He made his first appearance in “Captain America: The First Avenger”. “Red Skull is one of the most iconic figures in the Marvel universe. However, even if you’re a die-hard fan of the super villain, chances are you don’t know all the facts we’re going to cover about him today! 👹
Johann Schmidt, aka “The Red Skull”, is undoubtedly Captain America’s most formidable foe. And in 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”, they clash as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Towards the end of the film, Schmidt attempts to use the power of the Cosmic Cube without proper protection and ends up being teleported to the alien planet of Vormir, becoming the guardian of the Soul Stone. 🙏
There are many intriguing stories to explore about this psychopathic Nazi. That’s why today we’re taking a look at ten little-known facts about The Red Skull. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
10) Immobilized in time
In the comics, Johann Schmidt finds himself frozen, just like Captain America. After a fight between the two in an underground bunker, The Red Skull finds himself trapped beneath the rubble. However, the support beams that fall on him prevent him from being crushed by the debris. Instead, an experimental gas is released, plunging him into a state of total immobility. ❄️
Decades later, the evil organization known as A.I.M. discovers him and brings him back to modern times. The Red Skull has always been Captain America’s greatest enemy. His survival thus foreshadows future encounters and sequels in the years to come.
9) The history of the Red Skull
It would have been interesting to explore the Red Skull’s story, though it’s a rather dark one. It begins when his father commits suicide after attempting to drown Schmidt following his mother’s death in childbirth. “Red Skull Incarnate” is a captivating tale that delves into Schmidt’s youth. ✍️
In particular, we discover that after murdering a Jewish girl he had fallen in love with, Schmidt’s spirit begins to break and he joins the Nazis, killing his childhood friend Dieter in front of Adolf Hitler. This leads to the infamous story of the dictator taking Schmidt under his wing and giving him the nickname Red Skull, in reference to his affection for the art of dying.
8) Glory to Hydra!
In the film Captain America: The First Avenger, The Red Skull is presented as the main leader of the Hydra organization. However, in the comics, it’s Baron Wolfgang von Strucker who founds the group on Johann Schmidt’s orders, by merging the Thule Society with the Nazi Hand. 👀
The origins of this organization go back millions of years, during the evolution of mankind. However, it wasn’t until the Second World War that the group became a huge threat to world peace. If Hydra plays a role in future Captain America films, exploring this organization in more detail would have enhanced its credibility when introduced in the original film.
7) The Dust of Death
In the film Captain America: The First Avenger, Johann Schmidt acquires his physical signature thanks to an underdeveloped super-soldier serum. However, in the comics, he was a sadist and used “Death Dust” as his primary means of eliminating his enemies. 🔫
This dust was projected from a rifle, causing his enemies’ faces to shrink and redden, leaving them dead. Initially, he wore a Red Skull mask given to him by Hitler, but it was his own experiments with this famous weapon that caused his deformities, not the serum.
6) Les Dormeurs (The Sleepers)
During the Second World War, the Red Skull created five machines that lay dormant, hidden from view. Thus, should the Axis lose the war, these “Sleepers” would be activated, causing unimaginable destruction and giving the Red Skull the victory he desired. These colossal weapons were important in the comics, but were not mentioned in the film. 🎥
Even with the disappearance of the Red Skull at the end of “Captain America: The First Avenger”, the Sleepers could have played a role in subsequent films, prompting Rogers and the Avengers to hunt them down and attempt to destroy them as part of the Hydra storyline.
5) Mother Superior
The Red Skull was determined to find a successor to his twisted legacy. In Captain America #290, we discover Sinthea Schmidt, aka “Mother Superior”. Although her origins are not revealed in this issue, it was later revealed that Johann tried to kill her, replicating his father’s actions. 🔪
It was only thanks to the intervention of a woman named Susan Scarbo that the scene was interrupted, averting catastrophe. During her childhood, the Red Skull returns to use a special machine to age her and give her superpowers.
4) Cosmic Skull
Although Schmidt is sent to Vormir to become the guardian of the Soul Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, the Red Skull’s ties to the cosmos are quite different in the comics. At one point, he worked with Korvac and even traveled to Galactus’s ship to access unlimited power, enhancing his new warp abilities.
Even with his disappearance at the end of the first Captain America movie, we could have envisioned the Red Skull’s return in one of the future phases of the MCU, assuming Kevin Feige and company plan to use the Devourer of Worlds in the future.
3) Steve Rogers’ Clone
In Captain America: Rebaptized, the Red Skull finds a way to transfer his mind into a clone of Steve Rogers, giving him the physical appearance and same abilities as the Captain. The two find themselves in combat, as a trapped Rogers attempts to escape Schmidt’s mind.
These events follow the “death” of Captain America, in which Rogers is not actually dead but imprisoned in his own memories. This story also sees the involvement of Sinthea Schmidt, now known as Sin, who is involved in an explosion, causing her the same facial deformities as her father, becoming her own version of the Red Skull.
2) Dell Rusk
If Johann Schmidt hadn’t been transported to Vormir in the films, we might have seen him become a powerful infiltrator known as Dell Rusk. Under this identity, Schmidt manages to become the US government’s Secretary of Defense, acquiring immense political power without resorting to Death Dust. 🤨
However, he uses his power to create a biological weapon. Once again, his plans are thwarted by the Vengers. The idea of introducing Dell Rusk in the background in Captain America: The Winter Soldier would have been interesting and kept the Red Skull story alive.
1) The S-Men
Unfortunately, this story wouldn’t have been possible when the Red Skull was introduced into the MCU, as the S-Men were X-Men characters owned by Fox at the time. However, now that Disney owns the rights to the X-Men, the Red Skull S-Men could bring an interesting dynamic to the future of the X-Men franchise. 😍 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
In the comics, the S-Men were created to destroy mutants, imprisoning them in a concentration camp in Genosha on the orders of the Red Skull, who is now in possession of Charles Xavier’s brain. With the way the Red Skull is used in the MCU, this story will probably never be explored. However, it’s a striking example of Johann Schmidt’s twisted, evil nature.
