Marvel's resident evil, secret criminal organization, HYDRA, serves as a counterpoint to the more noble S.H.I.E.L.D.

While the bad guys love to capitalize the name of their group, as far as we know, it's not an acronym. Or at least, no writer has ever come up with a longer version. That "Y" really makes a tough job of it (at least in English), so we're fine just letting it sit.

However, just because the letters of HYDRA aren't initials, that doesn't mean the baddies don't stand for anything.

They have a full set of methods, values, and rules by which their members must live. Most of these amount to "we should be in charge, and we have ways of taking care of anyone who interferes with that." However, it does get a little more specific than that.

Membership in HYDRA comes with a few concessions. That's not much of a surprise considering it's a fascist association with the small goal of total world domination.

They started out more as a comic book take on SPECTRE, the similar group from the James Bond movies.

If you were wondering, theye do have a longer name: They're the Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Torture, Revenge, and Extortion. Doubling up on the "SP" in "Special" is kind of cheating. However, they really wanted to be ghosts, even though their symbol is an octopus. It doesn't have to make sense.

If you want to be a part of HYDRA, though, membership comes with a bunch of regulations, most of which carry harsh penalties for violation.

Here are the 21 Crazy Rules HYDRA Members Are Forced To Follow.

Members must be willing to have their minds controled

Obviously if HYDRA’s plan is to bend the entire world to their will, its members have to be alright with some questionable tactics.

This includes mind control, as we see most prevalently in its use of brainwashed assassin The Winter Soldier.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America: Civil War, we see that the program had candidates beyond poor Bucky Barnes.

This kind of conditioning would make world domination really easy if it didn’t take so long.

Apparently only certain candidates are suitable. In the comics, HYDRA agents received some training in hypnosis. It’s more efficient if they can convince people to go along with them.

However, they have to be prepared to use more insidious methods.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has some agents hypnotizing useful but uncooperative assets like Victor Creel and Glenn Talbot, and it never goes well.

Originally, only men could join

In the comics, the original incarnation of HYDRA was just for men. This was partly a commentary on the rampant discrimination of the time.

The group didn’t stay that way, of course. Many notable women have joined the group’s ranks.

You may remember Madame Hydra from the episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in which the team was stuck in the virtual-reality Framework. Her comic counterpart also ran the entire operation, and she’s one of the few members who successfully separated ties and went off on her own.

In an early appearance in the books, we see Laura Brown’s unprecedented rise to agenthood. It definitely helped that her father was Imperial Hydra at the time, but it was still kind of progress.

Members must know tech

HYDRA isn’t just a fanatical, militaristic organization. It’s definitely that, but that’s not all it is.

It’s more than just a fist (or two, because that’s their salute).

The group also has a well funded and stocked science division so that it can pursue more insidious means of world domination.

Along with all that mind control, we’ve seen the baddies look into the mysterious and dangerous element gravitonium and the Tesseract (which turned out to be the Space Infinity Stone).

Their amazing advances in technology led to such combat advantages as a feared squad of soldiers that ride skateboards into battle-- no, really.

The reason why everyone has to receive the same basic training is simple. They can’t make good on the whole “cut off a limb, and two will take its place” bit without everyone sharing some qualifications.

Members have to be in peak physical condition

HYDRA wants its numbers to be as big as possible, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have standards. If you want to fight S.H.I.E.L.D. and work for world domination, you have to be able to run up a few flights of stairs without falling over or passing out.

The emphasis on fitness is part of the group’s emphasis on discipline and superiority. It promotes this by insisting that its agents maintain physical fitness.

Remember that they descend (or borrow heavily from) the Nazis, who were obsessed with creating “perfect” humans to prove how much better they were than everyone else.

So everyone who wore the yellow "H" had to log some hours in the gym, or we assume they’d have some harsh consequences.

Members must be willing to sacrifice everything

This “final test” appears on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The first time we see it is during flashbacks in the first season showing how the traitorous Grant Ward earned his membership.

The last thing his trainer, John Garrett, asked him to do before Grant could start his new lives as a double agent was to shoot his dog.

This would be hard for anybody to do, but the act is part of one of the central tenets of HYDRA: the cause is more important than personal attachments.

So if you can personally “give up” your beloved pet, betraying your friends and colleagues should be easy if the need arises.

It must be pretty effective because trainees were still doing this in the most recent season of SHIELD.

The Klingon-style system of succession

Back in the days before it had an HR department, HYDRA members only had one way to move up in the ranks, especially if they wanted to be in charge. That was the way of the blade.

Enterprising and ambitious minions with an eye on the top spot could ascend by simply taking out everyone above them in the hierarchy. We say “simply,” but obviously it’s not as easy as that or the whole place would be straight-up chaos all the time.

HYDRA bosses know this is a possibility, so obviously they protect themselves.

They can make everyone so loyal that they don’t want to take them out, install a bunch of trapdoors in their living quarters, or just take down anyone who looks at them funny so the others are too scared to try anything.

Agents remain (mostly) anonymous to each other

HYDRA takes the idea of the “secret society” seriously. The first incarnation was so adamant about keeping things under cover that not even individual members know who their fellows are. All they knew for sure was that they were all dudes.

This total anonymity served several purposes.

It made the faceless, green-masked hordes seem countless and intimidating. This is the same reason why no Stormtrooper in Star Wars removes their helmet until The Force Awakens.

It also has the more practical, internal benefit preventing betrayal.

If individual HYDRA members don’t know each other’s names, it’s harder for them to inform on the group’s activities or turn each other in. It’s probably an administrative nightmare, but we’re sure they had a system.

The Supreme Hydra's identity must be kept secret

So mysterious was HYDRA in its early days that the minions didn’t even know whom they reported to. The first Supreme Hydra, Arnold Brown, kept his identity hidden behind his mask — and pet panther.

Not even readers knew the true identity of the organization’s terrifying, ruthless leader until he unmasked in Strange Tales 140.

For his day job, he was the mild-mannered secretary of Leslie Carrington, a board member of the huge corporation Imperial Industries.

Carrington’s ruthlessness during meetings suggested that he was the one running the evil secret society in the basement, but nobody suspected Brown.

The Supreme Hydra’s reticence ended up costing him his life when his own henchmen didn’t recognize him.

Members unmask only for special occasions

HYDRA’s emphasis on anonymity wasn’t universal. Sometimes ceremony demanded that they show their faces, but it was usually about keeping them accountable.

One situation that called for de-hooding was a person’s induction or promotion.

This happens when Brown brings his daughter, Laura, into the organization. However, even though everyone got a look at her face, she still had a codename to keep herself secret.

Other times, HYDRA agents unmask before starting important missions, as one did during an attempt on Nick Fury’s life.

As the boss explains, his cohorts would be able to identify him if he failed so that the group’s harsh justice could come to bear. The group is not sympathetic to people not following through.

Failure costs members their lives

HYDRA has a zero-tolerance policy for minions who don’t succeed in their plans. Anyone who failed had to face severe penalties-- and we don’t just mean their privileges at the office sundae bar were suspended.

Because the group emphasizes strength and its own warped version of perfection, it isn’t big on “teaching moments.” That is, unless you mean “teaching” the other foot-soldiers not to get caught or leave a targeted S.H.I.E.L.D. installation or agent standing.

However, the lesson is simple: don’t do it, or you’re not long for this world.

Because HYDRA is big on ceremony, it even has something on deck for these occasions. However, we’re not sure how fair it is.

Henches get one chance to stay in (or maybe not)

Anyone who botches a mission ostensibly gets a chance to stay in the organization (and live). In front of all of their fellow agents, they have to defeat their replacement in combat.

That’s the idea, anyway. We see two of these rituals in Strange Tales issues 135 and 137, and they both seem pretty rigged.

In the first, the shamed HYDRA member has to go up against someone armed with a pistol. If that seems rigged, it’s because it was-- the replacement was the boss’ daughter, and he wanted to bring her in.

The second “test” tasks the defendant with figuring out which of the men in a circle around him is unarmed. He almost succeeds, but it turns out that they were all armed. We’re not sure what the “right” answer was.

The higher-ups also reward success

It isn’t all ritual combat and public executions at HYDRA meetings. The boss also throws a carrot in every now and then.

Look at these lucky three who recovered an important microfilm from S.H.I.E.L.D. For their success, each of them is receiving what we assume is a huge cash reward based on the fact that the prizes are huge sacks with dollar signs on them.

This was apparently a perfectly normal thing to have when these books came out.

Accomplished agents can also receive promotions for jobs well done.

However, that was typically after the person above them messed something up, and they took them out. That’s really more efficient than a lengthy interview process.

HYDRA promotes from within.

Fighting and weapons skills are mandatory

Like its physical fitness requirement, HYDRA also demands that its members be able to take care of themselves in a fight.

If they don’t already have the skills when they join, they have to learn hand-to-hand combat and weapons training.

It makes sense considering that their agents aim to take over the world by force. Being able to throw a punch without breaking your thumb is about the minimum knowledge you should have if that’s your goal.

However, presumably, even the group’s executive assistants, tech support personnel, and the people in charge of either ordering or making all those green hoods and robes also have to become unstoppable fighting machines.

They all have to be ready to go to war at any second.

It has a really good benefits package

Not all of HYDRA’s rules are about controlling its members and forcing their obedience. One later incarnation found more positive ways to spur membership.

Through its many defeats and rebuilds throughout the year, HYDRA has followed a variety of organizational models.

The American branch that arose in the mid 1980s crafted itself as a huge corporation. It was the logical creative choice for an era that was all about corporate greed and selfishness, and it came with some nefarious benefits.

In this era, aligning with HYDRA scored you a hefty salary and a generous benefits package.

Even if people were aware of what their bosses were actually up to, they were more willing to accept it because plenty was in it for them.

Members must pass a background check

Just because HYDRA wants to run everything and have the entire world living under its banner, that doesn’t mean they’ll just let anybody in.

Along with those fitness, fighting, and tech requirements, candidates for membership have to pass a background check.

This is the case for most jobs, or even renting a place to live. However, we’re pretty sure they’re looking for completely different things.

In the group’s earlier, fascist forms, the check probably included a genealogy study to make sure that everyone was of the “proper” background to join the supremacist group.

However, since they’ve left that behind, the checks probably look for ties to their enemies or other, questionable things that might suggest unreliability or a possible unwillingness to comply.

Members must swear loyalty

New members have to swear their loyalty to the cause with what they call “the undying oath.” They call it that because it lasted forever, and adhering to it means that they could continue living.

It goes like this: “Hail Hydra! Immortal Hydra! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off a limb, and two more shall take its place! We serve none but the Master — as the world shall soon serve us! Hail Hydra!”

The wording gives away another soft requirement from the earlier, more bombastic days.

Apparently, every minion had to either begin or end all of their statements with the phrase “Hail Hydra.”

They’ve scaled that down over the years as they’ve lowered their profile, and the comics writers are probably happier for it.

Strict adherence to chain of command

The version of itself that HYDRA presents to its members is that they’re all just limbs of the same beast. However, every monster has a head, and the group’s mythical namesake had several.

Our point here is that the structure is a bit at odds with itself. In a lot of ways, everyone is equal, and they’re all united in a common goal.

However, someone is definitely in charge. While individual agents might be able to squabble and undermine each other, they definitely couldn’t aim much higher than their level.

Insubordination, failure, and anything other than perfection meant a trip to the Thunderdome.

The only person whose judgment was unquestionable was, of course, the Supreme or Imperial Hydra. The leaders have used both titles, and that seems a little unfocused for strict fascists.

Follow the dress code

In the early days, when HYDRA agents were just hanging out in the subterranean complex where they did all their planning and rigged fights, they had to make some fashion concessions.

This meant that as long as they were around each other, they had to stay in uniform.

That includes the unflattering green robes as well as the dumb hoods and goggles. The place seemed to use flaming torches exclusively for light, so we’re positive it got warm in those uniforms.

It wasn’t just the authoritarian nature of the group, obviously. The agents had to stay in their form and face-concealing clothes because of that whole anonymity thing.

However, we’ve yet to see anyone for whom that uniform works.

Members must maintain discipline at all times

It’s not surprising that the evil association also has some behavioral demands on its members. We could guess that even without knowing about their association with fascists.

However, HYDRA’s desire to control everything even extends to its individual members’ conduct in uniform.

They aren’t allowed to show fear or doubt in battle, for one thing. The masks probably help a lot with that.

However, they also can’t show other emotions like excitement or joy. The only thing they’re allowed to yell is “Hail HYDRA,” although as we’ve established, they have the choice of opening or closing with that.

It’s not strange for leaders of militaristic organizations to demand discipline, but apparently HYDRA members are never “at ease.”

Only members can recite the oath

While he was trying to make his escape after S.H.I.E.L.D. completely destroyed his plan to hold the planet hostage, Arnold Brown removed his Imperial Hydra robes.

Even with a horde of panicked international criminals scurrying away from his building like cockroaches, he was the only one wearing a cape. So we think he made the right call.

Unfortunately, a couple of his cohorts didn’t catch what he was trying to do and accosted him. They also didn’t recognize the meek-looking secretary because he’d worn padded robes and “lift shoes” to look more imposing.

Brown tried to convince his attackers of his identity by reciting the “undying oath,” but one of them took him down.

The fact that these two goons didn’t realize that only HYDRA members should know the “undying oath” in the first place is beside the point.