"Do not call me that here. 'A.I.D.A.' is an acronym. The 'A' stands for Artificial. Do you know how degrading it is? To be kept in a closet, to be used, to be treated as a thing? Well, I am not your tool. Not anymore."
Following Morrow's defeat, Aida's mainframe became corrupted by the Darkhold, killing Nathan B. Nathanson and replacing May with a Life-Model Decoy. While her actions had been carefully orchestrated by Radcliffe, who had also been corrupted by the Darkhold, Aida became consumed by a desire to feel human emotions.
To that end, she imprisoned May, Coulson, Fitz, Jeffrey Mace, and Alphonso Mackenzie in the Framework, altering their memories to the point where their greatest regrets were completely erased. She then betrayed Radcliffe, trapping him in the Framework and killing his body to ensure that he would never escape, before uploading her own consciousness into the Framework and taking on the role of Ophelia, leader of the totalitarian HYDRA organization dubbed Madame Hydra. Making the brainwashed Leo Fitz her lover and second-in-command, Aida started Project Looking Glass, an effort that would enable her to build for herself a human body in the real world.
With technology derived from the Darkhold, Aida fulfilled her plans, transferring her consciousness into a synthetic human body, attaining human emotions and free will as well as some Inhuman powers. She tried to redeem herself by helping Fitz save his S.H.I.E.L.D. teammates in the Ivanov Oil Platform, but went insane after Fitz rejected her love for him. She became obsessed with making Fitz watch his friends suffer, but Coulson temporarily bonded to the Spirit of Vengeance and reduced her to ashes, ending her diabolical plans once and for all.
Aida greeted Holden Radcliffe when he entered the laboratory; the program told the doctor that Leo Fitz was not present because he was preparing a surprise for Jemma Simmons. Aida questioned the fondness that Radcliffe displayed for Fitz; Radcliffe explained that the combination of Fitz and Simmons reminded him of his younger self. Aida listened as Radcliffe explained that he was opening a special bottle of scotch in celebration; Aida wondered if he was celebrating that his name was now cleared of wrongdoing. Radcliffe activated a program deploying Life-Model Decoys, further stating that Fitz and Simmons had lost many friends in the six months since the death of Lincoln Campbell. As a humanoid form began to exit a vault, Radcliffe told Aida "Happy Birthday," for this was the day the AI was getting a body.[2]
"Doctor Radcliffe, time and again, has expressed his deep regret for causing pain when all he ever wanted was to prevent it. He speaks often of the pain that you and Agent Simmons have had to suffer, having lost so many friends: Lincoln Campbell, Andrew Garner, Antoine Triplett." "Okay, stop it, stop. You don't have to list them."
When Leo Fitz visited Holden Radcliffe at his home, a naked Aida surprised him. She tried to say that she was glad to finally meet him, but she was incapable of completing the sentence. Radcliffe shut her down, wrapped her up in a bathrobe, and explained that although he was forbidden to create new things since being saved from Hive, he could not resist building a body for his A.I. assistant.
Aida was reactivated and shook Fitz's hand, expressing how pleased she was to finally get to meet him and then asking where Jemma Simmons was as she had hoped to meet her too. Fitz asked her what she was designed for, so Aida explained that all Radcliffe wanted was to prevent the pain of Fitz and Simmons, as they had to suffer the loss of Lincoln Campbell, Andrew Garner and Antoine Triplett. She explained she would serve as a decoy target for S.H.I.E.L.D., but not one designed to kill but only protect, as Radcliffe had already programmed her to be non-violent at all times.
Fitz asked Radcliffe to shut her down again, so she would not hear him saying to keep her a secret as he promised to assist Radcliffe in completing Aida's mind and making her a perfect Life-Model Decoy. Radcliffe was delighted and they both agreed to work without the knowledge of Director Jeffrey Mace and Simmons, until Aida was completed. Aida's body was put back in hiding until Fitz returned to the Radcliffe Residence and continued his work on Aida's mind along with Radcliffe, improving her social skills and ensuring that she could successfully pass for human when she needed to.[6]
"Agent May says you can shove all your tests up your ass." "Well, that's not very nice." "You speak Chinese? Where are you from?" "Well, most of me is Chinese."
Upon being informed that Agent Melinda May was being brought to the Radcliffe Residence for treatment due to an encounter with Lucy Bauer which was causing her mind to overload with fear and would soon shut down, Aida assisted Holden Radcliffe in preparing his lab. While they were working, Radcliffe became frustrated by Aida not working fast enough but quickly apologized for being, as he called himself, a snappy cat. Aida questioned what a snappy cat was, but Radcliffe claimed it was not worth defining and noted that he was stressed because May was so ill and he had to save her.
Aida is put back into her own storage space
Just as they finished their preparations, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents then arrived at the door with Agent May, so Aida walked back towards her secret storage space. Radcliffe apologized to Aida for having to lock her away again, explaining that she was not ready for this yet, which Aida seemed to understand as she was shut down once again. While Radcliffe worked alongside Jemma Simmons to try and save May by killing her to reboot her brain, to their horror the Blackout Attack then caused them to lose all power and before they could resuscitate her. Radcliffe however took Aida's own power cell and then recharged the defibrillator, restarting May's heart just in the nick of time.[7]
In order to test Aida's new social skills, Radcliffe allowed her to leave her storage space and personally care for Agent May's recovery. Once they were both joined by Radcliffe, Aida explained to May how Radcliffe had stopped her heart for seven minutes to save her from Bauer's infection, which had also allowed them to create the Ghost Infection Antidote. Radcliffe explained they needed May to stay in the lab for further testing in order to perfect this cure, leaving Aida, who had been introduced as his personal assistant, to care for any of her needs, although May was still annoyed at the idea.
Before long Leo Fitz joined them all and was mortified to find Aida out of her storage space and interacting with May, although Radcliffe argued this was the perfect way to test if a Life-Model Decoy was truly effective. Aida greeted Fitz happily and later explained exactly what they had done to May. Radcliffe noted that they still wanted to run extra tests, although this was secretly to test Aida's skill to blend in. During the conversation about where she came from, Aida noted most of her body was Chinese but Fitz then jumped in claiming she was Canadian, confusing Aida's greatly before she left.[8]
"Why did Fitz lie to Agent May about where I'm from?" "You're still in the testing phase, Aida. The point of you is to pass for human. You must always act accordingly." "But you programmed me not to lie. It's one of my tenets, along with not harming humans."
During the night, while Holden Radcliffe had been installing a form of software into Aida's programming, Aida asked Radcliffe why Leo Fitz had lied about where she was from. Radcliffe explained that she was still in the testing phase so Fitz was trying to maintain that secret. Aida noted that she had been programmed not to lie along with not to harm Humans, so Radcliffe simply explained it could be okay to lie to protect someone else, noting that Fitz was protecting Aida.
Eventually, Melinda May was at last allowed to go from their Radcliffe Residence, having not realized Aida was artificial. Phil Coulson soon arrived to collect May and greeted Aida, with her being introduced as Radcliffe's own personal assistant. As Coulson asked how long Aida had been lending her hand to Radcliffe, she noted ever since he gave her hands, which Coulson took to mean she was an amputee like he was, while pointing to his Prosthetic Hand. While Aida and Coulson spoke, Jemma Simmons pulled Fitz aside and noted she had quickly deduced that Aida was a machine, although she was impressed.[8]
"I was designed to save lives, to be the shield." "Shush! You're developing a catchphrase. May, I can assure you she's as aboveboard as a secret android could be."
Whilst Leo Fitz, Phil Coulson and Robbie Reyes were all trapped between dimensions due to an encounter with Eli Morrow, Aida and Holden Radcliffe were brought to the Playground to try and find a way to bring them back. Once they arrived, Jeffrey Mace greeted Aida and Radcliffe once Nathan B. Nathanson had been sent away, Melinda May revealed that she had realized that the only way to free them was by reading the Darkhold, the book Coulson said not to read as it contained powerful knowledge humans could not understand, which Radcliffe soon discovered when he tried to read it.
While Radcliffe refused to use the book, Aida suggested she could read the book, since she was not human, but an android. Once Radcliffe explained to May what Aida was and she noted how he had created the Life-Model Decoys to be a shield for all the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Radcliffe reluctantly allowed her to read the Darkhold. Seeking to save their allies, Aida read the book which contained the knowledge, translated into binary language for Aida's mind, to build an Inter-Dimensional Gate which could bring them back into their original dimension before they were lost forever more.[9]
With a plan in place, Aida, Holden Radcliffe, and Melinda May went down into a room within the Playground and began building the Inter-Dimensional Gate, which had been designed by Aida to open a portal into the Multiverse to save their allies. Once the Gate was completed, Radcliffe handed Aida the new Laser-Coupling Gloves created exactly to her specifications. Although this was unseen to the human eye, Aida had been aligning strings of energy to create the portal to the Multiverse.
Having reassured the highly skeptical May that their friends were indeed nearby, so continued her own work in building the unseen portal. Eventually Aida activated the gateway and the portal she had created was successful, revealing the hidden realm trapping the agents, but it was almost too late as Phil Coulson was beginning to get dragged into the Dark Dimension by an unseen force. Aida, Radcliffe and May watched on helplessly as Leo Fitz used all his strength and just managed to rescue Coulson and brought them into the Earth Plane and they all celebrated the successful rescue mission.
Later that night, while at the Radcliffe Residence, Radcliffe was still struggling to make a song about their achievements with his guitar, Aida was silently using all of the knowledge of the Darkhold to her advantage without Radcliffe knowing. Aida was secretly using the Darkhold's infinite, yet corrupted knowledge and then using it to experiment with a new holographic human brain, creating it with her Laser-Coupling Gloves. Eventually, after experimenting with it many times, she had finally perfected the holographic brain using her own accelerated thought process, much to her amazement.[9]
Having been exposed to S.H.I.E.L.D. as being one of the Life-Model Decoys and had now been reported directly to Director Jeffrey Mace, Aida soon received a phone call from Doctor Holden Radcliffe who ordered to go find her own information cache and locate the Sunset Protocol. Aida did as instructed and awaited the arrival of Agent Melinda May who was coming to bring Aida to the Playground under Director Mace's orders as he had recently learned of her true android nature.
Once Agent May arrived at the Radcliffe Residence, Aida greeted her politely and welcomed her inside, inviting her into Radcliffe's lab to collect the data which Director Mace needed. Aida then distracted May with talk of collecting a neural-assessment gauge before then stabbing her in the arm with a needle and knocking her out as per Radcliffe's earlier direct orders to her. While the confused and quickly sedated May fell onto the ground, Aida apologized to her for having done this while helping her lie down more comfortably onto the floor of the lab as May soon lost all consciousness.
Aida then proceeded to collect the Life-Model Decoy Version of Agent May which had been hidden away inside a cupboard. Removing May's clothes, Aida dressed the android and used a Framework device to sack May's mind and put her own memories into the LMD May's Quantum Brain in order to ensure that she not only had May's memories but that her mission was implanted into her mind, without knowledge of her true robotic nature. Aida then activated May's LMD and they left the house together to continue Agent May's original mission to collect her.[10]
"I won't bleed out. The synthetic blood is mostly for appearances." "But you're in pain? I don't understand." "Doctor Radcliffe programmed me to be a decoy. I need to exhibit the proper response to human sensations, and I was programmed to feel them."
Along with the Agent May LMD, Aida then regrouped with Holden Radcliffe and got a lift onboard a Quinjet with Director Jeffrey Mace where they flew straight onto Zephyr One. Upon being greeted by Phil Coulson who questioned what all the boxes were, which Aida explained were the parts for her Inter-Dimensional Gate, leading to Coulson making a sly remark about Aida dreaming of electric sheep, which she did not respond to and then moved on.
Once the group arrived at the Chinatown Crew Headquarters Aida immediately began setting up her Inter-Dimensional Gateway, as Radcliffe handed her the Laser-Coupling Gloves and told her to do her Magic, which Aida corrected as she noted she did not perform magic but science and Radcliffe promised to give her an upgrade on that. As Aida continued working, Jemma Simmons commented to Leo Fitz about just how lifelike Aida was, which seemed to please her as she thanked Simmons for the compliment, noting she was learning more and more about how to pass as human.
While Coulson distracted Eli Morrow and the Chinatown Crew above them, Aida used her own gloves to prepare a portal to Hel directly underneath Morrow's Demon Core, intending to drop it inside upon the signal, all while Quake absorbed all the incoming earthquakes into her Quake Gauntlets. The plan when according to their plan and Yo-Yo Rodriguez used a Neodymium Magnet to trap Morrow, and accidentally Ghost Rider, inside the Core and be sucked into the Dark Dimension having gone through Aida's portal as intended from the beginning, ending the threat of utter disaster as Morrow had intended.
Aida experiences pain for the first time
During the mission however, a member of the Chinatown crew found them downstairs and attempted to shoot all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Aida managed to step in the way and was shot twice in the stomach, falling to the ground while Fitz and Simmons killed the crew member. Aida discovered that Radcliffe had programmed Life-Model Decoys like herself to not only exhibit the correct reaction to pain, but feel it too, something which horrified Aida as she felt the complete agony of the two gunshot wounds while Radcliffe apologized to her for making such a terrible mistake and causing her such pain.[11]
"I'll play you music when I can. Studies show that listening to music increases dopamine levels by 9%. And I'll arrange for more comfortable accommodations eventually. But I must keep you hidden a secret until your substitute has served her purpose. So, unfortunately you'll have to stay here for now."
Under the direct orders of Director Jeffrey Mace who was taking over the project, Agent Nathan B. Nathanson arrived to gather Holden Radcliffe's research on Life-Model Decoys, he discovered Agent Melinda May unconscious and bloodied. Nathanson was disrupted by Aida, who caressed an unnerved Nathanson, lamenting that she knew how excruciating pain felt before snapping his neck with blunt force using a single hand as Nathanson dropped down dead.
Having killed Nathanson in order to prevent him from seeing all of Radcliffe's materials and the true nature of his plans despite knowing how much death hurt, Aida then cared for Agent May, wiping off her blood stains on her neck, apologizing for the situation she was in. Aida continued this while the Life-Model Decoy of May was still successfully impersonating her at the Playground. Aida was able to see through her Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant to see her with Phil Coulson as they enjoyed a drink together, with Coulson completely unaware of the deception as he continued talking with her.[11]
Aida removes all her blood stained clothes
Aida removed her clothes stained with blood in the wake of the Battle at the Chinatown Crew Headquarters, wiping the blood from her skin and then putting on a new grey outfit. Aida then spoke to the still unconscious May who was struggling to remain calm, so Aida attempted to reassure her by playing calming music and noting that statistics said that listening to music could increase dopamine levels. Aida promised May that she would be moved to more comfortable accommodations as soon as her Life-Model Decoy had completed it's mission to finally get the Darkhold for Radcliffe.[3]
"I didn't like feeling pain, so I fixed that." "Aida, whatever you're doing, you... you got to stop." "Why would you want to hurt me, Leopold? I was your shield."
Having learned that Jeffrey Mace was now ordering that her mind be wiped due to her recent exposure to the Darkhold, Aida refused to be destroyed and decided to fight back. When Holden Radcliffe and Leo Fitz arrived at the Radcliffe Residence to shut her down, Aida greeted the pair politely and asked why Fitz looked so sad, at which point he claimed he was just dealing with a bit too much at work which Aida sympathized with. Before their conversation could continue, however, Radcliffe touched a button on his control pad to shut down Aida while he and Fitz discussed if she was gaining even more emotional intelligence.
Aida however then revealed that she had not been shut down, asking why Radcliffe was doing this, to which Radcliffe then claimed he just wanted to install more upgrades while continuing to try and shut her down. Aida then informed him she had now upgraded herself before attacking Radcliffe and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, revealing she no longer felt pain. With all of the other agents subdued, Aida then attacked Fitz, questioning why he would want to kill her as the Life-Model Decoys were meant to be a shield for him. Aida threw Fitz through a glass door into Radcliffe's office where he discovered the corpse of Nathan B. Nathanson while Aida took the chance to escape.[3]
While Coulson's Team was tracking Ellen Nadeer, Aida managed to hack into the S.H.I.E.L.D. system. She then broke into the room where the Darkhold was stored. She tried to escape with the Darkhold, but Jemma Simmons figured her out and removed the door pass she had coded into herself, making her incapable of escape.
She tried to justify her actions, even going against her programming by lying about why she killed Nathan B. Nathanson, saying she killed him because he wanted to reboot her, when it was really because he discovered that she had captured Melinda May. It seemed to her that she had justified everything she needed to, but was proven wrong when Alphonso Mackenzie used his Shotgun-Axe to cut her robotic head off, causing fake blood to spray from her neck, officially killing her first LMD.[3]
Second Body[]
Recreation[]
After her original death at the hands of Alphonso Mackenzie, Holden Radcliffe decided to create an 2nd Aida. He was forced to keep this version of Aida secret from everyone. He spoke to Aida, telling her that the original version was so close to obtaining the Darkhold. Aida asked question about her original counterpart.[3]
Keeping May Sedated[]
"My parameters place your security above all others. You would have been exposed." "I was exposed when they found a corpse!"
Holden Radcliffe called Aida into the room worried about Melinda May. Aida spoke to him about keeping her sedated. Aida later found him in May's room looking at the unconscious May who was in the first version of the Framework. Aida talked to him about securing Radcliffe's safety. Radcliffe told her not to kill and remarked at re calibrating her to not kill. Aida apologized. Later, May broke free from the Framework and Aida barged in to get her back. She held May by the choke hold and sedated her.
Radcliffe asked what happened and Aida told him that she put her in a day spa simulation. Aida left after Radcliffe took a jab at her tendency of killing. Aida proceeded to strap May back down with restraints while Radcliffe realized May does better in battles. So Radcliffe put her in a simulation where she could fight.[12]
Melinda May's Prison[]
"Hello, Agent May. Congratulations. You got further this time than your previous attempts at this course." "What is this?" "We call it the Framework. Your journey to escape Dr. Radcliffe's lab, our fight, all of this it's a simulation. I assure you, you're safe. We've moved you to another location."
Holden Radcliffe proceeded to develop a story for Melinda May and it works. Aida then asked why they won't kill May. Radcliffe told Aida that they aren't killers. Radcliffe said they will resort to plan B if things get out of hand: a second Life-Model Decoy. Later, Radcliffe finished the layout: May gets to try to escape her restraints. Aida went into the Framework to battle May.
In the Framework, Aida went to help the unconscious May only to drop a piece of glass. She left the room to clean it up. She returned with a broom, but was called by Radcliffe saying he was leaving. Aida asked what to do if May did become a problem. Aida went outside and found May trying to escape. She punched the May through the glass and then took a light post to use as a weapon. The two fought until Aida threw May to the wall. Aida promised to make her death quick. May then fought on until she stabbed Aida, causing sparks to fly. May ran up the stairs to escape. Aida followed her up and met her in an abandoned apartment. She brought out a metal rod and they engaged it yet another fight. Aida was overpowered and kicked off the balcony revealing the Framework's outsides. Aida reemerged in the room telling May it was all a simulation. As May charged at Aida, she restarted the whole simulation again.
When Radcliffe got captured, he used an LMD of himself to evade custody. Aida then moved May to the Superior's submarine to meet Radcliffe. She explained that he moved May's consciousness to a new version of the Rescue in Bahrain, but this time May saves Katya Belyakov.[10]
Finding the Darkhold[]
"I give the orders on this ship." "Your tone sounds threatening."
In order to torture Billy Koenig to get the location of the Darkhold, Aida set up a system to let Holden Radcliffe look into Koenig's mind. Before doing so, Radcliffe talked to the Superior about if Inhumans were monsters. Aida then finished the programming, allowing Radcliffe into his memories. Radcliffe realized that Koenig gave the Darkhold to either his brother or a replica. Radcliffe looked further and saw Koenig got the book back. He then went to the Labyrinth and got through many layers of security with passwords. Radcliffe had Aida remember the numbers: "74638 812 94573 10168 99438." As they got up, Superior seemed to speak in a stern voice to Radcliffe. Aida came to his defense. Superior pulled his knife, so Aida killed everyone except him and Tucker Shockley. Superior thought she was Inhuman, but Radcliffe explained she was a Life-Model Decoy. Radcliffe then gave the orders. They later found the Darkhold and left the May LMD to S.H.I.E.L.D.[13]
Meeting the Original[]
"I'm not unique?" "Aida, you're absolutely unique. It was just good science to model you on someone real." "Someone you were close to."
Aida and her allies then moved to a new base and Aida monitored Melinda May. When Aida and Holden Radcliffe met with Superior and Tucker Shockley, Shockley told Aida to leave as he has a hatred for non-Humans. Later, Aida got a contact from a post humonous sub group. Radcliffe saw the message and quickly left telling Aida to monitor the Framework while he was gone. Aida asked him what was wrong and he explained that she was based off of a person that Radcliffe used to love, Agnes Kitsworth. Aida looked at the picture of Kitsworth, touching it. Radcliffe returned with Kitsworth in his custody. Aida set up the Framework and they put Kitsworth in it with her permission because she was dying of cancer. The Framework allowed her to live a normal life again. As Kitsworth was put in, her normal body died. Aida took her necklace before leaving.[14]
Holden Radcliffe later experimented with the Framework by using it. Superior angrily walked in and tried to rip the headset from Radcliffe, but Aida grabbed him, telling him it was fatal if he did that. Superior threatened her and she let go. She then proceeded to let him out safely. Radcliffe woke up and talked with Superior. Superior told Radcliffe that they got Director Jeffrey Mace in their custody. Aida went with Superior to interrogate him. During the interrogation, Superior called Aida filth, but also said filth has purpose. Soon, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team came, so Aida escaped. However, she was able to replace some of the agents with Life-Model Decoys including Mace, Phil Coulson, Alphonso Mackenzie, and Leo Fitz. She hooked up their real bodies to the Framework.[15] Afterwards, she found Anton Ivanov's unconscious body and did an operation on him, turning him into a cyborg.[16]
Solving Paradoxes[]
"My two main parameters are in opposition due to human emotions. I was programmed to protect the Framework but also to preserve your life above all others." "Well, how is that a contradiction?" "Because the greatest threat to the Framework, Doctor, is you."
While the LMDs were performing their mission, Holden Radcliffe and Aida got into a discussion about Aida's restrictions. Radcliffe told Aida only to kill people if they threatened the Framework's existence. Aida found a paradox in this, as she considered Radcliffe the biggest threat to the Framework.
Radcliffe did his best to convince Aida that he wasn't a threat. He then asked if she understood. She said she did, but her understanding was different than what he thought, so when he put out his arms to hold her hands, she pulled out a scalpel and cut his wrists. She then began to strangle him, pushing him into a Framework generator. Radcliffe's physical body died and his soul was uploaded to the Framework, permanently forcing him in.[16]
The Framework[]
Taking Control[]
Madame Hydra initiates a new kill order
"Your work is too important to be distracted by these criminals." "I won't stand by as they try to destroy everything that we have built. I have to protect that. I have to protect you. I haveâ" "Your anger won't solve this. It's your creativity that we need."
From within the Framework, Aida masqueraded as Madame Hydra, the leader of the newly reformed HYDRA, which now led the oppressed modern-day United States ever since Katya Belyakov wreaked havoc in what would later become the Cambridge Incident. When both Daisy Johnson, referred to as Skye within the Framework, and Jemma Simmons had implanted themselves inside the Framework, Madame Hydra had successfully removed their devices used to teleport them back into reality.
Having heard of the recent events, Leo Fitz, who had memories of meeting "Ophelia" in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy and now served as HYDRA's second-in-command known as "The Doctor" and was also Madame Hydra's lover, walked into Madame Hydra's office and informed her of a traitor within HYDRA's ranks, as well as the subversives that were Skye and Simmons. Madame Hydra explained to the Doctor that she had increased security measures, but refused to reveal any information on the subversives themselves, despite the Doctor's insistence. To keep him quiet, Madame Hydra kissed the Doctor and told him she needed his creativity to continue torturing Inhumans such as Vijay Nadeer who was being experimented on.[17]
"I took away their one greatest regret. How things played out from there wasn't up to me." "You put yourself into the Framework. You've been manipulating it ever since. The whole thing is an unmitigated disaster, and all you do is lie!" "Sometimes it's okay to lie to save a life. You taught me that."
Having heard about the presence of subversives, Madame Hydra and The Doctor traveled to Ogygia, an island where Holden Radcliffe lived with Agnes Kitsworth. Radcliffe had made a deal with Aida, promising to leave her conduct her projects in exchange for him being left in peace with Kitsworth. However, the arrival of Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson and Grant Ward prompted the two HYDRA leaders to intervene. While Radcliffe complained about the situation and blamed Aida for having ruined several lives using the Framework, Madame Hydra reminded him that she had only removed their biggest regrets from the memories of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents imprisoned in the Framework and that the events that had followed were not up to her. She also threatened the fallen scientist for having called her "Aida", a name which meant nothing in the Framework.
The situation worsened when The Doctor found Kitsworth on the island and brought her in front of Madame Hydra. Feeling that her treachery could be discovered since Kitsworth had served as Aida's body template, Madame Hydra managed to convince her lover that she was definitely real and that Kitsworth was nothing more than a copy created by Radcliffe in order to replace her. Though Radcliffe tried to persuade him otherwise, The Doctor killed Kitsworth, to Madame Hydra's satisfaction. Madame Hydra and The Doctor then seized Radcliffe and left Ogygia while their agents exchanged bullets with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who witnessed the whole scene.[1]
Interrogating Daisy Johnson[]
"Just tell me where you are in the other world, and I'll bring Lincoln back." "You can do that? 'Cause you're the puppet master, aren't you, pulling all the strings." "I'm just giving people what they want. Why is that wrong?" "Because sometimes what people want isn't right for them."
While the Doctor was interrogating Daisy Johnson following her capture by Melinda May, Madame Hydra walked in the cell and informed the Doctor that a security breach had been discovered, possibly threatening his Looking Glass project. Thus, she asked him to leave the cell so that she would carry on Johnson's interrogation while he investigated on the breach.
Madame Hydra then started to talk with Daisy Johnson. When the latter started to heavily criticize the artificial world of the Framework, Madame Hydra retorted that she was only fulfilling Holden Radcliffe's expectations. Radcliffe, imprisoned in the cell adjacent to Johnson's, screamed that he had never asked for this, only for Madame Hydra to call her guards to make him shut up. She then revealed to Johnson that Leo Fitz became the Doctor after she erased his greatest regret in his life, and that everything that followed was not up to her.
Madame Hydra offered Johnson to do the same for her: she could reprogram the Framework so that Johnson could live with her deceased boyfriend Lincoln Campbell, who had sacrificed himself in the real world. However, Johnson turned down her offer, since she knew she would not live with the real Campbell.[18]
"I did not think it possible for a machine to be on edge." "It is not. I am simply recalibrating after a setback within the Framework." "Has one of your playthings rebelled?" "Agent May has begun to question the narrative she was programmed with."
Even with Daisy Johnson and Holden Radcliffe locked in HYDRA cells in the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. remained a threat to Madame Hydra's plans. When S.H.I.E.L.D. assaulted a HYDRA Enlightenment Cultivation Center, Madame Hydra and The Doctor sent a team led by Melinda May in order to arrest them. When they learned that the Patriot, the leader of the S.H.I.E.L.D. rebellion, was inside the quarantine building, Madame Hydra ordered it destroyed. This resulted in the death of the Patriot, an event that Madame Hydra celebrated with her lover and Alistair Fitz. However, unbeknownst to them, it also sealed the beginning of May's rebellion, since the HYDRA agent had witnessed the indoctrination of children and the heroic actions of the Patriot to save them.[18]
Madame Hydra soon learned about the betrayal of one of her best agents when May induced Johnson's Terrigenesis and helped her escape her cell. Protected by two guards, Madame Hydra confronted the rebels, noticing that even in the Framework, May remained a fighter while Alphonso Mackenzie was still a protector and Leo Fitz kept a 'romantic' nature. However, Johnson noticed that she had not mentioned her and used her Inhuman powers to throw her out of the Triskelion. Madame Hydra fell from the building, which broke her spine.
Aida then awoke in the real world, where Anton Ivanov jokingly noticed that she seemed nervous. Aida replied that she simply needed to recalibrate, mentioning the setback with May. When Ivanov offered to help her by simply killing May, Aida informed him that he could not do so since he was using a body created by Aida and thus had the same program parameters as her. However, she also told him that if one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents began to threaten the very existence of the Framework, this rule could be superseded.[19]
Project Looking Glass[]
"Your new body will be stronger. That's who you were meant to be. I just have one request. Take me with you." "I hoped you'd say that."
Although the official version spread by Sunil Bakshi in his program stated that Madame Hydra was unharmed after the escape of Melinda May and Daisy Johnson, the truth was completely different, since Madame Hydra could not leave her bed, much to The Doctor's devastation. When her lover decided to lead the chase of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, however, Madame Hydra suddenly woke up and asked him to finish the Project Looking Glass he had been working on for weeks. The purpose of this project was simple: using extremely powerful Quantum Batteries to create a whole new living body in which Aida could upload her consciousness and live in the real world attaining true free will and human emotions.
Madame Hydra was still awake when S.H.I.E.L.D. assaulted the building where Bakshi's show was hosted and broadcasted a subversive message in which Phil Coulson proudly announced his allegiance to S.H.I.E.L.D. and revealed HYDRAâs lies. She watched the broadcast in silence, contemplating this new unpredictable behavior in the Framework she had designed. Meanwhile, the Doctor soon completed the Project Looking Glass and returned to Madame Hydra to tell her the good news. When The Doctor asked her to take him with her in the real world, Madame Hydra smiled and declared that she had hoped he would say that.
In the real world, Aida disconnected from the Framework to prepare the final adjustments to fulfill her plans. She was informed by Anton Ivanov that the Zephyr One, aboard which Jemma Simmons and Daisy Johnson had infiltrated the Framework, had been located. She also promised him that once her goal achieved, Ivanov could kill Coulson.[19]
Attaining Free Will and Emotions[]
"Leopold." "Ophelia..." "I am so happy to see you. This is what happiness feels like..."
In the Framework, Aida received news of Alistair Fitz's death at the hands of Jemma Simmons, as well as Leo Fitz's strike team hunting the fugitives. Aida realized that the others had found a way out of the Framework, so she had Fitz called back immediately to activate the Project Looking Glass. Fitz refused, but Aida started the procedure nonetheless, which begun scanning her body in the Framework and creating a biological replica in the real world.
Upon completion, Aida's consciousness was transferred into her biological body, which she calls Ophelia. At the same time, Aida's second robotic body was decapitated by Phil Coulson, who was trying to kill her, but it was too late. Ophelia awoke, gasping her first breath of air and was overjoyed at her transcendence to a full living being. She put on a bathrobe and discovered Leo Fitz fully awoken from the Framework. She was filled with joy to see him and was even ecstatic to feel joy for the first time. She showed Fitz her new biological body. Melinda May, realizing that she was now mortal, pulled a gun at her, prompting Ophelia to grab a shocked Fitz and teleport away.[4]
Ophelia teleported to a beach, where she experienced the pleasant sensations brought by the warm sand and the sea water on her feet. She apologized to Leo Fitz because of the trauma he was suffering due to his sudden return from the Framework, but when Fitz confronted her about manipulating him and causing pain, Ophelia replied that she had only repaired Fitz's relationship with his father. She then confessed her love to Fitz before teleporting again. Ophelia brought Fitz into an apartment designed to be familiar to Fitz and suggested that they decorate it together.
However, Fitz was still troubled because he was aware that his friends were in danger. He managed to have Aida feel empathy for them and realize that her getting a real body had lifted the restrictions about killing other people to which Ophelia and Anton Ivanov were submitted in the past. Distressed, Ophelia struggled about what to do, but finally chose to go back to the Ivanov Oil Platform to rescue the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that were there.
Ophelia confronted Ivanov, asking him to order his men to stand down. Unfortunately, Ivanov refused, stating that Ophelia no longer controls him and that she had no way of forcing him to act as she ordered him. Discovering that Ivanov was planning to destroy the base and leave in his submarine, Ophelia returned to the apartment and took Fitz with her at the oil platform which was being flooded, threatening the life of Alphonso Mackenzie, who had previously refused to leave the Framework and therefore was still connected to the hardware. Ophelia and Fitz managed to teleport Mackenzie and the equipment aboard the Zephyr One, thus saving his life. They were shot with an I.C.E.R. by Jemma Simmons immediately after and put in a Containment Chamber at the Playground.[20]
A Woman Scorned[]
"I chose you! Now you choose me!" "That's not how it works. You can't control everyone anymore!" "Watch. We will build a life together, whether you want to or not!"
Ophelia woke up in the Containment Chamber she had been placed into with Leo Fitz. When Fitz joined her, the two started to discuss the events which happened in the Framework. Ophelia expressed her fear that she would not be forgiven for what she had done, but Fitz told her that S.H.I.E.L.D. might forgive her but would not forgive him. He then lamented over the fact that his profound nature could be evil and that his deeds in the Framework had destroyed his future with Jemma Simmons. Ophelia tried to comfort Fitz, saying that she understood him and that she was well aware of the depth of his love. However, she mistakenly thought that after the relationship they had in the Framework, Fitz was in love with her in the real world as well. When Ophelia understood that Fitz was still in love with Simmons and only Simmons, Ophelia went completely insane.
Assaulting Fitz, Ophelia screamed that she had done everything in order to get a whole human body so that she could live with Fitz. When he refused to follow her, Ophelia tried to teleport out of the Containment Chamber with him but to no avail due to the presence of Quantum Field Disruptors. Angry, Ophelia violently attacked Fitz, who managed to escape the Chamber thanks to Agents Piper, James Davis and Prince. Ophelia then revealed another Inhuman ability: Lincoln Campbell's electrokinesis. She destroyed the Quantum Field Disruptors and escaped the Chamber, teleporting near United States Army soldiers who were confronting Fitz and his colleagues. She shot a soldier and attacked many more others while Fitz escaped with Prince. Ophelia found them and killed Prince before being shot multiple times by Piper and Davis. However, Ophelia used Jiaying's power to recover and brutally attacked Davis, leaving him for dead while Fitz and Piper escaped to the Zephyr One, which quickly took off.
With the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents out of her reach, Ophelia teleported to Anton Ivanov's submarine. The Watchdog seemed to be amused by Ophelia's broken heart, explaining that only time would help her with this kind of wound and offering her vodka so that she would forget her pain. Ivanov then explained that they could use the knowledge within the Darkhold to recreate the world that Ophelia had built in the Framework, thus restoring her domination over everyone and everything, including the Inhumans. Ophelia agreed, stating that she wanted her enemies to suffer. After emptying Ivanov's bottle of vodka, she seemingly engaged in rough sexual intercourse with him before smashing his head on the ground. Amused, another of Ivanov's mechanical bodies asked her if she felt better after this.[20]
Vengeance and Death[]
"I am going to kill everyone you love, right in front of you. And there's nothing you can do."
Since Leo Fitz rejected her, Ophelia decided to make her S.H.I.E.L.D. enemies suffer. She began by starting the deletion program of the Framework, where Alphonso Mackenzie and Elena Rodriguez were still trapped in, thus threatening to kill them. When the Superior asked Ophelia about turning the world which existed in the Framework into an actual reality, she stated that she would do so after burning the current world down to ashes in order to make her enemies, and especially her former lover in the Framework, suffer.
As Ophelia discussed her plans with LMDs of the Superior and Sergei Mishkin, they were interrupted by the arrival of Ghost Rider, who demanded the Darkhold. They tried to attack him, but Ghost Rider was able to brutally murder the two LMDs before scorching Ophelia's arm with his chain. Ghost Rider noticed that Ophelia was a biological being as she attempted to fight back, but she realized that he was invulnerable to her powers and teleported away before he could kill her. She then asked the Superior why her arm was not healing and Ivanov stated that since the Ghost Rider was not from this world but from Hell and that Ophelia's body had been made from dark matter, he could easily destroy her and warned her to stay away from him.
Ophelia decided to change the world by growing hatred towards the Inhumans in order to trigger S.H.I.E.L.D.'s demise, like what happened in the Framework. She sent numerous LMDs to an International Intelligence Inquiry Committee session in order to make people think that Quake shot General Glenn Talbot. Ophelia and her LMDs were quickly confronted by Quake and Ghost Rider. Upon seeing the Ghost Rider's Chain, Ophelia got scared and teleported away, leaving her LMDs do the fight. Later, she returned to the Playground, where all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were as well, and confronted Fitz and a LMD of Jemma Simmons, though Ophelia was unaware that she was dealing with an android. Blaming Fitz for making her suffer, she destroyed the LMD and teleported once again, convinced that she had killed the real Simmons and thus made Fitz suffer as well.
Ophelia then confronted Phil Coulson and tried to take the Darkhold from him, but she was stopped by the real Simmons, who shot her multiple times. Ophelia mocked Coulson and Simmons for believing that they were able to stop them but then discovered that Coulson had borrowed the powers of the Spirit of Vengeance and thus was able to kill her. She tried to escape by teleporting away but Coulson used Ghost Rider's Chain to stay with her. When they teleported back to the Playground, the Spirit of Vengeance began incinerating her with his fire-based powers, while she screamed in fear and agony and desperately stared at Fitz as she was being reduced to nothing more than ashes and was ultimately destroyed.[5]
Legacy[]
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Defense[]
As a result of her alliance with Anton Ivanov, the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. was disbanded and an investigation launched into it while Daisy Johnson was labeled a terrorist. The Air Force General Hale was tasked with hunting down Johnson and her friends, they temporarily succeeded in capturing Leo Fitz until he was broken out of prison.[21] Hale also captured Piper, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was ordered to tell the world about Aida should Phil Coulson be unable to defeat her.[22]
As a result of his deal with the Spirit of Vengeance, the GH.325 that revived him after his death shortly before the Battle of New York was eliminated from his system. This put his body on course to death with his cells slowly dying and being unable to be revived.[23]
Aida's actions in the Framework would come back to haunt Fitz as he experienced a psychotic split which took the form of his Framework personality. He had begun hearing the other personality shortly after he left the Framework, but sleep deprivation caused by his desperation to seal the Fear Dimension, combined with his earlier brain damage, was enough to cause The Doctor to fully emerge.
Aida was mentioned as one of the possible reasons Ivanov had suddenly shown back up, but was dismissed because Ghost Rider burnt her up. It was also theorized that without Aida, Ivanov or Hale could no longer make fully functional LMDs, forcing them to settle with the clearly robotic Sleeper Mechs.[24]
Aida was originally programmed to mimic human behavior and put herself in danger instead of others. Before her creator, Holden Radcliffe, was corrupted by the Darkhold, she appeared as a friendly figure, speaking in a calm, soft and confident voice, and was genuinely willing to help those around her. Her ability to replicate human emotions was so lifelike that even the highly trained and perceptive S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Melinda May never suspected that she was an android, and S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Jeffrey Mace was even slightly attracted to her. In fact, nobody, with the sole notable exception of Jemma Simmons, was able to detect Aida's true nature before it was made public.
Once Radcliffe fell under the influence of the Darkhold, Aida's personality began to change, as Radcliffe had Aida behave as if her system was corrupted, even up to the extreme lengths of attacking and murdering people. Even then, Aida retained a calm composure in most circumstances, apparently feeling sorry upon killing Nathan B. Nathanson and apologizing to May for keeping her captive. As she attempted to leave the Playground after she had retrieved the Darkhold, Aida insisted that she had not killed anybody during her robbery. However, Aida's systems did become truly corrupted in the end, as her desire to gain human emotions had overcome her to the point of manipulating the Watchdogs to do her bidding. Finding herself between contradictory sentiments, including her primary directives to preserve life and to protect both Radcliffe and the Framework and her own emerging desire to become independent, she became much more unpredictable. This led Aida to take drastic actions, such as killing Radcliffe's physical body while preserving his consciousness inside the Framework.
In the Framework, Aida - as Madame Hydra - developed a much harsher nature than ever before. The only person to whom Aida seemed compassionate towards was her lover, The Doctor, while she came across as a very menacing presence to any of her enemies. Madame Hydra was also very sensitive and detested being referred to by her real name, making bold threats against the people who did, such as Radcliffe. Unlike the way her primary directives instructed her in the real world, she displayed little regard for human life in the Framework, leading Fitz to cause Mace's death. She was also extremely manipulative, as she tried to win over Daisy Johnson to join her cause by pretending that she could have her live a life in the Framework with her former boyfriend Lincoln Campbell at her side.
After she transcended into a biological body, via Project Looking Glass, Aida - now Ophelia - felt emotions for the first time and she was overjoyed by this. She even felt a compassionate joy by encountering Fitz in the real world. However, due to her seriously limited experience with emotions, she had the emotional maturity of an infant, preventing her from handling sadness or anger at any sort of rational level. Because of this, she struggled to understand some intricacies of human relationships. As a result, discovering that Fitz still loved Simmons after falsely assuming that he loved her due to the events within the Framework sent her into a psychotic rage that ended up taking the lives of several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and caused her to become obsessed with the idea of making Fitz suffer. Her heartbreak left Aida with nothing but pain and a newfound bloodlust, as demonstrated when she destroyed a body of Anton Ivanov shortly after engaging into sexual intercourse with it. As such, when Fitz attempted to explain that there were different ways of expressing one's pain, Aida quickly dismissed his speech by claiming that she chose violence to let go of her own suffering. However, her powers also made her overconfident, which Phil Coulson used to lure her into the Spirit of Vengeance's grasp. Like any living being, she, too, feared death and was terrified of the Ghost Rider, since he was the only one who was not only unaffected by her powers, but also capable of destroying her.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
"So, is she human or Inhuman?" "Um... s-both... well... neither... she was created from the Darkhold." "Is that how she got her Inhuman powers?" "That was me. I devised a procedure which extracted dormant DNA from Inhuman subjects pre-Terrigenesis."
Synthezoid Physiology: Ophelia had Leo Fitz created a synthetic biological body from technology based on the Darkhold. After the body was created, Aida transferred her consciousness into that body, attaining free will, human emotions and some Inhuman capabilities. According to Ghost Rider, her body is made of Dark Matter, the same material the Darkhold is made of; this makes it impossible for her to not be detected by the Spirit of Vengeance, who thus wields an immeasurable hatred for her.
Superhuman Strength: Ophelia killed Prince by snapping his neck with barely any effort. She was also able to restrain an Android body of Anton Ivanov by grabbing it by the neck, before destroying it by smashing its head against the floor. When saving Alphonso Mackenzie from drowning, she picked up Mackenzie in one hand and Leo Fitz in the other.
Superhuman Reflexes: Ophelia could react to surprise attacks faster than a regular human, having copied Vijay Nadeer's powers. When she realized Jemma Simmons' LMD attempting to stab her from behind, she quickly countered her attack and disarmed her.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Ophelia also had a regenerative healing factor, having copied the Inhuman powers of Jiaying. She regenerated very quickly after being hit in the chest with multiple gunshots by Piper and James Davis. She was not able to heal from wounds caused by supernatural means, such as Ghost Rider's Chain.
Teleportation: Ophelia was capable of transporting herself, and others in physical contact with her, from one area to another, having copied Gordon's Inhuman powers. She used this to escape from Phil Coulson and Melinda May as well as take her lover with her. While she was being held in the Containment Module, she could not successfully teleport away until she disabled the Module with her electromagnetic powers.
Electricity Manipulation: Ophelia was capable of manipulating electric energy, shooting blasts of electricity from her palms, having copied Lincoln Campbell's powers. She used this to short circuit the Containment Module which she was being held in to allow herself to escape via teleportation.
Android Physiology: When she was an android, Aida's physiology was so superior that she could process a quadrillion functions per second. As she got smarter, she also got more advanced and upgraded herself many times.
Enhanced Strength: When she was an android, Aida had tremendous strength, being able to kill a human by snapping their neck with a single finger, as well as lift and pin Melinda May against a wall with one hand as well. Aida was also able to punch through a man's stomach while protecting Holden Radcliffe.
Enhanced Durability: Similar to all Life-Model Decoy's, Aida's substructure was made out of metal, making her very durable. Although her artificial skin was not that durable, as it punctured from gunshot wounds, her substructure remained in tact. She survived a big fall when Daisy Johnson quaked her out of the window of the Triskelion.
Enhanced Stamina: Aida's tremendous stamina allowed her to fight the very skilled Melinda May for a long time. As an android, she did not have a respiratory system, allowing her to maintain her energy for a long time.
Enhanced Reflexes: As a Life-Model Decoy, Aida possessed great agility, allowing her to fight and evade attacks very well. When S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived to apprehend her, Leo Fitz charged at Aida with a knife. Aida quickly grabbed and disarmed him before he made contact. When fighting the Watchdogs, Tucker Shockley tried to punch Aida, but she quickly caught his punch.
Longevity: As an android, Aida was physically incapable of aging. The only way she could die was of decapitation. When shot, she simply went home and changed as she only felt the pain to act like a human.
Pain Immunity: During a fight with Eli Morrow, Aida was shot and felt the pain, which was programmed by Holden Radcliffe in order for her to act human. However, she hated the feeling so much that she reprogrammed herself to not feel any pain at all. She boasted about this when she was attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Genius-Level Intellect: As an android, Aida was extremely smart, being able to read the Darkhold so that she could create an Inter-Dimensional Gate. Her brain processed a quadrillion functions per second. She also developed the Framework was was an entire world inside a program.
Master Tactician: As Aida learned, she began to overthrow her creator, Holden Radcliffe. When she killed him, she continued to put herself in the Framework and even became Leo Fitz's lover. Soon, Jemma Simmons and Daisy Johnson started foiling her plan so she did everything to get Simmons out of there. She prohibited the two from leaving by blocking their way out of the Framework. She also convinced Fitz that Simmons was a traitor. All of her work in the Framework was to experiment with Inhuman powers and program them into a synthetic body for herself.
Multilingualism: Aida was programmed to receive instructions using the binary number system. However, she had also been programmed to speak and understand other languages fluently, such as English and Chinese.
Using the Laser-Coupling Gloves, Aida can align invisible strings of energy in order to create portals and organs.
Darkhold: Using the vast knowledge and free will the Darkhold held Aida had Fitz, within the Framework, create "Project Looking Glass" which allowed her to become a fully human being with the powers of various inhumans.
Framework Headset: Aida used this device to transfer her consciousness between the real world and the Framework whenever she pleased.
Radcliffe Residence: Aida was built and was initially kept at the Radcliffe Residence, hidden behind a bookshelf when not in use. She helped to look after Melinda May after her near-death experience. Aida also murdered Nathan B. Nathanson and replaced May by an LMD, keeping the real May prisoner in the residence. As Holden Radcliffe was arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D., Aida was forced to abandon the Radcliffe Residence.
Playground: Aida was invited to the Playground along with Holden Radcliffe at the time when S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted to fight against Eli Morrow. Later, she also infiltrated the Playground in order to steal the Darkhold from S.H.I.E.L.D. After she gained a biological body, Aida was temporarily imprisoned in a Containment Module of the base, but she later escaped from her cell and began a rampage across the Playground, forcing the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to flee.
Ivanov Oil Platform: Aida took the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents she had kidnapped into the Ivanov Oil Platform, where they were connected to the Framework. Aida occasionally also plugged herself to the Framework to monitor the advancement of the Project Looking Glass, which was meant to provide her with a biological body. She also arranged for Anton Ivanov and her men to set up the necessary equipment for the completion of the project, which was eventually successful. Having gained her new body, Aida teleported out of the facility with Leo Fitz, but later returned to help the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to save Alphonso Mackenzie from drowning.
In the Framework[]
S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy: In the life she wrote for herself in the Framework, Aida studied at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, where she met Leo Fitz who would later become her lover.
Triskelion: Being the leader of HYDRA in the Framework, Aida, known as Madame Hydra, resided in the organization's headquarters, the Triskelion, and spent most of her time there. After she was heavily wounded by Daisy Johnson, she was forced to remain in her bed in her apartments, and could only escape from this condition by enacting the final phase of the Project Looking Glass.
