Red Skull (Earth-199999)

Red Skull, born Johann Schmidt, is a German scientist and former head of Hydra. Schmidt was largely responsible for Hydra's rise as an organization distinct from its Nazi origins, presenting a major threat during World War II. A large motivation for his rise to power was his obsession with a mythological level of greatness, which led to his seeking out the Tesseract as well as his premature experimentation with the super-soldier serum that led to his eponymous disfigurement. Red Skull was defeated by Captain America, effectively bringing an end to the war. In a last-ditch effort at victory, Schmidt attempted to use the Tesseract against Captain America, but wound up sucking himself through a portal to Vormir, where he mysteriously became the guardian of the Soul Stone. Having apparently undergone a dramatic change of personality, Schmidt is now serenely committed to his new occupation.

Biography

Rising through the ranks

By February 1934, Johann Schmidt was a graduate student in physics in Nazi Germany. He had a deep interest, arguably an obsession, with magic and mythology, and sought to realize their potential for practical application. In particular, he believed himself to be destined for a kind of mythological power. Schmidt did not believe in the Nazis' racist philosophy per se, preferring the idea of individual exceptionalism to that of a "master race." Nonetheless, his desire for power and personal greatness led him into the Nazi party. After a night at the opera, Schmidt approached Adolf Hitler himself, explaining his area of study and interest with the mythological. Hitler himself was intrigued, but later Schmidt was approached by Ernst Kaufmann, head of the Sturmabteilung (S.A.) special-weapons division, who threatened Schmidt not to bother the Führer with such nonsense. Schmidt was further approached by Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel (S.S.), who arranged with Schmidt to assassinate Kaufmann. That July, Schmidt carried out the killing at an S.A. retreat in Bavaria, and over the summer the S.A. was systematically and violently dissolved by the S.S. In July, Schmidt met Arnim Zola, a scientist with the S.A. who was studying military exoskeleton technology. Schmidt easily convinced (that is, threatened) him to join his cause and begin working on making men themselves into weapons instead.

In September 1935, Schmidt made a huge leap in his quest for greatness. He found scientist Abraham Erskine and his family attempting to leave Germany for Switzerland, and took Erskine into custody. Erskine had been researching increases in muscular density through the application of synthetic proteins: in other words, making someone stronger. Schmidt threatened Erskine's family to get him to apply this research to his cause. In November 1940, Erskine did just that, developing what would become known as the super-soldier serum. The formula wasn't actually finished, but Schmidt was eager to use it nonetheless. According to Erskine, it worked exactly as intended, "[enhancing] what is already within," and thereby making Schmidt more malicious than ever, as well as horribly disfiguring his face in a way that earned him the nickname, Red Skull. Schmidt would often wear a high-quality mask replica of his original face thereafter to cover up his scars.

Leader of Hydra

By 1942, Schmidt had become the head of Hydra, the Nazis' research division. In March of that year, Hydra forces stormed Tønsberg, Norway, where Schmidt recovered the powerful Tesseract, an object of untold energetic power. Schmidt experimented with the Tesseract in private, along with Dr. Zola, and soon realized its impressive potential. More ambitious than ever, Schmidt and Hydra broke away from Nazi forces at large, becoming a dangerous entity in and of themselves. Hydra spent the next several months using the Tesseract to create new, powerful weapons. With Hydra's allegiance with the Nazis severed, Red Skull sought nothing but pure, megalomaniacal power, aiming to utterly destroy and conquer the world with his coming arsenal. In November 1943, a facility building such weapons was also holding prisoner a large number of American soldiers, including James "Bucky" Barnes. Barnes' close friend, the recently christened Captain America, infiltrated the base, freeing the captured soldiers and leading their escape. Schmidt initiated the base's self-destruction, bringing the Tesseract with him as he left. Schmidt ran into Barnes and Captain America on the way out, demonstrating his own super-soldier capabilities and revealing his Red Skull visage.

Hydra forces gradually crumbled under the might of Captain America and allied forces inspired by his leadership. In one confrontation in April 1944, Red Skull attempted to convince Captain America of their mutual superiority as super soldiers in an attempt to sway him from the American cause, to no avail. By February 1945, Red Skull had retreated to the main Hydra base in the Swiss Alps, where Captain America led a final assault. Cap was captured by Hydra guards and brought to Red Skull's office, but this was all a ruse to allow further allied forces to infiltrate. An all-out battle broke out, as Red Skull attempted to escape via his large, personal plane, carrying explosive payloads powered with Tesseract energy designed to level various cities across the globe. Captain America was able to board the plane as well, engaging Red Skull. Cap threw his shield, striking the Tesseract and opening a portal into space that sucked Red Skull into the void. Captain America was forced to quickly ground the plane, apparently sacrificing himself, but in fact simply preserving him in the ice (along with the Tesseract) to be found nearly 70 years later. Red Skull was presumed dead, and this victory led to the end of the war soon after.

Guardian of the Soul Stone

Red Skull found himself on the planet of Vormir, where he was tasked with guarding the Soul Stone, and was undisturbed for the next 73 years. Exactly how he came to inherit this responsibility is a mystery.