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None are left to hinder my plans now, none remain to rescue you. You are mine to control, "Douglock". And through you -- through the unstoppable power of your extra-terrestrial techno-virus -- the world will finally bow to the RED SKULL!
„
~ Red Skull.
Johann Shmidt, better known as the first Red Skull, is one of the main antagonists of the Marvel Universe, specifically serving as the main antagonist of the Captain America franchise and one of the main antagonists of The Avengers franchise.
He is a cruel and ruthless German Nazi terrorist who is the co-founder and leader of the neo-Nazi organization HYDRA and the arch-nemesis of Steve Rogers/Captain America, as well as a major adversary to the Avengers, through his role via the head and leader of HYDRA.
He is one of the most infamous villains in the the Marvel Universe, due to his ties to the Nazi regime, his twisted social darwinism views, and his ruthless cruelty that makes him one of the most amoral and despicable villains in Marvel history.
The Red Skull was originally a German man named Johann Shmidt, who eventually came to hate the human race. He was born to Hermann and Martha Shmidt. The Red Skull lost the last of his redeeming qualities after his mother died having him: Hermann, (who was an abusive alcoholic) blamed Johann for her death and tried to drown him right after he was born, only to be stopped by the attending doctor. Hermann committed suicide afterward, so the doctor took Johann to an orphanage.
Johann left the orphanage when he was about 7 years old and began living his life as a beggar and a thief - a reputation that would put him in jail from time to time even as he tried to find jobs for himself. He eventually worked for a Jewish shopkeeper, whose daughter, Esther, was the only person who showed any kindness to Johann. He later tried to rape her, and killed her once she rejected his advances. He initially left in terror but later felt great joy in having committed his first murder.
Later in his life working as a bellhop in a hotel when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis came to power. He was bringing food to the dictator's room when Hitler yelled at a Gestapo agent, saying that he could make the bellboy a better spy than he was. Hitler then saw the hatred in his face and decided to make Shmidt the perfect Nazi and his right-hand man. Hitler gave him a red, skull-like mask and named him Red Skull. The Skull was answerable only to Hitler himself.
While the general tale itself is true, there are a number of inaccuracies to the actual account of the Red Skull's ascension from impoverished street urchin to the most feared Nazi agent of all time. At the time of this telling the Red Skull was rapidly aging and on the brink of death. As such it is likely he may have forgotten, or glossed over some of the facts, however some form of deception in telling this tale should not be ruled out either.
Background (True Account/Post-Retcon)
Johann Shmidt was born in 1914, and grew up in an orphanage in Munich (details of how he became an orphan or who his parents were are not revealed). He grew up in a rather hostile environment with the Nazi Party in the power and being abused by his headmaster for even the smallest infractions.
His only friend growing up was a boy named Dieter Lehmann, who Johann helped to protect a stray puppy from the dog catcher. Surprisingly, their headmaster allowed the boys to keep the pet. One day Johann rushed outside to witness a march of the Nazi party toward city hall. When the police force responded with violence. As the street erupted in chaos, Shmidt attempted to flee, but his headmaster would not let him, telling the boy to stand and face the chaos like a man.
When Shmidt grabbed for a gun dropped on the ground and attempted to shoot the man, the headmaster knocked the gun out of his hand. Fleeing into the crowd, Schmidt jumped into a dog catchers truck to escape. He convinced the dog catcher to take him home and teach him how to kill dogs like he does. The dog catcher complies and after bludgeoning and then fatally cutting a vicious dog in front of the boy, the dog catcher then offered Johann a docile pup to kill. Unable to bring himself to kill the dog, Johann watched as the dog catcher disgustingly threw it in the pen with the other dogs. Watching as the pup was attacked by the other dogs, Johann attempted to save it and was attacked. With his life threatened, Johann managed to beat all the dogs to death with the stick alone. Going to the wounded dog, Johann was shocked when it bit him before dying. Coming to terms with the brutal world that he was born into, Johann got up and left the dog to die in the pouring rain, a road that would lead to him becoming one of the most notorious murderers in human history.
1934
After careful planning, Johann and Dieter had finalized their plans to assassinate Hitler and began their mission on June 29, 1934. Johann, having quit the Brownshirts ran into his old commander and learned that Hitler and his men intended to eliminate Ernest Rohm for his opposition of Hitler's rise to power and "deviant" homosexuality. Killing his old commander for striking him in the past, Johann then led Dieter and his friends to Hotel Hansenblauer in Bad Wiessee. There, Dieter's friends waited for them in a boat to escape, while Dieter and Johann went into the hotel and posed as boy prostitutes to gain access to Rohm's hotel room. Seeing that their so-called friends had abandoned them, Johann and Dieter decided to continue their operation, with Dieter changing into a bellhop's uniform and Johanne dressing in normal clothing. When they arrived in Rohn's room it was just moments after the Gestapo, led by Hitler, arrived to eliminate Rohm. This unexpected turn of events prompted Johann to stay his hand at shooting Hitler and when they were ordered to bring Hitler his dinner, they went down into the kitchen to fetch his meal. There, Dieter chastised Johann for not shooting Hitler when they had the chance. Then, to prove to Johann that he was not still the same cowardly boy from the orphanage, he changed outfits with Johann, determined to kill Hitler himself. However, when Dieter pulled the gun and attempted to shoot Hitler, Johann -- recalling all the advice he had been given over the years about the strong surviving in a harsh world -- ruined Dieter's shot. Then grabbing the gun, shot his only friend in the head, killing him. The Gestapo agents then rushed Johann, but before they could kill him Hitler stops them. Impressed by the boy, Hitler then invited him to becoming his right-hand man, molding the boy in his own image. Thus a terrible legend was born.
More Current Events
He planned and took part in many espionage and terrorist activities during World War Two, and the United States created Captain America in response. In the final days of the war, Captain America and Red Skull confronted each other in the latter's hidden bunker under Berlin. The bunker collapsed, trapping Red Skull.
Gases were released in the collapse, which put Red Skull into a state of suspended animation. His American nemesis was also trapped in a similar state later on, albeit frozen in arctic ice. Both individuals were revived in the 1960's, and they continue to fight each other today. During this period, Red Skull was exposed to one of his own gases, which twisted and deformed his face so it took on the appearance of his mask.
Red Skull once came into possession of the Cosmic Cube, a device that could alter reality to the user's wishes. The Skull used it to make himself ruler of the world, but was eventually thwarted by the New Avengers and reality was reset. He was resurrected by Arnim Zola who has since then transferred his mind after physical death and recently transferred it into a body identical to Zola giving him a form of immortality due to mind transfer.
Recently a revived Red Skull formed the S-Men and became the antithesis of the now deceased Charles Xavier, stealing his body and taking the mutant's brain as his own - likely developing the same psychic abilities as Xavier in the process but dedicating himself to eradicating mutants.
World War Hate
Red Skull, as part of his plan to wipe out all of mutant-kind, took over the island Genosha and turned it into a concentration camp, abducting numerous mutants and Inhumans. Among those captured were members of the Avengers Unity Division. The Avengers, joined by Magneto, managed to escape and confronted Red Skull. Defeating Red Skull's S-Men, Magneto then proceeded to kill Red Skull without the use of his mutant powers, offering him a "pure" death. However, Red Skull returned as Red Onslaught, but is defeated. It would later be revealed that this Red Skull was not really Schmidt, but a clone.
The Red Skull has a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He plays a role in several of the films.
The Marvel Superheroes
Red Skull appears in various episodes of the Captain America segment of The Marvel Superheroes.
Spider-Man (1981)
The Skull also appears in the 1981 Spider-Man cartoon in the episode, The Capture of Captain America, voiced by Peter Cullen.
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
Cullen reprises the role in the banned Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends episode "Dawn of the Red Skull".
The Super Hero Squad Show & Games
Red Skull makes two appearances in "The Super Hero Squad Show". He also makes an appearance in their Infinity Gauntlet game and their Comic Combat game.
In the 1990 Captain America movie, the Red Skull is played by Scott Paulin. In this version, The Skull is an Italian fascist named Tadzio de Santis and also a recipient of the Super Solider Serum. He had to cut off his hand to avoid dying. He has a daughter named Valentina Santis, and with her they tried to brainwash the president. A clip is later pulled up of Red Skull killing Captain America's parents, and he is thrown off a cliff.
Iron Man and Captain America
In this animated film, Red Skull is the main antagonist. He steals Captain America's blood to make a superhero army. When a serum was made, he brainwashed the Captain, making him into a HYDRA ally. One of his agents named Taskmaster revealed to the Captain that he was going to betray Red Skull and take over the world. The other Avengers eventually come, and Red Skull is defeated in a battle with him and other HYDRA agents.
Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers
Red Skull appears in the anime series Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers as the secondary antagonist of the series. He was voiced by the late Motomu Kiyokawa in the Japanese version of the anime, and by Liam O'Brien in the English version of the anime.
The Skull appears various times in the 90's Spider-Man cartoon, voiced by Earl Boen. Here, he was trapped in a time vortex with his hated nemesis, Captain America, and is the father of Electro. He also was the main antagonist of Six Forgotten Warriors arc in Season 5.
Captain America (un-produced series)
In the un-produced Captain America animated series, the Red Skull would have been the main antagonist.
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
The Red Skull appears in the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon. Here, he was voiced by Steve Blum. He has the same backstory as he once did, and he ended up releasing "Sleepers" onto New York.
Red Skull appears in the 2013 Disney/Marvel crossover special, Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel, as the main antagonist. He leads a group of Marvel villains (Whiplash, Venom, and M.O.D.O.K. in fighting four of the greatest heroes (Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk and Thor), who all lost their superpowers thanks to the Power Drain-inator created by Heinz Doofenshmirtz (the main antagonist of the series). Upon learning that Doofenshmirtz is responsible for stripping the powers, Red Skull and his allies seek him out, and after Doofenshmirtz builds a second one, they later betray him, planning to use the Power Drain-inator to drain every mega-hero of his/her power to take over the world. Fortunately, Phineas and Ferb, along with their friends, manage to retrieve the lost powers and restore them back to the heroes, who then defeat Red Skull and his allies and send them into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
Red Skull is an antagonist and leader of the Cabal in 2013 animated series Avengers Assemble voiced by Liam O'Brian. He made an alliance called Cabals with Attuma, Dracula, MODOK, and Hyperion, he tried to invite Dr Doom, but he refused. In this sense, Red Skull is the main antagonist of Avengers Assemble and the series' big bad. He was dying due to the imperfection of the super-soldier serum that transformed him, so he attacks Captain America and teleports him to a HYDRA base with a laser gun (Tony thought Skull had killed him). At the hideout, he prepares to have his own mind passed into the Captain's body with MODOK, but the newly-formed Avengers attack and save Cap. In the process however, Red Skull had managed to steal Tony's Iron Man armor, destroying the helmet (likely so that his face can always be shown to intimidate his foes) and calls himself Iron Skull.
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
In this series, he attempted to make himself into "Green Skull" using Hulk's gamma ray energy. Hulk ended up being weakened, but he was eventually thwarted.
Marvel Future Avengers
Red Skull is among the many villains in Marvel Future Avengers.
Captain America and The Avengers
Red Skull is a boss in Captain America and The Avengers for the SNES.
Captain America: Super Soldier
Red Skull is a boss in the game Captain America: Super Soldier, where his story is pretty much the same as the cinematic film.
Red Skull makes an appearance in Lego Marvel Super Heros, Lego Marvel's Avengers and Lego Marvel Super Heros:Maximum Overload.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance series
Red Skull appears as a boss in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order.
Marvel vs. Capcom series
Red Skull made cameo appearances in the Marvel vs. Capcom series.
Avengers Academy
Red Skull appears in Avengers Academy. He and HYDRA forces attack S.H.I.E.L.D. squadrons around the world in search for the Monolith. He ends up being stopped and reveals that there is more.
Marvel: Conquest of Champions
Red Skull is one of the many characters in the Marvel: Conquest of Champions video game. He buried a Cosmic-Cube capable of creating beings to serve HYDRA. He later resurfaces and takes control of many criminal organizations. He is eventually defeated again.
Marvel Strike Force
Red Skull is one of the many playable characters in Marvel Strike Force.
Marvel Duel
Red Skull is one of the many playable characters in Marvel Duel. He was personally trained by Hitler to be a super soldier Nazi.
Marvel Rivals
Red Skull was mentioned to have fought Captain America during the second World War, however this version of Captain America was unfroze in the year 2099. When he encounter Black Widow, he asked about the whereabout of his archenemy, which she replied that he has been decreased over fifty years.
Powers and Abilities
Red Skull doesn't have any known physical or mental powers without the aid from the Cosmic Cube or any other known power source. Red Skull mostly kept his body physically fit prior to his first death and after having his conscious placed within a clone. Having knowledge of several forms of fighting skills that's almost equaled to Captain America, Red Skull is a deadly and formidable fighter that even heroes such as Bucky Barnes and Falcon couldn’t compare with. Aside from his experience with fighting, Red Skull is also proficient with the use of several fire-arms, automatics, rifles, knives, and any other forms of weaponry that he feels to be useful for his needs.
It’s also known that Red Skull is an experienced master-of- disguise, and also experienced within the fields of sabotage and espionage. During his time within Captain America's cloned body, the body had also maintained the Super Soldier effects that gave Red Skull increased strength, speed, and stamina. Red Skull is very well-known for his ability to produce elaborate schemes and his display of strategy. Naturally forming a plan that consists of two or more goals to serve his needs, holding back a hidden plan that wouldn’t be revealed until later, and a fallback plan in case his current plan tends to fail. After his first death, Red Skull would perform his plans behind the scene’s to where nobody would even expect his involvement. One form of strategy that Red Skull favored was his advantage of his near death experiences, several times Red Skull has performed this feat as an advantage to where even some believed that the Red Skull couldn’t be killed. Aside from his ability to produce elaborate plans, Red Skull does have knowledge and experience within the fields of leadership and is known to be extremely manipulative.
Probably the one thing that does make Red Skull extremely dangerous is the massive amount of resources and connections he has with various groups, organizations, and other characters within the Marvel Universe. After his second revival and taking the identity known as Mr. Smith, Red Skull developed access within just about everything place throughout the world, even reaching access into the White House itself. Funding several groups and holding his own division that consisted a representative from each group he funded, Red Skull was capable of training and creating new costumed heroes and villains, ordering assassinations on any selected target, gain access towards weaponry and equipment, and plus any other desired requests that would serve his own agenda.
Because of this Red Skull successfully had Steve Rogers replaced with John Walker as Captain America, had Albert Malik assassinated, faked his own death several times, and had Captain America shot by Sharon Carter who was currently brainwashed. It’s unclear of the full extent of which groups or individuals were funded or controlled underneath the Red Skull seeing how he strictly acted behind the scenes or that they were unaware of who they are working with. After his first encounter with the Cosmic Cube, Red Skull quickly studied and learned how to use it's powers and control it to where the Cube granted him god-like powers. With the knowledge he gained from the Cube, Red Skull even knew how to easily transfer his conscious in and out of the Cube. It's also known that Red Skull successfully used the Cube to create a being that strongly resembled Hitler (as Hate-Monger) and was made out of pure emotion.
The clone Red Skull possessed all of the mental abilities of Professor X, including telepathy and the power to bend the minds and wills of others.
Television Season 1: The Pride: Magistrate | Leslie Dean | Tina Minoru | Robert Minoru | Geoffrey Wilder | Catherine Wilder | Victor Stein | Janet Stein | Dale Yorkes | Stacey Yorkes Season 2: Magistrate Family: Magistrate The Pride: Leslie Dean | Victor Stein | Janet Stein | Tina Minoru | Robert Minoru | Geoffrey Wilder | Catherine Wilder | Dale Yorkes | Stacey Yorkes
Others: Frank Dean | Darius Davis | Detective Flores | Topher | Anthony Wall/AWOL Season 3: The Coven: Morgan le Fay | Cassandra | Bronwyn The Pride: | Victor Stein | Janet Stein | Leslie Dean | Tina Minoru | Robert Minoru | Geoffrey Wilder | Catherine Wilder | Dale Yorkes | Stacey Yorkes Magistrate Family: Magistrate
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