While Mark Hamill might be best known for his iconic role as quintessential hero Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” series, he’s no stranger to the dark side — in fact, Luke Skywalker almost had a darker name. For over 30 years, Hamill was the voice of one of the DC animated universe’s most recognizable and deranged villains, The Joker, before retiring from the role in 2022 following the death of Batman’s voice actor Kevin Conroy.
But The Joker isn’t the only devious villain Hamill has played. Over the years, the avid comic book collector has lent his voice to a host of antagonists, anti-heroes, and downright scoundrels across the animated Marvel and DC universes, including Hobgoblin, Nightmare, Tony Zucco, and Red Skull. He even portrayed The Trickster in not one, but two live-action “The Flash” TV series -– more than 20 years apart. However, perhaps one of the renowned actor’s most underrated performances was playing one of Marvel’s most bizarre supervillains: Dr. Arnim Zola.
Who is Arnim Zola?
In the Marvel universe, Arnim Zola is a genius-but-mad Swiss scientist who specializes in genetics and biochemistry. After discovering and decoding ancient documents detailing Deviant scientific secrets, Zola begins performing genetic experiments that ultimately lead him to creating an artificial life-form –- the first of many. In the following years, the scientist creates more life forms using genetic material cloned from his own brain cells.
During World War II, Zola –- in need of financial support for his experiments –- sides with the Nazis and Hydra, who take his cloning technology a step further for their use. He creates a brain patterning device that transfers someone’s personality and memories into a cloned body, in hopes that it can be used to prolong Hitler’s life after death. To ensure the technology worked, he first transferred his own consciousness into a tall, metallic artificial body, with his head appearing in an ESP box in the middle of his chest — and his brain located in the chest cavity.
The ESP box converts telepathic input into sensory input, allowing him to see and hear, while his robotic body makes him incredibly strong. What’s more, when the body is destroyed, he can simply transfer his consciousness into a new body. This makes him a tough foe, with the supervillain often facing off against Captain America and SHIELD, who seek to put an end to Zola’s creations.
When did Mark Hamill play Arnim Zola?
While Toby Jones played Arnim Zola in one episode of “Agent Carter,” a live-action series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mark Hamill voiced the character in several animated Marvel series — and even in a game. The renowned actor first appeared as the eccentric Hydra scientist in season three of the “Ultimate Spider-Man” animated series, with Hamill portraying the character with a thick accent and menacing tone. In total, he appeared in 10 episodes across seasons three and four, with Arnim Zola serving as a main antagonist across both.
Hamill then reprised the role for the “Avengers Assemble” animated series, appearing in five episodes in season four, “Secret Wars,” and two in season five, “Black Panther’s Quest.” In this series, Zola is part of the Cabal, an organization of the world’s greatest supervillains, led by Loki. Since then, Hamill has returned to the character twice more, once for the “LEGO Marvel Avengers” game and again for one episode of the “Spider-Man” TV series in 2018.
