Bob, Agent of Hydra

Bob, Agent of HYDRA
Bob, Agent of HYDRA
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Cable & Deadpool #38; (May 2007)
Created by	Fabian Nicieza
In-story information
Alter ego	Bob
Team affiliations	Agency X; HYDRA

Bob, Agent of HYDRA, is a fictional mercenary in the Marvel Comics Universe, and a sidekick of Deadpool.

Fictional character biography

A cowardly young man, Bob was persuaded into joining the criminal organization HYDRA by his wife, Allison, who accused him of not being able to hold a steady job. The thought of a stable career with a dental plan also appealed to Bob, though he was disappointed to find out HYDRA does not offer full dental like AIM. During Deadpool's assault on HYDRA to rescue the captured Agent X, he ran into Bob and coerced him into helping him. Bob was hesitant, as HYDRA would not allow him back into the organization having betrayed them, but the (currently four-inch tall) Deadpool tortured him with a security card until he relented. He then forced Bob to fly them to safety in one of HYDRA's jets, though Bob did not know how to pilot an aircraft.

After Deadpool, Agent X, and Bob returned to the United States, they found Outlaw and Sandi missing. Bob accompanied Deadpool on his mission to save the girls and subsequently became an honorary member of Agency X. He continues to work with the group on their various missions, and is referred to as Deadpool's "Pet" (or "Minion", because that is "more PC"). Bob was recently shot in the leg, during a raid on the very same HYDRA base Deadpool kidnapped him from, in an attempt to save Weasel from Wolverine. When Wolverine cut off Deadpool's head, Bob was the one who put it back and let Deadpool's healing factor kick in. After Deadpool and Bob rescued Weasel, they were suddenly teleported into the past, where they aided Captain America and Bucky in stopping Arnim Zola. Following that adventure, Bob accompanied Deadpool on a mission through various dimensions to help Doctor Strange save reality after it was damaged by T-Ray's novice magic.

He also travelled with Deadpool and Weasel to the Savage Land, where he ran away from an assortment of dinosaurs. Deadpool attempted to teleport the dinos to Genosha as a prank on Magneto, but instead they were sent to the Genoshan Embassy in downtown Manhattan, as well infected with the alien Symbionts responsible for Venom and Carnage. During the resultant battle, Bob's attempt to flee accidentally caused the death of one of the creatures while a news crew watched. Thinking his actions were intentional, they interviewed Bob who claimed the 'H' on his uniform stood for "Hero". He then received a text message from Allison who had seen the events on the news and thought it was hot. Bob is last seen watching television with Deadpool and his supporting cast as the series ends.

Abilities

Bob has no superpowers, and no combat or tactical skills to speak of. What training HYDRA gives its minions seems primarily focused on running away and hiding when confronted with danger, making Bob a parody of the cannon-fodder henchmen frequently seen working for evil organizations in comic books. Even this training seems useless, as Bob has cited such HYDRA lessons as "Hiding behind each other" and "If I can't see them they can't see me". However, Deadpool has said that Bob is better at running away than anyone he has seen.

Bob has had a pathological fear ingrained in him of certain characters who are particularly devastating enemies of HYDRA. Among these are Captain America, Wolverine and Elektra. When stressed he has a tendency to shout "Hail HYDRA!" and other propaganda of the organization such as "Cut off one head and two more will take its place!".

Despite his incompetence, Bob sometimes gets lucky. He was able to fly a plane a long distance despite having no knowledge of how to do so, and killed an alien possessed dinosaur by accident while fleeing it. He was also able to save Deadpool's life during a battle with Wolverine by staying put to reattach his head despite his cowardice. Even though he is useless in a fight, Deadpool seems to delight in taking him on dangerous missions, seemingly for his own amusement. Bob goes along with him, although it is unclear whether this is because he is afraid of Wade or genuinely considers him a friend - Or because he's a committed minion and doesn't know what else to do.

Notes

Bob often complains in his online blog, which is how Deadpool and Weasel first discovered him.