Hydra is one of the evilest organizations in Marvel history. With famous ties to villains like the Red Skull and the Nazis themselves, the group has evolved over the years with its leadership structure changing throughout. At one stage Hydra was actually ruled over by a council of its best and brightest.

RELATED: Marvel Comics: Ranking 10 Members Of Hydra From Weakest To Most Powerful

Many of the members of the Hydra Council have been leaders of the organization at some stage or another. They have all served with Hydra for a huge amount of time. The leader of the main formation of the council was one of the most unexpected members to ever join up with Hydra, considering the Council was at its height during the Secret Empire story.

10 Arnim Zola

Arnim Zola marvel

Arnim Zola is one of the most intelligent members of Hydra, but he's hardly a leader. He's one of the brains of the Council and has a long term standing with the organization, considering he has managed to survive for so many years.

While he's not all that formidable in combat without his technology, he has invented weapons and all manner of state of the art equipment in order to combat Captain America and the Avengers. He's certainly superior to many villains from across the Marvel landscape.

9 Dr. Faustus

Dr Faustus Marvel

Dr. Faustus has also had a long-standing with Hydra. While he is incredibly intelligent and can use his psychology training to know how to manipulate people, he also has something that other members of the organization don't.

Faustus has been known to utilize powers of mind control. This is incredibly useful for interrogation, or perhaps to create sleeper agents for Hydra. He has been a loyal member of the evil group and is a valuable member of the council.

8 Kraken

Kraken Marvel

Daniel Whitehall has held many roles in Hydra over the years. He has seemingly defied the laws of time and has been around for so long, even becoming leader at a few different stages. The scientist would eventually take on a villainous alter-ego.

RELATED: 10 Secrets About HYDRA That No Marvel Fan Is Supposed To Know

As the Kraken, he is more deadly than ever. Sporting the Hydra headpiece, Kraken's armor means he is pretty invulnerable to attacks. However, he would later be killed by Jacob Fury who would assume the new role as Kraken.

7 Gorgon

Marvel Comics' Gorgon grimacing and ready for battle

Gorgon is actually one of the few mutants that have aligned themselves with Hydra. He is also a major member of The Hand which means he is a very useful ally to keep on the Council, for the potential for the two teams to work alongside one another.

He is a highly-skilled martial artist and with his mutant abilities, he is perhaps one of the most dangerous members of the council. Not only is he a terrifying assassin who can turn his enemies into stone, but he also has a genius-level intellect.

6 Hive

Hive Marvel

Hive in many ways is the physical embodiment of Hydra. Often seen as an ancient being, Hive is incredibly powerful and indeed very grotesque to look at. The character strikes fear into his enemies from a simple look.

Hive was actually a Hydra experiment that certainly brought more success than they could have ever have anticipated. His strength alone means he is a significant threat to any of the Avengers.

5 Baron Strucker

Baron Strucker commanding his army of HYDRA soldiers

Baron Strucker is pretty synonymous with Hydra. He has been a very successful leader with the group and is responsible for some of their most savage moments. He has a good mind for tactics and is often one step ahead of the heroes.

RELATED: The 10 Deadliest Leaders Of Hydra, Ranked

His status is matched by his abilities. His deadly hand has had many heroes fall prey to it. Asides from the amazing character design, he really is a key member of the Hydra Council as one of the most significant villains of the group thanks to his varied experience.

4 Madame Hydra

Madame Hydra Marvel

There have been two main Madame Hydra's over the years, but this entry concerns the second one of significance, Elisa Sinclair. In the new Hydra reality, she was given the Madame title, but there's one significant difference with Sinclair.

She's actually a powerful sorceress who has supposedly had her powers given to her by immortal beings, potentially making her immortal. This new Madame Hydra may just be one of the most lethal Hydra members the Avengers would ever have had to face.

3 Baron Zemo

Baron Zemo Marvel

The Baron Zemo title is historically very important for the history of Hydra. With multiple members of the family claiming the title and the purple mask across time, their names have become heavily linked to the success of Hydra.

The latest Zemo is one of the smartest that has ever been seen in the comics. He has an elite level of training when it comes to sword and gun combat, but most importantly he is a master tactician and a credible threat.

2 Viper

Madame Hydra

Viper has been the leader of Hydra for a long time and is one of the most dangerous recent additions to the team. She also took on the Madame Hydra role repeatedly and is a threat to mutants like Wolverine as well.

She is an Olympic level athlete and is known for her use of poisons. Blackmail, manipulation, and fear are all tactics that she uses on a regular basis to maneuver into a situation that matches her end goals. She is as sly as she is formidable in battle.

1 Hydra Supreme

Marvel Comics' Hydra Supreme getting hit with Mjolnir by Captain America

No one expected the incredible twist of Captain America being a secret Hydra member. However, during the Secret Empire story, he rose to power as the head of the Hydra Council.

The Hydra Supreme is a title rarely given out, but this fake Cap was certainly the most significant threat to the Marvel universe in quite some time. Hydra Supreme actually brought the biggest victory to the organization as well, until he was defeated.

NEXT: The 10 Most Powerful Heroes Who Became Members Of Hydra, Ranked