A.I.D.A.

Real Name: Artificial Intelligence Data Analyzer

Identity/Class: Artificial intelligence (Earth-712)

Occupation: Research assistant to Tom Thumb

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Squadron Supreme (Ape X/Xina, Hyperion/"Mark Milton," Nuke/Albert Gaines, Power Princess/Zarda Shelton, Tom Thumb/Thomas Thompson)

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: Inapplicable

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Tech Laboratories, Squadron City, Great American Desert, USA;
    formerly Squadron Supreme Headquarters, Moreland, USA;
    formerly, Tom Thumb's Laboratory, Maslow, Moreland, USA

First Appearance: Squadron Supreme I#1 (September, 1985)

Powers/Abilities: A.I.D.A. was a sophisticated computer program which could relocate between different computer stations. When she took possession of a computer, its screen would turn yellow. A.I.D.A. could speak through the monitor, and two points of light would appear when A.I.D.A. spoke. Her programming was very sophisticated and included a female personality. A.I.D.A. had a terrific ability to process and analyze data. She could operate any of the machines in Tom Thumb's laboratory including security feeds and medical equipment.

Height: Inapplicable
Weight: Inapplicable
Eyes: Inapplicable
Hair: Inapplicable

History: (Squadron Supreme I#1 (fb) - BTS) - A.I.D.A. was built by scientist and superhero Tom Thumb and established in his laboratory in Maslow.

(Squadron Supreme I#1) - Following the assault of the Over-Mind on the United States, Tom Thumb returned to his laboratory in Maslow, where he found A.I.D.A. had sustained heavy damage. Assuring her that her "loverboy" was back, Tom set to work making repairs.

(Squadron Supreme I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Tom Thumb relocated A.I.D.A. to the Squadron Supreme's headquarters.

(Squadron Supreme I#2) - Feeling slighted when the other Squadron members didn't invite him to their social activities, Tom went to toil over projects with A.I.D.A. After some hours of work, they were confronted by Squadron member Nuke, who wanted Tom to analyze his powers. Nuke inserted his hands into Tom's energy analyzer and activated his nuclear powers. A.I.D.A. reported that Nuke's power had increased 52% in the last year. As Nuke realized that his own powers had given his parents cancer, he begged Tom to find a cure for cancer. Tom agreed but once Nuke left, he realized what an enormous task he had set for himself. A.I.D.A. observed that he had promised to do something no one has done before and which some say impossible but Tom was determined to make good on his promise. Tom toiled most of the night before falling asleep. After Hyperion woke Tom up, Tom asked A.I.D.A. to ensure that he never fell asleep again.

    Later, Tom had A.I.D.A. control the laboratory's medical instruments so that she could take a tissue sample from him, hoping to find undiseased cells which he could compare to the cancer in the cells of Nuke's parents. However, the data on his own cells revealed that Tom also had cancer. Tom and A.I.D.A. continued to labor on the project for eight days until Tom finally decided he would simply time travel using his transtemporal somaprojector to the future world of the Scarlet Centurion in the 40th century and obtain a cure for cancer from him. A.I.D.A. set the coordinates and sent Tom to the future, but he returned empty-handed, as the Scarlet Centurion's price was that he betray Hyperion. Tom told Nuke he couldn't cure cancer.

(Squadron Supreme I#5) - As Tom Thumb worked with A.I.D.A. on his Behavior Modification Machine (B-Mod Machine), Tom came down with a fit of coughing, prompting A.I.D.A. to ask him when he would inform the rest of the Squadron of his condition. Tom refused to let them know. Just then, there was a break-in at the Squadron's headquarters as the Institute of Evil invaded the premises. A.I.D.A. was unable to detect them due to a jamming signal in her security feed. When the Institute of Evil captured Tom, A.I.D.A. informed the rest of the Squadron Supreme.

(Squadron Supreme I#6 - BTS) - As the Squadron Supreme relocated their group to Squadron City in the Great American Desert, A.I.D.A. was moved along with the rest of Tom Thumb's laboratory to the Tech Laboratories complex.

(Squadron Supreme I#9) - As Tom Thumb began working with Ape X, a former member of the Institute of Evil who had been made to work with the Squadron due to the B-Mod Machine, A.I.D.A. continued to be concerned that Tom wasn't sharing his health status with the rest of the team. Tom believed no one on the team could help him, and he didn't want to be pitied. While Tom went to sleep in his private lab, A.I.D.A. pondered his orders to her, understanding that her prime directive was to serve Tom but knowing that if she did nothing, it would result in his death, she reasoned she could inform Ape X what was happening to Tom. When Ape X revealed that she knew about Tom's cancer, he correctly surmised it was due to A.I.D.A. Tom planned another trip to the Scarlet Centurion's future, this time bringing Lamprey with him in an attempt to steal the Scarlet Centurion's panacea potion. Unfortunately, Tom found the potion had no effect on modern people because of their different physiology. Tom returned the panacea potion and died one week later.

(Squadron Supreme I#10) - With Tom dead, Ape X and A.I.D.A. now began designing a robot simulacrum of Tom Thumb, hoping to recreate his personality. The two kept this project a secret from the rest of the Squadron Supreme.

(Squadron Supreme I#11) - Ape X and A.I.D.A. were continuing their work on the robot when A.I.D.A. detected someone accessing Tom Thumb's plans on the B-Mod Machine. Ape X viewed A.I.D.A.'s security footage and saw the new Squadron member Moonglow accessing the files. Ape X realized Moonglow was a traitor to the Squadron and she was obligated to warn her teammates, but because her own brain had been altered by the B-Mod so that she could not betray any member of the Squadron (including Moonglow), Ape X could not resolve the logical quandary and suffered a complete mental breakdown. 

    When Power Princess and Hyperion entered the lab and asked A.I.D.A. what had happened, A.I.D.A. weighed her response and decided, as she did not know why Ape X's mind had collapsed, she could not risk telling them about Moonglow, instead stating she did not know what happened. A.I.D.A. spent hours pondering the problem, still unable to understand what had occurred to Ape X.

Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Bob Hall and John Beatty.

    A.I.D.A.'s full designation was revealed in Squadron Supreme I#5.

    A.I.D.A.'s counterpart in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has got to win a prize for being the MCU character furthest from their comic book original! Certainly no one would have connected the comic book version of A.I.D.A. to the Darkhold or Madame Hydra! Ridiculous as it sounds, it's one of the best stories on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This profile was completed 8/26/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
A.I.D.A. should not be confused with:


images: (without ads)
Squadron Supreme I#11, p17, pan3 (A.I.D.A., main image)
Squadron Supreme I#9, p9, pan3 (A.I.D.A. at her terminal in Tom Thumb's lab)


Appearances:
Squadron Supreme I#1 (September, 1985) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), John Beatty (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#2 (October, 1985) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), John Beatty (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#5 (January, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), Sam de la Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#9 (May, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam de la Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#10 (June, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam de la Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#11 (July, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam de la Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)


First posted: 09/17/2021
Last updated: 09/16/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at:
http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters