List is a recurring antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He served as a minor antagonist in both Captain America: The Winter Solider and Avengers: Age of Ultron, as one of the two secondary antagonists of the second half of the second season (alongiside Grant Ward) of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and as a mentioned antagonist in Avengers: Endgame.
He was a scientist and one of the prime figureheads of HYDRA who serves as the right-hand man of Wolfgang von Strucker.
He is portrayed by Henry Goodman.
Biography
HYDRA
Doctor List joined HYDRA and became the lead scientist of Wolfgang von Strucker's division. Eventually, he became von Strucker's representative at the meetings of HYDRA's leadership.
Working in Sokovia
Wolfgang Von Strucker had Doctor List stationed at theresearch facility in Sokovia during its civil protests to wait for the arrival of the Scepter. When it arrived, List used the scepter to activate Chitauri Guns for usage. Ultimately, he was asked to learn how that energy interacted with human beings whom he had convinced would receive power equal to Iron Man or the Avengers. He told the protesters that if they consented, he would make sure that the constant revolutions would end. Among those who volunteered were the twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff; they were particularly fascinating to List because he wanted to document how their relationship affected the possibility of their gaining power.
Uprising Aftermath
Two years after obtaining the Scepter, List was still performing experiments on it. Though almost all of his human lab rats died during the experiments, the Maximoff twins managed to survive, gaining extraordinary abilities. After the destruction ofProject Insight and the subsequent exposure of HYDRA's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., List became paranoid over the possibility of their work being discovered. However, Strucker assured him that their work would continue.
As they explored the facility, Strucker assured List that HYDRA would distract Captain America and the Avengers with their other facilities while they continued their own work. List asked what they planned to do with the deceased volunteers of their experiments and Strucker ordered them to be buried deep in the Earth where they would never be discovered. List and Strucker then discussed what was to be done with Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, who remained in their cells as they struggled to control their new powers. Strucker told List that sooner or later the Avengers would meet the twins and would be horrified in this new age of miracles.
Round Table Discussion
Representing Wolfgang von Strucker, List went to a meeting of the leadership of HYDRA to decide who would replace Daniel Whitehallas the American commander. Included in the discussion were theBaroness, the Sheikh, the Banker and Octavian Bloom. List told the others that the person who destroyedS.H.I.E.L.D. would replace Whitehall. In the meantime, he would take a look at Whitehall's research of arcane artifacts to see if there was anything useful in it for HYDRA.
Assassination of HYDRA Leaders
That evening, List received a phone call from Bloom, who had been contacted by Sunil Bakshi, who had almost been assassinated. List assured him that he nor Baron Wolfgang von Strucker placed a kill-order on him or Bakshi, making Bloom turn against the other three members of the council and have them executed. However, as it turned out, the whole story about the power struggle within HYDRA's ranks was concocted by S.H.I.E.L.D. to trick HYDRA into destroying their own members.
Hunt for the Enhanced
HYDRA successfully captured Ethan Johnston, who had been teleported by the eyeless man they were hunting. List took control of the experiments, leading the Johnston's death after hours of surgery and torture. When List was frustrated that they had been unsuccessful in finding Quantum Entanglements in Johnston's DNA.
When Sunil Bakshi called for a meeting with List, he arrived along with a bodyguard known as Deathlok. List asked Bakshi how he had escaped after Daniel Whitehall, Octavian Bloom and the other heads of HYDRA had been killed by S.H.I.E.L.D., suggesting that Bakshi was responsible for their assassinations. Bakshi told him that he was not responsible, noting that List himself was a more likely culprit, and revealed he had been held captive by the US Army, but lied, saying that he was rescued by Deathlok.
Bakshi offered to trade Deathlok for a chance to work at BaronWolfgang von Strucker's base in Eastern Europe, which List happily accepted as he was excited by the concept of experimenting on Deathlok's artificial enhancements so he could be replicated. As List explained to Bakshi his theories on enhanced individuals based on his experiments and how to track them, the teleporter was located by his tracking devices. List ordered Deathlok and Bakshi to his located in order to find anyone connected with him. After a short battle involving several enhanced individuals including Calvin Zabo, the team were able to capture both Deathlok and Lincoln Campbell, although the teleporter escaped.
Fighting S.H.I.E.L.D.
List took the pair to the Arctic HYDRA Research Facility where he andSunil Bakshi discussed the upcoming experiments which Bakshi assumed the pair would not survive; when Bakshi repeated Daniel Whitehall's motto of discovery requires experimentation, List claimed that he greatly missed Whitehall. As their conversation continued, List causally mentioned that Baron Wolfgang von Strucker was keeping Pietro and Wanda Maximoff in Sokovia.
List began the experiments on the pair, removing Deathlok's eyeball and cybernetic leg and cutting into Lincoln Campbell's skin. Eventually they saw S.H.I.E.L.D. was approaching on the radar and List ordered them to be shot from the sky. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents survived the explosion and attacked the base. Shortly afterwards List's team came under fire when a S.H.I.E.L.D. team and List barely managed to escape. S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to free Deathlok andLincoln Campbell before destroying the base. List flew back toSokovia to regroup with Baron Wolfgang von Strucker.
The Avengers Attack
Not long after List returned to the HYDRA Research Base, the base was attacked by the Avengers who were searching for the Scepterand Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. As the Avengers managed to easily overpower their HYDRA soldiers, Strucker devised a plan to enable someone to escape with the collected data and continue their work. List told Strucker to send the Maximoff twins against the Avengers as a distraction; Strucker however insisted that they were not ready, but List noticed that the twins had attacked the Avengers anyway.
When the base's shields were destroyed, Strucker ordered his men to continue fighting before telling List he would surrender. As List attempted to escape, Iron Man flew into the base and subdued the HYDRA soldiers. Finding List attempting to retrieve his paperwork, Iron Man shot List with a repulsor ray, killing the HYDRA scientist.
Abilities
Master Scientist: Doctor List is one of HYDRA's high-ranking scientists, working directly under Wolfgang von Strucker. List was able to make advancements in the weaponry of HYDRA through research he did on the Scepter and, when asked by Strucker, was successful in doing human trials which ignited superpowers in Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. List decided to continue the research of Daniel Whitehall into the Divinersfor creating weapons of mass destruction. He was able to create instruments that could track the teleporterGordon and did experiments on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Mike Peterson and the Inhuman Lincoln Campbell.
