Avengers name and iconography and convinced the people that they are heroes, Nomad knows that the Avengers are more than just their team name and resources. After the attack on the Resistance base, Nomad tells Steve Rogers' daughter Ellie, "When Steve Rogers arrived in my homeworld of Dimension Z, it wasn't his world, but he didn't fight any less passionately to protect the people in it." Nomad is not inspired by Steve Rogers because he carries a shield and has super strength. He's inspired because Rogers fights for his ideals and what is right, and will not stand down even in the face of adversity.
The Avengers Are More Than Just A Name
A New York City where the citizens worship Arnim Zola and HYDRA is not something that Earth's Mightiest Heroes are prepared for. Following in the path of Steve Rogers and the true Avengers, Nomad and Ellie do not give up against these overwhelming odds, and set out on an ultimately unsuccessful mission to take down the evil HYDRA Avengers. Now that a glimpse of this world has been seen on screen, fans can potentially get a chance to see these evil Avengers brought to life in the MCU. While HYDRA can damage the legacy of heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, they cannot erase what they stand for. A return to the HYDRA-controlled world in the MCU can remind fans that true Avengers do not fight for glory or to kill their enemies, but to protect people and inspire the next generation of heroes to do what is right.