Marvel Villains: Chapter Four

By: Leeland Hernandez & Allan Kalambayi

Last week, we discussed Kang the Conqueror, who is a major villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But another supervillain who is just as cruel, and possibly better known, is Johann Shmidt, also known as Red Skull. Schmidt/Red Skull is an OG villain of Marvel, appearing in Captain America Comics #1 in 1941. As far as the MCU is concerned, Red Skull first appeared in the movie ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ from 2011. Determined to achieve his goals, using harsh methods, the supervillain is the leader of Hydra, a group connected to the Nazis. Red Skull’s evil connections led to many battles with Captain America during World War II and influenced a lot of what happens in the MCU throughout time. 

In the first Captain America, Red Skull was a formidable enemy, manipulating people like no other. He managed to coax very smart people into creating and/or giving him harmful weapons. One weapon that he was able to acquire through his connections was the super soldier serum, which was also used to create Captain America. This serum made Red Skull incredibly strong, almost as strong as Captain America himself. But it also enhanced all his traits and transformed his head into the red, skull-like face we all know well.

For me, Red Skull’s cruel behavior and terrible ideas make him a very scary person. His ability to persuade others and his strength mean you should never underestimate him.