The Red Skull was perhaps second only to Hitler in the Nazi party, but it's debatable if even Hitler's madness and hatred could rival the Skull's. His history has extended well beyond the war, and his evil plagues the world to this day. His complete origin and activities are far too complex for this site to chronicle, so I will focus on his one-and-only encounter with the Invaders (and some of the basic details of what happened to him in the years since).

Born Johann Schmidt to a drunken father (who committed suicide when Johann was seven), the future Red Skull harbored a deep hatred for all mankind. His mother had died delivering him, so after his father's suicide he was sent to an orphanage. He was eventually taken in by a Jewish shopkeeper, whose daughter was the only person to show Johann kindness. Smitten with her, he tried to force himself upon her. When she refused, he became enraged and killed her. Terrified, he fled--but he actually was exhilirated with killing.

Johann became a bellboy at a German hotel, and one night was serving Adolph Hitler. Hitler was berating his Gestapo chief, and declared that he could teach the bellboy, Johann, to be a better Nazi. When Hitler saw the hatred in Johann's eyes, he decided to take the boy under his wing. Seeing in Hitler the mentor he knew he needed, Johann was quick to agree. Hitler gave him a skull-mask, and transformed Johann Schmidt into the Red Skull! The Skull answered only to Hitler himself, and launched a campaign of terror against the Allies. This of course brought him into conflict with Captain America and Bucky. When the latter two joined the Invaders, the Skull set about destroying the super-team. Appearing at a war bonds rally the Invaders were hosting, the Skull used NAzi technology to kidnap Captain America, the Human Torch, Toro, and the Sub-Mariner. Deeming Bucky unworthy of his attention, he left the youngest Invader behind. The Skull then brainwashed the Invaders and forced them to fight for the Nazis. Although most of America truly believed the Invaders had become traitors, Bucky knew they had been brainwashed. In order to free them, he founded the Liberty Legion. Bucky was right in assuming that only another group of super-powered heroes could stop the Invaders--the Liberty Legion was able to not only hold their own in battle with the Invaders but were able to free them. Toro then destroyed the Red Skull's hovering airship, handing the Nazi hatemonger a solid defeat. Although the Skull continued to plague the Allies and Captain America during the war, he never again battled the combined might of the Invaders.

The Red Skull continued his terrorism, working with Baron Strucker and the Nazi scientist Brain Drain. It was the Skull who had Baron Zemo steal the drone plane that eventually sent Captain America into suspended animation and killed Bucky. But shortly before this happened, the Skull had a final wartime conflict with Captain America in an underground base. Knowing German defeat was imminent, the Red Skull was preparing for his own take-over of the world on "Exile Island." The Skull hurled a grenade at the super-soldier, but Cap used his shield to deflect it back at the Skull. Thanks to his protective armor, the Red Skull was not killed in the blast, but he was seriously injured. A bomb from a passing Allied plane caused a cave-in which buried the Skull. Cap escaped, but the Skull was put into suspended animation by gases released by the bombing. During his hibernation, another man assumed the Red Skull identity during the 1950s. When Johann Schmidt was awakened in the 1960s, he again set about enslaving the world. With Captain America also revived, they renewed their struggle. The Skull has died since then (in CAPTAIN AMERICA #300, 1984), but lives on in a clone of Captain America's body. The Red Skull has financed several terrorist organiztions, including the Watchdogs and the villain-killing Scourge of the Underworld. The Red Skull used Scourge to slay the 1950s incarnation of himself, so that there should be only one Red Skull. To this day, the Red Skull remains Captain America's greatest foe.

First Modern Appearance: TALES OF SUSPENSE #66 (1966)

Invaders Appearances: INVADERS #5-6 (1976)

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