Red Skull
Sign in to saveAlso known as Johann Schmidt
fictional character in Marvel Comics, introduced in 1941
Key facts
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- First appearance
- Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941)
- Created by
- France Herron , Jack Kirby , Joe Simon
- Alter ego
- Johann Shmidt , George Maxon, Albert Malik, Sinthea Shmidt
- Species
- Human mutate
- Place of origin
- Germany
- Team affiliations
- Nazi Germany ( SS-Oberführer ) Kronas Corporation Exiles U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. Skeleton Crew Hydra
- Partnerships
- Arnim Zola , Crossbones
- Abilities
- Genius-level intellect Master tactician and strategist Skilled hand-to-hand combatant, marksman and swordsman
via Wikipedia infobox
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Red Skull is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by France Herron, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (1941), in which his secret identity is revealed to be George Maxon, who is retroactively established as a decoy working for the real Red Skull, Johann Shmidt, who would debut in Captain America Comics #7 (1941). Other individuals have also adopted the Red Skull persona, including Albert Malik and the original's own daughter Sinthea Shmidt.
In his comic book appearances, the Red Skull is depicted as a Nazi agent and protégé of Adolf Hitler during World War II who becomes an ominous threat to his mentor and the world at large. Although he initially only wears a mask to give his face the appearance of a red skull, Shmidt suffers a horrific disfigurement decades later that causes his face to match his namesake. The Red Skull has endured as the archenemy of the superhero Captain America.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Red Skull” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.