The Red Skull is an alias used by several
supervillains
A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.
Supervillains are ofte ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
and its predecessor
Timely Comics
Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...
. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main incarnation of the character, Johann Shmidt, was created by
Joe Simon
Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...
and
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...
, and first appeared in ''
Captain America Comics
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'' #7 in October 1941. Originally portrayed as a
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
agent and protégé of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Red Skull has endured as the
archenemy
In literature, an archenemy (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) is the main enemy of someone. In fiction, it is a character who is the protagonist's, commonly a hero's, most prominent and most-known enemy.
Etymology
The word ''archenemy'' sometim ...
of the superhero
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
. Initially wearing a fearsome blood-red death skull mask that symbolizes carnage and chaos to intimidate, decades after the war he suffers a horrific disfigurement that matches his persona.
The character has been adapted to a variety of other media platforms, including animated television series, video games and live-action feature films.
He was portrayed by actor
Scott Paulin
Robert Scott Paulin (born February 13, 1950) is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for playing Deke Slayton in the film '' The Right Stuff'' (1983). He has also acted in films including '' Cat People'' (1982), ''Teen Wolf'' ...
in the 1990 direct-to-video film ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
''. In the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
,
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six AACTA Awards, Australian Academy of Cinema and Tel ...
portrayed the character in ''
Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011), and was then replaced by
Ross Marquand
Roscoe Wayne Marquand (born August 22, 1981) is an American actor. He has played Aaron on the television series '' The Walking Dead'' since 2015, Red Skull and Ultron in various projects connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has voiced ...
in ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018) and ''
Avengers: Endgame'' (2019), who also voiced an alternate version of the character in the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
animated series ''
What If...?'' (2021).
Publication history
The original Red Skull was introduced in
Timely Comics
Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...
' ''Captain America Comics'' #1 (
cover-date
The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...
d March 1941) which was written and drawn by the team of Joe Simon and
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...
. On separate occasions, both Kirby and Simon claimed to have had the original idea for the character, and at the 1970
San Diego Comic Con, Kirby said the Red Skull was created by
France Herron
Francis Edward Herron (July 23, 1917 – September 2, 1966) was an Americans, American comic book writer and editor active in the 1940s–1960s, mainly for DC Comics. He is credited with co-creating Captain Marvel Jr. and the Red Skull, as well a ...
. Simon later credited both Kirby and Herron with having a role in creating Red Skull.
The Skull was to appear again in issue #3 of ''Captain America Comics''. As in issue #1, the Red Skull's secret identity is George Maxon, the owner of the Maxon Aircraft Company that makes airplanes for the US Army. Maxon wears a mask to create the look of the Red Skull and his face is often exposed. As the Red Skull, Maxon commandeers bank robberies in an effort to raise money to overthrow the US government, declaring, "Of course you realize the main item in overthrowing the government is money!"
Stories published decades later established that the Red Skull appearing in ''Captain America'' #7 (October 1941) was the Nazi Johann Shmidt, and that the Red Skull appearing before that point was his pawn George Maxon. The Red Skull also appeared in ''
Young Allies Young Allies, in comics, may refer to one of the following superhero teams:
* Young Allies (DC Comics), a team made up of young heroes from the Allies and featured in a story arc in ''Young All-Stars'' published by DC Comics.
* Young Allies (Marvel ...
'' #1 and #4. He appeared maskless in both issues, including when getting up from bed in issue #1 and while in a fighter jet with one other ally in #4.
After an absence from comics for many years, both Captain America and the Red Skull were brought back in 1954 in ''Young Men Comics'' #24, in a story entitled "Back From The Dead". Here the Red Skull, thinking Captain America was dead, has left politics and started a big criminal enterprise in the United States. In his next appearance, in issue #27, the Red Skull is once again left for dead.
The character returned in new stories starting with ''
Tales of Suspense
''Tales of Suspense'' is the name of an American comic book anthology series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such arti ...
'' #65 (May 1965) in a Captain America
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
-period story run. Red Skull was established as a contemporary villain in issue #79 (July 1966), with the explanation that he had been in
suspended animation
Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...
since World War II.
For decades, the character's true face was hidden, but in ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'' #297 (September 1984) the Red Skull unmasks in front of Captain America and his face, albeit extremely aged, is fully revealed. In the next issue, the Red Skull retells his story with his face fully visible in his various ages. When the character is revealed to be alive in issue #350 (February 1989), in a story called "Resurrection", by
Mark Gruenwald
Mark Eugene Gruenwald (; June 18, 1953 – August 12, 1996) was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler known for his long association with Marvel Comics.
Biography
Early career
Gruenwald got his start in comics fa ...
, the face of Johann Shmidt's original body is hidden again, but the Red Skull's face is fully visible, albeit in his cloned copy of Captain America's body.
The character's origin was more fully illustrated in the miniseries ''Red Skull: Incarnate'', with Shmidt's face fully visible again.
Fictional character biography
Johann Shmidt
Johann Shmidt was a Nazi general officer and confidant of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. He has been closely affiliated with
HYDRA
Hydra generally refers to:
* Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology
* ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria
Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Hydra (constel ...
and is an enemy of
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...
, the
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
, and the interests of the United States and the
free world
The Free World is a propaganda term, primarily used during the Cold War from 1945 to 1991, to refer to the Western Bloc and similar countries. It also more broadly refers to all non- communist and democratic countries. It has traditionally pr ...
in general. He was physically augmented by having his mind placed into the body of a
clone of Captain America, the pinnacle of human perfection. He has been seemingly killed in the past, only to return time and time again to plague the world with schemes of world domination and
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
.
World War II era
Johann Shmidt was born in a village in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to Hermann Shmidt and Martha Shmidt. His mother died in childbirth, and his father blamed Johann for her death. Johann's father tried to drown the baby, only to be stopped by the attending doctor; he later committed suicide, leaving Johann an orphan. The doctor took Johann to an orphanage, where the child led a lonely existence. Johann ran away from the orphanage when he was 7 years old and lived on the streets as a beggar and thief. As he grew older, he worked at various menial jobs but spent most of his time in prison for crimes ranging from vagrancy to theft. The Skull's real name of Johann Shmidt was not revealed in his
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...
and Silver Age appearances.
As a young man, Shmidt was from time to time employed by a Jewish shopkeeper, whose daughter Esther was the only person who had treated Shmidt kindly up to that point. Seized with passion for Esther, Schmidt tried to force himself upon her, only for her to reject him. In unthinking fury, Schmidt murdered her. Shmidt fled the scene in terror but also felt ecstatic joy in committing his first murder. In killing Esther, he had given vent to the rage at the world that had been building up in him throughout his young life.
[''Captain America'' #298. Marvel Comics.]
According to the official version of the story told by the Red Skull and the Nazis, Shmidt met Hitler while working as a bellhop in a hotel. This occurred during his late teens, around the same time that the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
gained power in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Shmidt wound up serving Hitler's rooms at the hotel. By chance, Shmidt was present by bringing refreshments when the Führer was furiously scolding an officer for letting a spy escape, during which Hitler declared that he could create a better National Socialist out of the bellhop. Looking closely at the youth and sensing his dark inner nature, Hitler decided to act on his words and recruited Shmidt.
In the miniseries ''Red Skull: Incarnate'', it has been revealed that Shmidt actually engineered his meeting with the Führer with himself disguised as a bellhop, tricking his fellow orphan Dieter into trying to kill Hitler and then taking this opportunity to save Hitler's life.
Dissatisfied with the standard drill instruction his subordinates used to train Shmidt, Hitler took over personally, training Shmidt as his right-hand man after
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
. Upon completion, Hitler gave Shmidt a unique uniform with a grotesque red skull mask, and he emerged as the Red Skull (in literal German: ''Roter Totenkopf'' or ''Roter (Toten-)Schädel'') for the first time. His role was the embodiment of Nazi intimidation, while Hitler could remain the popular leader of Germany. To that end, the Red Skull was appointed head of Nazi terrorist activities with an additional large role in external espionage and sabotage. He succeeded, wreaking havoc throughout Europe in the early stages of World War II. The
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
effect was so great that the United States government decided to counter it by creating their own equivalent using the one recipient of the lost
Project Rebirth
Project Rebirth, Inc. is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to support victims and early responders to catastrophic events through documentary footage recording the rebuilding at the site of World Trade Center following the Septemb ...
: Steve Rogers, as the superhero/counterintelligence agent, Captain America.
In Europe during the war, the Red Skull took personal command of many military actions and personally supervised the takeovers and lootings of many cities and towns. The Red Skull also organized a
Wolf Pack
A pack is a social group of conspecific canines. Packs aren't formed by all canines, especially small sized canines like the Red fox. The number of members in a pack and their social behavior varies from species to species. Social structure is v ...
of U-Boats which preyed upon shipping across the world, often under the Red Skull's personal command.
[''Tales of Suspense'' #66. Marvel Comics.] At first, Hitler took great pride in his protégé's successes and let the Red Skull have anything he wanted. Hitler thus financed the construction of secret bases for the Red Skull in various locations throughout the world, many of which were equipped with highly advanced experimental weapons and devices developed by Nazi scientists. The Red Skull was particularly interested in procuring technological weapons that could be used for the purposes of subversion and warfare. During the war he stole plans for the nullatron, a device that could control human minds, adapted a space-warping device developed by the cyborg scientist code-named
Brain Drain, and commissioned Nazi scientists to develop a projector which could encircle and suspend sections of cities within spheres of energy.
But while the Red Skull always admired Hitler for his ideological vision, he was never fully content with being Hitler's subordinate. The Red Skull kidnapped and killed many of Hitler's closest advisers and eventually rose to become the second-most-powerful man in
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Now Hitler could no longer effectively control the Red Skull and came to fear him, especially since the Red Skull had made no secret of his ambition to supplant Hitler someday.
Captain America, often with teenage partner
Bucky Barnes
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared ...
, fought and thwarted the Red Skull many times during the war. The heroes also fought the Red Skull when they were members of the
Invaders
''InVader'' is the fourth album by Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love, released on 4 March 2016 through Spinefarm Records.
Track listing
All songs written by Olli Herman, Pepe Reckless, and Ikka Wirtanen, unless otherwise noted.
Reception
Wr ...
. On one occasion the Red Skull captured, drugged, and brainwashed Captain America. He sent the hero to kill a high-ranking officer, but with Bucky's help Captain America broke free. The Red Skull later temporarily brainwashed three of the Invaders into serving him. The Red Skull and Captain America continued to engage in a series of skirmishes throughout the war.
After the renowned military officer
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A former Nazi officer, he is one of the leaders of the Hydra terrorist organization and an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and th ...
had a falling-out with Hitler, the Red Skull sent Strucker to Japan to found an organization that would prepare the way for takeovers in the Far East under the Red Skull's leadership. In the Far East, Strucker joined a subversive organization that came to be known as
HYDRA
Hydra generally refers to:
* Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology
* ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria
Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Hydra (constel ...
, severed his ties with the Red Skull, became head of HYDRA and made it into a major threat to world peace.
As World War II raged on, Hitler vowed that if he could not conquer the world, he would destroy it. To achieve this end, the Red Skull proposed the construction of five gigantic war machines, to be called the Sleepers, which would be hidden in various locations while they generated and stored the power they would need, and then be released at a future date, "Der Tag" ("The Day" in German), to destroy the Earth if the Allies won the war.
[''Tales of Suspense'' #72. Marvel Comics.] Hitler enthusiastically instructed the Red Skull to construct the Sleepers, unaware that the Red Skull intended to use them to conquer the world himself if Nazi Germany fell. In the closing days of the war in Europe, Allied intelligence received reports of a Nazi
doomsday plan, code-named "Der Tag", to be implemented after Hitler's defeat. However, the Allies had no idea what the plan entailed.
The Red Skull sent a number of his subordinates who became known as the Exiles, and a large contingent of loyal German soldiers and their wives to a secret island base ("Exile Island"), where they would organize an army for use in the future.
Now that the German defeat was becoming a reality, the Red Skull was more determined than ever to obtain vengeance for his numerous personal defeats by Captain America and Bucky. The Red Skull assigned Baron
Heinrich Zemo
Heinrich Zemo is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first made a cameo appearance in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #4 (March 1964), b ...
to go to England, and, under the cover of stealing an experimental Allied drone plane, to capture or kill Captain America and Bucky. However, the Red Skull was unaware that the Allies had just secretly parachuted Captain America into beleaguered Berlin to investigate "Der Tag".
Finally, Captain America tracked the Red Skull down to his hidden bunker. The Red Skull was about to hurl an armed hand grenade at his nemesis when Captain America threw his shield at him. The grenade exploded, but the Red Skull was not killed, due to his body armor. He was, however, seriously hurt and partially buried in debris. Thinking he was dying, the Red Skull defiantly told Captain America that the Sleepers would avenge the Nazis' defeat. Then, suddenly, an
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
attack on
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
began. An Allied plane dropped a huge
blockbuster bomb
A blockbuster bomb or cookie was one of several of the largest conventional bombs used in World War II by the Royal Air Force (RAF). The term ''blockbuster'' was originally a name coined by the press and referred to a bomb which had enough explo ...
on the bunker, causing a cave-in that Captain America barely escaped.
Captain America was picked up by the Allies and returned to England only to fall into Zemo's trap, which led to Bucky's supposed death and Captain America's falling into
suspended animation
Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...
for decades. Support pillars that crisscrossed over the Red Skull when the bunker caved in saved him from being struck by tons of rubble when the bomb hit. The cave-in also released an experimental gas from canisters in the bunker which put the Red Skull into suspended animation, during which time his wounds slowly healed.
Post-World War II era
=Modern era
=
Johann Shmidt's legacy continued to cause trouble by way of the
Sleepers
''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Ho ...
which are activated by his agents as scheduled. Captain America neutralizes all the machines in turn.
Johann Shmidt is eventually rescued and revived from suspended animation in modern times by the terrorist organization
A.I.M. The Red Skull quickly subverts a cell to his own ambitions of world conquest and the death of Captain America. He steals the
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...
after taking control of its Keeper's mind with a device he planted while shaking hands, and reveals that he gave Baron Zemo the order to steal the bomb plane that led to Bucky Barnes's death. He had a rivalry with Zemo, and hoped to set his two foes against each other. Captain America learns, from the dying pilot of a plane that had been following the Keeper's plane, that the Cosmic Cube had been used to destroy the plane. Shmidt tells another A.I.M. member of his plans after getting a mind control device on him, then causes him to shoot himself. He fights Captain America again for the first time in years after getting the Cosmic Cube on an island. He begins sending Captain America to another dimension when Captain America offers to become his servant. The Red Skull encases himself in a golden suit of armor, and talks of creating a new order of knights. Captain America gets close to him while the Red Skull prepares to knight him. Captain America tries to get the Cosmic Cube, and in the fight the island splits apart from the Cosmic Cube's power, and the Red Skull falls off a cliff while trying to get the Cosmic Cube. When Johann reappears, he and
Albert Malik start to antagonize each other while both claiming the Red Skull identity. Finally Malik is the victim of an assassination organized by the Red Skull, through a rogue agent of the
Scourges of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Writer/editor Mark Gruenwald originally created the Scourge in 1985 as a plot device intended to thin the ...
.
[''Captain America'' #347. Marvel Comics.]
The Red Skull captures part of Manhattan Island, unleashes the fourth Sleeper, and captures Captain America on Exile Island. The Red Skull then regains the Cosmic Cube and temporarily switches bodies with Captain America. He also uses the Cube to alter the personality of
Sam "Snap" Wilson. Some time later in his first appearance outside of a title featuring Captain America, he fights
Doctor Doom
Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
. The Red Skull then foments racial hatred in New York, and is revealed as the true power behind a Las Vegas-based HYDRA fragment, and clashes with
Kingpin.
Some time later, the Red Skull kills Roscoe (another wearer of the Captain America mantle). He also revives the use of his "dust of death". The Red Skull later fights Doctor Doom on the moon, but is defeated. With
Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and a recurring enemy of Captain America and the Avengers (comics), Avengers. The character first appeared in ''Captain America (comic ...
, the Red Skull seeks to transplant Hitler's brain into Captain America's body. He transforms a number of
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...
agents into his red skull-faced slaves. The Red Skull teams with the
Hate-Monger
The Hate-Monger is the name of several different fictional character, fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The original character first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book) ...
(a clone of Hitler) and traps him in a flawed Cosmic Cube. The Red Skull leads the Nihilist Order for a brief time. Establishing a Nazi colony on a deserted island, the Red Skull fathers a daughter:
Synthia Schmidt.
The gas that placed the Red Skull in suspended animation wears off and his body rapidly ages to his actual years. Now physically weak and feeble in his mid-80s, the Red Skull plans a final showdown with his archrival. Kidnapping Captain America's closest allies, he forces Captain America to surrender himself to a medical treatment that ages his body to its rightful age. The two men, their bodies now ancient, fight a battle to the death. When Captain America refuses to kill him, the Red Skull dies in Captain America's arms, cursing his enemy as his elderly body shuts down.
=Resurrection
=
Nazi geneticist Arnim Zola had obtained DNA samples of Captain America years earlier and arranged for the Red Skull's mind to be transplanted into a cloned body of Captain America at the moment of his death. Assuming the identity of "John Smith" (the English equivalent of his natural German name), the Red Skull decides to reinvent himself and his quest for absolute power as a means to celebrate his cheating death. The Red Skull abandons his longstanding beliefs in National Socialism and Hitler, on the belief that the Nazi philosophy made him look like a relic of the past, and turns towards American ideology. The Red Skull sees much potential in the American dream of capitalism and self-determination and sets about establishing his own foothold inside Washington, D.C., culminating in him gaining control over the
Commission on Superhuman Activities
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
, a government body in Washington that monitors and regulates superhero activities.
The Red Skull also changes his mode of operations: rather than "living from one grand scheme to the next", he begins financing a score of evil organizations that report directly to him, such as the militia group the
Watchdogs. He also employs one of the
Scourges of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Writer/editor Mark Gruenwald originally created the Scourge in 1985 as a plot device intended to thin the ...
, an organization dedicated to killing supervillains.
[''Captain America'' #350. Marvel Comics.]
The Red Skull has the Commission remove Steve Rogers from the position of Captain America and replace him with jingoist
John Walker. Although Walker attempts to live up to his predecessor's ideals, the Red Skull arranges for the murders of Walker's parents, driving him insane and into a downward spiral of murder as part of his plan to blacken the name of Captain America.
The Red Skull kills his chief pawn in the Commission right in front of Captain America. About to be exposed, the Red Skull tries to manipulate Walker into killing Rogers. When Rogers defeats Walker, the Red Skull appears to gloat at what he had done to Rogers, Walker, and the reputation of Captain America. However, Rogers remains openly dubious of his claims to be his dead archenemy. The Red Skull tries to kill Rogers with a cigarette holding a lethal dose of the dust of death (the Red Skull's favorite poison), but Walker hits him from behind with his shield. The Red Skull inhales the dust of death and his face takes on the appearance of a living red skull; his head loses its hair and its skin shrivels, clinging tightly to his skull, and taking on a red discoloration.
The Red Skull survives the exposure due to the effects of the
Super-Soldier Formula.
After this, the Red Skull masterminds a conflict between the United States and
Symkaria
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
. He joins the "
Acts of Vengeance
"Acts of Vengeance" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through several titles published by Marvel Comics from December 1989 to February 1990.
Publication history
This company-wide fall crossover was centered on the Avengers and Fantasti ...
" conspiracy, but is attacked by the mutant terrorist
Magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
, a
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
survivor who wants to punish him for his involvement in Hitler's regime. Magneto buries him alive with enough water to last a few months. The Red Skull remains imprisoned, close to death and beginning to see the error of his ways, until he is rescued by his henchman
Crossbones. Feeling ready to die in peace, the Red Skull requests to be taken to his private estate's bed, and for Captain America to come see him. Upon seeing his archenemy's face, the Red Skull is surprised to feel a sudden burst of hatred that reignites his will to live.
The Red Skull proposes an alliance with the Kingpin to bring a new designer drug to New York, but the Kingpin refuses to ally with the Nazi and the two engage in a drug war. He then defeats the Red Skull in hand-to-hand combat, sparing his life on the condition that he never come near the Kingpin's territory again. After the Red Skull's agents allow fellow Nazi Baron
Wolfgang von Strucker to be reborn, the grateful Strucker allows the Red Skull the use of HYDRA resources.
The Red Skull's tenure in Washington comes to an end when he is captured by
Hauptmann Deutschland
This article lists Marvel characters beginning with the letter "H", with a brief description introducing each one.
Hala the Accuser
Gabrielle Haller
Gabrielle Haller was a catatonic Holocaust survivor who awoke from the disorder after Charles ...
, and taken to Germany to stand trial for crimes against humanity, stemming from his days as a Nazi agent. The Red Skull narrowly escapes and is rescued by Arnim Zola, and forced to fake his death and go into hiding in a Rocky Mountain compound. He recruits the
Viper
The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...
, a move that alienates his minions and is further rocked when his chief henchman Crossbones kidnaps Captain America's girlfriend
Diamondback
Diamondback may refer to:
Animals
* ''Crotalus adamanteus'', the eastern diamondback rattlesnake
* ''Crotalus atrox'', the western diamondback rattlesnake
* Diamondback moth, a European moth that has spread to North America
* Diamondback terrapin ...
, resulting in Captain America finding the Red Skull's new lair. The Red Skull fires Crossbones and goes into hiding while the Viper, using funds she plied from the Red Skull as part of a scheme to use televisions across America to blind TV viewers, is defeated by Captain America.
The Red Skull discovers that he is facing the same permanent paralysis that Captain America was facing due to their exposure to the Super-Soldier Formula. When the evil scientist
Superia
Superia (Dr. Deidre Wentworth) is a supervillain and criminal scientist appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
She first appeared in ''Captain America'' #387 (1991) and was created by writer Mark Grue ...
offers Captain America a cure, Captain America refuses it because Superia said that Captain America would owe her. The Red Skull takes the cure and apparently kills Superia, then arranges for Captain America to be kidnapped by his remaining forces (including Sharon Carter, whom he found still alive and recruits), and given a blood transfusion that cures him.
Captain America's recovery segues into a reluctant team-up with the Red Skull; a Nazi cult that worshiped Hitler as a god had discovered a Cosmic Cube that contained Hitler's soul, put there by the Red Skull himself. The two try to stop the cult from fully powering the Hitler Cosmic Cube, but the Red Skull opts instead to send Captain America (against his will) into the cube to kill Hitler, imprisoning Captain America in the cube while he uses its power to conquer humanity. Captain America escapes and uses his shield to sever one of the Red Skull's arms, causing him to drop the Cube. The Cube becomes unstable, destroying the Red Skull.
Trapped in a hellish nightmare dimension and forced to serve as a bellhop to a world of non-European immigrants, the Red Skull's will ultimately is so great that he is able to escape his prison. As a result, the Red Skull now possesses limited reality-warping powers that make him a cosmic threat. He is further aided by
Korvac
Korvac is the name of a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appears in '' Giant-Size Defenders'' #3 (Jan. 1975) and was created by Steve Gerber and Jim Starlin.
Publication history
Michael Ko ...
, posing as
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A time-traveling entity, seve ...
. He is sent to
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of ...
's ship to steal more power (particularly the power of omniscience), which would remove all limits to the Red Skull's reality-warping powers. The Red Skull is ambushed by Korvac, who steals his cosmic powers and banishes him back to Earth.
The Red Skull later manipulates his way into the position in the form of
US Secretary of Defense
The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...
Dell Rusk (an
anagram
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
of "Red Skull") to develop a biological weapon he tested at
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota ...
. He is exposed and defeated by the Avengers. The
Black Panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
beats him so badly that he breaks the Red Skull's jaw in half.
=Possessing Aleksander Lukin
=
The Red Skull was assassinated by the mysterious Winter Soldier, under orders from the renegade former Soviet general
Aleksander Lukin
Aleksander Lukin (russian: Александр Лукин) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Captain America'' vol. 5 #1 (January 2005), and was created by Ed Br ...
wanting to possess the new Cosmic Cube the Red Skull had manufactured. When the Red Skull was shot, he attempted to use the Cosmic Cube to switch bodies with Lukin to survive, but as the Cosmic Cube was still weak he only managed to transfer his mind into Lukin's body, so that the two enemies are trapped together, waging a constant war for dominance which the Red Skull seems to be progressively winning. During a plot to lure out Captain America, the Red Skull/Lukin recruited several German skinheads and made them the successors to
Master Man Master Man, in comics, may refer to:
* Master Man (Fawcett Comics), Fawcett Comics superhero
* Master Man (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics villain
*Master Man (Quality Comics)
Kid Eternity is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that premie ...
. He then had these soldiers, dubbed the "Master Race", launch an attack on London, which was thwarted by Captain America,
Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...
and
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
. Then, the Red Skull/Lukin activated a Sleeper, a robot programmed for mass destruction that was presumably created by Doctor Doom. The robot damaged a significant portion of the new London Kronas H.Q., and was ultimately destroyed by Captain America and Bucky. In the aftermath, the Red Skull sent a videotape, announcing to the world his return, followed by Lukin holding a press conference condemning the actions of both the Red Skull and Captain America, and supporting the
Superhero Registration Act
Discrimination against superheroes is a common theme and plot element comic books and superhero fiction, usually as a way to explore the issue of superheroes operating in society or as commentary on other social concerns. Often in response to th ...
. Then, in his office, the Red Skull introduced Lukin to his old/new associates
Crossbones and
Sin
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
.
With America's superheroes
divided over the act, the Red Skull manipulates events to his own ends, with the aid of
Doctor Faustus,
Doctor Doom
Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
and Arnim Zola. His plans involved the reunion of Captain America and his former lover
Sharon Carter
Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a secret agent, an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury, and a love interest of St ...
being manipulated by Faustus.
In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, the Red Skull puts his plans into action, arranging for Crossbones to shoot Captain America as he enters a courthouse in New York City; in the ensuing chaos, Carter, acting under Faustus's mental directive, assassinates Captain America. This is only the first phase of the Red Skull's plan. Upon the discovery of his identity as Lukin, the Red Skull fakes his death, and initiates the second phase of his plan: using the Kronas Corporation's vast holdings to economically cripple the United States, before having S.H.I.E.L.D. agents brainwashed by Doctor Faustus open fire on crowds of protesters in front of the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
. The Red Skull continues his assault by engineering a riot by placing Kronas security troops and drugged water in a protest on the
Lincoln Monument
The Lincoln Monument is a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln that commemorates his 1832 service in the Black Hawk War. Located in President's Park in Dixon, Illinois, the bronze statue was sculpted by Leonard Crunelle and was dedicated on Septemb ...
.
All of this has apparently been to elevate his puppet politician, Gordon Wright, elevated in the public's eye with being credited as "resolving" the situations, as well as surviving a (staged) attack by the
Serpent Squad
The Serpent Squad is a fictional mercenary group composed of snake-themed criminals appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Most often antagonists of Captain America, the roster has changed through various incarnations.
P ...
. Once elected, Wright will lead the country directly into a police state secretly controlled by the Red Skull. The Red Skull also plans to transfer his consciousness into Sharon's unborn child, apparently sired by Steve Rogers himself and potentially having inherited his Project: Rebirth enhancements.
Both schemes fail because of the impatience and incompetence of the Red Skull's daughter—her near-fatal attack on Sharon causes her to lose the baby, and she intentionally botches her pseudo-assassination of Wright by attempting to kill him for real. As Faustus has surreptitiously tampered with Sharon's programming, she is able to rebel, and before escaping shoots Lukin to death. This is not the end of the Red Skull, since Zola had seconds earlier transferred his mind to one of the spare robotic bodies, but after having his current form damaged by the
impostor Captain America, he is unable to return to the Red Skull, essentially trapping him in his current robotic form for the time being.
=Captain America: Reborn
=
It has been revealed that the Red Skull did not actually kill Steve Rogers, but trapped his body in a fixed position in space and time. He was planning on using Sharon Carter and a machine created by Doctor Doom to return his body back to their time, but since Sharon destroyed the machine, his body is now drifting through time and space. Apparently, it is presumed that the Red Skull intended to transfer his mind into Rogers' body.
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first ...
decides to assist in completing his plan, as a figurehead of Captain America leading
his team of Avengers would increase popularity with as the Iron Patriot. Sin and Crossbones find him and take him to Latveria in order to place the Red Skull's mind in a living body. The Red Skull, Sin and Crossbones land in Latveria and Doctor Doom confronts them, saying that he would kill them if he was not a man of his word. Doctor Doom and Zola complete the machine and, after
Victoria Hand
Victoria Hand is a fictional supporting character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the American espionage organization S.H.I.E.L.D. of which Hand was a member.
Saffron Burrows portrayed th ...
brings Sharon to them, they strap her in. They activate the machine and soon Steve's body returns. When Steve opens his eyes, they are shown to be red, signifying that the Red Skull is now in control. Rogers still resides in the body and during the Red Skull's invasion of Washington, D.C., he and Steve battle in the mind of Steve's body. Steve eventually forces the Red Skull out, placing him back into his robot body. To prevent him from escaping the immediate area, Sharon hits the Red Skull with a shot of
Pym particles
Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, the character first appea ...
, making him a massive robot who cannot elude any pursuer's attention. While Rogers and the Avengers keep the Red Skull occupied with a team attack, he is destroyed by a missile barrage fired by Sharon on a hijacked A.I.M. battleship.
=Return
=
After Lukin was brought back from the dead by the Power Elite, a side effect has a fragment of the original Red Skull's mind also revived.
[''Captain America'' (vol. 9) #6. Marvel Comics.]
Other identity users
There had been other people who passed themselves off as the Red Skull:
George John Maxon
Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, George John Maxon appeared as Red Skull in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #3 (March–May 1941). He faces Captain America during two of the latter's early missions. Maxon is an American businessman and Nazi agent who leads a ring of spies and saboteurs and serves as a stand-in of Johann Schmidt (the true Red Skull). Maxon is thought killed during the second encounter, though he would reappear for one last encounter with Captain America.
Albert Malik
After the disappearance of Johann Schmidt's in 1945, the reputation of the Red Skull was still formidable enough to prove useful. In 1953,
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
agent Albert Malik set up his spy/criminal organization in
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
and assumed the Red Skull identity (russian: Красный Череп), pretending that he was the original, when he was actually serving Soviet interests, in ''Captain America Comics'' #61. During the 1950s, he faced the
then-active version of Captain America, who was also pretending to be the original. While the Captain and
Bucky (
Jack Monroe
Jack Monroe (born 17 March 1988) is a British food writer, journalist and activist known for campaigning on poverty issues, particularly hunger relief. She initially rose to prominence by writing a blog titled ''A Girl Called Jack'' (now r ...
) were placed into suspended animation when his flawed replicate of the Super-Soldier Formula seriously affected his and Bucky's minds, Malik continued his activities, and over time severed his links to the Soviet Union.
He was also responsible for the deaths of
Richard Parker and Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker, the parents of
Peter Parker
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the S ...
, tipped off by the supercriminal
Gustav "the Gentleman" Fiers to their spy status.
Malik was later killed by a
Scourge of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Writer/editor Mark Gruenwald originally created the Scourge in 1985 as a plot device intended to thin the ...
, operating on behalf of the original Red Skull (Johann Schmidt) disguised as a pilot.
Sinthea Shmidt
Sinthea "Sin" Shmidt is the daughter of Johann Shmidt who briefly adopts the Red Skull moniker after being scarred like her father.
Clone of Johann Shmidt
Following the ''
Avengers vs. X-Men
''Avengers vs. X-Men'' (''AvX'' or ''AvsX'') is a 2012 crossover event that was featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The event, consisting of an eponymous limited series and numerous tie-in books, involves the return of the Phoen ...
'' storyline, the Red Skull mysteriously returns and assembles a team called the
S-Men
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
. The Red Skull's S-Men attack
Rogue and the
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...
at
Professor X
Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writ ...
's grave and steal the mutant's body. In his hideout, the Red Skull is then seen removing Professor X's brain in a plot to "eradicate the mutant menace". This Red Skull is revealed to be a clone of the original created by Arnim Zola in 1942 and held in
cryogenic
In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures.
The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “cr ...
stasis in the event that Germany lost the war. Fusing part of Professor X's brain with his own, the Red Skull brainwashes the Scarlet Witch as part of a plot to wipe out the world's mutant population. Rogue attacks the Scarlet Witch and they fight until they both discover the lobotomized body of Professor X. The Red Skull arrives and reveals that he has fused his brain with Professor X's brain.
[''Uncanny Avengers'' #2. Marvel Comics.] Using Professor X's telepathy, the Red Skull provokes ordinary citizens of New York into a mass assault against even potential mutants, even managing to take control of
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
. However, his telepathy is still erratic, with the Red Skull being unable to completely control Captain America and an attack against him by
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
cutting off his right hand and disrupting his powers long enough for Rogue and the Scarlet Witch to break free. The team ultimately force the Red Skull to retreat after Rogue manages to temporarily disrupt his powers,
Havok mockingly comparing the Red Skull to the jock who beats up gay kids to conceal his own homosexuality.
During the ''
AXIS
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
'' storyline, Magneto finds out that the Red Skull has turned
Genosha
Genosha ( or ) is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe and a prominent place in the X-Me ...
into a concentration camp for mutants and still has Professor X's brain inside him. Magneto attacks the Red Skull, but is quickly stopped by the S-Men. The Red Skull mind-tortures Magneto with visions of those closest to the mutant suffering while being unable to do anything to stop it. After being freed by the Scarlet Witch, Rogue and Havok, he bites down on a vial beneath his skin of Mutant Growth Hormone, giving himself enough power to fight. When the Scarlet Witch, Rogue and Havok want to leave the island and alert the rest of the Avengers and the X-Men of what the Red Skull is doing, Magneto wants to stay and fight. Before they can do anything, the Red Skull appears. The Red Skull now has the group mind-controlled. He plans on using the Scarlet Witch's power to shape reality in his image. He tells Magneto to bow if the Scarlet Witch were to remain alive, but Magneto performs a sneak attack enough to break the Red Skull's control over the others. After killing the S-Men, Magneto attacks the Red Skull, who then tells Magneto that Professor X's greatest fear was leading the X-Men. Magneto kills the Red Skull while the others look on in horror. Magneto believes everything is over, only for the Red Skull to appear as a giant called "
Red Onslaught".
[''Uncanny Avengers'' #25. Marvel Comics.]
In an attempt to defeat the new Red Onslaught and his army of Stark Sentinels—created from information acquired from Tony Stark during the time of the Superhuman Registration Act—Magneto gathers a team of villains to try to take the Red Skull's forces by surprise. The Scarlet Witch attempts to cast a spell that will 'invert' the Red Skull and bring out the part of Professor X that still exists in his brain. However, the plan backfires when the resulting spell causes the moral inversion of all heroes and villains in the area. With the villains now the only hope to defeat the corrupted heroes, Captain America is forced to protect the Red Skull (now calling himself the White Skull) from the evil Avengers while Spider-Man works with the inverted villains to fight off the various corrupted heroes. Doctor Doom is able to summon the spirit of
Brother Voodoo
Brother Voodoo (Jericho Drumm) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #169 (September 1973). The character was created by publisher Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, L ...
to possess the Scarlet Witch and invert the spell, the Red Skull sacrificing his heroism and freedom to restore the heroes to normal. The Red Skull was later taken away by Doctor Doom.
As part of the ''
All-New, All-Different Marvel
All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched w ...
'', it is revealed that the Red Skull is hiding in
Avengers Mansion
Avengers Mansion is a fictional building appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York ...
(now a themed hotel as the various Avengers teams have moved on to new bases) in a secret underground room along with Sin (whose original appearance has been restored) ever since he was defeated. He is nearly discovered when
Quicksilver and
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
investigate the room, but uses a psychic suggestion to convince them that the room is empty, as well as planting a command in Quicksilver's subconscious that will be triggered later.
During the ''
Avengers: Standoff!'' storyline, the Red Skull infiltrates the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility Pleasant Hill by disguising himself as a priest named Father Patrick. As Patrick, the Red Skull secretly instigates an uprising of the facility's brainwashed inmates by manipulating Baron
Helmut Zemo
Helmut Zemo is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly as an adversary of the superhero Captain America and the Avengers. He is the son of Baron Heinrich Zemo and the thirteenth Baron Ze ...
and the
Fixer into restoring them to normal. In the aftermath of the battle with the villains at Pleasant Hill, the Red Skull founds his own version of HYDRA with Sin and Crossbones. Their first strike occurs when they use
Kobik
Kaecilius
Elloe Kaifi
Kala
Jennifer Kale
Noble Kale
Kaluu
Kamikaze
Kamran
Kamran is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa and firs ...
—a sentient Cosmic Cube that once belonged to the Red Skull, now 'educated' to perceive HYDRA as a great organization—to manipulate Steve Rogers's memories into believing of being a HYDRA sleeper agent since childhood,
[''Steve Rogers: Captain America'' #2. Marvel Comics.] although the Red Skull is unaware that the HYDRA-converted soldier now intends to stage a coup of the organization for his own ends.
The Red Skull eventually mounts an assault on the Avengers, using previously planted commands to take control of the team, but Deadpool is able to resist him long enough to place Magneto's old helmet on Rogue's head, rendering Rogue immune to telepathy long enough to knock the Red Skull out and take him to be operated on by the
Beast.
[''Uncanny Avengers'' (vol. 3) #21. Marvel Comics.] The fragment of Professor X's brain is extracted from the Red Skull, but although Rogers attempts to take custody of the fragment for his own ends, Rogue and
Johnny Storm
The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a si ...
fly up and incinerate the brain fragment, leaving the Red Skull to be taken into 'custody' by Rogers. Although he is rescued by Sin, Sin and Crossbones subsequently betray the Red Skull to prove loyalty to Rogers, who kills the clone for good by pushing him over the cliff outside the Red Skull's mansion with Rogers revealing never being loyal to the Red Skull from the beginning.
During the ''
Secret Empire'' storyline, the disheveled man in a torn World War II uniform that introduced himself as Steve Rogers, alongside people claiming to be "Bucky" and "Sam Wilson", encounters the Red Skull's clone who plans to taken them "home". As the other Steve Rogers is hanging from a rope tied to a tree, he finds himself next to a rambling man. As the Red Skull's clone takes the rambling man away, he tells the other Steve Rogers that his time will come soon. The other Steve Rogers asks the Red Skull's clone where he is and the Red Skull's clone claims that they are in "Hell". He also states that they are nothing but ghosts that are remnants fading into death. The Red Skull's clone then uses a barbed bat on the other Steve Rogers' chest, stating that the only path to peace is death. The Red Skull's clone is torturing the other Steve Rogers with a burning, thorn-wrapped piece of wood. The Red Skull's clone claims he is granting the other Steve Rogers "peace" and is about to deliver the killing blow to the other Steve Rogers. Before he can strike, the other Steve Rogers sees the beautiful blond girl he saw at the beginning of the series who was the same one that was poisoned and that he thought had died. He realizes there is still hope and evades the Red Skull's clone's attack. The other Steve Rogers then tackles the Red Skull's clone and they both plummet off the cliff into the water below. The Red Skull's clone calls the other Steve Rogers an idiot for his actions.
Powers and abilities
Although he has no superhuman abilities, the Red Skull possesses a high intellect and inventive genius and is a highly gifted subversive strategist and political operative. At one point, the Red Skull's mind inhabited a body cloned from Captain America's, which possessed the mutagenic alterations induced by the Super-Soldier Formula. He was thus endowed with a body that was in perfect physical condition, with strength, speed, durability, agility, dexterity, reflexes, coordination, balance and physical endurance that exceeded that of an Olympic athlete. Despite the scar tissue covering his face and head, his senses were still above-average. He has been shown as a superb martial artist, though he was never on par with Captain America himself; he was originally trained by German athletes appointed by Hitler. He is heavily trained as a skilled marksman with various forms of handguns and well-versed in the use of firearms and explosives.
While sharing Alexander Lukin's body, he lost his superhuman abilities. Since then, he resides in one of the android bodies engineered by Arnim Zola, with enhanced endurance and resilience.
He typically armed himself with a trick cigarette that could fire a fatal poison gas—his trademark "dust of death"—toward his victim. The "dust of death" is a red powder which kills a victim within seconds of skin contact. The powder causes the skin of the victim's head to shrivel, tighten and take on a red discoloration, while causing all of his hair to fall out; hence the victim's head resembles a "red skull". He also carries a large arsenal of conventional and advanced firearms and explosives.
After fusing his own brain with that of
Charles Xavier
Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writ ...
, the clone of the Red Skull gains powerful telepathic abilities.
After being killed in a fight with Magneto, the Red Skull clone temporarily evolved into a psionic entity similar to
Onslaught
Onslaught may refer to:
Characters
* Onslaught (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain
* Onslaught (DC Comics), a DC Comics team of Quraci terrorists
* Onslaught (Transformers), the leader of the Combaticons in the ''Transformers'' series
G ...
, vastly increasing his original powers while also giving him new ones,
ranging from material astral projection, total control over his psionic state producing tendrils, changing size and such, energy projection in the form of optic blasts, on top of greatly enhanced control over his psychic abilities being able to effect minds the world over to initiate worldwide hate. After reverting to his original form, however, he later expressed frustration with this new power as it makes conquest too easy for him, realizing that he wants people to grovel before him of their own free will, rather than just making people mindlessly submit.
The Red Skull eventually loses these abilities when he is captured by Rogue and taken to Beast, who performs surgery on the Red Skull to extract the elements of Xavier's brain from his own.
Reception
Accolades
* In 2006,
''Wizard'' ranked the Red Skull 21st in their "Top 100 Greatest Villains Ever" list.
* In 2013, ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' ranked the Red Skull 16th in their "25 Greatest Comic Book Villains of All Time" list.
* In 2014, ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' ranked the Red Skull 14th in their "Top 100 Comic Book Vilains" list.
* In 2022, ''
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS.
History
N ...
'' ranked the Red Skull third in their "Best Marvel supervillains" list.
* In 2022, ''
CBR.com
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' ranked the Red Skull second in their "13 Most Important Marvel Villains" list and sixth in their "10 Most Charismatic Marvel Supervillains" list.
Other versions
''Earth X''
Sometime prior to the events of the limited series ''
Earth X
''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Univ ...
'', the Red Skull killed
Bernie Rosenthal
Raa of the Caves
Holden Radcliffe
Radioactive Man
Chen Lu
Igor Stancheck
Radius
Irani Rael
Irani Rael is a fictional alien in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Wellinton Alves and Geraldo Borges, fir ...
and hailed Captain America as the realization of the Nazi dream. However, Captain America killed the Red Skull, who is later seen in the Land of the Dead and Mar-Vell's Paradise, waiting to live in his own personal version of Heaven.
Despite his death, the Red Skull's legacy lived on in this universe. The son of
Comet Man
Comet Man (Stephen Beckley) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
Comet Man was the subject of a limited series in 1987, created by Bill Mumy, Miguel Ferrer, and Kelley Jones. ...
, Ben Beckley took on the identity of the Skull and set out to conquer the world. Using his ability to control people's cerebrums, he gathers an army of thousands, only to come into conflict with Captain America. The Skull spares him, calling him obsolete, and takes several of Captain America's allies as part of his army. After reaching New York City, the Skull is opposed by Captain America and other heroes, with Captain America killing the Skull in order to stop him. In the Land of the Dead, the Skull encounters Comet Man and goes on to help the heroes convince the dead that they are deceased.
''Amalgam Comics''
During the crossover ''
DC vs. Marvel
''DC vs. Marvel'' (issues #2–3 titled ''Marvel vs. DC'') was a comic book miniseries intercompany crossover published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from April to May 1996. Each company would publish two issues of the series, thus the title di ...
,'' resulting of ''
Amalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics was a collaborative publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones (e.g., DC Comics'
Batman and Marvel Comics' Wolverine become the Amalgam C ...
'' universe, Lex Luthor's history merged with that of the Skull, creating the Green Skull.
''Elseworlds''
In the 1997
DC/Marvel ''
Elseworlds
''Elseworlds'' was the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that took place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realitie ...
'' special ''
Batman and Captain America'', the Red Skull hires the
Joker to steal an
atomic bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
during World War II. The Joker evades
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
,
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
,
Bucky Barnes
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared ...
, and
Robin
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
**Bush-robin
**Forest rob ...
and delivers it to the Red Skull, but is horrified to learn that the Red Skull is a Nazi as he sees himself as an "American criminal lunatic!" When the Red Skull threatens to drop the bomb on Washington, D.C., the Joker fights him until Captain America and Batman take control of the plane. When they bring it over the ocean, the villains are dropped out with the bomb just before it explodes.
Earth-110
On Earth-110, depicted in the miniseries ''Fantastic Four: Big Town'', the Red Skull allies himself with
Doctor Doom
Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
, the
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
,
Magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
,
Namor
Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc. ...
, and
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, and initially made his debut as an unnamed character in '' The Avengers'' #54 (July ...
to take over Manhattan.
''Heroes Reborn'' (1996)
In an alternate reality depicted in the 1996 ''
Heroes Reborn'' miniseries, the Red Skull is the banker of
Master Man Master Man, in comics, may refer to:
* Master Man (Fawcett Comics), Fawcett Comics superhero
* Master Man (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics villain
*Master Man (Quality Comics)
Kid Eternity is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that premie ...
's
World Party
World Party were a British musical group, which was essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving the Waterboys.
Career
After a stint as musical director of a West End pe ...
who is stopped by
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ...
, Captain America, and the
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
.
Heroes Reborn (2021)
In an alternate reality depicted in the 2021 "
Heroes Reborn" miniseries, the Red Skull became possessed by a
Symbiote that originally possessed
Nighthawk
The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, native to the western hemisphere. The term "nighthawk", first recorded in the King James Bible of 1611, was originally a local name i ...
and re-dubbed himself the Black Skull. Additionally, the Black Skull is the leader of
Hydra
Hydra generally refers to:
* Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology
* ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria
Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Hydra (constel ...
and a member of the
Masters of Doom
''Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture'' is a 2003 book by David Kushner about id Software and its influence on popular culture, focusing chiefly on the video-game company's co-founders John Carmack and John ...
.
Black Skull later appears as a member of the Multiversal Masters of Evil. He accompanies
Ghost Goblin
Norman Osborn is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July ...
in attacking Captain America and Captain Marvel. Both of them retreat when
Star Brand
The Star Brand is the name of a number of similar objects of power in the world of the Marvel Comics. The name "Star Brand" is also often adopted by the wielders of these objects. Three of these Star Brands have been prominently featured in serie ...
matures and repels them.
It was shown that the Multiversal Masters of Evil had taken over some Earths with Black Skull ruling over Earth-818 and having once used
this Earth's Tony Stark to build his War Machines. In his land is a walled city where there is order while everything else is a wasteland. When his forces captured Robbie Reyes and the Deathlok with him, Black Skull tortured Robbie before imprisoning him. Black Skull later spoke to Ghost Goblin about Robbie Reyes as Ghost Goblin mentions that he had never seen a Ghost Rider ride a car before as well as the fact that the Ghost Rider that Black Skull is torturing is not Johnny Blaze or Danny Ketch. Ant-Man later freed Robbie and his Deathlok companion from Black Skull's clutches and took them to meet his fellow rebels Vision, Moon Knight (Mariama Spector), Wonder Man, and Infinity Thing. Before his defeat, Black Skull proceeded to summon other alternate unnamed versions of himself (consisting of a different Red Skull with a similar Venom symbiote, a Red Skull in a Captain America-like suit, a Red Skull possessed by a Carnage symbiote, and a Red Skull/Holocaust hybrid) from different portals to help him against Robbie and the resistance. The variants of Red Skull work to claim Earth-818 for themselves. Robbie, his Deathlok companion, and the resistance receive aid from
King Thor
Thor was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby. There had been multiple alternative versions of Thor, both in the main continuity as well as alternate stories. The character is based on the Norse Mythological deity Thor.
Prime Eart ...
's granddaughters. The alternate Red Skulls are defeated and sent back to their Earths as Robbie has them carry a message to the Multiversal Masters of Evil that vengeance is coming. Robbie has Black Skull's symbiote imprisoned in the Hell Charger's trunk while having Black Skull chained up in the heart of the wasteland he created while trapped in a forever penance.
Through unknown means, Black Skull was freed from his imprisonment and given another symbiote. He was present with the Multiversal Masters of Evil when they take over another Earth and plan to return to Earth-616. Just then,
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
shows up where he uses his control of the Symbiotes to subdue Black Skull and
King Killmonger
Erik Killmonger (né N'Jadaka) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, he first appeared in ''Jungle Action'' #6 (September 1973). The character is commonly depicte ...
. After Deathlok sacrifices his life to buy Ant-Man of Earth-818 time to get Ghost Rider away, Black Skull was present when Doom Supreme states that they should regroup and head to where they escaped in order to commit one more slaughter before returning to Earth-616.
''JLA/Avengers''
In the limited series ''
JLA/Avengers
''JLA/Avengers'' (issues #2 and 4 are titled ''Avengers/JLA'') is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to March 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, with ...
'', the Red Skull appears as one of the defenders of
Krona's stronghold, only to be defeated by
Jay Garrick
Jason Peter "Jay" Garrick is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first superhero known as Flash (DC Comics character), the Flash. The character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert. ...
.
''Marvel Zombies''
In the limited series ''
Marvel Zombies
''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Marve ...
'', the Red Skull is an undead zombie with an unquenchable hunger for the flesh of the living. In issue #5, he kills
Colonel America, but is decapitated by a
zombified Spider-Man and his head crushed by
Giant-Man
Giant-Man is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Editorial Story
Hank Pym, the first Giant-Man, with the Wasp, appeared in many superheroes stories published in the serial ''Tales to ...
.
''Old Man Logan''
In
Old Man Logan
Old Man Logan is an alternative version of the Marvel Comics fictional character Wolverine. This character is an aged version of Wolverine set in an alternate future universe designated Earth-807128, where the supervillains overthrew the superhe ...
's possible future, wherein Earth's villains defeated Earth's heroes in a final battle, the Red Skull is revealed to be the mastermind of the villains' conquest and made himself President of the United States. Living in a Nazi-redecorated
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
, the Red Skull had taken to wearing Captain America's old bloodstained uniform and collecting gruesome trophies from fallen heroes. When his men bring in a wounded Wolverine, Logan and the Red Skull fight. Unwilling to unsheathe his claws during the fight, Wolverine decapitates the Red Skull with Captain America's shield, ending his rule.
''Ultimate Marvel''
The ''
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
'' equivalent of the Red Skull appears as the unnamed Ian Rogers (character), illegitimate son of Captain America (Ultimate Marvel character), Steve Rogers / Captain America and Gail Richards who wears simple khaki pants and a white tee shirt instead of the Nazi/military costume of his 616 counterpart.
After his father's presumed death during World War II, he is taken from his mother and raised in an army base where he appears to be a well-adjusted, physically superior, and tactically brilliant young man who greatly resembles his father. However, his easygoing personality is a ruse. Around the age of 17, he kills over 200 men on the base and cuts off his own face in rejection of his father, leaving behind a "red skull".
[''Ultimate Avengers'' #2. Marvel Comics.] As a final symbol of his rebellion against the system that created him, he assassinates President John F. Kennedy.
[''Ultimate Avengers'' #5. Marvel Comics.]
During his career, Skull forces Petra Laskov to choose between killing her husband or infant son. After Petra kills the former, the Red Skull kills the latter anyway and has his henchmen rape Petra. After decades of working as a professional assassin, the Red Skull joins
A.I.M. so he and his men can steal the
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...
's blueprints. While on this quest, he encounters Captain America and beats him. Before throwing Captain America out of a helicopter, the Red Skull reveals his true identity. At A.I.M.'s Alaskan headquarters, the Red Skull kills the lead officer and takes charge of the operation. Now in control of the Cosmic Cube, he gains great power. As a sadistic display of his power, he has the entire Alaskan A.I.M. team cannibalize each other. When the Avengers arrive and attack, the Cosmic Cube imbues the Red Skull with nearly unlimited power, making him invulnerable. Captain America arrives later in a teleporting jet, but the Red Skull forces the jet to crash. Captain America survives the crash and teleports the jet to the Red Skull's exact coordinates, impaling him on one of the nosecone's rods.
[''Ultimate Avengers'' #6. Marvel Comics.]
The Red Skull is taken to a hospital and kept alive long enough for his mother to say goodbye. The Red Skull explains to Nick Fury (Ultimate Marvel character), Nick Fury that all he wanted to do with the Cosmic Cube was to turn back time and prevent his father from being lost so that he could grow up with him and lead a normal life. The Red Skull is later killed by a disguised Petra.
In other media
Television
* The Red Skull appeared in the "Captain America" segment of ''The Marvel Super Heroes'', voiced by Paul Kligman.
* The Red Skull appeared in the 1981 ''Spider-Man (1981 TV series), Spider-Man'' series, voiced by Peter Cullen.
* The Red Skull appeared in the ''Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981 TV series), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'' episode "Quest of the Red Skull", voiced again by Peter Cullen.
* The Red Skull appeared in a flashback in the ''X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men'' episode "Old Soldiers", voiced by Cedric Smith (actor), Cedric Smith.
* The Red Skull appeared in the 1994 ''Spider-Man (1994 TV series), Spider-Man'' series, voiced by David Warner (actor), David Warner (in "The Cat") and Earl Boen (in "Six Forgotten Warriors" onward).
He first makes a cameo appearance in the episode "The Cat", having manipulated Walter Hardy, John "The Cat" Hardesky from the shadows, before appearing as a central figure in the five-part episode "Six Forgotten Warriors". In the 1940s, after a battle with
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
and his teammates, the former and the Red Skull were both trapped in suspended animation within an energy vortex. When the Red Skull's son Electro (Marvel Comics), Rheinholt Schmidt releases his father from the vortex 50 years later, Captain America is inadvertently released as well, resulting in the two foes clashing and eventually being trapped in the vortex once more. In the three-part episode "Secret Wars", the Red Skull appears as one of several supervillains that the Beyonder assembled and placed on an alien planet as part of an experiment. The former collaborates with Doctor Octopus before they are foiled by a group of heroes led by Spider-Man and sent back to Earth when
Doctor Doom
Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
steals the Beyonder's powers.
* The Red Skull appears in ''The Super Hero Squad Show'', voiced by Mark Hamill.
* The Red Skull and his Dell Rusk alias appear in ''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', voiced by Steve Blum.
During World War II, the Red Skull uses
HYDRA
Hydra generally refers to:
* Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology
* ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria
Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Hydra (constel ...
's resources to abduct Germanic mythology, Nordic mythological beasts from the Nine Realms and subject them to his control. While Captain America and
Bucky Barnes
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared ...
thwart his scheme, the Red Skull indirectly causes the former's suspended animation and the latter's demise while making his escape. In the present, he quietly returns as Dell Rusk, the Secretary of Defense and the leader of Code Red, consisting of the
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
, Doc Samson, the Thunderbolt Ross, Red Hulk, and the Winter Soldier. He releases a biological weapon in New York and frames the
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
for it, sending Code Red to apprehend them. Winter Soldier captures Captain America and presents him to the Red Skull, but Captain America is able to defeat his old enemy and expose his identity to the public. The Red Skull is remanded to the Avengers' Hydro Base until his
Sleepers
''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Ho ...
break him out. He combines the Sleepers into a giant robot to attack Washington D.C. before Captain America and the Winter Soldier work together to defeat the Red Skull and destroy his Sleepers.
* The Red Skull appears in ''Avengers Assemble (TV series), Avengers Assemble'', voiced by Liam O'Brien. In season one, he captures Captain America in an attempt to switch bodies with the latter to grant himself a longer life. Though the Avengers reverse the process, the Red Skull steals Iron Man's Iron Man's armor, armor and arc reactor and rechristens himself the Iron Skull before going on to form and lead the Cabal (comics), Cabal against the Avengers. However, the Iron Skull attempts to eliminate his allies until Iron Man reveals his intentions and turns the Cabal against him. Using the power of the Cosmic Cube, Tesseract, the Iron Skull becomes the Cosmic Skull to destroy the Cabal and the Avengers, only to be defeated by both groups and separated from the Tesseract and his armor; returning him to his original Red Skull form. Despite this, he escapes with the Tesseract and attempts to form an alliance with Thanos. In season two, the latter tortures the Red Skull before returning him to Earth to be placed in the Avengers' custody. After surviving the Winter Soldier's kidnapping attempt, the Red Skull is restored to his former glory and escapes to Monster Island with the help of Dormammu's Mindless Ones. He creates an impenetrable magic-based force field around the island to protect himself from Thanos, but is expelled by Scott Lang, Ant-Man and Fin Fang Foom. The Red Skull also makes sporadic appearances in seasons four and five ''Avengers: Secret Wars'' and ''Avengers: Black Panther's Quest'' respectively.
** A Battleworld pirate version of the Red Skull called the Dread Skull appears in the ''Avengers: Secret Wars'' episode "The Vibranium Coast".
* The Red Skull appears in the animated special ''Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel'',
voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
* The Red Skull appears in the ''Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' episode "Days of Future Smash, Part 4: The Hydra Years", voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
While traveling through time to stop the Leader (character), Leader, the
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
encounters Captain America during World War II before both heroes learn of the Leader's plot to turn the Red Skull into the Green Skull via the Hulk's gamma energy. With the Hulk weakened, the Green Skull overpowers and forces Captain America to surrender. In the resulting alternate timeline, the Leader controls HYDRA using a wheel-like device powered by the Green Skull. With the help of the agents of S.M.A.S.H. and an older Captain America, the Hulk is freed and regains his stolen gamma energy from the Green Skull, turning the latter back into the Red Skull while the Leader escapes, changing the timeline back to normal.
** An alternate timeline dinosaur version of the Red Skull called the Red Skullasaurus appears in "Days of Future Smash, Part 5: The Tomorrow Smashers". The Leader summons it, among other paradoxical creatures, to help him fight the agents of S.M.A.S.H. However, he is defeated and the creatures are returned to their respective timelines.
* The Red Skull appears in ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload'', voiced by Chi McBride.
* The Red Skull appears ''Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers'', voiced by Motomu Kiyokawa in Japanese and Liam O'Brien in English.
* The Red Skull appears in ''Marvel Future Avengers'', voiced again by Motomu Kiyokawa in Japanese and Liam O'Brien in English.
Film
* A variation of the Red Skull appeared in the 1990 live-action film ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'', portrayed by
Scott Paulin
Robert Scott Paulin (born February 13, 1950) is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for playing Deke Slayton in the film '' The Right Stuff'' (1983). He has also acted in films including '' Cat People'' (1982), ''Teen Wolf'' ...
. This version is an Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italian officer, later Mafioso, named Tadzio de Santis. He was a prodigy whose family was killed by Axis soldiers who subjected him to the super-soldier formula, leaving him deformed and evil. With his memory erased to make him loyal to the Axis Powers, Red Skull launches a missile at Washington D.C., but Captain America attacks the Red Skull's base. The latter battles the former aboard a flying missile before the Red Skull cuts off his hand to avoid death. After Captain America is trapped in ice for decades, the Red Skull forms a criminal organization with his daughter Valentina Santis and attempts to brainwash the President, only to be stopped by a recording of his family's death. Lost in thought, Captain America uses his shield to throw the Red Skull off a cliff.
* The Red Skull appears in the 2014 animated film ''Heroes United#Iron Man and Captain America, Heroes United: Iron Man and Captain America'', voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Johann Schmidt / Red Skull appeared in media set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
(MCU):
* He is introduced in the live-action film ''
Captain America: The First Avenger'', portrayed by
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six AACTA Awards, Australian Academy of Cinema and Tel ...
.
This version is the head of Hydra (Marvel Cinematic Universe), HYDRA, which originally served as the Nazis' deep-science division. Schmidt ordered Dr. Abraham Erskine to use an experimental formula on him, which physically enhanced him, but permanently disfigured him. As a result, Adolf Hitler nicknamed Schmidt the "Red Skull" and exiled him. While leading an incursion into Norway in 1942, Schmidt recovers the Tesseract (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Tesseract and has his chief scientist Arnim Zola (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Arnim Zola develop advanced weapons powered by the object. Disillusioned with the Nazis, Schmidt breaks away from their regime and establishes HYDRA as its own force against the Allies and Axis alike with aspirations of world dominion. However, Steve Rogers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Steve Rogers leads the Allies' fight against HYDRA, forcing the group to retreat to their final base in the Alps. In 1945, Schmidt launches his plan to destroy populated cities across the United States, only to be defeated by Rogers and seemingly disintegrated by the Tesseract while attempting to use it.
* Schmidt returns in the live-action film ''
Avengers: Infinity War'', portrayed by
Ross Marquand
Roscoe Wayne Marquand (born August 22, 1981) is an American actor. He has played Aaron on the television series '' The Walking Dead'' since 2015, Red Skull and Ultron in various projects connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has voiced ...
. Following the events of ''The First Avenger'', Schmidt was transported to the planet Vormir and forced to serve as a "stonekeeper", guiding those who seek the Soul Stone as punishment for his use of the Tesseract. As the Soul Stone required the sacrifice of a loved one, of which he had none, he was unable to claim it for himself. In 2018, Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Thanos and Gamora (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Gamora arrive on Vormir to claim the Soul Stone, which Schmidt directs them to, explaining its requirements and looking on as Thanos kills Gamora. Directors Russo brothers, Joe and Anthony Russo stated that, after Thanos claimed the Soul Stone, Schmidt was freed from his curse and permitted to leave Vormir and pursue his own desires.
* A past version of Schmidt appears in the live-action film ''
Avengers: Endgame'', with Marquand reprising the role. He guides a time-traveling Natasha Romanoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Clint Barton to the Soul Stone and watches as she sacrifices herself so Barton can bring the stone back to the present.
* An alternate timeline version of Schmidt appears in the
Disney+
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animated series ''
What If...?'' episode "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?", voiced by Marquand. Similarly to the events of ''The First Avenger'', he attempts to achieve world domination via the Tesseract, but faces opposition from Peggy Carter (Marvel Cinematic Universe)#What If...?, Captain Carter instead. Schmidt's plans eventually culminate in him using the Tesseract to open a portal and summon an interdimensional creature, only for it to kill him.
Video games
* The Red Skull appears as the penultimate Boss (video games), boss of 1991's ''Captain America and The Avengers''.
* The Red Skull appears in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of ''Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet'', voiced again by Mark Hamill.
* The Red Skull appears in ''Captain America: Super Soldier'', voiced by Keith Ferguson (voice actor), Keith Ferguson.
* The Red Skull appears as a non-playable character in ''Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat'', voiced again by Mark Hamill.
* The Red Skull appears in ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes'', voiced again by Steven Blum.
* The Red Skull appears as playable character in ''Lego Marvel's Avengers'', voiced again by Liam O'Brien. This version sports the "Iron Skull" armor from the ''Avengers Assemble'' animated television series.
* The Red Skull appears in ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2''.
* The Red Skull appears as a boss in ''Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'', voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
* The Red Skull appears in ''Marvel Future Revolution'', voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
Literature
* The Albert Malik Skull appears in the prologue of ''Spider-Man: The Revenge of the Sinister Six'' and ''Spider-Man: The Secret of the Sinister Six'', which depict his role in the deaths of Richard and Mary Parker. ''Revenge'' looks at his final meeting with the Parkers before he sent them on the flight that would end in their deaths, and ''Secret'' looks at how he was alerted to their treachery by Gustav Fiers, the twisted individual known as the Gentleman (character), Gentleman.
* After being a distant threat in the first two volumes of the ''Chaos Engine'' trilogy, the Red Skull becomes the central villain of the final novel when he acquires the titular engine- a flawed
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...
- and uses it to create a reality where he is the leader of a Nazi galactic empire. Fortunately, a group of X-Men (who were outside reality when the initial rewrite took place) are able to band together and oppose the Skull, whose plans are ultimately undone by the sacrifice of his young lieutenant, a youth who joined the Skull's schemes without fully comprehending the scale of his evil, the young man using the Cube to undo everything even knowing that the strain of such would kill him. The Skull was subsequently left drifting outside reality, kept alive only because of the dregs of cosmic power he had absorbed from past encounters with similar Cubes.
Live performance
* The Red Skull appears in the ''Marvel Universe Live!'' arena show. This version sports the "Iron Skull" armor from the ''Avengers Assemble'' animated television series.
* The Red Skull appears in Disneyland Paris' "Marvel Season of Super Heroes".
Collected editions
References
External links
Red Skull (disambiguation)at Marvel.com
Red Skull (Johann Shmidt)at Marvel.com
Red Skull (Albert Malik)at Marvel.com
*
{{Jack Kirby
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