AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) started as a group of the worlds most brilliant scientists during World War II. They created a three fixtures of Marvel Comics (the Cosmic Cube, the Super Adaptoid, and MODOK). The Cosmic Cube (one of them) is currently causing Captain America trouble thanks to writer Ed Brubaker.
A "new" Super-Adaptoid made an appearance a few years back in the New Avengers Annual #1, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I mainly remember the villain from the Captain American cartoon as a kid and thought it was cool to be able to duplicate the powers of any hero.
Finally, MODOK is the villain that has a big head and little limbs and rides in a rocket chair. I don't know if I would admit to creating him, especially since he's not been that successful in his attempts at world domination. However, I hear he's all set to make a come back this summer in a few Marvel books, so maybe AIM will reappear as well. I know I would be very afraid of a bunch on super-genius types with buckets on their heads. I don't know that I would call MODAM a staple villain, so she doesn't count.
A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is an organization of brilliant scientists and their hirelings dedicated to the acquisition of power and the overthrow of all government by technological means A.I.M. was organized during World War II as the scientific research division of the subversive military organization HYDRA. In the late 1960's A.I.M. seceded from HYDRA because of political differences and began independent operations. A.I.M. first came to public attention when it was incorporated as an International cartel dealing with the development and marketing of new technological products. At first a supplier of hardware and weapons to governmental and quasi-governmental agencies, A.I.M. was exposed to be a subversive organization by Colonel Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. Since then, all of A.I.M.'s activities have been covert.
A.I.M. has been involved in the creation of three major instruments of deadly potential. The first is the Super-Adaptoid, an android capable of duplicating any super power. (This project was carried out under the code name Them.) The second instrument was the Cosmic Cube, an unimaginably powerful object capable of restructuring reality itself. A.I.M. manufactured the the containing device — the cube — not the reality-rending energy itself. (The origin of the Cosmic Cubes energy is still unknown.)
The third major achievement of A.I.M. was the creation of Modok (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), an artificially mutated human being with an enormous head and a stunted body possessing superhuman intelligence and the ability to generate mental energy bolts and force fields. Modok was originally an ordinary A.I.M. member who was selected by A.I.M.'s Scientist Supreme to be the subject of a mutation experiment. After being transformed. Modok slew the Scientist Supreme and became the new leader of A.I.M.. a position he has held ever since. A.I.M. has since existed merely to serve Modok's ambitions. Under his leadership. A.I.M. has stagnated and has created no truly impressive weapon or launched any major attack on any nation.
