- "Are you certain those conductors of yours can withstand the energy surge long enough for transference?"
- ―Johann Schmidt[src]
The Tesseract Cradle was a device created by HYDRA scientist Arnim Zola in order to harness the energy of the Tesseract.
History
- "I must congratulate you, Arnim. Your designs do not disappoint, though they may require some slight reinforcement."
- ―Johann Schmidt[src]
Believing that the ancient Teutonic Myths were based in reality and the key to great power, Schutzstaffel General and founder of HYDRA, Johann Schmidt led an invasion into Tønsberg, Norway on March 3, 1942 where he acquired the powerful Tesseract. Taking the artifact back to his base, Schmidt charged HYDRA's chief scientist Arnim Zola with finding a way to harness its power.
One year later, Zola constructed a set of conductors he designed to transfer the Tesseract's energy into the Cradle and, in 1943, Schmidt was ready to test its capabilities. Before Schmidt and Zola started the experiment, Zola stated he was unsure of the exact nature of the Tesseract and held realistic opinions that the experiment might not work at all.
Once Schmidt inserted the Tesseract into the conductor, Zola slowly increased the conductor’s power level which eventually leveled out at seventy percent. Schmidt, however, became impatient and increased the power level, causing the Tesseract to discharge a great burst of energy. The energy surge traveled through the conductors and flashed across the entire room as Schmidt and Zola looked on in amazement.
After the discharge dissipated, the two scientists saw that the experiment had succeeded. As Schmidt remarked that some slight adjustments would be needed to his designs, Zola looked on in amazement at the collected Tesseract energy and stated that the energy could be used to power all of his designs. Zola declared that their discovery would change the war, but Schmidt informed him that it would change the world.
The harnessed energy of the Tesseract was used to power many of HYDRA's weapons such as the HYDRA Cannon, HYDRA Assault Rifle, HYDRA Heavy Assault Rifle and was the power source for the Schnellzug EB912.[1]
