The woman who would become Viper was born in 1920 in Eastern Europe. Exactly where is unknown and she has never even told anyone her true name. Battle killed her parents in a revolution when she was still young. The revolution was bloody and brutal and when the young girl tried to escape the country, she found herself in a terrible accident and it disfigured the right side of her face. She also lost the use of her right eye. It was something that she would hide for years by covering it with long hair.
As a teenager, the young woman was soon drawn into various criminal circuits. It was here that she learned a great deal about the finer points of the criminal underworld, building her first list of criminal contacts. She traveled to many countries throughout Asia, including Madripoor. While she was in Madripoor, she met Seraph who took her on as a student. Seraph was also training the mutant Wolverine. Seraph was mortally wounded and made Logan swear that he would protect her other student and help her if she ever needed him. At some point, or possibly not, depending on which memories are true and which are fake, she also had (or at least found) a child who she gave to the High Evolutionary to raise and protect.
The young woman's interactions were not totally with other humans, or even mutants. In her mid-twenties, Chthon extended an offer to her to become one of his agents. In exchange, Chthon granted her an unnaturally long life. However, Chthon also tampered with her mind. For some parts of her memory, Chthon removed them completely or they slowly started to fade away and other members were implanted, although the ramifications were not seen for years.
Eventually, she was offered a position within the terrorist group HYDRA. At the time, women were rarely brought into HYDRA, and this young woman was one of the first. During one of her first missions with HYDRA, Viper was assigned to kill Nguyen Ngoc Coy, the uncle of Xi'an Coy Mahn. As she fired, Tran Coy, Xi'an's brother, took control of her mind and instead forced her to kill her fellow HYDRA operative. She was imprisoned and made a slave in Tran's harem until Xi'an merged minds with him and freed his prisoners. It was not something that the future Viper would soon forget.
Following Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker's apparent death, HYDRA began to dissolve and fall apart. Only the Supreme Hydra's force of will held HYDRA together. The young member of HYDRA, being quite ambitious, took the name of Madame Hydra and assumed control of the influential New York base of operations. It was then that Madame Hydra first began to dye her hair and dress in almost exclusively in green. S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America were able to halt Madame Hydra's plans to poison New York's water supply, thanks in no small part to HYDRA itself turning on her. The Space Phantom saved Madame Hydra by transporting her to her Limbo where she remained for some time.
Eventually, Madame Hydra was able to return to Earth where she discovered that the Space Phantom had taken her identity and assumed control of her part of HYDRA in her absence. Hated by HYDRA, Madame Hydra turned her back on the organization and struck out on her own. Going back to her roots, Madame Hydra delved into the criminal underworld once more. However, Madame Hydra could not contain her true personality and instead she went into the world of terrorism. One of her first deeds was to kill Jordan Dixon, the criminal known as Viper and take his name.
In addition to his name, Viper reformed Dixon's group, the Serpent Squad. With their help, along with the Atlantean warlord Krang, Viper was able to find and acquire the Serpent Crown. The Serpent Crown is an artefact of immense power that Viper planned to use to take over the world. Captain America thwarted her plans, however, as he interfered with her once again. Viper was believed dead at the end of the encounter when she was caught in an explosion.
However, Viper was not killed and instead created a group called the FANGS. Viper created this short-lived group to assist her with her terrorist plots. A dangerous group, they were no match for Captain America and for a time Viper decided to work with smaller, parties and joined forces with the Silver Samurai. At first, he was merely Viper's bodyguard but the two eventually became lovers. It was with the Silver Samurai that Viper would attempt to hijack the Helicarrier of the anti-terrorist group S.H.I.E.L.D. and crash it into the White House. The combined skills of Spider-Man, the Black Widow, Nick Fury, and Shang-Chi were needed to stop Viper and the Silver Samurai from assassinating many of the United States' government and Viper was taken into custody.
Viper did not stay in prison for long, however, as agents of the Red Skull broke her out of prison and took her to his cabin in the Rocky Mountains. The Red Skull had become very intrigued and impressed with Viper and wanted her to infuse his own organization with fresh, new ideas. With her mind and his money, they could do virtually anything. Her first idea: steals some Russian nuclear missiles. That was not the truly remarkable part was that her plan was to frame S.H.I.E.L.D., and it was working until Nick Fury appeared. In the midst of the battle between Viper and Fury, Solo appeared and was offered a place in the Red Skull's empire. When he refused, he attacked Viper as well and she teleported away. Her relationship with the Red Skull ended soon after.
Viper's pact with Chthon would soon come to the fore once more when Viper encountered Jessica Drew. In battle with Spider-Woman, when Chthon wanted Viper to sacrifice her, Viper recognized Jessica as the baby she had given to the High Evolutionary so many years before. Unable to kill the woman that she though was her daughter, Viper saved Jessica, breaking her deal with Chthon. Eventually, the memories of Jessica being Viper's daughter were discovered to possibly be false ones implanted by Chthon.
Viper would soon run into Captain America again when she attempted to use snakes to spread a virulent strain of the bubonic plague from her base of operations in Hartsdale, Illinois. Part of her plan involved used a drugged Captain America. She planned to make it look as though they were responsible. When the Constrictor, her partner at the time, discovered the plan, he made sure that Captain America did not receive the proper amount of drugs. Captain America awoke in time to try to stop Viper. At first, he failed, but when the hot air balloon she was planning to use to release the snakes was shot, it exploding, apparently killing Viper.
Using former and new allies, Viper infiltrated the Serpent Society and poisoned its founder, Sidewinder. Many of the existing members also sided with Viper, solidifying her hold on the Society. Her plan was to use them to poison Washington, D.C.'s citizens with a mutagen that would transform the citizens into reptiles. During this, she fought USAgent, who was disguised as Captain America, and poisoned him with her fangs. Cobra, one of the members of the Society, did not agree with her plans and turned again Viper. He managed to subdue her long enough to turn her over to the real Captain America.
After Viper managed to escape custody, Viper and the Silver Samurai kidnapped Danielle Moonstar. While Viper held her, Moonstar made Viper and the Silver Samurai experience their worst fears before Viper attacked and subdued her. Using Moonstar as a hostage, Viper blackmailed a group of stunt motorcyclists to break into A.I.M. headquarters in Mexico. While she got what she wanted, the New Mutants discovered where Moonstar was being help, thanks to Nguyen Ngoc Coy, the uncle of one of Moonstar's teammates. When Moonstar was rescued, Viper met Xi'an Coy Manh. Xi'an's brother had once held Viper using his psychic abilities and made her a part of his harem. Viper swore revenge on the entire Manh family before teleporting away, burning down her base in an attempt to kill the New Mutants, although they managed to escape.
After this, the Silver Samurai and Viper traveled to Japan where Harada's half-sister, Mariko Yashida, was engaged to Wolverine. Mariko was also the head of Clan Yashida. Neither of these made him very happy. Together with Viper, the duo planned to end the marriage as well as put the Silver Samurai at the head of the Clan. During the wedding, Viper disguised herself as Mariko's maid and poisoned the X-Men. Just when Viper and the Silver Samurai are about to kill Mariko and the poisoned X-Men, Wolverine and Rogue appeared. While Wolverine defeated the Silver Samurai in combat, Viper severely wounded Rogue, which was enough to allow them to get away.
After this, Viper kidnapped Karma's siblings and hired Spiral to mutate them in her Body Shoppe. Together with Beast and Cannonball, Karma attempted to rescue her siblings, only to have Cannonball and Karma get captured, leaving Beast to fight Xi'an's sister. When Viper slapped Karma, Spiral began to get angry, because Karma was promised to Spiral. When Viper found out that Tran was Karma's mind, Viper released Xi'an to make sure she could get revenge. Because of the battling, the Body Shoppe started to collapse and Spiral teleported both her and Viper away.
Viper's next, and one of her most successful, attempts at facilitating power for herself came when the ruler of Madripoor passed away without an heir. It was time to pull in the old debt that Wolverine owed to her. He was a well-known personality in Madripoor and Viper believed, correctly, that with his aid she could take control. She was able to draw Wolverine and the X-Men to Madripoor by kidnapping women from his life. Wolverine was ready to kill her, but thanks to Jubilee, who reminded him about his vow as an X-Men not to kill. Using his sense of honour and the pact that he made with Seraph, Viper convinced Logan to marry her and they were married the next day.
After the wedding, the X-Men returned home, save for Kitty Pryde, and Sabretooth attacked her, Viper, and Wolverine. Kitty wound up saving Viper when Sabretooth tried to slash her, but she was unable to stop the four of them from being captured and mind-controlled by the Hand and HYDRA, who were looking to take over Madripoor. Kitty was able to escape most of the control and free Viper, who then had to stop the feral Kitty from killing the HYDRA commander.
Needing to make certain that others did not take control over the Principality before she had a chance to consolidate her powerbase; Viper used Logan, Sabretooth, and Shadowcat to stop HYDRA and the Hand from taking over. With Logan as her husband, Viper managed to take control of the Principality herself, although she vowed revenge on Sabretooth for trying to kill her.
Later, Arnim Zola took Viper prisoner. Wolverine had defeated the scientist, although he did not seem particularly upset. Instead, he was satisfied that he had taken possession of Viper. Exactly what he had planned for her and what he did to her, nobody knows. The only thing that he revealed was that one of his old friends, possibly the Red Skull, would be glad to know where Viper was.
Madame Hydra, Viper, is a villainous through and through. She may not hold cities hostage with awesome power, but instead she prefers to work behind the scenes whenever possible. She knows that she has limitations and she does not try to overstep what she is capable of doing and she has no problem with a strategic retreat.
Viper is an individualist, always looking out for how she is able to make her own position greater. This, of course, makes her a rather untrustworthy person with which to work. If she feels that she can get ahead through the fall of an ally, she will allow it to happen. Still, he knows that she needs others, but she sees these people as tools and nothing more than a means to an end. She will, and has turned on anyone whom she feels she needs to.
Part of the reason that Viper is a terrorist is the fact that she simply does not believe that the world can evolve and better itself with the current government and social structure. She truly attacks this with each of her terrorist actions. She also has no regard for human life and simply enjoys making the lives of others as difficult and painful as she possibly can, both physically and mentally. She enjoys being a manipulator and wrapping people around her finger, just to stab them in the back when they least expect it.
Although Viper is a backstabbing manipulator, she still consistently manages to draw others to her cause. A big reason for this is her charisma. She has a feel and a look about her that makes people want to trust and believe her. It has led to her having true friends in the past. Her charisma, and specifically her flirtatious nature, is part of her that she reveals whenever she needs to lure allies.
Despite what others may think, Viper is not completely without some spark of humanity inside her. She was willing to turn against an Elder God to protect Jessica Drew, although at the time she was under the belief that Jessica was her daughter. Still, there are times when Viper will do the right thing, even when it means that it will put her in danger. These flashes are few and far between, however, and should never be counted on.
RETARDED AGING: The Elder God Chthon slowed Madame Hydra's aging when she made a pact with him. Even though she is in her eighties, she appears to be in late-twenties to early-thirties. She does not seem to have aged at all in decades, although no one has measured this ability. It could be that she does not age at all or that she merely ages at a much slower rate than others age, but either way she will not be growing older in any discernable way anytime soon.
WEAPONS: Viper has had extensive training in a number of weapons, including handguns, rifles, swords, knives, darts, whips, etc. Her training also extends to the majority of HYDRA experimental weapons, which allows her to use virtually any weapon in their arsenal as well. She has at least some training in any weapon and as having a skill level just below a professional soldier (below Olympic level) unless noted in an individual entry. HYDRA trained Viper in the care and cleaning of every weapon that they taught her to use.
MARKSMANSHIP: During her time with HYDRA, Viper has had a lot of training with firearms. She can use handguns and rifles with nearly unerring accuracy, rivalling that of Nick Fury or the Punisher. She is able to hit her target ninety-five percent of the time if both she and the target are stationary. If she or the target is moving, her accuracy drops to eighty percent. If both she and the target are moving, then her accuracy further drops to sixty percent. This is assuming prime conditions, however. Her accuracy can further decrease an additional five percent for each of the following, should they be adverse conditions: weather, lighting, and distance (in fifty-yard increments). This is for both traditional firearms as well as specialized HYDRA weapons.
BULLWHIP: Madame Hydra is a master of the bullwhip and is capable of using one with deadly skill and accuracy. She can flick a person's ear and simply graze them, slice their ear right off, or anything from one extreme to the other with equal ease. Viper is also able to wrap a whip around a pole or branch and use it to swing, pull a switch, and any number of specialized tricks with a whip. The whip is one of Viper's most up close and personal weapons. She is of the same skill level as Blacklash.
THROWING: Viper's has been highly trained with the use of throwing darts and daggers. Like her skill with firearms, this is because of her training with HYDRA. She is only able to throw an object with any accuracy forty feet, thanks to her strength. Her accuracy drops by ten percent every five feet beyond the first forty. At twenty-five feet, if both she and her target are stationary, she is able to hit her target ninety-five percent of the time. If either she or her target is moving, her accuracy drops to eight-five percent. If both she and her target are moving, her accuracy drops to seventy-five percent. High winds can lower her accuracy by an additional ten percent over thirty feet and an additional five percent every ten feet after. Adverse weather (such as rain) can also lower her accuracy by five percent for every thirty feet.
SWORDPLAY: Baron Von Strucker, a world-class fencer, personally trained Madame Hydra in the art of swordplay. She is an expert swordswoman in her own right, although not quite of the level of Von Strucker himself. Viper is Olympic level in term of fencing, but she also received training in the broadsword, katana, and knife fighting. She could hold her own against the likes of Baron Von Strucker or Kurt Wagner, but would require luck to defeat either of them. Viper could take on two trained opponents, a group of a dozen average Hand ninjas, and can use a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other.
MARTIAL ARTS: Viper has been highly trained in the martial arts, thanks to her time with the Hand, HYDRA, and the Serpent Society. Her training consisted of virtually every form of martial arts, although she is a master of none. Her training allows her to hold her own for a short time against the likes of Captain America, although she relies on weapons and underlings in combat, rather than her own skills. Still, she would be able to handle her own against up to half a dozen unarmed men who attempted to jump her, or a pair of trained military officers.
ACROBATICS: Viper is a trained acrobat, capable of impressive flips, jumps, and rolls. She is of Olympic calibre, thanks to her time with HYDRA, and can perform any number of tricks in confined spaces. Her acrobatics skill makes it difficult to knock Viper off her feet, and she is able to roll with blows or falls to minimize damage. As she is not of superhuman agility, she is only capable of performing moves that a normal human is capable of, but she is nearing peak human ability.
POISON USE: One of Madame Hydra's favourite weapons does not inflict wounds, but instead kills once it is in the target's system. She has a great deal of knowledge in the use of poisons and is able to coat her weapons with ease, mix it with food, or other such subtle uses. She knows all about easy to obtain poisons, more exotic ones that are not common in the United State, but her most beloved are snake venoms and toxins. Viper is also familiar with the various antidotes for the poisons that she uses.
UNDERWORLD KNOWLEDGE: Through her ties with both the Silver Samurai and the Madripoor underworld, Viper has acquired a great deal of knowledge on how to deal with various underworld factions. She understands how to keep one group from knowing she is dealing with one of their rivals, and which factions are rivals in the first place. She also knows how to contact underworld groups that are often extremely difficult to contact through normal means, and which groups are best suited for certain situations. Her ability level is the same as any underworld boss, including the fabled Wilson Fisk.
HYDRA KNOWLEDGE: There are few bits of information, if any, that Madame Hydra does not know about HYDRA itself. She knows about its workings (insomuch as anyone who works with them is able to follow the ever-shifting alliances), the technology that is used, the vehicles, computer systems, and everything else about the organization. As a former leader of one of its branches, she is one of the foremost experts in the inner workings of HYDRA. Even though things have changed a bit since she was last a major player within HYDRA, Viper still knows as much as any other member with the possible exception of the Supreme Hydra.
LEADERSHIP: Viper is the former leader of the New York branch of HYDRA, the Serpent Squad, and the Serpent Society. She has also worked with other mercenaries and terrorists, such as the Silver Samurai, and often claimed the role of leader in these relationships. She is a natural leader, knowing well how to make plans, distribute her people to take advantage of their abilities in the best way, and how to compel them to listen to her orders. She is not an inspiring leader like Captain America, but leads through cunning, subterfuge, and some degree of terror.
TACTICIAN: Viper is a brilliant strategist, capable of forming brilliant plans that unfold over months or years. She always has a contingency plan and she knows how to use the resources that she has available to her in the best possible way. She is also able to manipulate events subtly to prepare for her ultimate goals, often in ways that even other notable strategists (even the great Nick Fury) do not put together until it is too late. Like a master chess player, Viper is always many moves ahead of her opponent. She is also able to alter her plans if things go wrong, adjusting in the middle of a plan.
ESPIONAGE: One cannot survive long in HYDRA without learning how to gather intelligence on one's enemies, and Viper thrived in this environment. She is very skilled at information gathering, spying, breaking and entering, computer hacking, shadowing, and any number of other skills one would need to be a successful espionage agent. She is easily as skilled, if not more skilled, than any member of the CIA, and could be likened to the graduates of Russia's fabled Red Room. Few places can keep Viper out and there are few things that she could not find out should she set her mind to it. In addition to her espionage training, Viper has extensive counterespionage training and is able to keep anyone up to the level of a normal S.H.I.E.L.D. off her trail.
EXPLOSIVES: Not every operation requires a delicate touch, and for these, Viper is quite capable of making a very big bang for her buck. She has training in how to set various forms of explosives with a multitude of timers and detonators. She is of the level of a military trained explosives expert. In addition to the setting and detonation of explosives, Viper is equally skilled in the dismantling and defusing of standard explosive devices.
SURVIVAL: Viper has been in various difficult situations and always come alive. She has a knack for getting out of situations thanks partially to her planning. The other part of her ability is training in how to survive in virtually any climate. She is able to find water and food, although she rarely finds herself in a situation where she would need to perform such acts. It is also extremely difficult to kill Viper, even with feats that should kill a normal person. Unless one can find her body, one assumes that Viper has survived, even when the event seems to be completely random.
SOCIAL ETIQUETTE: There are times when Viper must interact with the higher levels of society, which has resulted in a great deal of knowledge in how to deal with the upper classes. She knows which utensils to use at any given time, how to walk, how to talk, and how to mingle with the upper echelon of society, just as any member of high society would.
MANIPULATION: Not everyone that Viper works with does so because he or she likes her. She must convince many to work with her, usually through some form of questionable persuasion. She knows how to get into someone's head and when she has some bit of information that she can use against them. She also knows how to use a person's personality against them, be it through their sense of honour or deceit. She has no problem with lying to others to get her way, or using some degree of truth to get them to do what they want. One example of this is when she manipulated Logan into marrying her to consolidate her power in Madripoor.
SEDUCTION: Closely linked to her manipulation abilities, Viper is especially skilled when dealing with men. She knows how to carry herself, what to say, and simply how to look at a man to send his heart all aflutter. Obviously, the success with this ability will vary on who she is using it against, and anyone she has had contact with in the past may be more resistant to her charms. Still, it is an ability that she has no problems with using on any man who she meets provided they have something she wants.
DRIVING/PILOTING: Viper is a skilled driver and pilot of virtually any commercial aircraft, vessel, or automobile as well as many military vehicles. She also has had extensive training in any specially designed HYDRA vehicles the organization produces. She is professional level in these vehicles.
LANGUAGES: In her travels, Viper has learned a great number of languages. She is able to speak Hungarian, Russian, Japanese, French, Italian, Arabic, Ukrainian, Korean, Thai, Mandarin, and Cantonese (as well as having passing knowledge in several other Chinese dialects). Of course, she is also fluent in English.
BUSINESS: Viper is a skilled businessperson, having run her own branch of HYDRA as well as creating a very lucrative criminal empire in Madripoor. She knows many of the normal business practices, how to manage her resources, etc. She may not have a business degree, although her experience and skill gives her the basic equivalent of such.
HYDRA: The terrorist organization known as HYDRA is one of the most well organized groups in the world. It reach extends to virtually every country worth its time through a number of cells that work independently of each other. Some of these cells do not even know they belong to HYDRA, but all of their work is to strengthen HYDRA. Various cells perform various tasks. Some are involved in weapons research and development, others may mine diamonds, and others may appear to be legitimate companies. Only Baron Von Strucker knows the exact number and location of all of the cells and their specific uses. As a rule, members of one cell do not know members of other cells, no matter how closely linked they may be.
In addition to the countless agents who work for these various cells, HYDRA also has a small army of soldiers at its disposal. Viper is able to call upon groups of these soldiers for various tasks and has done so often in the past. These foot soldiers have training comparable to the basic army service member, although they HYDRA has trained them in the use of advanced weapons and technology. Provided she is within a HYDRA stronghold, Viper could instantly call upon these forces to come to her aid, otherwise such an action would require forethought. In addition to their standard agents, HYDRA also has a number of powered operatives for specific operations.
Lastly, as one of the high-ranking members of HYDRA, Madame Hydra has access to the weapons and technology that HYDRA has created. This ranges from handheld weapons to vehicles (including aircraft and submersibles), bases, communications equipment, etc. Given a week, there is little that Madame Hydra could not acquire. Of course, she also has access to HYDRA's extensive criminal empire and the various contacts within.
PERSONAL GUARDS: Although she has access to the soldiers of HYDRA, Madame Hydra also has a small group (no more than six to twelve at any given time) of personal guards. While these are also members of HYDRA, they have sworn allegiance to Madame Hydra herself, making them much more trustworthy than the common foot soldier. Needless to say, Madame Hydra still must keep these guards in check, lest they turn on her. These personal guards have slightly more training than the average HYDRA soldier, giving them the comparable skills of a member of the Green Beret or Navy SEAL programs. These personal guards dress in standard HYDRA uniforms.
THE HAND: The Hand is a cadre of ninjas with which Madame Hydra has recently begun distant relations. Although she has no formal status within the organization, its organizers know her and she was present when the Hand attacked the Avengers in Japan. The Hand is useful for little more than hired muscle and stealth operations, but only if Viper is able to convince those running the group that their goals are similar. The Hand seems to have endless numbers of ninjas available to them, all of whom have received a great deal of training in combat and stealth abilities. As Viper told the Silver Samurai, she plans to use the Hand as the fist with which she will cleanse the corruption within HYDRA.
THE FANGS: The Fangs was a short-lived group that Viper brought together in order to help her with her terrorist work. The group considered of Bludgeon, Heat-Ray, Razorblade, and Slither. Although they only worked together for a short time, they were still under the payroll of Viper and it is possible that she could once more bring them together, and Viper did work with Slither while both were members of the Serpent Society.
SERPENT SQUAD: The Serpent Squad was another short-lived group that Viper and Krang brought together when they possessed the Serpent Crown. This group consisted of the Cobra, the Eel, and Princess Python, as well as Krang. While there are members of this group who have died, Viper could contact the other members of this group, should she wish. Captain America (in the guise of Nomad) and Namor defeated this group.
SERPENT SOCIETY: Viper was once the leader of the Serpent Society after she usurped control from Sidewinder by infiltration and poisoning him. Although she no longer has any relationship with the Society, it still exists, and there are current members who were members during her time with the organization. At the time of her leadership, the membership of the Serpent Society was Black Racer, Copperhead, Fer De-Lance, Puff Adder, Boomslang, Coachwhip, Rock Python, Slither, Anaconda, and Cottonmouth. The current leader, King Cobra, was also a member of the Society at the time of Viper's rule, but he turned on her and led to her defeat. Other than HYDRA, the Serpent Society is likely the most well organized villainous groups in the world.
HELLFIRE CLUB: Viper is a member of the Hellfire Club as a member of their Inner Circle. Her position is the White Princess where she served as the assassin of Courtney Ross (Sat-yr-9, the former White Queen) and now strives to take Ross's position as her own. Viper, as a member of the Inner Circle, has access to virtually all of the Hellfire Club's resources, although there are still members who outrank her. The Hellfire Club, under the leadership of the Black King and Lord Cardinal, Roberto DaCosta, has recently started to move away from its more villainous pursuits and taken on a more altruistic approach, which actually suits Viper. Her membership also grants her access to meet with many of the Club's members that are more reputable; including Warren Worthington III, Tony Stark, and other wealthy and powerful businesspersons. She could also invite virtually anyone to a social function that the Hellfire Club was holding anywhere in the world. Viper is also able to move about to various branches in other countries, such as the London Branch.
UNDERWORLD CONTACTS: Thanks to her organizations within Madripoor and her ties to HYDRA, Viper has amassed a great number of underworld contacts, both in the United States and aboard. There are no countries where Viper does not have contacts, from the mighty superpower of the United States to the poorest third world dictatorship. Obviously, the highest concentration of these contacts is in Madripoor itself, but Viper is easily able to contact any number of underworld leaders anywhere. This can include organized crime or powered criminals.
MADRIPOOR: Madripoor is an island nation is Southeast Asia, southwest of Singapore in the Strait of Malacca. The capital city shares the same name as the country. The composition of the city is in two different sections: Hightown, the wealthy sector; and Lowtown, which is impoverished and crime-ridden. The city has a great deal of criminal behaviour and the ruling government does not allow the extradition of criminals. The country itself relies on trade, due to its jungle interior and has an extensive trade center. Viper is the ruler of Madripoor, giving her extensive influence within its borders, as well as a great deal of wealth. In addition to her political position, Viper also has an extensive criminal organization based primarily within Madripoor's borders.
JESSICA DREW: Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman, is an operative of HYDRA in a roundabout fashion. Currently, HYDRA has assigned Spider-Woman to infiltrate the Avengers where she is to keep them abreast of all of the hero group's activities. Madame Hydra herself is able to contact Jessica, although she tends to work through agents and other HYDRA members. Jessica owes HYDRA, as they have restored powers that she thought were lost, and it is something that Madame Hydra holds over Jessica's head constantly. Should Madame Hydra be taken into custody by the Avengers, her hold over Jessica Drew can, and has, lead to her escape.
Jessica is also an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., which makes her a mole for HYDRA in both organizations. Unfortunately, Jessica herself is playing HYDRA as a double or possibly triple agent. Still, HYDRA can use Jessica to feed both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers false information that HYDRA gives her.
Lastly, for a time, Madame Hydra posed as Jessica's mother, Meriem Drew. This was later revealed as false memories implanted by Chthon. The truth of this revelation remains in the air and would require a DNA test to prove one way or the other.
BARON VON STRUCKER: Baron Von Strucker is the driving force behind HYDRA and Viper is his right hand. Although she does not care for Strucker, he is still an immensely powerful individual in an immensely powerful organization, which is not something that Viper can take lightly. The one thing that Viper can always count on when dealing with Strucker is that he will always do what he feels is best for himself and HYDRA, which is something she can take advantage of so long as she keeps him believing she is on his side.
WOLVERINE: Even though they do not get along, Viper and Wolverine have a great deal of history together. They were even married, although they are now divorced. In the past, Logan was honour bound to assist Viper should she require it, thanks to the dying wish of their mutual sensei, Seraph. Still, Wolverine is an influential who understands that, at times, unsavoury situations require equally unsavoury actions. He may not be someone she can easily persuade to assist her, but he has in the past and if she can appeal to his sense of honour, she may be able to convince him to help her again. As he is a member of both the X-Men and the Avengers, that would be valuable indeed.
SILVER SAMURAI: Kenuichio Harada, the Silver Samurai, is the leader of Clan Yashida and the man who Viper wanted to use as her right hand man in her quest to cleanse HYDRA. Kenuichio was once Viper's bodyguard and partner and since she orchestrated his release from the Raft, Kenuichio owes Viper. Although they are not currently as close as they were in the past, Kenuichio may be more sympathetic to Viper's goals than he lets on, and he is honour bound to protect her. As the leader of Clan Yashida, Kenuichio is a major power in Japan.
TELEPORTATION RING: Viper possesses a ring that allows her to teleport up to five miles away. Viper activates this teleportation by twisting the ring. The distance she teleports is proportional to how far she twists the device. The teleportation occurs approximately five seconds after Viper activates it. Electromagnetic pulses can disable the ring's teleportation ability.
VEHICLES: Viper has a number of different vehicles at her disposal. The majority of these vehicles are standard fare and range from cars to submarines to boats to VTOL and standard aircraft. The most advanced of these vehicles would be of the level of standard military vehicles with similar armaments, defences, and speeds. On rare occasions, Viper also has more highly advanced, HYDRA designed vehicles at her disposal as well.
WEALTH: Thanks to her criminal empire, Viper has acquired a great deal of capital. Her net worth is in the millions of dollars and there are few things that she could not purchase if she so desired. In addition to liquid assets, Viper has also invested a small fortune in the stock market and in real estate.
GUNS: Viper has access to various firearms, including handguns and rifles. While the exact number of weapons she carries can vary, she is never without a small 9mm pistol. All the firearms she uses are of similar calibre and she rarely delves into larger and more powerful weapons. She also has access to various HYDRA weapons, although these are of a rarer fare and generally only used for specific, special missions.
BULLWHIP: Viper possesses a bullwhip that she uses with superb skill. This whip is eight feet of braided leather and has an eight-inch long handle covered in braided leather. The whip has no special features, although it is capable of slicing through flesh and breaking bones. Viper can also use the handle as a blunt object like a police officer's nightstick, thanks to the metal interior.
THROWING DARTS: Viper always carries six throwing darts on her person, which she is able to throw with great accuracy. These darts are aerodynamic, allowing Viper to throw them fifty feet. Their sharp ends are easily able to pierce flesh and wood, as well as score brick and soft stone. The darts themselves do very little damage, although repeated piercing can damage muscle tissue. These darts carry a snake insignia.
RETRACTABLE CLAWS: Viper occasionally uses a pair of gloves that have a set of retractable claws in the fingertips. These claws are a steel alloy that will slice through flesh with ease or turn wood into splinters. Viper is also able to etch stone or scratch metals up to the strength of steel. These claws are short, measuring only an inch in length.
ARTIFICIAL FANGS: To complete her snake motif, Viper has a pair of prosthetic fangs that she is able to use as weapons. These fangs fit over her natural teeth and are extremely sharp. She can easily break skin with them by biting her target, much like a vampire. These fangs also have a hollow point in which a very potent poison can be stored and released she and if Viper bites a target.
POISONS: Viper owns an extensive collection of venoms and toxins. The majority of these are snake venoms, including those of some of the most deadly snakes in the world, such as the cobra, the asp, and the rattlesnake. In addition, Viper also has a number of poisons that she designed herself. She derived these manufactured venoms from existing snake poisons. She has enough different forms of poisons that she can have various effects on her target (from death to paralyzation) and they can take various amounts of time to take effect (from a few seconds to minutes to days). Viper uses her poisons to coat her throwing darts. She also has lipstick infused with fast acting poison. Viper also has anti-venoms for all of the poisons that she possesses.
HAIR DYE: Viper possesses a great deal of hair dye that she uses to change her hair colour from its normally black hair to green. The dye is permanent, although she still needs to dye it on a regular basis.
ADAPTIVE: Although she always has a plan and a backup plan, Viper is extremely adaptive and able to alter her plans at the drop of a hat. No matter what situation Viper places herself in she can adapt and pick a course of action that will lead to maximize her benefits, even if it is only to ensure her own survival. While there are plenty of situations that may catch her off her guard, Viper can adjust her plans to fit these new situations. She has had to be able to adapt, just to be able to stay alive.
BACKUP PLANS: Even though someone always seems to foil her main plans, Viper always has a backup ready. Often, the backup plan has nothing to do with her original plan and she will even allow her original one to fail if it means she can further perpetuate her secondary goals. This is how Viper has been able to adapt so easily to a constantly changing battlefield and why she is always able to stay one step ahead of anyone who is trying to stop her. Sometimes Viper creates her plans on the spot, but she always has a way out of any given situation.
LUCKY: While it is nice to say that all of Viper's successes have come from her planning, she has also been lucky. It is not any sort of power or special ability, but merely a bit of fate. Even in situations where she has had not chance to make a plan, she finds a way to make it out the other side. This covers virtually every situation that catches her unawares.
PHYSICAL FITNESS: Madame Hydra is in exceptional physical shape. Her agility and reflexes are Olympic level and she is capable of lifting her own bodyweight. She keeps herself at this level at all times. Her physical fitness also makes her a bit more resistant to injury than most women, just like other highly athletic women are more resilient.
POISON IMMUNITY: Thanks to controlled exposure to various toxins and poisons, Madame Hydra has developed immunity to these poisons. She is immune to all of the toxins and venoms she uses, as well as all of the more popular and readily available poisons. It is nearly impossible to harm Viper with any form of poison.
RESIST DOMINATION: Viper is able to resist mental/telepathic domination if she is focused and undistracted. She has been shown to resist control of Karma as well as the White Queen. But it takes 90% of her concentration when doing so.
AVENGERS: The Avengers have been a thorn in HYDRA's side for a long time, and with the current roster, they have even more experience with HYDRA and Viper than many in the past. The Avengers, and the ex-Avengers, consist of some of the biggest names in the hero world, making them a powerful force. With their resources, the Avengers can certainly make Viper's life difficult, should they find her. In fact, they arrested her recently in Japan, although she managed to escape. Most of the Avengers, past and present, have no love for Viper and her terrorist ways.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: Other than Nick Fury, no one has done more to disable HYDRA operations than Captain America. As a consummate soldier and defender of American ideals, it is no wonder that he seeks out terrorist cells all over the world. In addition, Captain America is the leader of the Avengers, which gives him access to a number of people and resources that can strengthen his war or terrorism. As Viper is a global terrorist who has ties with one of Captain America's teammates, one would have to assume that Captain America would target Viper and attempt to stop any plans she may have.
JESSICA DREW: Jessica Drew is a member of the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., and HYDRA. She is also a Nick Fury loyalist, which means that her true alliances could be with just about anyone. It is impossible to know exactly where Jessica stands, but it is likely not with HYDRA. Regardless of this, Jessica Drew is HYDRA's mole within both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers and has standing orders to alert HYDRA to the latter group's activities and movements. She still cannot fully be trusted, and Viper, who does not trust anyone, knows this, even though she may act as though she trusts Jessica. In the end, Jessica's position and ties to Fury make her as much a liability as she is an asset.
WOLVERINE: Viper's ex-husband, the mutant Wolverine, has known Viper for a long time. The two do not really like each other very much, although Viper will act as though she does, just to annoy Logan. Obviously, considering how dangerous Logan is, having him for an enemy is not something anyone would wish upon himself or herself, and he will work to stop Viper from succeeding in whatever nefarious plan she has in the works. Because they have known each other for so long, Wolverine knows how Viper thinks and how she acts, giving him an advantage that others would not have.
X-MEN: In the past, Viper has targeted members and allies of the X-Men in various plots. She kidnapped Danielle Moonstar, threatened to kill Xi'an Coy Manh's family, and attempted to kill the X-Men. As such, there is a high level of animosity between Viper and the X-Men. Although their paths have not crossed recently, there are many on the X-Men who would love nothing more than to get their hands on Viper, if for no other reason than what she did to Logan.
S.H.I.E.L.D.: S.H.I.E.L.D. is the world's premiere anti-terrorist organization, so it should not be surprising that they would be a problem for both HYDRA and Viper. Currently, S.H.I.E.L.D. is without its greatest agent, but they are still very well connected and the government created them specifically to handle terrorist groups, so they are well equipped to fight HYDRA and Viper. It is impossible to describe all that S.H.I.E.L.D. has at their disposal, from the countless agents stationed all over the world to the famed Hellicarriers. If anyone finds out about HYDRA operations, generally S.H.I.E.L.D. does so first. Viper must always look over her shoulder for S.H.I.E.L.D., although it is nearly impossible to keep their agents off a trail once they have located it.
NICK FURY: Nick Fury, the former leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., is probably the single greatest anti-terrorist agent ever to live. He has forgotten more about fighting terrorism than most people could ever hope to know. Because of this, Fury is one of the most dangerous men in the world when it comes to terrorist organizations. There are things that Nick Fury knows that no one else could figure out, thanks to him being one of the most paranoid people ever to live. It is very difficult to keep things from Fury, even though he is no longer the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and his contacts make it easy for him to spread the word once he has evidence.
HYDRA: Although HYDRA can give Viper a great deal of resources, it is also a dangerous group with which to be involved. There are a number of various factions within HYDRA vying for power at any given time, and Viper is a member of one of them. Any of these other factions would be willing to kill Viper if it meant they would become more powerful. Viper must always watch her back, and the only members of HYDRA that she can truly trust are her personal guard. There is very little honour among these terrorists.
BARON VON STRUCKER: Baron Von Strucker is the leader of HYDRA and the one man within the organization that is in a higher-ranking position than Viper. He is all that stands in her way of fully taking over HYDRA, but he is also a very cunning man around whom she cannot help but be wary. Strucker does not fully trust her, for good reason, which makes him even more dangerous. Of all of her possible human adversaries, Strucker is the most dangerous, thanks to his ruthlessness and his complete disregard for her health, just her allegiance.
SILVER SAMURAI: Kenuichio Harada, the Silver Samurai, was once Viper's bodyguard and was one of the only people in the world that Viper really trusted. That was in the past, however, as the Silver Samurai has decided to go straight. He even attempted to take Viper into custody when the Avengers arrested her. It is not known exactly where the Silver Samurai's loyalties lie, although he has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with Viper. Because of the time that Viper and the Silver Samurai spent together, no one knows her better, and he could use this information against her.
CHTHON: Viper once made a pact with, and double-crossed, the Elder God Chthon. Having an Elder God upset with you is never very good for anyone. Exactly what Chthon may chose to do to Viper remains to be seen, but his revenge will likely be visited upon her when she least expects it. Chthon has many agents in the word and Chthon could call upon any of them to extract revenge on Viper at any time.
ENEMIES: Obviously, Viper has made many enemies in her time. She has threatened or double-crossed numerous people from the Red Skull to the members of the Serpent Society. As a terrorist, she is also an enemy of any country that she sets her sights on, resulting in her being watched by the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, and other law enforcements agencies. She has also made enemies of Sabretooth, upon whom she has sworn revenge, and Xi'an Coy Manh, whose family - specifically her brother - she wants to destroy. There are few, if any, people who trust Viper and less that actually like her. She must constantly look over her shoulder because the list of people who dislike her is so long and she never knows when they may attempt to take their revenge.
WANTED: Viper is a wanted terrorist with files in the CIA, FBI, NSA, Interpol, S.H.I.E.L.D., and other international law enforcement agencies. If law enforcements officials find her, they will more than likely attempt to detain her on the spot, even if she is not doing anything illegal at the time. There are few countries outside of Madripoor where Viper can go without having to worry about someone trying to stop her and take her in.
NIHILISTIC: Viper believes that the only way that there can be future improvement is the destruction and rebuilding of existing social and political institutions. For her, the old ways are wrong and a new order created. Thus, even though she constantly tries to put herself into positions of power, she has no ideal that she fights for, beyond the destruction of all existing groups and organizations. This means that, in the end, all countries are her targets, making her an enemy of everyone. She has no regard for human life and rebukes all social order.
SADIST: If there is one thing that makes Viper smile, it is watching other people suffer, both emotionally and physically. She simply enjoys it when she is able to inflict pain, agony, and misfortune on others. It is probably why she keeps Jessica Drew around, aside from the woman's obvious usefulness, and why she insisted that Jessica take her into custody only to help her escape later. It made Jessica question her loyalties. She is a cruel woman and she enjoys every minute of it. She has turned people away from her past because of disregard for life, and it has led to her own comrades turning on her (both when Cobra and Constrictor turned her over to Captain America). Like the Red Skull (although not nearly on that scale), people hate her just because she hates everyone and everything.
OPPORTUNISTIC: Viper is extremely opportunistic, which can put her in some bad situations if she is not careful. When she sees something that looks like it will work out for her, she goes for it, regardless of the possible consequences should something to wrong. It gives Viper something akin to tunnel vision, causing her to fail to see the dangers all around her. She gets reports from Jessica Drew, which could suggest that it was her idea to try to get Jessica into the Avengers as a spy, regardless of the fact that it could backfire. It got her involved with one of the most evil men ever to walk the planet, the Red Skull. It causes her to turn on people who would otherwise be able to help her, drawing their wrath (like Logan). She has no problem with putting herself at risk for the big payoff.
UNTRUSTWORTHY: Only a fool would trust Viper after all that she has done in the past. She would stab anyone in the back to get ahead, even if she knew that her target would then turn his or her wrath upon her. Anyone who has worked with her in the past knows that Viper is dangerous for this very reason, which means that allies generally watch her more closely. This, of course, just makes it even more dangerous, because if she makes a mistake, people know who did it.
HIDDEN AGENDAS: Viper nearly always has two plans: one that she shares and her true plan. She is constantly working behind the scenes in ways that would often cut out those that she is working with. These plans can range from extremely complicated (which can make them more difficult to accomplish) to very simple. Naturally, having and relying on these other agendas can be difficult because her own people can inadvertently foil her.
FALSE MEMORIES: Chthon (or possibly Morgan Le Fay) infused Viper's mind with a number of false memories concerning Jessica Drew and a possible relationship between the two women. It is possible that more of her memories, especially those involving her early life, are false and completely constructed by an outside source. It is something that she would always need to be thinking about whenever she is relying on early memories.
==========================[ +sheet for Viper (VIP) ]==========================
Real Name: Unknown Age: Appears 30ish
Codename: Viper/Madame Hydra Gender: Female
Sessions: 0 Approved On: Tue Sep 20 20:00:44 2011
F: Excellent (20) Health: 70/70
A: Excellent (20) Karma: 50
S: Good (10) Resources: Remarkable (30)
E: Excellent (20) Popularity: -15
R: Excellent (20) Experience: 0
I: Excellent (20) Initiative: +1
P: Good (10) Movement: 2
==================================< POWERS >==================================
Body Armor……………………………………….. Excellent (20)
Retarded Aging……………………………………. Remarkable (30)
Teleportation Ring………………………………… Good (10)
Weaponry…………………………………………. Incredible (45)
=================================< TALENTS >==================================
Acrobatics……………………………………….. Remarkable (30)
Eastern European Languages…………………………. Good (10)
Espionage………………………………………… Incredible (40)
Guns…………………………………………….. Remarkable (30)
Leadership……………………………………….. Incredible (40)
Manipulation……………………………………… Remarkable (30)
Martial Arts A C………………………………….. Remarkable (30)
Pilot……………………………………………. Excellent (20)
Poison…………………………………………… Excellent (20)
Seduction………………………………………… Incredible (40)
Social Etiquette………………………………….. Excellent (20)
Survival…………………………………………. Excellent (20)
Tactics………………………………………….. Remarkable (30)
Whip…………………………………………….. Remarkable (35)
==================================< FLAWS >===================================
Captain America Chthon
Enemies False Memories
Hydra Nick Fury
Nihilistic Opportunistic
Over Confident Psychotic
Sadist Shield
Spider-Woman I Untrusthworthy
Von Strucker Wanted
Wolverine
=================================< CONTACTS >=================================
Hydra Silver Samurai
ARMOR RATINGS: Energy: 20 Mental: 0 Physical: 20
