The Red Skull is what some would call the epitome of evil when it comes to the superhero universe. He is known for his 
exceptional brutality in dealing with superhero nemeses.
The Red Skull is title that’s been given to more than one supervillain throughout Marvel’s history. The first Red Skull, John Maxon, was actually an American just working for who is known as the real Red Skull. This true Red Skull is Johann Schmidt. He was a German that Hitler enlisted as part of his Third Reich.
Schmidt eventually advanced in rank so far as to become one of Hitler’s most trusted officers. Hitler gave him a red skull mask, which began Schmidt’s career of inciting fear and terror into the people of Germany and the rest of the world.
To fight against the terror that the Red Skull caused, the US created a hero using the Super-Soldier serum — Captain America (aka Steve Rogers). And thus, one of the greatest rivalries in superhero history was born. Captain America and the Red Skull would encounter each other on countless occasions, on many different battlefields.
The Red Skull doesn’t necessarily have any special powers, but like many supervillains, he has super-human intelligence and cunning, and he has been 
known to showcase hand-to-hand combat abilities. Regardless of his lack of superpowers, he is known as one of the greatest villains of all time.
The most notable appearances by the Red Skull include a few episodes from the 1994 Spider-Man animated series, the 1992 X-Men animated series, and The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. We hesitate mentioning the awful rendition of Captain America in the form of the 1990 film version in which Scott Paulin portrayed the Red Skull. Thankfully, the part will no doubt be redeemed when versatile actor Hugo Weaving will dawn the red mask in the upcoming 2011 Captain American film. This will be the second superhero movie for Weaving (his first being V for Vendetta).
There’s not a lot of Red Skull gear out there, but you can see what there is by clicking here.
Jack Stewart is a writer for Superhero Legacy
