Johann Schmidt

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Johann Schmidt, also known as Red Skull, is a former Nazi official and physicist who served as the founder and leader of Hydra from 1931 until 1945 and as the stonekeeper of the Soul Stone from 1945 until 2018. He attempted to overthrow German chancellor Adolf Hitler to conquer Earth, but his plot was stopped by Steve Rogers.

Schmidt was born in north Germany. He became a physicist and developed an interest in Norse mythology, enlisting in the Schutzstaffel. Schmidt assassinated Ernst Kaufmann during the Night of the Long Knives and rose to the rank of Obergruppenführer, when he formed Hydra within the Nazi military. He learned of the Super Soldier serum, a formula for physical enhancement, and ordered the capture of Abraham Erskine, the scientist who developed it. Schmidt injected the incomplete serum into his bloodstream, amplifying his views and disfiguring his face. He ordered the execution of Erskine afterwards.

In March 1942, Schmidt ordered an invasion of Castle Rock Tower in Tønsberg, where he discovered the Tesseract. Believing the Tesseract could achieve his goals of world domination, he attempted to use it to destroy cities across the world, but his efforts were stopped by Rogers, who fought Schmidt on the Valkyrie. During the battle, Schmidt held the Tesseract and he was taken to Vormir.

Schmidt served as the stonekeeper of the Soul Stone until 2018, when Thanos, in his effort to obtain all six Infinity Stones, traveled to Vormir. Thanos sacrificed his daughter, Gamora, to retrieve the Soul Stone, relieving Schmidt of his fate.