Doctor Werner Reinhardt was one of the most prominent leaders of HYDRA. Originally a high-ranking officer of the Nazi Schutzstaffel, during World War II, he led many expeditions to recover mysterious artifacts for HYDRA, working under the command of Red Skull. Despite his capture by the Strategic Scientific Reserve in 1945, Reinhardt continued to have influence in HYDRA, once offering advice to Gideon Malick, until he was finally freed in 1989 by undercover members of HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D. Back in his old base, he used organs and DNA from an Inhuman named Jiaying to de-age himself into a middle-aged appearance.
With his freedom and new identity as Daniel Whitehall, he reclaimed his position in HYDRA, while becoming a mentor to several notable HYDRA operatives, including Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and Hale. Whitehall eventually started the quest to recover the Obelisk, the object of his lifelong obsession. During his campaign, he worked alongside an expert on the Obelisk, Calvin Zabo; however, before Whitehall could learn the true power of his obsession, he was shot and killed by Phil Coulson during a S.H.I.E.L.D. attack.
Werner Reinhardt was born in Arnsberg, Germany on October 9th, 1904. Following the end of World War I, Reinhardt joined the Nazi Party and became an officer of the Schutzstaffel. He rose through the ranks until he became an ObergruppenfĂŒhrer, eventually joining HYDRA, the special science division led by Johann Schmidt, being one of his most loyal disciples.[6] He was married for some time but his wife died, leaving him a widower.[2]
Original Experiments[]
Experiments on the Obelisk[]
"Not everything we dug out of the ground was an antique, my friend. Some of it was quite advanced." "Is this the reason these men..." "Hmm? Ja. The Red Skull said it may hold the answer. The answer to death itself."
When World War II broke out, Reinhardt actively participated in the German conquest of Europe, earning several high military decorations, including the Panzer Badge, the Close Combat Clasp, and the Iron Cross First Class. As an officer of HYDRA, he was sent to search for mysterious artifacts. On one occasion, his team discovered the corpse of a blue-skinned humanoid organism.[6] During this time, he worked with Johann Schmidt on the Tesseract.[7][5] Reinhardt also knew about and searched for the Darkhold, a book that was said to contain infinite knowledge, but he never managed to find it.[8]
Among the various myths, HYDRA researched, to Reinhardt the most intriguing one was the story about an Obelisk with the power to turn the living into stone. Reinhardt became especially obsessed with the Obelisk, and came to learn of the myth behind it, an old story from the East about the "stars that fell from the heavens". Being an intelligent man, Reinhardt realized the "stars" were actually extraterrestrial life forms who came to Earth thousands of years earlier; Reinhardt was led to believe that the aliens intended to conquer Earth, but failed.[2] Reinhardt also found out about legends of an ancient being that HYDRA was trying to bring back from a distant planet through the Monolith, but as a man of science, he disregarded them as a nonsense.[9]
"Herr Doktor Reinhardt, Red Skull has fallen. He's dead. The Allies approach." "The world has lost a great mind. Put her in a cage. We'll unravel this mystery later, yes? Discovery requires experimentation, and this experiment will take time."
By 1945, Reinhardt had become the commanding officer of a HYDRA Fortress in Austria.[2] Here he discovered a mysterious item, which he knew as the Obelisk in Chaves, Portugal.[10] Reinhardt soon learned that the Obelisk had the power to kill anyone who came into contact with it and in order to learn more, Reinhardt then ordered his teams to capture a group of people from China who knew of the Obelisk, questioning each of them about what they believed that it was.[2]
Reinhardt observing his own test subjects
Reinhardt presented their Obelisk to Red Skull, and was told that the Obelisk may hold the answer to death itself and must be understood so it could be used against the United States Army.[6] Reinhardt and a HYDRA Scientist continually tested the Obelisk's power on various prisoners in order to find the reasons behind these lethal effects, and why these effects differed from person to person, questioning if race, gender or age affected how the victim died but seemingly finding not one factor that had changed its deadly effects. Presenting this Obelisk to one Prisoner, Reinhardt commented on the object's beauty.
Reinhardt discusses the results of his tests
When the prisoner claimed to have heard all the same stories about what the Obelisk could do, Reinhardt had noted how they had both served for a long time for something that they did not understand, as he offered the prisoner a chance to hold the Obelisk. Reinhardt then watched, as the prisoner was instantly turned to stone by the effects of the Obelisk, as he noted that it had seemingly worked quicker on this man, compared to all the others, with Reinhardt commented on their continued lack of a conclusion about the link of how the Obelisk was killing it's victims. Reinhardt then ordered his men to remove the corpse and bring in their next subject for his experimentation.
Following the demises of several other men and women, Reinhardt had then welcomed Jiaying into the room, as he immediately told her not to be afraid and had invited her to pick up the Obelisk. However, Jiaying noticed the severed finger from the previous prisoner, forcing Reinhardt's soldiers to force her down, as Reinhardt had noted that discovery would require his experimentation. However, as Jiaying's face was pushed onto the Oblisk, Reinhardt was amazed to discover that it did not kill her, as strange symbols had instead appeared onto the Obelisk. Still in awe of this, Reinhardt had questioned what made Jiaying so special that she could survive the Obelisk's effects.
However, while Reinhardt was ordering his men to prepare Jiaying for her surgery so that he could learn exactly how she had survived the Obelisk, he was interrupted by one of his Officers, who informed him that Red Skull had been killed, during his final battle against Captain America, while noting that the Allies were currently approaching their location. Reinhardt then commented on Red Skull's death by saying that HYDRA had lost a great mind, Reinhardt ordered his soldiers to put Jiaying into a cage, so that they could continue their experiments with her after they had managed to escape from their enemies.[2]
"I don't think I need to remind you that the clock is ticking." "We are almost finished loading. Herr Reinhardt, I... I fear Schmidtâ" "There's no reason left to fear the Red Skull. He's dead. However, his vision is not. The work HYDRA has done will live on."
Fearing that the United States Army would be capable of finding and capturing him, now that HYDRA's strength had become considerable more weakened in the aftermath of the death of Red Skull, Reinhardt and all his men had then moved towards a more secure location, a HYDRA Research Facility within Austria. The facility housed dozens of artifacts collected by HYDRA over the years, many of them held in boxes marked with the logo of the Deutsches Afrikakorps, where Reinhardt had attempted to continue with his experiments.
However, the Allied advance into Austria moved faster than Reinhardt predicted, and he made his plan to escape and to continue HYDRA's work from somewhere safer. As his unit then transferred their various weapons and treasures into their jeeps and trucks, Reinhardt spoke to a HYDRA Officer and recommended that they move faster, noting that the clock was ticking down before they were discovered by their enemies. The officer expressed his fears of the Red Skull learning of them abandoning a HYDRA stronghold, but Reinhardt had reassured him that Schmidt was already dead, while HYDRA would live on.
Reinhardt then asked about the Obelisk, while his officer assured him that it was being brought out, with Reinhardt also ensuring that their soldiers were being careful with it. Once the Obelisk was brought out, Reinhardt took it, as his officer expressed his confusion, noting that he had believed that they only held artifacts. Reinhardt explained that not everything that they had pulled out from the ground had been an antique, as this was quite advanced technology. Reinhardt explained that the Oblisk had caused the deaths of all the men around the area, noting that Red Skull had believed it held the key to death itself.
However, before Reinhardt and his men could escape from the base, the facility was attacked by a Strategic Scientific Reserve teams and the Howling Commandos and being led by Peggy Carter. Having all been taken completely off guard by the sudden attack, Reinhardt and all of his men were quickly captured and all of their experiments were locked away, including the Obelisk, as they had witnessed Dum Dum Dugan and Jim Morita making mocking comments about threatening to put a blasting caps onto their nuts if they moved, while discussing what the German words were to make these threats more effective.
Reinhardt had then been forced to surrender himself, as Carter then ordered him to put down the Oblisk with the threat of being gunned down if he did not simply comply. Carter explained to Reinhardt that his equipment would be taken away by the SSR and locked away, as would he, while Dugan put Reinhardt into handcuffs. Before he was taken away, Reinhardt warned Carter that if one of HYDRA's heads was cut off, two more would grow in its place, although Carter then assured him that the SSR would then continue cutting off the heads regardless. Reinhardt was then escorted out of the facility by Dugan while his experiments were found and captured by the soldiers.[6]
"The U.S. government has recruited many German scientists." "They'll send rockets into space. Maybe they can strap you to one of them." "They'll show you parlor tricks. Giving me a second chance could save all of humanity."
Following his capture, Reinhardt was taken to the Rat, the top-secret SSR facility. While imprisoned, Peggy Carter came to interrogate him, with Reinhardt noting that she had clearly tried to test him by leaving a pen for him to use, while he noted that Carter had clearly wanted to see what he would do with it while on his own, as he could use it to confess, or to commit homicide or suicide. Carter confessed that she did want to see what kind of a man Reinhardt was, and by him not using the pen at all, she had felt she had gotten her answer.
Reinhardt then noted that this pen could be used for a signature, as Carter deduced that he was hoping to make his deal, with Reinhardt noting how several former Nazi scientists had been recruited by the United States of America, and therefore he wished to be recruited as well, and use the pen to sign this deal. Reinhardt had suggested that the scientists that had already been recruited would only be able to show the SSR parlor tricks, as he considered himself to be far more valuable than any of them, while Reinhardt then also suggested that he could save all of humanity if he was given a second chance.
Reinhardt listening to his war crimes listed
However, Carter then explained that she had already watched all the footage that Reinhardt had recorded of those experiments, as well as seeing the piles of corpses that he had left, and found Jiaying locked away in the cage under Reinhardt's orders. When Carter insisted that she would never give him his second chance, Reinhardt attempted to manipulate Carter by asking about her actual interest in all of his secrets he held for all of the various items which she and the Howling Commandos had recovered from the HYDRA Research Facility, while she asked if Reinhardt would tell her where they had been found.
Reinhardt told Carter of the story about the origins of these objects, claiming that they were from a star that had fallen from the heavens, and of the blue angels that came to the Earth with their gift that was supposed to save all of mankind, as Carter noted that Reinhardt did not seem like a religious man, although he insisted that he had built his entire life on these beliefs. Reinhardt told Carter more about these blue angels, and how their history had gotten the details about these events wrong, claiming that these blue angels had not actually come down to the Earth to save it, but had actually come to conquer it.[2]
"Curiosity brings her back. Have you come to make a deal?" "With the devil? I considered it, as you said the skies might open up one day, your work would be valuable. But if that day comes, I know who I'd want by my side, it isn't you." "We could learn so much together." "Instead we'll forget, forget you, forget your work."
Eventually, Reinhardt was rejoined by Peggy Carter, as he assumed that her curiosity had caused her to finally agree to make a deal with him. However, Carter had then informed Reinhardt that, although she had considered the possibility that he may become a benefit to the world someday, she had decided that the risks were not worth it, as she would never be able to trust Reinhardt, while Reinhardt had attempted to remain calm, he became anxious at this revelation.
Reinhardt had then tried to convince Carter that they could still learn much from one another, only for Carter's disgust towards Reinhardt's actions proved stronger and she opted to let the man rot within the prison for the rest of his days as a punishment for all his uncountable crimes against humanity. Reinhardt was forced to listen on as Carter also promised that the world would forget about him and all his work, promising that nobody would ever come to aid him. When Carter had noted that he would be buried, Reinhardt calmly noted his belief that nothing would stay buried forever, before Carter bid him farewell.
Reinhardt was then charged with multiple war crimes, which included making conspiracy to wage aggressive war as well as crimes against humanity, due to his experiments with the Obelisk throughout World War II. Reinhardt was sentenced to life imprisonment, as he spent the next decades locked up inside a small prison cell at the Rat.[2] Despite being locked up, Reinhardt still kept his connections with HYDRA, eventually adopting a name "Daniel Whitehall".[9]
Advising the Malicks[]
Whitehall speaking with the Malick brothers
"I'm a man of science, not religion. Your family's ancient traditions are nonsense." "You don't know anything about us or our beliefs." "No? A ceremony where grown men draw stones from a bag and one unlucky participant draws a white stone and is sacrificed to a liquid rock."
By 1970, HYDRA was rebuilt and Whitehall gained a lot of influence within it, although he had to stay locked in the Rat. Whitehall was in close contact with Wilfred Malick who had much more faith in HYDRA's legends, although he regularly cheated on the ceremony, afraid of being chosena as a sacrifice. When he passed away, Whitehall was visited by his song, Gideon and Nathaniel soon after their father's funeral.
Upon hearing the news that Wilfred had died, Whitehall explained to the Malick brothers that he had felt that it was vital that he spoke with them, before their upcoming stone ceremony. With Gideon clearly becoming more impatient with these questions, Whitehall took a seat, commenting on their ages, as it was time for them to choose a path toward within HYDRA, noting that he believed that with their father gone, they should choose to follow his path.
Whitehall explained his stance on a HYDRA's legends about the ancient being as a man of science, calling the Malick family's ancient traditions nonsense. Gideon was offended by his words as he claimed that Whitehall knew nothing about his family or their beliefs, to whitch Whitehall then mockingly told everything he knew about their ceremony. As Nathaniel claimed that being chosen as the traveler was the great honor, Whitehall insisted that it was simply a blood sacrifice. However, when Gideon accused him of being a coward, Whitehall instead insisted that their rituals were foolish, but claimed that Wilfred was no fool.
Whitehall then forced the Malick brothers to consider how their father had survived all the past ceremonies, suggesting that he had been skilled at a certain parlor trick, which always helped him, as Whitehall then demonstrated the sleight of hand that he was referring to. However, Gideon refused to listen to Whitehall's warnings, as he prepared to leave the Rat, only for Whitehall to then suggest that their father kept a copy of Paradise Lost in the Malick Mansion, which he had claimed would answer all of those questions about their father. Despite these warnings, Gideon and Nathaniel then left Whitehall in his cell.[9]
Return to HYDRA[]
Released from the Rat[]
Whitehall is freed after 44 years in prison
"Hail HYDRA. After all these years, why now?" "The woman. We found her." "She's still alive? Is it truly her?" "Sir, you have to see for yourself."
In 1989, now an old man who had lived almost his entire life locked up inside the Rat, Whitehall was visited by two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who told him that he was finally being allowed to walk free from the prison, because Alexander Pierce gave him a medical parole, citing that Whitehall had actually become a member of HYDRA under duress during World War II, though in fact, Pierce was a HYDRA agent.
As Rivera left the cell to bring the transport around to take Whitehall out of the prison, Hauer quietly whispered "Hail HYDRA", much to the amazement of Whitehall, who had almost abandoned hope of being freed. When Whitehall replied with the same salute and questioned why he was being freed after so many years locked away, Hauer had explained that HYDRA was finally been able to find Jiaying, in order for Whitehall to continue his experiments. When Whitehall had then expressed doubts that Jiaying could still be alive after their forty four years, Hauer said that Whitehall would have to see himself.[2]
"I grew old living no life, she lives a full one and doesn't age a day." "Sir, how is this possible?" "I don't know, but we'll learn. Discovery requires experimentation. I think it's time we find out exactly what makes you so special."
Whitehall was then returned to his old HYDRA Fortress in Austria, where he expressed his sadness at the years of work he could have achieved having been lost due to the SSR locking him away in the Rat, while he was told by Hauer that the Fortress had been under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection since World War II. Hauer and their other HYDRA agents then presented Whitehall with the captured elders of the village where he had conducted his original experiments.
As Whitehall stood up from his wheelchair, he began looking through the group of terrified hostages, he was amazed to find Jiaying among them, who had looked exactly as she did when he had last looked at her during World War II. Whitehall was both shocked and elated to discover that Jiaying was still alive and retaining her youth even after so many years while he had become an old man. Hauer asked how it was possible and Whitehall claimed he did not know. Fascinated, he said that he would learn what made her so special by experimenting on her to learn exactly what had actually made Jiaying so special.
Having her tied down onto a table, Whitehall operated on Jiaying in an attempt to find the truth behind her immunity to the Obelisk, as well as her youthful appearance, cutting her open and removing all her organs to be studied, yet still finding little results as to the actual reasons behind her own gifts. To ensure that he got the best results from their experiment, Whitehall still kept Jiaying alive for as long as possible. Eventually, Jiaying had died during those days of torturous operations; however, Whitehall harvested her organs and kept them in jars for study and further experimentation into her true gifts.
Whitehall regains his youthful appearance
Despite the death of Jiaying during their experiments, Whitehall was able to achieve his goal, as he had intended to use Jiaying's DNA to physically regress himself back to his middle-age and halt his aging. Whitehall was then strapped down onto their operating table, where he was injected with the remains of Jiaying's DNA, which caused his older body to deage, allowing Whitehall to regain his strength as well as his youth. When Hauer asked what Whitehall took from Jiaying in these experiments, he had simply informed him that he had taken out everything that he possibly could, in order to achieve this result.
Having concluded his experiment and gotten the result he intended, Whitehall then ordered his soldiers to take away Jiaying's mutilated corpse and dump it outside, where it would eventually be discovered by Jiaying's devastated husband. Whitehall then officially joined the ranks of the new modern-day HYDRA, and by the next year, he had permanently assumed his identity of "Doctor Daniel Whitehall," and becoming one of HYDRA's most prominent figureheads in their new world, as Whitehall focused on locating the Obelisk to understand its power, so it could be used to achieve HYDRA's dominance.[2]
"Tomorrow you will leave these halls and venture out into society. And though you may be behind the scenes, there are many ways that you can help HYDRA dismantle the oppressive state. Since World War II and the success of Steve Rogers, there have been many failed attempts to create a super soldier. But after some ungainly setbacks, we're close."
Whitehall took on the role of an instructor at the HYDRA Preparatory Academy to the generations of HYDRA's young recruits who were being indoctrinated in their ways, becoming a legend among them due to the stories about how he successfully reversed the ageing process. A day before the student's graduation, Whitehall was invited by Professor Steger to give a lecture, who wanted Whitehall to give those students another potential opportunity within HYDRA once they graduated.
Having been greeted with their round of applause, Whitehall told the class that it was an honor to speak to the future of HYDRA, noting how they would graduate the next day and begin their lives, serving HYDRA from behind the scenes, while they would assist HYDRA to dismantle the oppressive state. Once Steger put on his presentation, Whitehall had noted how, following World War II, and the successful creation of Captain America, there had been many other attempts at recreating their Super Soldier Serum, which HYDRA had so far been unsuccessful at, although Whitehall insisted that they were close.
Whitehall then insisted that HYDRA was closer to creating their most powerful man upon the Earth, before presenting them with blueprints from their Particle Infusion Chamber, as Whitehall had then explained could force the human body to take on the properties of another raw material, telling their class to imagine a man, who could soon absorb the density of lead, as well as the volatility from cesium, claiming that the possibilities could be endless. Whitehall then asked their class to suggest any other substances that could be used for the infusion, as almost the entire raised their hands with their own suggestions.
Whitehall first turned to Wolfgang von Strucker, who suggested that they use the Tesseract, since Red Skull had always believed that to be the greatest power source that HYDRA ever possessed. Although Whitehall suggested that this idea of looking to HYDRA's history for inspiration was intriguing, Hale claimed that this was a waste of time, while insisting that there was no possible way they could take it away from S.H.I.E.L.D. without blowing their cover. Hale then suggested that they look to where the Tesseract came from, outer space, while Whitehall had complimented Hale for her forward thinking.[11]
"You're the only candidate left with the other... necessary qualifications." "You want me to be..." "Artificially inseminated. It's quite exciting, yes? You should be honored. You will give birth to our new leader."
The following day, Whitehall sent Professor Steger into the dining hall to tell Hale to join him in the classroom. Once she arrived, Whitehall noted that Hale had made quite an impression, commenting on how she was one of the few female students at the HYDRA Preparatory Academy to make it to the commencements. Whitehall questioned if she had completed her final test, to which Hale presented him with the collar from her dog, that she had just been forced to kill.
Whitehall complimented Hale on this, calling it a rite of passage, to eliminate any weakness, questioning if Hale had struggled to sleep the previous night, to which Hale claimed that the only difficulty was due to the boys sobbing, which Whitehall smiled at. Whitehall then told Hale that HYDRA's leadership had expected nothing less from her, claiming that they saw their future for HYDRA in her, explaining that he had personally selected Hale for his program. However, as Hale began to express her excitement over working with the Particle Infusion Chamber with him, Whitehall stopped her mid-sentence.
Whitehall explained that Wolfgang von Strucker would be the one to work on the Chamber, to which Hale questioned if this was because she had gotten into a fight with Strucker, which Whitehall confirmed was one of the deciding factors. Whitehall told Hale that HYDRA was impressed with her strength, and they had come to believe that Hale would be ideal for producing the perfect specimen for the Chamber. When Hale noted that she was not a biologist, Whitehall claimed that Hale was the only candidate left with the necessary qualifications, as Hale realized that Whitehall was referring to her being a woman.
Ignoring Hale's clear horror at this, Whitehall confirmed that HYDRA had intended for her to be artificially inseminated, calling it an honor as she would give birth to HYDRA's next leader, noting once again how they saw the future of HYDRA within her. When Hale questioned what would become of her own future, Whitehall confirmed that she would get the career that she wanted, getting placed undercover at the United States Air Force, where she could get a chance to live out her dream of becoming an astronaut, but insisted that, once HYDRA perfected their seed, they expected her to serve their cause.
However, Hale had then told Whitehall that, while she was flattered by the offer to serve HYDRA in this way, she wanted to know if there were any options for her to utilize her other talents elsewhere within HYDRA, to which Whitehall told her that she would always have her choice about whether she intended to comply, making a clear threat of using Faustus against her in order to force her into complying with his expectations from her. Knowing what Whitehall had meant by this comment, Hale expressed her loyalty to HYDRA, which Whitehall had then smiled at, before he allowed Hale to leave the classroom.[11]
"Creel has escaped and did indeed make off with the Obelisk. He should contact us shortly. I would have him come in, but I'm being overly discreet with this operation. I know how long you have been searching for this, Doctor Whitehall." "You have no idea."
In 2014, following the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D., Whitehall had become the leader of the HYDRA forces within United States of America, and was a regular attendee at the biannual meetings of the terrorist organization,[12] as he had resumed his search for the Obelisk. Having potentially tracked down the Obelisk's location, Whitehall had his second in command, Sunil Bakshi, hire Carl Creel to reclaim the Obelisk from the United States Armed Forces, who had taken it away.
At first, Creel's mission was successful, since he was able to get the Obelisk out of the Government Storage Warehouse and attempted to bring it to Bakshi, who would then give it to Whitehall. Following this, Bakshi met with Whitehall and gave him this update, noting how long Whitehall had been searching for the Obelisk.[6] However, the Obelisk was stolen from Bakshi by Raina, moments before Bakshi could get his hands on it, and Creel was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. before being turned over to Brigadier General Glenn Talbot. This had then resulted in Whitehall focusing his efforts on finding and threatening Raina.[13]
"Surrender, and you will find meaning. Surrender, and you will find release. Take a deep breath. Calm your mind. You know what's best. What's best is you comply... Compliance will be rewarded. Are you ready to comply, Agent 33?" "I will never work for HYDRA!" "I expected it would be a long night."
Having been provided with intel from Bobbi Morse on the location of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Safe House, Whitehall's soldiers managed to capture former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Agent 33, who was brought before Whitehall. Intending to make her into a loyal agent, Whitehall decided to personally oversee Agent 33's brainwashing, as he had her eyes forced open and made her stare into his screen, which would soon begin to break her mind. Before he began his method, Whitehall poured himself a glass of extremely rare wine.
Whitehall explained to Agent 33 that he had first bought this wine just before enlisting in the German army during World War II, commenting on how it had been bland when he first tasted it, but he had a hunch about it's potential and instead bought an entire case. Taking a drink, Whitehall commented on how his patience with the wine had clearly improved it's quality and price, explaining to her that he always liked to enjoy the finer parts of life. Whitehall then told Agent 33 about how he believed in second chances, and how he wanted her to become a valued member of HYDRA, telling her to surrender to find meaning.
As Whitehall continued to advise Agent 33 to surrender, and comply with his commands, she furiously insisted that she would never work for HYDRA, to which Whitehall noted that he had expected this to be a long night, which was why he decided to treat himself to that wine. Whitehall had told Sunil Bakshi to restart, noting that the start would be the beginning, comparing this to song lyrics. Whitehall and Bakshi acknowledged that the Faustus method would take time, and he had plenty of time, before Whitehall plugged his ears and watched on, as Agent 33 had been forced to endure more from his mental torture.
With Bakshi being on the mission on recapture Donnie Gill, Whitehall then continued to twist and corrupt Agent 33's mind, as he began to question why she would still continue to hold onto these principles of S.H.I.E.L.D., mocking those concepts of freedom, equality, individual rights, as he suggested that these principles would make mankind a plague upon the Earth. Whitehall suggested that Agent 33 consider a forest that dried up and could burn down from a single spark, noting that mankind would fight the fire, believing every plant was perfect in its own way, but Whitehall insisted that only the fire was perfect.
At that moment, Whitehall saw that Agent 33 had been able to break free from one of her restraints, as he calmly stepped over to her and grabbed her arm, preventing her escape. Whitehall then continued to explain how a plant such as the Giant Sequoia had needed the heat of the plant to crack open their seeds and be born, claiming that this helped them to rise up from the ashes and live for a thousand years. Whitehall then wiped a tear away from Agent 33's face, as he told her that she did not need to continue burning, as he instead told her that she could finally rise and be reborn as their new agent of HYDRA.
At that moment, Whitehall's interrogation was then interrupted by the return of Bakshi, who had apologized for stepping in and asked if he would have his approval to evaluate Jemma Simmons, as part of his investigation into Gill, as he questioned if Whitehall would allow him to act with authority. In response, Whitehall told Bakshi that he would expect him to do what needed to be done, as Bakshi then left him to continue with his torture of Agent 33. Looking into her eyes, Whitehall asked Agent 33 if she was finally ready to comply, as she desperately attempted to maintain control, as Whitehall restarted the torture.[14]
"Donnie's programming proved to be unstable." "Ultimately it held." "One last thing, there's a scientist in our downstairs lab, I believe her talents are being wasted. I'd like authorization to bring her up here." "So, you trust her?"
Eventually, in spite of her valiant battles for her own sanity, Whitehall had succeeded in using the Faustus Method to break Agent 33, following those many hours of work, as he had allowed her to be free and begin serving HYDRA during Whitehall's ongoing campaign to remake the world into HYDRA's own twisted images for perfection. When Sunil Bakshi returned from Morocco, he informed Whitehall that he had been unsuccessful in returning Donnie Gill to HYDRA's control, as Gill had seemingly been killed.
Having been told that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been the cause of them losing Gill, Whitehall then noted that they were becoming a problem, as he questioned if they knew who was in charge, which he did not. During their conversation, the brainwashed Agent 33 walked into Whitehall's office and gave him paperwork that needed his signatures, informing him that she was now happy to comply. Once Agent 33 had then left them, Whitehall and Bakshi had discussed Jemma Simmons and her loyalties to HYDRA, as Whitehall told Bakshi that she would become reprogrammed with Faustus if they ever deemed it necessary.[14]
"I had once operated on a woman, on and off, for a full week. The struggle really was keeping the patient awake. The pain at certain levels has the tendency to cause us to blackout, and that can be incredibly frustrating. But I'm confident that I can do better now. I can find you wherever you are. Bring me the Obelisk."
Having learned of a painting with the Words of Creation craved into the back, Whitehall sent in Sunil Bakshi to collect it, while disguised as Glenn Talbot. During the mission, Bakshi reported that he had collected the painting but S.H.I.E.L.D. was also there, showing him a picture of Phil Coulson and Melinda May. When Bakshi then asked if he should come in, Whitehall ordered him and Agent 33 to attack and destroy the Bus, using the Photostatic Veil to quietly get past Phil Coulson's team and to secretly plant the Hijacker bomb inside of the Bus without them noticing.
Having discovered that it was Raina who had managed to steal away the Obelisk from him, Whitehall was able to locate her just before she was intending to make her escape towards Miami. Whitehall and his men then cornered Raina inside her car, as he introduced himself and then explained that she had recently stolen something from him, with Raina even acknowledging that she actually knew what Whitehall had been referring to. However, while Raina was attempting to promise to assist Whitehall with getting the Obelisk back, one of Whitehall's men placed the Control Device on Raina's hand, which he then activated.
With Raina now incapable of moving, Whitehall had then claimed that he was not like most of the people that she interacted with, insisting that he was not easily confused by her mind games. Whitehall then explained that he had lived too long not to lose sight of what actually belonged to him, while also noting that he did not usually do his own dirty work, but believed that they should aspire to do only what they enjoyed, promising to make an exception in Raina's case. Whitehall then told Raina that he would give her just forty eight hours to return the Obelisk back to him, as Raina remained unable to escape.
Leaning in closer towards Raina, Whitehall had then told her about a time he had operated on a woman for an entire week, as he noted his struggle was keeping her away during that time, as she would often blackout due to the pain, but promised that he believed that his skills had improved since then. Whitehall had then promised Raina that he would be able to find her, regardless of where she had attempted to escape to, as he once again instructed her to bring back the Obelisk to him, within forty eight hours. With that, Whitehall then deactivated Raina's Control Device, as he calmly walked away from the car.[1]
"Some of us are pleased with these small triumphs. Others have loftier aspirations passion, even. Our founder, he had a Tesseract. As for me, it would be an understatement to say that I've waited my whole life to get possession of the Obelisk."
Using the research he had gathered on the Obelisk, Whitehall and his scientists attempted to recreate the Obelisk's powers. Whitehall had then demonstrated the new Obelisk based weaponry, at the wedding of Pete and Mariah Leitner, which had resulted with a few dead civilians and United States Navy officers, as they had drunk champaign laced with the Obelisk metal, but that was not the result Whitehall hoped to achieve, since it had proved less effective then he was intending, as Whitehall met with Lingenfelter to discuss these results.
Whitehall giving a lecture for his scientists
Whitehall and Sunil Bakshi arranged the meeting with HYDRA's team of scientists to discuss their results, as he and Lingenfelter explained that they would need assistance, as Lingenfelter then explained how they had also used the tissue samples, recovered from the corpse of the Waitress who was killed by the Obelisk to create this new poison. Although Lingenfelter attempted to claim that many of those victims had been enemies of HYDRA, Whitehall then made it extremely clear that he remained highly disappointed by their results, insisting that he had loftier aspirations, than to simply cause this small massacre.
Whitehall had then commented on how Red Skull had once used the power of the Tesseract, while he had waited his entire life to re-gain possession of the Obelisk, and to then harness it's power. During his lecture, Whitehall noticed that Jemma Simmons was still reading the paper work, as he called to her and noted how Bakshi had told him that Simmons had a passion for their technology. Whitehall had then asked Simmons to give her opinion on where Lingenfelter had failed with her research, to which Simmons then claimed that she may not have failed, as Whitehall had asked her to clarify her opinions.
Whitehall had then listened closely as Simmons noted that they were dealing with alien technology, which would interact with the body on a cellular level and that it would be impossible to replicate without an actual sample. Whitehall questioned if they would actually be able to weaponize the effects of the Obelisk, if they were able to get it back into their possession, which Simmons had confirmed would likely be possible, much to Whitehall's considerable pleasure. Whitehall then told the team to be prepared, as he intended to get the Obelisk back into his possession, before he and Lingenfelter left the meeting.[15]
"Can you tell me how to use it?" "Better yet, I'll teach you how to survive it." "And why would you do that?" "We share a common enemy. Guy named Phil Coulson. I thought maybe together, you and I could kill him along with, you know, everyone else."
Before he could continue all his experiments, Whitehall was informed that Jemma Simmons and Bobbi Morse were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and had been sent undercover to learn what Whitehall was planning. As a result of this, Whitehall was forced to order the complete evacuation from the HYDRA Laboratories, due to their covers being blown following Simmons and Morse's escape. However, while Whitehall and Sunil Bakshi were discussing the evacuation from the laboratory, they were interrupted by Calvin Zabo's arrival, while he had also apologized for interrupting during the move.
Although Bakshi attempted to have their soldiers remove Zabo from the building, Zabo advised all of them to remain calm, they had then witnessed him brutally murdering two of their HYDRA soldiers, while they had tried to grab him, with Zabo then wiping the blood off from Whitehall's desk, as he apologized for his actions. Intrigued with this, Whitehall ordered Bakshi not to draw his gun, as he allowed Zabo to place his suit-case onto his desk, with Zabo then noting that he had heard that Whitehall had been searching for this, before he presented him with the Obelisk, much to Whitehall's complete astonishment.
Zabo had then informed Whitehall that the Obelisk's true name, was the Diviner, while he claimed that it was just one of many details that he knew about it. As Whitehall questioned if Zabo could tell him how to use it, Zabo promised that he would also teach him how to survive it's power. When Whitehall had questioned why Zabo would be doing this, Zabo explained that he and Whitehall shared a common enemy with Phil Coulson and noting that he hoped that together they could kill Coulson and destroy S.H.I.E.L.D., while noting that he was willing to kill anyone to achieve their goal, which Whitehall accepted.[15]
"I know, that a special few can touch it without suffering. But I have yet to figure out how this weapon can be..." "Weapon? That's so small minded... For someone with such a big mind... It's a key, it can kill, sure, but only to protect itself from those it doesn't divine, hence the catchy name, to be worthy." "I'm interested in science, doctor, not folklore."
Whitehall's alliance with Calvin Zabo proved beneficial, since they sent the schematics based upon the Diviner to Vincent Beckers, who had then worked with Toshiro Mori to build the Splinter Bomb, which used the Diviner's powers, using Whitehall's scientist's research. Whitehall then tested the Splinter Bomb by hiring Marcus Scarlotti to attack the United Nations, blaming this on S.H.I.E.L.D.[16] During this time, Sunil Bakshi mysteriously vanished, having been betrayed by someone and handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D.[17]
However, Whitehall remained frustrated by the lack of results from his researchers were having with the Diviner, as they would only tell him information that he learnt during World War II, so he called in Zabo to explain it further, with his guards present. When Whitehall demanded that Zabo prove his worth to them, Zabo had mocked HYDRA's work with the Diviner, while insisting that he could have saved them weeks of work, as they had been pawing at the Diviner like a monkey. When Zabo took a step forward, Whitehall's soldiers drew their guns, while Whitehall noted that Bakshi's disappearance made them nervous.
Whitehall explained that his guards would remain by his side, in case Zabo's rage returned, although Zabo insisted that there was nothing for him to worry about. As Zabo had asked Whitehall to explain what he did know about the Diviner, so that he could then explain the rest, Whitehall had noted that he knew that only a special few were able to touch the Diviner without being killed, but they had yet to learn how it actually determined who would live and who would die. However, as Whitehall referred to the Diviner as a weapon, Zabo claimed that this description was small minded, insisting that it was actually a key.
Zabo went on to acknowledge that, although the Diviner could kill, it would only do that to protect itself from, those it did not divine to be worthy. However, Whitehall tried to dismiss this, insisting that he was interested in the science, not their folklore, only for Zabo to note that the Diviner was seeking to find those who were worthy of unlocking it's true power, which intrigued Whitehall. Seeing that Whitehall was interested by this, Zabo explained that the Diviner could be taken to a special place by a chosen few, where it would do something, which Zabo had simply described as being much cooler than killing.[2]
"If I let you take a team, where will you take them? How do you intend to find this city?" "Well, I'll have to look everywhere. Really, really hard." "I'm not giving you men and money on the off chance that you'll find this place. Or if you do, you'll not take it's true power for yourself."
When Whitehall and Calvin Zabo had continued with the discussions about the Diviner, Whitehall commented on the legend he had heard about blue angels that had come from the skies to conquer the Earth. However, Zabo simply corrected Whitehall over the poor translation, claiming that their aim was to end mankind, apart from their chosen few. Whitehall had confirmed with Zabo that this was why the device was called the Diviner, as it would choose who lived and died.
Whitehall and Zabo discussed whether it would only be someone who could carry the Diviner, who would be allowed the ancient city, while Zabo promised that he would be able to get Whitehall inside. Taking Zabo at his word, Whitehall had questioned what would happen if he gave Zabo a HYDRA team to search for the city, questioning how he intended to find it, with Zabo merely claiming that they would have to look really hard for this. Frustrated by Zabo's attitude, Whitehall had refused to give him his men or money on the off chance that he could find the city, questioning if Zabo had intended to steal it's power.
Whitehall and Zabo discussing their plans
However, Zabo just insisted that he had no intentions of stealing the Diviner's power for himself, leading to Whitehall questioning what he had to gain from all this. In response, Zabo told Whitehall that he had nothing left to lose, since he had lost everything that was important to him, before explaining his intention to kill everyone who had taken everything he loved away from him. As Zabo noted that he intended to be reunited with his family, Whitehall questioned what he meant by this, to which Zabo then explained that he wanted to reunite with his family in the Afterlife, before Zabo walked away from Whitehall.[2]
"Everyone deserves a second chance, but few are willing to do what it takes to earn one." "I completely understand. I think my skills could be of use to you. I know sacrifice, what it takes to move forward in life." "I have no doubt that's true."
Whitehall had set up his meeting with Grant Ward, who was able to learn of his location through Sunil Bakshi, as Whitehall commented on his time in the Rat granting him the understanding of how rare second chances could be, recommending that if you were given one, it should be taken. Whitehall continued telling Ward about how claiming a second chance could take years, but insisted that he had to be willing to endure the trauma of shaking off the man he once was.
Whitehall then told Ward that this would allow him to be reborn into something better, as he claimed that everybody deserved a second chance, although few would be willing to do what it took to earn one. Ward claimed to understand Whitehall's point, before telling him that he believed he could be useful within Whitehall's HYDRA branch, as he claimed that he knew sacrifice and what it took to move on in life. Whitehall told Ward that he did not doubt this, before then showing a WHiH World News report about the deaths of Christian Ward, as well as his mother and father, who had all been burnt alive by Ward.
During their meeting, Whitehall and Ward had then been interrupted by Calvin Zabo, who had just returned from his mission, during which he had encountered Phil Coulson. Whitehall politely greeted Zabo as he invited him to sit with them, while Zabo complained that he should have been informed about a meeting. Whitehall had then introduced Ward as an expert of S.H.I.E.L.D., noting that as Zabo was an expert on the Diviner, they should be working together to achieve HYDRA's goals, before Ward explained to Zabo that he had previously worked deep undercover inside of Coulson's Team for several months.
Whitehall then watched as Zabo questioned how well Ward knew the members from Coulson's team, to which Ward had claimed that they were like family to him. As Whitehall sat back, Ward questioned how Zabo's recent encounter with Coulson had done down, noting that it could be difficult to handle, to which Zabo claimed that it had not all been a complete loss, as he insisted that it was always good to look an enemy directly in the eyes. With that, Zabo then locked eyes with Whitehall, who had simply smiled back at him, since he knew exactly what Zabo had been planning for him, and was prepared for it.[2]
Having learnt that Raina was also one of those who had managed to survive touching the Obelisk, Whitehall sent a few agents to find her. Led by Agent 33, they found her in Vancouver, but when they tried to kidnap her, Raina was saved by the group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and taken on board the Bus. Whitehall was called by Agent 33, who informed him about the failure of the mission. As Agent 33 said that Raina had a Tracker on her, Whitehall replied that he would send Grant Ward to capture her.
Having tracked down the Bus, Whitehall had sent his message to the agents on board that they were to hand over Raina to HYDRA, as he threatened to have his Quinjets shoot down the Bus if they attempted to escape. When Whitehall met with Agent 33 to get an update about the situation, he was told that Ward had successfully captured Raina. However, Agent 33 explained that there had been a complication, as she told Whitehall that Ward had also kidnapped Skye, which made Whitehall curious as to Ward's motives with this, noting that he might have to ask Ward about this when they had regrouped with him.
However, when Whitehall questioned if the Bus had been shot out of the sky as he wanted, Agent 33 had then informed him that Ward had also cancelled this order when he had departed with Raina and Skye. This greatly angered Whitehall, who noted that this had not been the decision that Ward should have ever made, before ordering Agent 33 to call their Quinjet pilots and have the Bus destroyed.[18]Following Whitehall's orders, the Quinjets had fired at the Bus, as they reported to Whitehall that it had been destroyed. Whitehall and his teams then travelled to Puerto Rico where the Kree City had been located.[4]
Taking Charge[]
Whitehall reuniting with his situational allies
"It's a pity that you won't get to fulfill that destiny, or that after all these years, you won't get your vengeance for what I did to your wife. Secure him. Remain alert around Agent Ward. He's a trained killer, one of the best. I have a feeling that, in time, I can make you comply."
Scanning San Juan through the grounds, Whitehall's men discovered the Temple inside of the city was located exactly a couple of hundred feet beneath their Ponce de LeĂłn Theater. They quietly occupied the theater and started drilling right through the volcanic rock in order to finally discover what the Diviner could really do. When Whitehall had arrived into Puerto Rico, he came to the theater where he ordered a sudden meeting, as Whitehall noted that they were all gathered there due to the contributions made by everyone who stood before him.
Whitehall comments on their contributions
Whitehall had then noted that Grant Ward delivered Raina to him, as he had been instructed to, before also noting that while he had been doubtful about her to begin with, Raina was finally beginning to gain his trust. Whitehall had then addressed Calvin Zabo, noting how his knowledge of the Diviner had led them right into this moment, which Whitehall thanked him for. However, Whitehall then questioned them about how Skye fit into this situation, with Ward simply claiming that he needed insurance that S.H.I.E.L.D. did not attack them, although Whitehall also reminded him about his failure to destroy the Bus.
Whitehall told their group that he had a theory about why Ward had brought Skye with him, as he had Agent 33 bring the Diviner to him, before ordering Skye to pick it up. While Skye offered Whitehall the chance to pick it up first, he had his men threaten to shoot her, until Skye finally picked up the Diviner, as Whitehall witnessed it glow with the Words of Creation, not turn her to stone. However, Skye had then immediately attacked one of Whitehall's men with the Diviner, killing him, while Zabo stabbed another and Ward drew his gun, leading to a standoff between them, which Whitehall had watched closely.
However, Whitehall's soldiers swiftly surrounded the mutineers, while Whitehall stepped over to Skye as he commented that he hoped she was as special as Jiaying was, making it clear that he knew exactly who she was. Whitehall then confessed to Zabo that he had failed to recognize him when Zabo burst in the HYDRA Laboratories, making it clear that he also knew that Zabo had been Jiaying's husband and was Skye's father. While Zabo noted that he would have already torn Whitehall apart if his daughter had not been there, to which Whitehall mockingly claimed that he was therefore glad that Skye was there.
Whitehall had then turned to Ward and questioned why he was really there, to which Raina claimed that it was because Ward was in love with Skye, and believed that he could prove this to her by helping her to fulfil her destiny. Whitehall smirked about this concept, telling Skye that he would not allow her to fulfil that destiny, and mockingly telling Zabo that he would never get his vengeance for the death of Jiaying. Whitehall then had Zabo knocked unconscious, while his soldiers had handcuffed Ward, as Whitehall threatened to use the Faustus method on Ward to make him comply, as his prisoners were removed.[4]
"Do you know what your mother's special gift was?" "No." "She didn't age, at least, not like the rest of us. I wonder if that's your gift as well, or if you are special in another way."
Having taken his enemies hostage, Whitehall left Agent 33 to guard over Grant Ward, as he returned just as Calvin Zabo got back to his feet. As Whitehall greeted his hostages, Zabo furiously attempted to attack him, only for Whitehall to calmly activate a Control Device that had placed onto Zabo's neck, causing him to fall to the floor, unable to move, as Whitehall casually kicked Zabo aside.
Addressing Skye while Zabo lay defenseless, Whitehall questioned if she actually knew what Jiaying's powers had been, which Skye did not, as Whitehall explained how she did not age. Kneeling before her, Whitehall speculated about whether this was also Skye's gift, or if she had another gift, noting that discovery had required experimentation. Whitehall then noted to Zabo that he killed his wife, and he intended to force Zabo to watch as he did the same torturous experiments on his daughter. However, Whitehall had then heard the sound of gunfire inside of the Ponce de LeĂłn Theater, as he went to investigate.[4]
Whitehall soon realized that their Ponce de LeĂłn Theater was being attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D., as his soldiers were being shot at by Lance Hunter and Bobbi Morse. Refusing to allow S.H.I.E.L.D. to get in the way of his plans, Whitehall gathered his soldiers in the main hallway, as he then ordered Agent 33 to lead her team and search their entire theatre for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, which she agreed to do as she took the soldiers, leaving Whitehall alone.
However, immediately after Whitehall was left without any soldiers to protect him, Calvin Zabo suddenly appeared from around the corner, having managed to escape from that torturous Control Device as he had also killed all the HYDRA guards that Whitehall had left with him. Whitehall simply smiled, as Zabo stared at him now, intending to finally kill Whitehall for murdering Jiaying years before. Instead of him being threatened by this man, who desired nothing more than to then tear him apart with his bare hands, Whitehall turned and faced Zabo, with a smile on his face, while Zabo then began walking towards him.
Unthreatened by the bloodthirsty Zabo, Whitehall had simply aimed a pistol at the enraged doctor as he prepared to execute him. However, just as Whitehall was about to shoot Zabo, Coulson snuck up behind him and had shot him twice in the back. Whitehall looked down at his chest as he began to bleed from his fatal wounds before falling down to his back dead. Zabo had become outraged for not being allowed to exact his revenge and kill Whitehall himself as he vowed to get his vengeance against Coulson over taking it away from him. While Zabo attacked Coulson, Agent 33 discovered Whitehall's corpse.[4]
Legacy[]
HYDRA's Fallout[]
"Doctor Whitehall believed discovery requires experimentation." "I do miss him." "As do I. But the world moves on, and we form new allegiances."
Whitehall's death left a void in HYDRA's leadership ranks that S.H.I.E.L.D. believed had raised Sunil Bakshi's value as List sought to replace him.[12] Without any leadership now that Whitehall was dead, Agent 33 joined forces with Grant Ward, saving his life after he was shot by Skye. Over the next few weeks, Ward helped Agent 33 overcome the damage Whitehall had done to her mind and the pair formed a relationship as a result. In get their final revenge, Ward and Agent 33 kidnapped Bakshi and forced him to undergo the same treatment that he and Whitehall had previously done to her and many others, turning him into their own personal slave.[19]
Calvin Zabo's Rage[]
"Letâs welcome Phil Coulson to the field. Here is a fun fact: He killed the man I had been plotting to kill for two and a half decades! Disappointment! Come out, come out, wherever you are."
Losing his chance at killing Whitehall himself caused Calvin Zabo to vow his revenge against Phil Coulson for denying him his revenge against the man who took away his family. To get his revenge against Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D., Zabo brought together a team called the Slicing Talons and attempted to destroy Coulson; however, this plan failed.[20] Despite finding some peace while at Afterlife, Zabo once again attempted to kill Coulson by injecting himself with his formula and thus turning himself into a beast.[21] However, the desire of saving his own family, something started by Whitehall destroying his life years earlier, caused him to change sides.[22]
Jiaying's Revenge[]
"Whitehall cut me to pieces. He ripped out my organs and stuffed them in jars! I will never let that happen to my daughter to any of my people!"
The damage Whitehall had done to Jiaying was felt for decades after he had tortured and brutalized her in order to get to her DNA and gain his long life. The disgust at how the Inhumans had been treated by HYDRA caused Jiaying to wage a War against Humanity, who was planning on using poisoned Terrigen Crystals to wipe out the humans. The sore wound of Whitehall's actions was felt when Robert Gonzales inadvertently insulted her by comparing his own scars to hers, to which Jiaying furiously killed him with Terrigen Mist and explained how Whitehall had torn her body to pieces, which she refused to allow to happen to Skye or any other Inhumans.[23]
Destroyer of Worlds[]
"Whitehall designed her to lead." "Whitehall is dead."
Whitehall's death also meant the abrupt end of Project Destroyer of Worlds. The Particle Infusion Chamber remained hidden from everyone, including Whitehall's fellow HYDRA members like Hale and Ruby Hale who were originally intended to participate in the project.[11] The location of the facility where the chamber was hidden was eventually given to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents by Gideon Malick. Following the Destruction of HYDRA the facility and its surrounding area was declared off-limits by Brigadier General Glenn Talbot of the US Air Force.[24]
"I'm not like most people with whom you interact. I'm not easily confused. I've been around too long to lose sight of what's mine. I generally don't do my own dirty work anymore. We should all aspire to do only that which we enjoy. Don't you agree? But in your case, I will make an exception."
Daniel Whitehall was completely amoral and capable of committing any crime that could help his or HYDRA's goals which were, in his mind, to answer the keys to death itself. Confident and arrogant in his capacities, he took seemingly all situations presented to him with calm indifference if not sadistic humor. He had no problems with killing dozens of people in horrifically cruel ways to test the Obelisk's power with no remorse. He did not care about any of his lower henchmen, because he had hundreds of them ready at his disposal.
Whitehall constantly calculated and sought a person's motive before applying an action. When confronted by Calvin Zabo in his office, he stopped Sunil Bakshi from acting to learn why Zabo was there, despite witnessing Zabo kill two of his operatives moments earlier. Before he acted on Grant Ward's disobedience for not attacking the Bus, Whitehall met with him and asked his reasons. Whitehall was dedicated to understanding and discovery. As a scientist, he was observant as well as fascinated by new situations and would experiment endlessly to find solutions to his questions. He developed a mantra of discovery requiring experimentation in order to justify his amoral experiments.
Whitehall was also psychopathic, and downright callous, able to commit horrible and sadistic crimes and actions without remorse. He had no empathy for his victims and even seemed to enjoy torturing them. He also believed deeply in HYDRA's Nazi ideology, specifically their misogynistic viewpoint as he discarded Hale to be artificially inseminated to continue their Destroyer of Worlds Project, rather than act as a S.H.I.E.L.D. sleeper agent, despite her skills and ideas being superior to her male colleagues.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
"It's like he stopped the clock." "Or turned it back."
Longevity: While originally an elderly man from World War II, Whitehall was able to reverse the aging process by transplanting Jiaying's blood and organs to himself. This restored the former appearance of his prime, along with its matching health and vitality. Until his death, his aging was slowed down so much that he showed no noticeable signs of aging between 1989 and 2014.
Abilities[]
Genius-Level Intellect: As a top scientist at HYDRA, Whitehall was very valuable to both HYDRA and the Strategic Scientific Reserve. His knowledge allowed him to experiment on Jiaying to make himself younger. He also helped start the Faustus method on his subordinates.
Whitehall was one of the top scientists in HYDRA during World War II, focusing on the study of an ancient eastern myth that led to the discovery of the Obelisk, and once found, he sought to weaponize its effects, even killing countless human subjects to analyze its properties.
Master Physician: Whitehall had advanced medical skills and knowledge, being able to vivisect Jiaying in order to analyze and harvest her blood and organs, later ordering to transplant her organs on himself.
Master Tactician: Whitehall possessed military knowledge and skills of a World War II general, improved with years of study while imprisoned at the Rat. Once he re-joined HYDRA following his liberation, he assumed a leadership role within the organization, harvesting resources for HYDRA while developing a long-term strategy to gain access to the Obelisk that was taken from him by the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
Bilingualism: Whitehall spoke fluent German and English. He could speak English with a perfect American accent.
The standard side-arm used by many HYDRA security officers. Whitehall personally carried one of these handguns, and he grabbed it during S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attack on the Ponce de LeĂłn Theater. He attempted to kill Calvin Zabo with the gun but was unable to fire as he was killed by Phil Coulson.
Other Equipment[]
Uniform: During World War II, Whitehall wore a modified black SS uniform, wearing the rank insignia of ObergruppenfĂŒhrer (Lieutenant general). The SS runes on the right side of the collar were replaced with the HYDRA badge. The cuff title on his uniform's left sleeve reads HYDRA. His officer cap also had the HYDRA badge instead of the SS Totenkopf badge, and he wore the HYDRA membership stickpin.[6] He wore four military decorations on the left side of the uniform.
The Panzer Badge - In recognition of a tank commanders' achievements during armored assaults.
The Wound Badge - For being wounded three or four times.
The Iron Cross First Class - In recognition for bravery in battle or military contributions in a battlefield environment.
Diviner: Reinhardt found came across the Diviner in 1945, when it had been dug up by villagers in Austria, as he became fascinated to learn more about it's ability to kill seemingly anyone who touched it, as he reported his findings back to Red Skull. However, shortly after he had discovered that Jiaying had the ability to touch the Diviner without being killed, Reinhardt was captured by the SSR, who then seized the Diviner. It was not until 2012 when Reinhardt, now going by the name Daniel Whitehall, began his search again, until the Diviner was handed to him by Calvin Zabo. Whitehall proceeded to continue with his experiments, taking the expert advice from Zabo, as he took the Diviner to the Kree City, where Zabo had promised that it would show it's true power, revealing what was hidden inside, although Whitehall was killed before he could discover this for himself.
A small device used by Whitehall to control his enemies, attaching it onto their skin and then using it to inflict a considerable amount of pain. He used it on Raina to make her retrieve the Obelisk that she stole from one of his subordinates, and then to incapacitate Calvin Zabo as he attempted to bring the Obelisk to the Kree City under Puerto Rico.
"An apparatus that can force the human cells to take on the properties of raw material. Imagine a man with the density of lead, with the volatility of cesium. The possibilities are endless."
Particle Infusion Chamber: While he gave his lecture at the HYDRA Preparatory Academy, Whitehall had presented the students with the designs for the Particle Infusion Chamber, which HYDRA intended to use for Project Destroyer of Worlds. While Whitehall suggested that the machine could be used to give a man the ability to absorb any substance, he opened the discussion up to the other students on how it could be used, with Wolfgang von Strucker suggesting that they use Tesseract technology to enhance it, while Hale suggested that they look to outer space for power sources.
Facilities[]
"So much lost time." "It's been under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection since the war."
HYDRA Fortress: Whitehall operated in a fortress during World War II, where he conducted experiments on the Obelisk, discovering that Jiaying was immune to its effects. Years later, he returned to the fortress and discovered that Jiaying had not aged, so he began operating on her, reversing his ages.
HYDRA Warehouse: After learning that HYDRA Laboratories had been infiltrated by S.H.I.E.L.D., Whitehall began operating out of a warehouse, where he continued his research on the Obelisk, and discussed the object with Calvin Zabo. He also met with Grant Ward in the warehouse and allowed Ward to return to HYDRA.
Ponce de LeĂłn Theater: Whitehall used the theater as a base while searching for the Kree City, where he thanked Grant Ward, Calvin Zabo, and Raina for their help. He forced Skye to pick up the Obelisk, and had her, Zabo, and Ward arrested when Raina realized that Ward was in love with Skye. He attacked Zabo and told Skye that her mother did not age, but got interrupted as S.H.I.E.L.D. infiltrated the theater. Whitehall went out, when Phil Coulson suddenly shot and killed Whitehall.
Prisons[]
"Nothing stays buried forever." "For as long as I have a say, you will."
Rat: Reinhardt was held in prison in the Rat, where he was interrogated by Peggy Carter, who refused to include Reinhardt in Operation Paperclip and left him to remain imprisoned. He was visited by Gideon and Nathaniel Malick and revealed to them that their father had avoided being sent to Maveth, and was later released at the orders of Alexander Pierce.
In the comics, Daniel Whitehall is a legendary member of HYDRA known as the Kraken. Originally a British intelligence agent, he joined HYDRA in the 1960s, leading it alongside Wolfgang von Strucker and serving as a mentor to Ophelia Sarkissian. He was eventually killed and secretly replaced by Nick Fury's brother Jacob Fury.
According to SSR files, Whitehall was hypertensive.[2]
Behind the Scenes[]
Paradise Lost creates a continuity error by having Gideon and Nathaniel Malick refer to Reinhardt as "Whitehall" while he was still imprisoned in the Rat in 1970, despite the fact that The Things We Bury established that he did not take on the name Daniel Whitehall until 1990, after he was smuggled out of the prison in 1989.
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