The primary villains players will ultimately face in the upcoming Marvel's Avengers game has been revealed to be the group known as A.I.M. Short for Advanced Idea Mechanics, the villainous collective was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Debuting in 1966's Strange Tales #146, they originally served as a branch of THEM (which itself emerged from within HYDRA) before ultimately transitioning into a worldwide menace in their own right. Described as a network of scientists and terrorist arms dealers, they have come up against every hero from Iron Man to the former Ms. Marvel. They have also been responsible for numerous memorable events in Marvel comics history.
Developed by Marvel and Square Enix, the Avengers game was first announced in 2017. Boasting a completely original story revolving around a familiar roster of heroes, a cinematic Avengers trailer was unveiled at E3. Unfortunately, the reactions were mixed upon its release. Regardless, fans remain hyped. Equally, the developers announced that they were taking criticisms onboard. Similar to Avengers: Endgame, the game is set to open with a tragic event (known as A-Day) before jumping forward five-years to explore its ramifications. A new Avengers gameplay trailer was released recently, teasing the game's official prologue almost in full. Getting fans even more excited with its blend of combat and super-powered dynamics, it also introduced such popular villains as Taskmaster.
Posting on their official Twitter account, however, Marvel's Avengers revealed that A.I.M would serve as the Big Bads of the highly anticipated game. Based on the post, the game's version of Advanced Idea Mechanics will follow the tradition of thinking they know best and, despite their methods, that they are in the right. Following a belief in science over superheroes, their agenda will no doubt be a wide-reaching one that will more than occupy gamers for hours on end. Who from A.I.M's classic comic book roster will emerge throughout the game remains to be seen. The game's voice actors, however, promise it will blow fans away. Check out the full, official confirmation below:
A.I.M has been adapted numerous times via animated adventures, with even more planned by Marvel TV for Hulu. They have also briefly appeared within the MCU. A version of the organization debuted in Iron Man 3, with Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian serving as the group's founder. Unfortunately, the group was intertwined with the mythology of The Mandarin, which was later retconned and will be further altered in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As such, they have not been even mentioned since. That, however, could always change in Phases 4 or 5.
In the meantime, the news will surely delight fans eager to experience a different threat to HYDRA, no matter the medium. The inclusion of A.I.M as the main villains could, after all, open doors to some interesting potential plot threads. One of the group's most infamous creations is M.O.D.O.K - a being that fans have been eager to see adapted on the big screen. While this isn't quite the same as seeing him within the MCU, the potential opportunity of facing off against him in-game will be a worthy consolation to many.
Equally, the game could also feature players having to battle Super-Adaptoid - another A.I.M creation, which can mimic appearance and superpowers. A.I.M is also synonymous with developing the Cosmic Cube - a device capable of altering reality. As such, the game could feature numerous sequences on par with the fantastical hallucinations seen in Spider-Man PS4 or even Spider-Man: Far From Home. Whatever the case, eager fans will know for sure when Marvel's Avengers is released in 2020.
Source: Marvel's Avengers/Twitter
