Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a federal republic in Central Europe. From 1938 to 1945, it was annexed into Nazi Germany.

History[]

World War II[]

HYDRA Facilities[]

During World War II, HYDRA seized control of many facilities following the occupation of the country by Third Reich. Johann Schmidt established one of his many weapons facilities under command of Lohmer.^[1]

Werner Reinhardt was put in command of HYDRA Fortress that served as his main headquarters^[2], and the HYDRA Research Facility Number 4, that served as a warehouse for dozens of artifacts obtained by HYDRA , many of them held in the boxes marked with the logo of the Deutsches Afrikakorps, including a blue extraterrestrial corpse and an Obelisk.^[3]

Hard Labor[]

Lohmer personally devised a strategy to reduce the potential number of mutinies among the prisoners of war captured and enslaved inside HYDRA Base Camp C3, based on his beliefs that the Third Reich would win World War II because its members were unified, while the enemies of the Reich were of different nationalities and ethnicities, and that would cause conflict among them.

As such, Lohmer split the prisoners by nationality, locking up members of different factions and brigades within the Allied Forces, hoping that they would be too busy fighting each other to try to fight their jailors. For example, he put in the same cell James Montgomery Falsworth, Jacques Dernier, Gabe Jones, Dum Dum Dugan and Bucky Barnes. A joke made by Dugan while introducing themselves raised tension between the cellmates, and a brawl started, proving Lohmer's point.

Having contracted pneumonia on the battlefield, Barnes received a brutal beating for being unable to satisfy the quotas of production, letting munitions fall while moving a cart. Jones tended to Barnes when they returned to the cell, assuring that, given his sickness, contusions and broken ribs, if Lohmer made him work the following day, Barnes wouldn't survive. His cellmates tried to think of a way to avoid Lohmer forcing Barnes into hard labor. Falsworth devised a plan to get rid of Lohmer that required Dugan, Jones, and Dernier to work as a team using their respective expertise.

The next day, Falsworth's plan was carried out, with Dugan, Jones and Falsworth smuggling components for Dernier so he could make a substance to melt the chain of a crane carrying scrap. Lohmer appeared, demanding to incorporate Barnes into labor, though Kleiber considered him too sick. Just as Lohmer was shouting that Barnes would die working if necessary, Kleiber ordered the crane to be activated. The melted chain broke, dropping the crane's load on Lohmer as he passed, crushing him.

The soldiers made every prisoner return to their cell. Dugan informed Barnes that Lohmer wouldn't cause any harm again, while their role in his death couldn't be proven and the punishment would just be reducing their food rations for a week. Barnes only response was, however, to ask Dugan to stop calling him "Jimmy", as his full name was James Buchanan Barnes and he preferred being called Bucky.^[4]

Liberation of Allied Prisoners of War[]

Hearing about the events in Azzano and the imprisonment of the soldiers that battled HYDRA, Steve Rogers decided to rescue the prisoners alone. Agent Peggy Carter of the Strategic Scientific Reserve supported his decision and offered to fly him from Italy to Austria in a plane piloted by Howard Stark. Discussing the details of Rogers' extraction, the plane went under attack, so Rogers decided to jump off the plane, ordering them to abandon enemy airspace, as now he was a captain, and therefore able to give orders.

Arnim Zola was transferred from HYDRA Headquarters and put in charge of the weapons facility, with the Tesseract contained inside the factory to harness its energy to fuel production and power the weapons. Zola took Johann Schmidt on a tour of the production floor, with Zola being very pleased that they were ahead of schedule considering the large size of many of the parts. Schmidt was not all that impressed and order Zola to increase the output in this and the rest of the facilities. When Zola informed him that the request was not possible given the condition of the prisoners, Schmidt casually replied for Zola to use what remaining strength they had left and that new workers were easy to come by.

Rogers successfully infiltrated the facility and made his way to the prison, acquiring a Tesseract fuel cell along the way. Rogers freed the prisoners, asking for the whereabouts of Bucky Barnes, and told them to exit the facility and head to a nearby forest, battling HYDRA soldiers along the way, while Rogers went to look for Barnes. The freed prisoners battled HYDRA forces, seizing many weapons and vehicles to clear their way out. Schmidt observed the ensuing chaos on the security monitors and activated an alarm signal in the whole facility, before realizing that Rogers had also infiltrated the base.

In order to avoid the facility being captured, Schmidt activated the self-destruct sequence to Zola's shock. He rushed to his office, in order to save important documents, coming across Rogers but fleeing before being reached. Rogers eventually found Barnes in a laboratory, where a map showing other HYDRA facilities was displayed. Rogers memorized the map and began searching for an exit with Barnes just before the self-destruct mechanisms started to explode. As the two tried to find a way out, they came across Schmidt and Zola. Schmidt taunted Rogers about their no longer human nature after being subjected to Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum.

Rogers and Schmidt exchanged blows, but Zola pulled a nearby lever causing the walkway the two were standing on to separate. Before making their getaway, Schmidt revealed his true face to Rogers, the result of Erskine's imperfect serum, being the reason for his nickname, the Red Skull. Schmidt boarded a single manned aircraft to escape the facility, while giving Zola the keys of his personal car to escape.

As the explosions continued, Rogers and Barnes made their way up the factory to a beam they needed to cross to get to safety. Barnes managed to get across before the beam broke. Without the beam, Rogers was left with no other option than to jump across in order to make it to safety. Despite the danger, Rogers successfully made the jump across the void through the erupting flames. Rogers and Barnes successfully escaped the factory, and met up with the rest of the freed prisoners to make their way back to base camp in Italy.^[4]

Werner Reinhardt's Experiments[]

In 1945, the HYDRA Fortress was under the command of Werner Reinhardt, who used it to conduct experiments on his prisoners. Among the various experiments performed by Reinhardt and his lead scientist was studying the petrifying effects of the Obelisk. To this end, the occupants of the Hunan village who found the Kree artifact were imprisoned here to be test subjects.

During one session, Reinhardt taunted one of the prisoners with the beauty of the artifact while the whole session was being recorded. Reinhardt asked how the prisoner and his group managed to find the Obelisk, to which he fearfully answered that they heard a legend regarding it. Reinhardt politely asked the prisoner to hold the Obelisk, hiding his true intention of witnessing how the Obelisk petrified his body. However, as soon as the prisoner grabbed the artifact, his body turned to stone. The scientist remarked the speed this particular body was petrified, and Reinhardt deduced that gender and race were no factors in how the Obelisk reacted, being unable to find any pattern.

Reinhardt ordered to bring the next subject, a young woman named Jiaying, and again politely asked her to grab the Obelisk. Unlike the former prisoner, the woman tried to resist but was ultimately forced to touch the item with her face, as Reinhardt claimed that discovery required experimentation. The reaction was very different as, instead of turning her into stone, the Obelisk glow displaying a series of symbols.

Reinhardt and the rest of HYDRA members and guards were extremely surprised about the outcome, and Reinhardt ordered to prepare the woman for surgery in order to examine what made her different. Before they could start, an officer arrived at the room to inform Reinhardt about the fall of Red Skull and how the Allied forces were approaching their location. Reinhardt regretted the loss of a great mind, and ordered to imprison a woman, as he and his troops went to evacuate to another facility.^[2]

Capture of the HYDRA Research Facility[]

In 1945, the facility was under the command of Werner Reinhardt, who supervised the dismantling of the facility and the move of all the items held there in the final days of World War II. Reinhardt was especially concerned about the move of the Obelisk, reminding one of his officers about the care needed to move it and informing him of the death of the Red Skull, but that his vision would continue living, and HYDRA would continue to work for their goals. Reinhardt was presented with the Obelisk, admiring it once again, as he explained it was an advanced artifact that according to Schmidt, it may hold the answer to death itself, but was also responsible for the death of some of the petrified corpses that were in the facility.

As they were evacuating, the facility came under attack by the Strategic Scientific Reserve, with a team led by Peggy Carter, Dum Dum Dugan, and Jim Morita. The soldiers easily surrendered, though Carter had to threaten Reinhardt in order to make him put the Obelisk down, informing all of them that all the assets in the facility were taken under the protection of the Strategic Scientific Reserve to be relocated and indefinitely hidden.

Reinhardt, his lieutenant and all their soldiers were taken into custody, though Reinhardt menaced Carter with the HYDRA motto as Dugan was handcuffing him. As the prisoners were taken out, the soldiers started to pack and mark every artifact held into the facility in order to move them to a secure facility. Carter personally took care that nobody was able to witness the blue corpse, while explaining the need to get the items out of enemy territory as soon as possible, as Howard Stark planned to examine them that same night, and she warned Morita, who was about to put the Obelisk inside a box, to never touch it, marking the box with the reference 0-8-4.

Carter finally shared her thoughts that they had managed to beat HYDRA, as this facility was the last HYDRA site they knew of, but also commented that a peacetime permanent unit to supervise both the confiscated artifacts and people like Stark that would investigate them, was necessary.^[3]

Return of Werner Reinhardt[]

In 1989, Werner Reinhardt was released from the Rat under orders of Alexander Pierce and escorted back to his fortress by Hauer. Hauer explained that the fortress had been under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection since the end of World War II, as HYDRA had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. from its very beginning. Rivera presented Reinhardt with the elders from the village that he studied during the war. Among the elders was Jiaying who was looking exactly the same as in 1945.

Reinhardt was extremely surprised to see her, and, wanting to learn how she managed to do it, Reinhardt ordered to prepare Jiaying for experimentation, as he felt it was time to know what made her special. For a week, Reinhardt vivisected her, acquiring her blood and organs, and then he ordered to transplant all of them into himself. The operation transformed Reinhardt back to a younger age, and as soon as he recovered, he ordered Hauer to dispose of the Jiaying's remains. Calvin Zabo was able to trace her location to Austria, finding the remains of his lover dumped in a ditch. He cried, and with his beloved wife's corpse in his arms, he swore for revenge.^[2]

Steel Serpent's Sales[]

Vienna and Saint Johann Im Pongau were the hometowns of some of the Hand's clients that bought their Steel Serpent using the Rand Enterprises' resources.^[5]

Sokovia Accords[]

In May 2016, Austria was one of the countries that signed the Sokovia Accords.^[6]

Bombing of the Vienna International Centre[]

This section requires expansion

The Sokovia Accords were to be ratified at the Vienna International Centre in the capital city of Vienna. Most notably in attendance at the Centre were King T'Chaka of Wakanda, his son T'Challa, and Natasha Romanoff. As T'Chaka began to announce the start of the ratification, T'Challa noticed something suspicious outside the window and quickly yelled at everyone to duck, as a bomb then exploded. In the wake of the bomb, T'Challa found out that his father died from the bomb.

Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Sharon Carter arrived in Vienna after seeing the bombing on a television. Carter had to return to work with her CIA team, while Rogers and Wilson remained undercover. At a nearby bar, Carter brought papers to Rogers with information about his friend.

Having survived the bomb, Romanoff talked to Rogers on her phone and discussed his upcoming plans. After the phone call, Romanoff spoke with T'Challa, who told her that he planned to kill his father's killer.^[6]

Wakanda's Exposal[]

Months later, T'Challa, Ayo, Nakia, and Okoye went to the Vienna International Centre and attended the United Nations meeting. Everett Ross was in attendance as well. T'Challa spoke at the meeting and established full relations between Wakanda and the rest of the world, promising to share their Vibranium and technology.^[7]

Flag Smashers' Political Ultimatum[]

After the Blip, the Global Repatriation Council set up a refugee camp in Vienna. In 2024, the Flag Smashers targeted that camp on their campaign.^[8]

Midtown Summer Trip[]

In Summer 2024, during the Midtown school sponsored trip, the attendees, most notably Peter Parker, travelled through portions of Austria on a tour bus. The attendees also stopped at an Austrian rest stop along the way, and during that time, Parker was given a Stealth Suit by the Seamstress. Back on the bus, Parker tested out his new glasses and used the E.D.I.T.H. system to target Brad Davis, sending a drone at them. However, Parker distracted the others on the bus and disabled the drone in time.^[9]

Chase for the Scarab[]

Marc Spector went to Austria and took the Scarab of Ammit. However, after getting it, he fell unconscious in a meadow. When he woke up, Steven Grant had taken over and was confused about his surroundings. He saw two men in the window of a nearby tower and waved only to get shot at by them. He ran into a nearby village and witnessed the Disciples of Ammit surrounding their leader, Arthur Harrow. Harrow saw Grant and demanded the Scarab, only for Spector to take control and kill some of his followers. Grant returned and after Harrow chased him, he hopped into a cupcake truck and took off on the highway. He was chased by Harrow’s men but Spector defeated them.^[10]

Alternate Universes[]

Steve Rogers' Heroism[]

Liberation of Allied Prisoners of War[]

In an alternate universe, Howard Stark flew Steve Rogers into Austrian airspace and dropped him off near HYDRA Base Camp C3, where Rogers intended to free the soldiers held there. He realized that there were more soldiers than anticipated and found where they were being held. Rogers freed the soldiers and continued to search the facility while Johann Schmidt activated the self-destruct sequence. Rogers found and rescued Bucky Barnes and confronted Schmidt, who revealed that the Super Soldier Serum had deformed his face to the point where it was just a red skull. Rogers and Barnes barely escaped with their lives, and the rescued soldiers walked to Italy together.^[11]

Attack on HYDRA Headquarters[]

Rogers and the Howling Commandos, along with the Special Scientific Reserve, made preparations to attack the last of HYDRA's facilities, which was in Austria. Peggy Carter and Chester Phillips briefed Rogers on the layout, and everyone got into their positions. Rogers fought his way into the base and let himself get captured and brought to Johann Schmidt. As Schmidt beat Rogers, the Howling Commandos burst in and started fighting, leading Red Skull to flee. Rogers chased Red Skull, who took off in his plane. Rogers boarded the plane, but found himself getting taken outside but smaller fighter jets. Rogers fought the pilots and made his way back to the base, hoping to defeat Red Skull.^[11]

Appearances[]

Appearances for Austria

In chronological order: Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: First Vengeance Captain America: The First Avenger Adaptation Avengers: Infinity War Prelude (map) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two Shadows (flashbacks) The Things We Bury (flashbacks) Ant-Man Iron Fist Season One Felling Tree with Roots (mentioned) Captain America: Civil War Black Panther: The Junior Novel Black Panther (flashback) Black Panther: The Junior Novel (mentioned) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Four Lockup (footage) Broken Promises (picture) The Patriot (picture) Black Panther The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Season One New World Order (screen) The Whole World Is Watching (mentioned) Truth (screen) Spider-Man: Far From Home Moon Knight Season One The Goldfish Problem

References[]

External Links[]

• Austria on Wikipedia