The Hatros Institute for Emotional Research, founded by Doctor Hatros to study emotions and help people who had emotional problems by using "Hatros techniques" in sessions, had its first headquarters in Los Angeles, California, expanding to other locations in subsequent years and achieving popularity as the largest research center into human emotion in America. After the death of Dr. Hatros, his reclusive widow Adrienne took over the activities. However, Adrienne was then murdered and impersonated by the misanthropic supervillain Nekra Sinclair, who used the Institute for her own purposes such as researching her own powers, based on negative emotions, and providing a cover for the murderous Kara-Kai (Cult of Kâli), which she led.
Jessica Drew, secretly the superhero Spider-Woman, went to the Cult seeking to find out why most people disliked her. This was due to a side effect of Drew's powers in which she gave off pheromones similar to those of Nekra's former partner, the Mandrill; those Nekra to not feel hatred for either Drew or the Mandrill, which prevented her from attacking them. Nekra had the Institute hire Drew as a receptionist and investigate her, hoping to secretly develop an antidote that would immunize Nekra against such pheromones so she could get revenge on the Mandrill; while in public Drs. Mark Leaman and Morgan Sachs studied Drew until they found a compound that reduced her pheromone emission. Meanwhile, law enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and superpowered vigilante Shroud tracked the Cult of Kâli to the Institute, harming their activities with the help of Spider-Woman. When Nekra finally tested her antidote against Spider-Woman, the effect of the antidote ended too soon, and Nekra was defeated, beaten, and locked up while she was in a coma.
Although it was not publicly revealed that Nekra had impersonated Ms. Hatros, the Institute changed management and the new CEO, Mr. Tuscher, fired Drew upon discovering that Nekra had not hired her. legally, even denying him severity pay and benefits. Spider-Woman decided to rob the Institute of the money it owed her, but later, repentant, she returned it.
Nekra later regained control of the Institute in Shriver Cove, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she hoped to contaminate the water and transform the entire population into her slaves before expanding her activities using a TV transmitter. The Hatros Institute gained great popularity in Shriver Cove, with most people going there without knowing they were being conditioned, and without ever seeing the reclusive Ms. Hatros. However, when photographer Peter Parker (secretly the superhero Spider-Man) visited Shriver Cove to promote his book, he discovered Nekra's plans and foiled them with the help of superhero biochemist Dr. Henry Pym. Pym reversed the effects of Nekra's plans, but Nekra escaped.
History
The Hatros Institute for Emotional Research[10][1] was founded by Doctor Hatros to help people understand their own emotions and those of others people, and to be honest and in touch with their own feelings,[1] for which he taught his patients the so-called Hatros techniques for aggressive sensitivity, testing reactions to different stimuli, and then advanced methods, in guided group sessions in which the guide urged the patients to explain their reasons for being there, and to interact with people they did not know.[2] In addition to its therapeutic programs, the Hatros Institute became the largest research center into human emotion in the United States,[7] achieving great popularity: Successful actors did not hesitate to mention, in television interviews, how the Hatros Institute had helped them with their personal problems.[1]
Dr. Hatros founded the first clinic in Los Angeles in 1974.[1] [note 1] After Hatros' death, his reclusive widow Adrienne came to control the clinic.[4][11] Meanwhile, Nekra Sinclair was a misanthropic albino supercriminal with the power to transform the hatred she felt into strength, who had collaborated for the supervillain Mandrill,[4][12][13] the only person until then who had inspired in her emotions as rare as affection, trust and love. Betrayed by the Mandrill,[4] Nekra was placed in custody of S.H.I.E.L.D., where she was kept drugged so that she could not use her powers, until she managed to escape.[4][11][12][13] Although she hated the Mandrill and S.H.I.E.L.D., she chose to operate discreetly[4] and happened upon a den of zealot[4][11][12][13] worshipers of the Hindu goddess Kâli,[2][5][4][11][12][13] the Kara-Kai.[10] She took over the cult, becoming its High Priestess, then moved their base of operation to the West Coast.[4][11][12][13] Looking for a cover for the Kara-Kai, Nekra decided to take control of the Hatros Institute, [4][12] which would also allow her to use the Institute's resources to learn more about her powers, including why they relied on violent emotions while peaceful emotions made her vulnerable.[4][11]
Adrienne was killed by a cultist[4][12] under Nekra's orders.[4][11] Posing as Ms. Hatros, Nekra came to control the clinic, channeling her resources into the study of hate[4][12] (Adrienne Hatros was reputed for important advances in emotion therapy; it is not clear if that was Nekra or the real Adrienne)[1] and using the Institute, as planned, as a cover for the Kara-Kai.[10] The cultists were hiding in an underground stronghold beneath a mausoleum in a cemetery in Glendale,[5] while Nekra lived in Adrienne Hatros' mansion, and she was never seen around because she was supposedly often out of town on business,[5][4] lecturing and founding clinics in other cities,[4] but in reality she used to be hidden in Los Angeles, literally monitoring what was happening at the Hatros Institute[5] and possibly inside the building.[1] Most people at the Institute, including manager Dr. Mark Leaman, did not know that Ms. Hatros was actually Nekra,[8] even though cultists sometimes entered the Institute at night to report to Nekra.[4]
Five years had passed after the founding of the Hatros Institute, and there were several reports of death-cult activities in Los Angeles, attracting the attention of LAPD[2] and S.H.I.E.L.D., the latter sending two agents, Jeffrey Cochren and Margaret Huff, to investigate it.[1] The cultists murdered Cochren and Huff, but left clues in the process.[4] When Cochren and Huff stopped reporting, S.H.I.E.L.D. Regional Chief for Los Angeles Barth Bukowski tasked two other agents, Laura Brown and Jerry Hunt, to find out what exactly had happened to Cochren and Huff.[1] Furthermore, the superhuman vigilante Shroud, a former Kâli cultist from a different tradition, was also on the trail of Kara-Kai, fearing that those assassins had ties to his own sect.[5] Meanwhile, Jessica Drew (secretly the superheroine Spider-Woman[1][10][14] and coincidentally Jerry Hunt's estranged girlfriend)[1][10] learned about Hatros Institute on television and, since she had problems finding employment[1] because most people disliked her[1][12][13][10] due to a side effect of her pheromone manipulation powers,[1][12][13] went to the Institute considering being a patient[1][12][13] (although she couldn't afford to pay for the treatment, she had heard about a free trial session on TV).[1] Nekra, spying on what was happening at the Institute,[1] noted how Drew was the only person, besides the Mandrill, for whom Nekra had not instinctively felt hatred or contempt upon first contact;[4][12][13] this was because Drew's pheromone manipulation powers were similar to those of the Mandrill.[12][13] A doctor in cahoots with Nekra evaluated Drew and, at Nekra's request, proposed that the Hatros Institute study her situation; Drew explained that she couldn't afford for that,[1] and Nekra had[15][13] the doctor hire Drew[1] as the clinic's receptionist[1][10] for the late shift as a special deal,[1] to ensure that Drew was often at the Institute and thus analyze what caused this unusual effect on Nekra[4][12][13] and thus find a way to immunize Nekra against the Mandrill's powers.[4] Nekra had the previous receptionist fired[1] and did not register Drew's employment before the public administration, possibly to avoid loose ends,[7] but otherwise paid her salary[1] and included her in therapy groups.[1][10] Drew quickly began to learn about human behavior thanks to the Hatros Institute.[1]
On one of Drew's first days at work,[1] a group of cultists infiltrated the Institute to inform Nekra of the results of their missions,[4] without knowing that the Shroud was following them,[2][5] hoping to find their secret lair.[5] The Shroud, blind but with powers of extrasensory perception, often turned off the lights of his battlefields to have an advantage over his enemies,[5] and did so at the Hatros Institute; he also knocked out her secretary to keep her away from the fight and thus protect her, not knowing that she was a superhuman adventurer. Drew quickly recovered, disguised himself as Spider-Woman, and attacked the Shroud in the dark. Although Spider-Woman could not see or aim the venom blasts, she knew the Institute and knew where the fire extinguishers were; she grabbed one and used it, making Shroud slip on the chemical foam, and knocked him out with a venom blast in a battle that had reached the physical therapy room. When the light returned, she found herself surrounded by [1] a dozen turban-wearing, kris-wielding cultists with Kâli pendants. She noted that Shroud's face was marked with the same symbol as the pendants, and initially she believed they were his allies, but the cultists attempted to kill the Shroud (admittedly before they saw the symbol). Spider-Woman confronted the cultists, sticking to the ceiling to avoid their stabs, and then the Shroud regained consciousness, turned off the lights again, and knocked out twelve cultists, before hiding himself:[2] The Shroud had decided to help Spider-Woman, realizing that she was not his enemy.[5] Spider-Woman was left alone in the room with the knocked-out cultists, and called the police to report the breaking and entering, but the cultists recovered and disappeared by the time the police arrived:[1] They fled back to their hidden lair through a secret exit in the room, not knowing that the Shroud was following them.[5] The police took a statement and questioned Drew for three hours, but since her story was consistent with other reports from the murder cult, they were satisfied and believed her.[2] The police report would reach the hands of Brown and Hunt, who became interested in this clue[4] after following several leads that had been fruitless.[2]
Drew later had therapy sessions[2][10] led by Norma,[2][10] in which often no one wanted to voluntarily interact with Drew.[2] In one of these sessions, Drew met Lindsay McCabe,[2][10] the first woman who did not dislike Drew in a first impression[2] and who became Drew's friend.[2][10] Nekra, fascinated, watched this situation from her hiding place.[2]
Drew investigated the Kâli cult and learned of the theft of a Kâli idol[2] that was indeed in the cult's hand. The Shroud recruited Drew to help him infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. Los Angeles Headquarters and obtain information about the cult; so Drew called in sick to the Institute.[5] That same day, following the police report of the break and entering,[4] Brown and Hunt were to the Institute and interrogated Leaman; Leaman agreed to tell them what he knew, proudly showed them the work the Institute did, and told them that the receptionist who had seen the events was sick that day; Hunt was surprised to hear Drew's name, but when Brown asked him about her, he denied knowing her. Hunt wanted to speak to Ms. Hatros, who was in the building, but Leaman told him that she was traveling east on business; Nekra, monitoring the encounter, ordered her agent Armand to capture those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and execute them in the next ritual that same night.[5]
The cultists abducted Brown and Hunt from Brown's beach house in Malibu, and took them bound and unconscious to the Glendale Cemetery[5] to execute them,[5][12][13] with Nekra officiating the ritual;[5][4][12][13] but the Shroud took Spider-Woman there in repayment for her previous help,[5] and the two heroes rescued the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents,[5][10] discreetly leaving afterwards before Brown and Hunt would see them. Twenty-five cultists were knocked out and tied up, so that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents take care of his arrest. Nekra managed to escape, discovering Spider-Woman's identity in the process.[5][4] Brown and Hunt reported to Bukowski what had happened, including the visit to the Hatros Institute that had undoubtedly put the cultists on alert; but S.H.I.E.L.D. failed to get the cultists to identify their leader.[4]
Meanwhile, Hatros Institute studies revealed the similarity of Drew's pheromone manipulation powers with those of the Mandrill's, which Nekra took advantage of to develop an antidote that would make Nekra immune to Drew's pheromones:[4][12][13] When Nekra was under the effect of Drew's or the Mandrill's pheromones, she was unable to attack them because she was dominated by regret; but she wanted revenge on the Mandrill, for which she sought to use this compound. She intended to test him by killing Drew, and in the process getting revenge because Drew had been responsible for capturing Nekra's cultists.[4]
Meanwhile, among the official activities in the Institute, Dr. Leaman contacted Stanford University physiology expert Dr. Morgan Sachs, informing him of Drew's case, and Sachs traveled to Los Angeles to test Drew during the workday while another receptionist, Ms. Florio, covered Drew's position. Sachs correctly deduced that Drew generated pheromones that were subconsciously perceived by some people, and most women were uncomfortable by the message received from her while some men were attracted to her. After the tests, Sachs began to develop a customized medication for Drew that would inhibit her pheromone production, with the approval of Leaman, who agreed to change Drew's therapy.[4]
To lure Drew into a trap,[4][12][13] "Ms. Hatros" organized a get-together for employees at her manse the following Friday at 8 pm, and made sure that Leaman invited Drew,[4] but to prevent the rest of the employees from coming, "Ms. Hatros" called Leaman at the last minute to cancel it, when Drew had already left for the place and thus would not receive the message.[8] At the mansion, Nekra, under the effects of her antidote that immunized her against Drew's pheromones, attempted to kill Drew in a brutal fight; but the effect of the antidote wore off, and suddenly Nekra, whose powers depended on the hatred she felt, lost her invulnerability and strength[4][11][12][13] Before she know it,[4] Spider-Woman defeated Nekra,[10] injuring her so badly[11] that Nekra fell into a coma.[4][12][13] Drew then notified the police, reporting that another person had entered and attacked Drew and the supposedly-unknown albino woman.[4]
Nekra was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody once again, in a medical research hospital until she could be transferred to prison,[11] and although the connection of Nekra and the cult[10] with the Hatros Institute had been discovered by Drew,[11] Leaman and the rest of the Institute staff knew nothing:[8] Officially, Ms. Hatros was simply missing.[7] After a couple of nights in the hospital, Drew considered moving to London with Hunt, but instead broke up with him partly because she liked having that job at the Hatros Institute.[4] Back at work, Leaman took an interest in Drew, asking about her health after the beating she had received, then set her up with Sachs that same afternoon; Drew ran into McCabe at the Institute and both regretted not being able to meet in the encounter group.[8] Sachs had developed pills that inhibited Drew's excess pheromone production, which would allow him to improve his social interaction;[8][10] Drew knew that her powers quickly immunized her to poisons and drugs, and she feared that this medication would soon be no longer useful, but Sachs trusted the bioanalysis she had done on Drew to adapt the medications to her body. At Sachs' request, Drew tested the new treatment at an intense social activity, specifically a nightclub, and flirted with a boy named Eric[8] who she later discovered was the hedonistic super-powered murderer Waxman.[8][16] Initially believing that "Eric's" strange behavior was because she had rejected him and he was unable to handle the situation, Drew considered suggesting the Hatros Institute - but then she discovered what he really was, and she attacked him.[16]
When Ms. Hatros' disappearance was confirmed, the Hatros Institute officially had a change of management[6][7][10] with a new board of directors[6] led by Mr. Tuscher[7] who, contrary to Nekra, intended to maintain stricter control over the Institute's activities. Dr. Leaman chastised Drew when she was late, warning her that such slip-ups could have consequences under Tuscher's administration. That day, Drew and McCabe participated in a therapy group with fourteen other people and, although Drew was under the effects of Dr. Sachs' medication, the people in the group bullied Drew to the point that McCabe decided to take her friend home.[6]
The new management was so strict that Leaman's job was in jeopardy. Additionally, when it was discovered that Drew's employment had not been legally registered by "Ms. Hatros",[7] Drew lost her position[7][10] with no benefits or severity; the Institute used that money to cover the cost of her therapies. At that time, Drew also received an eviction notice. Confused and intimidated, Spider-Woman secretly entered the Hatros Institute[7] to steal[7][10] $300 from her cash register, in compensation for two weeks of arrears that she believed were owed to her. Coincidentally, Peter Parker, secretly the superhero Spider-Man, was visiting the Hatros Institute as part of his work as a photographer for the Daily Globe, covering several clinics in California while fellow journalist Mike interviewed Leaman about it. Parker, finding the assignment boring, showed more interest when he saw Spider-Woman breaking the safe,[7] and followed her.[7][10] Spider-Woman told Spider-Man that "a friend of hers" had been fired from the Institute without pay, and she had stolen the money, but remorseful she sent Spider-Woman to return it; Spider-Man explained that, if that money disappeared, Spider-Woman's supposed friend (who he had deduced was Spider-Woman herself) would have been the first suspect.[7] Spider-Man advised Spider-Woman to find a way to legally profit from her abilities instead,[7][10] which led Spider-Woman to begin a career as a bounty hunter.[17][10]
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Hatros Clinic, Shriver Cove.
Nekra recovered and escaped,[18][11][12][13] beginning a romantic relationship with the supervillain Grim Reaper that ended when he discovered that he was a reanimated corpse and surrendered to death.[15][19] She kept the corpse,[3][15][19] looking for a way to resurrect him again.[3] Eventually[11] she regained control of the Hatros Institute,[3] readopting the identity of Adrienne Hatros and founding a new Hatros Clinic in Shriver Cove, Cape Cod, Massachusetts,[3][15][19] because the place had a powerful, long-range TV transmitter. Once again becoming the reclusive but reputed Adrienne Hatros, Nekra controlled activities from the Clinic, a hilltop spooky house, and used a process developed by tribal chieftains in Africa to[3] infect the population by drugging the water supply and[3][15][19] using rhythmic speakers and hypnotic dances that made the population focus on their emotions of hatred,[3] creating a hatred-based cult that expelled outsiders.[15][19] He managed to isolate Shriver Cove by discouraging tourists and using a selective news blackout, and some of the locals began to be directly controlled by Nekra, as she hoped to turn the entire local population into his new cult while searching for a way to bring the Grim Reaper back to life. Meanwhile, although some inhabitants of Shriver Cove changed their attire and behavior to become Nekra's mind-controlled followers, many others believed they were just continuing with their usual lives, with the only difference that the Hatros Institute had become very popular in the town and most of the townspeople made appointments there.[3]
Peter Parker visited Shriver Cove as part of the promotional tour for his photography book Webs, where he was greeted by Jeff Wainright, his guide and Hatros Institute patient, and interviewed by Jeanette Latour of Cape Cod Today, who showed more interest in the Hatros Institute than the interview. As an outsider and as Spider-Man, Parker was harassed by hateful mobs, so he investigated, and was surprised when they wouldn't let him into the Hatros Institute. Entering surreptitiously, Spider-Man discovered the Hatros Institute's methods and was attacked by cultists; He escaped and, realizing that he needed a biochemist, contacted the West Coast Avengers to ask for superhero and biochemist Henry Pym's help. Pym quickly confirmed that Shriver Cove seemed to be isolating itself and gave value to Spider-Man's theory that the water was drugged: he traveled to Shriver Cove to check it out, analyzed the water and understood that he could reverse the process as an antidote; however, the cultists found Pym and captured him, bringing him to Nekra in a cave (possibly under the Hatros Clinic). With Spider-Man's help, Pym freed himself and together they began to spray the antidote on the population to restore their normal state.[3] Nekra escaped[3] with the body of the Grim Reaper,[15][19] and Pym cured the townspeople[3] again with Spider-Man's help.[15][19]
Since then, the Hatros Institute has not been used in criminal schemes, as far as is known.
Locations[]
Notes
- ↑ This fact should be considered topical. The comic in which the date is mentioned was published in 1979, only 5 years after this date
- Nekra's profile in both All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 mention how the Hatros Institute discovered Drew's pheromone manipulation powers being similar to the Mandrill's before Laura Brown and Jerry Hunt were kidnapped by the cult in Spider-Woman #15. Although Dr. Morgan Sachs made tests on Drew in Spider-Woman #16 to confirm that hypothesis and generate a different pheromone-inhibitor medicine, by then Nekra had already developed her antidote (a different compound), meaning that surely Nekra's research and development were performed secretly, without the public face of Hatros Institute knowing about it.
See Also
- 8 appearance(s) of Hatros Institute (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) of Hatros Institute (Earth-616)
- 2 image(s) of Hatros Institute (Earth-616)
- 5 member(s) of Hatros Institute (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 Spider-Woman #13
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 Spider-Woman #14
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 Web of Spider-Man #46
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 4.34 4.35 4.36 4.37 4.38 4.39 4.40 4.41 Spider-Woman #16
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 Spider-Woman #15
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Spider-Woman #19
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 Spider-Woman #20
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 Spider-Woman #17
- ↑ Spider-Woman #35
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 10.18 10.19 10.20 10.21 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #11 ; Spider-Woman (Drew)'s profile
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #9 ; Nekra's profile
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 ; Nekra's profile
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 ; Nekra's profile
- ↑ All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 ; Vol 1 8
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 Nekra's profile
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Spider-Woman #18
- ↑ Spider-Woman #21
- ↑ Spider-Woman #50
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 Nekra's profile