Characters / Captain America: Central Rogues Gallery

aka: Baron Zemo

Central Rogues Gallery

Arnim Zola

Arnim Zola

Notable Aliases: The Bio-Fanatic, Scientist Supreme

First Appearance: Captain America #208 (April, 1977)

"Revenge is good. As good a fire to move forward as any. Remember those who stood on your fingers as you climbed the craggy cliffs."

Born in the early 20th Century, Dr. Arnim Zola became one of the first biochemists in history after finding notes and equipment belonging to the offshoot race of humanity, the Deviants. He learned many things from his studies, including the ability to transfer people's essence into clones of their original bodies. Allying with the Nazis during World War II, Dr. Zola survived the war by transplanting his consciousness into a robotic shell. He was a regular associate of the Red Skull during WWII, and still works with him on occasion in the present day.

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• Brain Uploading: How he manages to cheat death. He's also been known to do it for other people.
• Cephalothorax: Invoked. His robot body actually has its head in the normal place, but because it's a small and unobtrusive camera unit, whilst his whole chestplate is taken up by a video-screen broadcasting an image of his original human face, he looks like a walking head with arms.
• Dark World: Dimension Z is this, being a parallel dimension to our own, only accessible by Zola's transport device. He has used his biochemical research to mold this world into his own image.
• Evil Genius
• Evilutionary Biologist: His specialty in science is, as you'd expect, focused around biochemistry.
• For Science!: His main motive. He even explicitly invokes this trope word-for-word in Thunderbolts.
• Fourth Reich: Several of his most iconic plot lines have involved him trying to clone/resurrect Hitler and restore the Nazi Reich—or if not that, then just build a new one with Red Skull as the Fuehrer.
• Geek Physique: Zola's current form is far removed from his original human one which was short, fat, and had much softer facial features.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: Despite being the Big Bad of Remender's run during Marvel NOW!, that series closes with him returning to Dimension Z with only his pride lightly bruised. After Secret Empire, he is conscripted by Absolution Solutions and is almost killed by Quicksand, one of his test subjects. When he manages to escape that situation, his latest scheme is thwarted by Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson in the prologue of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty and Captain America: Symbol of Truth. Before he can recover from that, Ian Rogers liberates Dimension Z in his absence during Captain America: Cold War, finally freeing it from Zola.
• Mad Scientist
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: His attractive daughter Jet does not take after hideous looks.
• Mobile-Suit Human
• Secondary Color Nemesis: Usually purple and orange.
• Those Wacky Nazis: Used to work for the Nazi as a biochemist before he turned himself into a cyborg.
• TV Head Robot: His classic robot-body is a two-fer; not only does it have the trope's chest-mounted TV screen broadcasting an image of Zola's original human face, but the actual robot body's head resembles a V camera.
• Villain Team-Up: While not a member of the Red Skull's circle per-se, he is much more open to the idea of working with him than most other villains, due to their shared history in WWII.
• Villain World: Captain America stumbles upon a pocket dimension which he has conquered and bent to his will, dubbing it Dimension Z.
• Would Hurt a Child: In Thunderbolts, he hired mercenaries to kidnap orphan children and bring them to his lab, where he would torture and experiment on them, turning the large majority of them into monsters.

Baron Von Strucker

Baron Von Strucker

Alter Ego: Wolfgang Von Strucker

Notable Aliases: Sagittarius, Don Antonio Caballero, Emir-Ali-Bey, Agent Bronson, Supreme Hydra, Colonel F.T. Strang, Snakeskin

First Appearance: Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos #5 (January, 1964) ^note Historical; Gambit Vol 3 #10 (September, 1999) ^note Chronological

"I witnessed the fall of nations, betrayed beliefs and ties of brotherhood abandoned by modern times. Defeat only serves to light within me the flame of my obsession. My desire is eternal."

The leader (and founder) of the Nebulous Evil Organisation HYDRA, and a long-enduring foe of Captain America and Nick Fury since World War II.

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See Hydra

Baron Heinrich Zemo

Baron Heinrich Zemo

Baron Heinrich Zemo XII

Alter Ego: Baron Heinrich Zemo

Notable Aliases: Baron Zemo, Dr. Heinrich Zemo, "Masked Demon"

First Appearance: The Avengers #4 (March 1964) ^note Flashback; The Avengers #6 (July 1964) ^note Actual appearance

"Hope, you must understand, is more powerful than most people can imagine. Granted, frustrated, crushed, it can control people—or even countries—so long as you control it."

The first Baron Zemo introduced. He was a Nazi scientist responsible for killing Bucky Barnes (initially) & putting Captain America on ice, and was created to be a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for the Red Skull.

Heinrich was a sworn enemy of Captain America (despite having no appearances in the original Timely Comics), whose hood was permanently glued to his face after a confrontation with Cap led to a material called Adhesive X caused the mask to fuse to him. This drove him insane and made him evil(er).

Zemo fled Germany to South America as the war ended. With an army of mercenaries loyal to him, Zemo enslaved a tribe of natives and lived as a king as he tried desperately to find a solvent that would remove his mask. Years later, Heinrich would form the Masters of Evil as the Evil Counterpart of the Avengers upon learning the Captain America has resurfaced. With him as the lead, he would recruit the Black Knight, the Melter, and Radioactive Man, before inducting The Enchantress and the Executioner following their banishment from Asgard, and later Wonder Man (who underwent a Heel–Face Turn). Heinrich, even without superpowers, was one of the Avengers' most dangerous foes.

In the final battle with Captain America, Heinrich was killed by an avalanche from the oncoming chaos. Bucky's death (at the time) was avenged. The Masters of Evil would disband, and reform again with new membership multiple times. Though he only appeared alive in fourteen issues, Heinrich still impacts the world of Marvel to this day. In particular, his actions played a major role in the stories of Captain America, Bucky Barnes (who would resurface as the Brainwashed and Crazy assassin known as the Winter Soldier), and his son, Helmut Zemo.

All in all, Heinrich is straight-up evil, just as you would expect for a Nazi scientist in an American comic book. His only thing that could be considered a redeeming trait is his love for his son, and even that gets marred by how much he abused him. He's just as bad as the Red Skull, and did things so inhumane that even his Nazi subordinates were disgusted by them.

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• Alliterative Family: For his paternal family line. Every Baron Zemo known has a given name starting with "H", as shown in the Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo Born Better limited series.
• Archenemy: Was Captain America's during the first twenty issues of Avengers, and his actions continue to inform those of Captain America, Bucky, and his son, Helmut, to this day. His team, the Masters of Evil, were, and continue to be, the archenemies of the Avengers.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: The Zemo barony goes back several centuries, and most of them have been relative good folk (the second Baron Zemo was a total dickweed, but his tenure lasted all of two minutes before his son got rid of him), some were ineffectual, and one or two weak-willed. And Heinrich decided to throw in with the Nazis.
• Badass Bookworm: For a guy who spent most of his life in a laboratory, Zemo's a pretty capable fighter.
• Badass Normal: Zemo possessed no superhuman abilities, yet he could not only match Captain America in a fistfight, but led a group that included The Black Knight, The Enchantress, The Executioner, The Melter, and The Radioactive Man.
• Big Bad: Of the original Masters of Evil and any storyline involving them.
• Clingy Costume: Thanks to some Adhesive X, his mask was permanently stuck to his face. He could breathe and talk through it, but needed to use an IV to feed and drink.
• Cool Mask: His purple mask is quite cool. Good thing too, seeing as it is glued to his face.
• Demonic Possession: During the "Bloodstone Hunt" arc, his dead body was possessed by a demon.
• Emperor Scientist: Downplayed. Heinrich was the emperor all right, but of a tiny kingdom deep in the South American jungles.
• Evil Genius: To the point where even the Enchantress and the Executioner have to respect his intelligence.
• Evil Gloating: Guy just did not shut. UP. Most of what Helmut remembers of his childhood was dad rambling on about how one day they'd rise up again and crush their enemies and etc, etc...
• Evil Overlord: Of a stretch of South American jungle
• Evilutionary Biologist: Hitler might have been disdainful of experiments to increase human potential, but Zemo was not, as evidenced by his creation of Wonder Man.
• Fur and Loathing: Became part of his costume after his exile to the jungle.
• Genius Bruiser: It wasn't uncommon to see Heinrich in the thick of battle, which is never a good sign, because he's smart enough to only be there because he likes his odds.
• High-Class Glass: Zemo: Born Better reveals that he used to sport one before the mask got glued to his face.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Buried in a rockslide that was caused by his own gun misfiring.
• Killed Off for Real: Died in a rockslide during a battle with Captain America.
• Mad Scientist: Was one of Hitler's top scientists, and had no issues with experimenting on political prisoners.
• Nazi Nobleman: The twelfth Baron Zemo, and a high-ranking member of the Nazi hierarchy, second only to The Red Skull. He combines his belief in his own innate superiority with Nazi Master Race theory.
• Purple Is Powerful: Signifies his status as king of a jungle tribe in this case.
• Remember the New Guy?: Baron Zemo was a Nazi leader who fought against Captain America during World War II. However, his first appearance was in 1964, long after World War II ended. He was retroactively added as one of Captain America's major World War II enemies.
• Revenge: Motivated by a need to avenge himself on Captain America, who he blames for gluing his mask to his face.
• The Rival: He and The Red Skull were rivals for Hitler's favour, control over other Nazi superhumans, and the title of Captain America's archenemy.
• Secondary Color Nemesis: Wears purple in contrast to Cap's blue and red.
• Slobs Versus Snobs: The rivalry he had with the Red Skull is often given tones of this. He was a wealthy aristocrat, while the Skull grew up on the streets.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He appeared in the sixth issue of the Avengers and was killed off in the twentieth. His actions continue to influence Cap, Bucky, and his son, Helmut, to this day.
• Stable Time Loop: He's the subject of two.
  • When Helmut was sent through time, at one point he winds up in Heinrich's lab in the early days of WW2, he beats Heinrich up, and drops his hood at his feet, telling him to take it as a reminder.
  • In a time-travel arc of Thunderbolts, Moonstone nearly kills him, but spares him partly to preserve the timeline (but also because she's feeling lazy that day), on the condition he has a son and names him Helmut.
• Stupid Jetpack Hitler: His death rays, Adhesive X, and other discoveries were far beyond what the real Nazi Germany was capable of.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For the Red Skull before it was decided to bring the Skull into the present day.
• Those Wacky Nazis: He's a Nazi through and through, unlike his son.
• Villainous Lineage: Arrogance and a penchant towards treating others as the lowest forms of life are definitely in the Zemo blood. Heinrich's interest in human experimentation actually began with his father, who conducted similar experiments during WWI.

Baron Helmut Zemo

Baron Helmut J. Zemo

Baron Helmut Zemo XIII

Alter Ego: Baron Helmut J. Zemo

Notable Aliases: Baron Zemo, Citizen V, Phoenix, Iron Cross, Mark Evanier

First Appearance: Captain America #168 (December 1973) ^note As Phoenix; Captain America #275 (November 1982) ^note As Baron Zemo; The Incredible Hulk #449 (January 1997) ^note As Citizen V

"You can join me and be a part of something far greater than you have ever experienced before... or defy me and be ground beneath the crushing power of inevitability. Choose, or have your fate chosen for you."

In his first appearance, Helmut was known as Phoenix (not to be confused with that Phoenix), who wanted revenge on Captain America for his father's fall into madness and subsequent death. Before the incident, Heinrich loved his son, but afterwards, he abused him both emotionally and physically, and Helmut believed Cap to be responsible. After going toe-to-toe with Cap, as well as his friend The Falcon, Helmut's plan backfired and he fell into the vat of Adhesive X, causing his face to be horribly scarred and for the Phoenix to be reborn as the new Baron Zemo.

For many years afterwards, Baron Zemo would be a recurring antagonist as part of the Masters of Evil. In stark contrast to his father, who died after fourteen issues and remains dead to this day, Helmut is notable in that he simply refuses to die, ever. It's helped by the fact that he always has contingencies and is more of a Pragmatic Villain than his father being insane.

One of Helmut's most famous story arcs is the original Thunderbolts, where he posed as Citizen V (ironic since that was a hero who his father murdered) alongside the Masters of Evil to replace the Avengers following the Onslaught event. His attempt was to take over the world by having all trust put on the Thunderbolts before executing his master plan, but the others ended up becoming genuine heroes when they learned that Being Evil Sucks. This itself created problems. Since then, he's always been a prominent recurring foe. If the Masters of Evil are involved, Baron Zemo will likely lead them.

Helmut is a conflicted figure. He struggled with a Dark and Troubled Past thanks to said father, had to come to terms with Heinrich being a horrible father and an even worse man, and eventually disowned him, his ancestry, the Nazi ideology and all associated prejudices while becoming more of an Equal-Opportunity Evil villain. While always remaining on the villain side, he's much more charismatic and sympathetic than Heinrich ever was.

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• Alliterative Family: For his paternal family line. Every Baron Zemo known has a given name starting with "H", as shown in the Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo Born Better limited series.
• Anti-Villain: Helmut's talk about wanting to save the world by is completely genuine, and some of his beliefs aren't overly far off from Cap himself. The difference is, Zemo is a cynic who believes humanity has to be made to improve.
• Arch-Enemy: After his father's death, he takes this role to Captain America and leads the Masters of Evil after inheriting the title.
• Arc Villain: For "The Bloodstone Hunt".
• Aristocrats Are Evil: He's a baron after all, and believes his aristocratic heritage entitles him to rule.
• Avenging the Villain: Helmut's original motive was to kill Captain America because he killed his father. Eventually, Helmut came to the realization that actually, Heinrich was an awful father and an even worse person. Now his villainy is purely out of a twisted but genuine desire to save the world from itself.
• Badass Normal: Has no powers (usually), but regularly fights the likes of Captain America and the Avengers. He normally has a contingency that will allow him to deal with his opponent's plans anyway; it's only when these contingencies fail (as happened during his battle with Moonstone at the end of the initial run on Thunderbolts) that he's in trouble. Downplayed though since he very often becomes an Empowered Badass Normal through various scientific and magical means, sometimes retaining his new abilities through multiple story arcs before losing them and pursuing other ones.
• Bad Boss: Helmut's a pretty awful boss. It's something that character development means this comes out these days as merely being snide or manipulative, as opposed to the old days when he tended to be more of a "SHUT UP AND DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD!" sort of boss.
• Big Bad: Of his fare share of arcs, particularly those involving the Masters of Evil.
• Brain Uploading: He only survived being decapitated because Techno uploaded his consciousness to a computer.
• Butter Face: A rare male example. He has the body you'd expect of somebody who can keep up with Captain America in terms of physique... but that handsome form is contrasted by a hideously malformed visage. For a while, he had a young, dashing look again after hijacking the body of the Helmut from another Earth, but only two years later his face got disfigured again. When he got Carla Sofen's Moonstone, he used it to fix that, but when Melissa broke it again...
• Calling the Old Man Out: During his trip back in time, he ran into his father while the latter was gleefully doing mad science for the Nazis. Helmut had long since discarded any Nazi prejudices he had once had, and was fuming watching his father put down other races, the handicapped, etc. Finally he had enough and started beating the hell out of him while giving a "The Reason You Suck" Speech. Quite the sign of Character Development for the guy who started out worshiping and avenging his father's memory.
• Captain Patriotic: At the beginning of the Thunderbolts, he disguised himself as Citizen V, supposedly the son of a previous hero who'd gone by that name, whom Zemo had killed. Zemo went the whole hog, even decking himself in a cape designed after the American flag.
• Character Development: The Thunderbolts days did wonders for Zemo, turning him from a cut-rate petty jerk defined by his dad issues to a somewhat smoother operator and tactical planner.
• The Chessmaster: Zemo has a plan for everything, and lays them out months in advance.
• Cool Mask: Wears a tighter fitting version of his father's mask.
• The Cynic: Has a generally negative view of humanity.
• Daddy Issues: He loved his father, and his father loved him... until the Adhesive X incident, where he became outright abusive in every way. Originally, Helmut blamed Captain America. Now, he acknowledges that his father was just a horrible human being and the only regret Helmut carries about his father's death is that he didn't do it personally.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He once shot the Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe and a being way outside his normal weight class, through the head. Admittedly, there were mitigating circumstances that allowed him to do this, and the Grandmaster did get better (because, hey, comics).
• Didn't Think This Through: Bringing The Punisher of all people to Bagalia to torture him turns out to be a fantastically stupid idea, as Jigsaw points out to him in War in Bagalia^note "The Punisher" (Vol. 12) #10
  Jigsaw: Let Me Get This Straight..., Baron. You brought the most dangerous man in the world… a man who lives to kill villains… and dropped him on an island of villains? And that's the same island you are on?
• Dirty Communists: His general philosophy. He views modern society as corrupt, decadent, and failing, and thus wants to overthrow the establishment and unite all mankind under one banner for the good of all people.
• Disney Villain Death: Many, many times (see Never Found the Body below).
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Zemo proudly rejects his father's bigotry and believes fully that all men and women are created equal. He accepts henchmen and comrades from any background, and his Masters of Evil are usually pretty diverse in comparison to Heinrich's.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Arranged the death of Hademar Zemo (second of his line) during a time-travel jaunt, after he found out the man was a rapist and a mass-murderer who did it all For the Evulz. He later clashed with Hilliard Zemo (the eighth of his line) when he thought he was harassing a girl (the two were actually in love, and he quickly apologised).
• Evil Cripple: Briefly suffered a bad case of broken neck during the late 80s. Did not do wonders for his personality, since it meant he had to rely on other people to do the legwork for him.
• Evil Genius
• Evil Is Petty:
  • One of his nastiest acts of spite was destroying a box of Cap's treasured belongings, including some of his last links to the past, right in front of his eyes; this included Steve's last remaining photograph of his mother.
  • What was his initial plan in founding the Thunderbolts? Pretend to be heroes, earn America and the world's trust, become famous and respected, and then gather knowledge on the other heroes to... sell to the criminal underworld? Eventually, Moonstone points out this is a freaking stupid plan.
  • When he seemingly killed Ian Rogers he recorded it and announced his intent to email a video of what happened to Steve.
• Evil Overlord: The leader of the island of Bagalia. Played with, as the island nation is largely populated by criminals. He just happens to be in charge of them.
• The Faceless: He rarely ever removes his mask, due to his face being horribly scarred in an accident.
• Facial Horror: His head has been slashed up so badly that it's practically a skull, with ribbons of flesh draping over his eyes and sliced-off cheeks and lips. The sight of his face visibly disgusts everyone in the original Thunderbolts.
• Freudian Excuse: Raised in isolation by his abusive and bigoted father to believe in his inherent superiority, leaving him paradoxically arrogant and insecure in equal measure. There wasn't a lot of dad hugs down in that South American jungle, mostly just rants and lectures.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Hideously disfigured beneath his mask.
• Grand Theft Me: After becoming a "ghost", his mind was transferred to the actual son of Citizen V (Techno noted it was basically him playing a joke). That is, until an energy conflict - the V-Batallion tried to teleport Citizen V as the body was being sucked into a portal - made his mind be expelled into Techno's machinery. But given he arrived at Counter-Earth, this meant Zemo could do a literal case of the trope, and took the body of his self from this world.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: Cannot make up his mind which side he is supposed to be on. He even once took a bullet for Cap despite being his sworn enemy.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Zemo is torn on even the best days between massive self-loathing and being extremely egotistical and narcissistic.
• In the Blood: The arrogance and the drive for control certainly are.
• I Reject Your Reality: Pre-Thunderbolts, Helmut just could not accept his father was a bastard, and any attempt to point it out would reduce him to screaming fury.
• Joker Immunity: Unlike his father, he can never seem to be put down for long.
• The Leader: Of the Masters of Evil and the Thunderbolts.
• Legacy Character: To his father, Baron Heinrich Zemo XII.
• Manipulative Bastard: Zemo's very good at getting other people to do what he wants, playing on their emotions and desires.
• Master Swordsman: One of the best in the Marvel Universe. Zemo's dueled the likes of Captain America and survived several decades worth of warfare on a time travel jaunt.
• Nazi Nobleman: Started out as one, though he's moved away from fascism. Nowadays his goals align more with Dirty Communists.
• Never Found the Body: During the run of Thunderbolts alone he was declared dead on four separate occasions, all of which turned out to be false. In each instance, his body was never found. By the fourth time, most of the team just assume he'll turn up eventually (not that they want him to).
• Noble Demon: He's much more noble than his father, for sure.
• Obliviously Evil: Helmut doesn't see himself as evil. Quite the opposite, he genuinely believes that the world would be a better place united under his rule.
• Poirot Speak: Tends to generally speak in un-accented English, but sometimes he'll throw in some German, just so you remember.
• Purple Is Powerful: Signifies his aristocratic leanings.
• Secondary Color Nemesis: Purple, to oppose Cap's blue and red.
• Take Over the World: He insists it's to save it. Some people (like Songbird) aren't convinced.
• Taking the Bullet: Once leapt in the way of an energy blast an insane Moonstone aimed at Captain America. Messed his face up bad.
• There Are No Therapists: This guy is seriously messed up and would probably have turned out differently if he got professional help.
• Token Evil Teammate: Alongside Techno, he serves as this for the first iteration of Thunderbolts. While most members of the team fall somewhere between The Hero and the Anti-Hero, Zemo shows no signs of having softened whilst playing-hero, and alongside Techno manages to almost conquer the world and turn it into a Darwinist nightmare. He also constantly mocks his teammates for wanting to be heroes, calling them "weak" and "traitors to the cause" when they show the smallest signs of heroism outside of their pubic duties.
• Tragic Villain: At his core, Helmut really is just a sad, conflicted man who wants to save the world but always fails because he's own worst enemy.
• Unholy Matrimony: With the Baroness Zemo, who may or may not have been his father's mind uploaded into a woman's body. Best not to think about that.
• Unlucky Thirteen: He's the thirteenth Baron Zemo.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Helmut just wanted approval from his dad. One of his schemes even revolved around gathering the Bloodstones so he could resurrect him, which... didn't go how he was expecting. After some character development, he's grown beyond this.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: In his mind, at any rate, after some Character Development, he becomes determined to take over the world for its own good. That doesn't mean that he's not an Axe-Crazy terrorist who's willing to perform some truly heinous actions for the sake of the "greater good."
  • Taken to the highest extreme possible. When he actually did have the power to implement whatever change he might have wanted, Songbird shut him down with the intention of killing him out of not trusting him. What were what he believed could have been his last words?
  Zemo: I would never have hurt a world I worked so hard to save.
• Western Terrorists: More like this than a Nazi.
• Wicked Cultured: When being held at swordpoint by Hademar Zemo, his worst ancestor, an evil aristocrat who believed only in the absolute of power, said ancestor's son Heller (who'd struck up a friendship with Zemo) asked what was more absolute than power. Zemo's answer? "To be, or not to be."
• Worthy Opponent: Sometimes sees Captain America this way, and definitely sees Sharon Carter this way.
• Villainous Friendship: He and Fixer/Techno are extremely close friends. Their relationship is filled with rocky twists and turns, but at the end of the day they'll always be there for one another — even when on opposing sides — and it's really not an exaggeration to say that they're the only real constants in one another's lives. Tellingly, Fixer is about the only one of Zemo's followers that he's consistently nice towards, as well as the only surviving member of the original Thunderbolts who doesn't hate Helmut's guts.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: He's good at incorporating the gambits of others into his plans, as evidenced by his deft manipulation of Moonstone when they were both members of the Thunderbolts.

Batroc the Leaper

Batroc the Leaper

Alter Ego: Georges Batroc

Notable Aliases: The Leaper, Monsieur Lapin

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #75 (March, 1966)

" Let's see what your power is against a master of La Savate!"

A French costumed mercenary and master of savate, Batroc is a recurring low-level threat, typically found in the employ of greater villains.

Outside of Captain America, Batroc is a supporting character in The Unbelievable Gwenpool, where he acts as a mentor and father-figure for the protagonist.

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• Anti-Villain: Although he is a mercenary and often serves morally ambiguous causes (or even downright evil ones), he is a Noble Demon with a personal code of conduct, who at the very least does not personally stoop to the more base kinds of villainy. His relationship with Cap is more or less an honest Nothing Personal.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He's French rather than the traditional Japanese or Chinese, but he's got the classic attitude of wanting to prove his martial arts skills are supreme.
• As Long as It Sounds Foreign: in older comics, his speech was peppered with French phrases, expressions, and curses, often grammatically incorrect (i.e. "nom du chien!" instead of "nom d'un chien"). This is averted in more modern versions, where he often speaks nothing but French, and does so accurately.
• Badass Normal: He's a bit of a joke to many, but Batroc's still capable of giving the likes of Captain America and the Winter Soldier a decent fight.
• Beard of Evil: His goatee.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Batroc has an exaggerated French accent, a silly nickname and is a blowhard, but he’s also a guy that goes up against the likes of Captain America, Wolverine or Ironfist, with nothing but martial arts and still puts up a tough fight.
• Captain Ethnic: Downplayed, but in his flatter portrayals, Batroc is basically a generically French supervillain — which is why his super identity revolves around his skill at savate, French kickboxing.
• Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys: Averted and defied. Batroc's a lot of things—badly dressed, snobby, in over his head—but cowardly has never been one of them.
• Deadpan Snarker
  Taskmaster: Venom came to Earth disguised as Spider-Man’s old costume but now he lives on some bro named Eddie.
  Batroc: Venom is Spider-Man's laundry?
• Even Evil Has Standards: Turned against Mr. Hyde when he tried to blow up New York City.
• French Jerk: Depending on the Writer. He is generally portrayed as fairly nice (by villain standards), but in some stories he is a real jerk.
• Foil: To Captain America. Cap is a patriotic, disciplined soldier, while Batroc is a flamboyant, cheerfully amoral mercenary. And of course he's as outrageously French as Cap is, well, American.
• Friendly Enemy: Towards Captain America.
• Graceful Loser: He doesn't appear to resent Cap at all for his many defeats. Not even when Cap costs him one billion dollars.◊
• Gratuitous French: It's recently been revealed the Batroc deliberately plays up his French accent and mannerisms as a form of Obfuscating Stupidity.
• Hired Guns: He's a villain only because he finds the greatest profit is to be made through illegal activity or working for those who want illegal things done. He has no personal motivation towards villainy himself.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain
• Le Parkour: His fighting style's reliance on mobility means he often performs these kinds of actions either to get around or to gain the upper hand in a fight.
• Noble Demon: Batroc won't hesitate to turn against a client who tries to trick him into committing crimes he would not otherwise have agreed to.
• Only Sane Man:
  • His appearance in the "Who Is The Black Panther?" comic has shades of this, as he's one of the people recruited by Ulysses Klaw to conquer Wakanda under the leadership of a religious fanatic. He's entirely willing to do the dirty work, but relentlessly lampshades the moral, logical, and historical flaws in the inspirational speeches behind the invasion and enjoys trolling his less bright colleagues along the way.
  • The Unbelievable Gwenpool series also likes to hand him all the points and even half the lampshades about all the absurdity going on and the antics of the main character that nobody seems to notice much.
• Punch-Clock Villain: He literally only commits crimes for the payroll; he's not a bad guy on a personal level, and he won't take jobs that he finds morally offensive.
• Secondary Color Nemesis: Purple and orange.
• Villainous Rescue: Repeatedly saved Captain America from death. One time in particular Cap was going to be killed by a pack of sharks, Batroc grabbed a knife and dived in because he couldn't stand the thought of "so great a fighter dying so ignominiously." He was able to kill a shark, and its bleeding body distracted the pack long enough to let them both escape.
• Villain Respect: Has nothing but respect for Captain America and one example being when Cap was believed deceased, Batroc openly toasted his memory.
• Worthy Opponent: Sees Cap this way.

Crossbones

Crossbones

Alter Ego: Brock Rumlow

Notable Aliases: Bingo, Bing, Frag, Mr Bones

First Appearance: Captain America #359 (October, 1989) ^note Shadow; Captain America #360 (October, 1989) ^note Full appearance; unnamed; Captain America #362 (November, 1989) ^note Named

"I consider myself an artist—-a true craftsman who specializes in murder, destruction, and terror!"

Brock Rumlow was a petty thug and hit man, the lowest trash imaginable. Then he was recruited by the Red Skull, and became even worse. A frequent enemy of Captain America, he was the man that shot Steve Rogers at the end of Civil War. A huge fan of the Red Skull, Crossbones is nearly as bad as his boss, and is utterly devoted to whatever Neo-Nazi cause the Skull and his daughter are embracing this week.

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• Ascended Fanboy: A particularly ghoulish version of this trope, Crossbones was in fact a huge fan of the Red Skull before his idol offered him a job.
• Ax-Crazy: Crossbones is a threat to everyone around him, and takes joy in hurting others.
• Badass Normal: A good enough fighter to keep up with Captain America, despite his lack of superhuman powers. Averted for a bit while he was a member of the Thunderbolts, gaining some sort of energy beam power from inhaling corrupted Terrigen Mists. It appears to have been only temporary, however.
• Bald of Evil: Sometimes.
• Booby Trap: He has no problem setting these up on the battlefield if he has time, ranging from bear traps to explosive pressure plates.
• Cool Mask: Crossbones' skull mask apes his employer's face.
• The Dragon: To the Red Skull. The Skull is the brains, while Crossbones acts as the physical threat.
• Dystopia Justifies the Means: Wants a fascist dystopia ruled by Sin and The Red Skull.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Clearly cares about Sin, going to great lengths to keep her safe. There's also his obsessive loyalty to the Skull to take into consideration.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Possibly. It's hard to tell, due to the fact that it's written, not spoken, but Crossbones seems to have some issues with the way the Red Skull raised Sin. He's also disgusted when Cap accuses him of desecrating the graves of fallen soldiers.
• Evil Counterpart: Thematically, one could argue that Crossbones is similar to Bucky or Nomad in that they're both devoted sidekicks to the Skull and Captain America, respectively.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: He helps the heroes defeat Sin upon learning she is planning to use the the Serpent's hammers to destroy the world instead of only terrorizing it.
• Eye Scream: During a fight with Bullseye, Crossbones knocks out one of Bullseye's teeth. Bullseye spits the tooth into his eye.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Just another angry street kid who ended up enrolling in Taskmaster's school for supervillains. He got a job with the fake Red Skull, who sent him to attack Arnim Zola and the real Red Skull. He impressed the latter, and the rest, as the cliche goes, is history.
• Guns Akimbo: Regularly.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Crossbones doesn't have much of a rein on his temper. Though compared to his girlfriend he's downright stable.
• Hate Sink: Much like his idol and boss, the Red Skull, Crossbones is entirely despicable, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. At one point he was recruited into the Thunderbolts to be an in universe example so that the rest of the team could have someone they all agreed on to hate as a means to bring them together.
• Heel–Face Turn: A forced one as a member of the Thunderbolts. He went back to being evil as soon as possible.
• Hero Killer: For the Badass Normal set. If Crossbones shows up it's time for you to start running. Taken to an unusually literal level when he fired the shot that killed Captain America.
• Hero-Worshipper: Towards The Red Skull. He initially worked for Albert Malik, the Communist Red Skull, only to defect to the original when he found out he was following a fake.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The huge guy to Sin's tiny girl.
• I Just Want to Be You: Brock's secret heartfelt desire is to one day be as depraved a monster as the Skull. Even if he might never accomplish that, he's still going to try.
• Lightning Bruiser: As big and as fast as you can get without superhuman powers.
• Misanthrope Supreme: Expresses the sentiment that Humans Are Bastards and deserve to be oppressed on account of that.
• Muscles Are Meaningful: Crossbones is every bit as strong as his huge physique and heavily muscled frame would indicate.
• Obviously Evil: Just look at his costume.
• Patrick Stewart Speech: Horrifically inverted when the Red Skull is feeling depressed and Crossbones tries to cheer him up by reminding him of all his evil accomplishments.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Comes with being a Neo-Nazi and all.
• Professional Killer: Became a hitman after graduating from Taskmaster's academy.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: What he did to Diamondback back in his gang leader days, when she wanted to join him. There's also a brothel in Madripoor he frequents, and it's implied that he takes women there and then hands them over to the madame when he's done.
• Sadist: Like Sin and The Red Skull himself, Crossbones derives far too much pleasure from killing and hurting others.
• Skeleton Motif: Wears a skull mask and bone patterns on his costume.
• The Social Darwinist: Shares his boss' belief that the strong have a right to prey on the weak.
• Teens Are Monsters: Got his start as a street gang leader.
• Those Wacky Nazis: A Neo-Nazi skinhead before he met up with The Red Skull.
• Undying Loyalty: To the Red Skull.
• Unholy Matrimony: They aren't married, but Crossbones and Sin have a thing for each other.
• Villainous Friendship: Type III with The Red Skull. The Skull might not see Crossbones as anything other than useful muscle, but Crossbones worships the ground The Skull walks on, and has a full blown Freak Out when he dies.
• Villainous Valour: Has twice stood his ground in fights with Wolverine, who outclasses him in just about every respect.

Cutthroat

Cutthroat

Alter Ego: Daniel Leighton

Notable Aliases: Danny Leighton

First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up #89 (January, 1980)

"Cutthroat’s my name, goblin! Murder’s my game!"

After their brother was killed at the hands of a local thug who would one day become the villain Crossbones, Rachel and Daniel Leighton both pursued different paths in becoming costumed criminals. While Rachel fell in love with Captain America and went straight, Daniel was hired by the Red Skull to lead the Skull's " Skeleton Crew" after killing the Mangler and Deathstroke in an "audition" for the job.

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• Absurdly Sharp Blade: Carries adamantium-edged knives. These can shear through most forms of body armour and cut most superhumans.
• Armed Legs: He can extend a blade from the tip of his boots to slice or cut his enemies as he kicks.
• Beard of Evil: Has a goatee.
• Blade Enthusiast: Is an expert with bladed weapons, and usually caries a sword and and a huge number of knives.
• Blinded by the Light: Carries a rocket gun that also fires darts, some of which release blinding magnesium flares upon impact.
• Card-Carrying Villain: He likes being a bad guy. Worse, he's got no qualms working for the Red Skull.
• Combat Pragmatist: Cutthroat prefers dirty tactics to direct combat. If he has a choice, he’d rather stab somebody in their sleep than meet them in open battle.
• Death Is Cheap: He was murdered by Crossbones, but he got better.
• The Dragon: Temporarily, to the Red Skull. Part of the reason he tried murdering Crossbones was to protect his position.
• Green and Mean: His hood is green and he's a villain.
• In the Hood: Wears a cloak with a deep hood and he was also a member of the Hood's Gang.
• Jerkass Has a Point: He tries pointing out to Mother Night how self-destructive and stupid her Mad Love for the Red Skull is, and that she should try and stand up for herself, while he has no problem forcing himself on her at the same time.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: Not the best way to have a family reunion, revealing to your baby sis that you're a supervillain and henchman for one of the most evil bastards in the world.
• Professional Killer: Cutthroat is a professional fighter and assassin.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: While his sister Rachel has turned a new leaf and is no longer a villain, Daniel continues being a thug.
• Sonic Stunner: Carries a gun that fires rockets that explode on contact - on exploding, some of these rockets trigger a "sonic screamer" that induces pain in nearby victims.
• Thicker Than Water: Horrifically subverted, when he discovers Diamondback is his baby sister and Crossbones is the guy who killed their brother. He only tries to kill Rumlow to protect his job, and was even thinking he'd try and sweet talk the Red Skull into giving Rachel a job too, rather than helping her get away.
• Unexplained Recovery: Died in the 90s, suddenly alive again in New Avengers issue 1, for reasons that have never been explained (the out-of-fiction explanation is simply Brian Bendis has a lax view on continuity).

Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus

Alter Ego: Johann Fennhoff

Notable Aliases: Doctor Benjamin, Fat Man, Gabby Hayes

First Appearance: Captain America #107 (November, 1968)

"My greatest weapon has always been my voice... so well modulated and pitched that my very word can either be totally consoling... or destructively jarring!"

An Austrian psychiatrist and hypnotist, Johann Fennhoff is a Neo-Nazi and regular associate of Arnim Zola and the Red Skull, battling Captain America independently, and on their behalf. A poor combatant, he relies on his Compelling Voice to make others do his fighting for him.

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• Beard of Evil: He sports an impressive beard, which is used to highlight his "Evil Psychiatrist" act.
• Character Tic: He tends to chew his fingernails.
• Compelling Voice: Can force people to do what he wants with just a vocal command.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Like most villains Faustus finds the Red Skull vile. When he realizes the Skull is going to kill him for his failures in one of his plots he helps Sharon Carter escape and comments he would not leave anything he cares about in the Skull's custody regarding the Skull's plans for Sharon's child.
• Evil Cripple: For a time, he was confined to a wheelchair.
• Evil Genius: Played this role in Red Skull's organization along with Zola.
• Fat Bastard: Notably portly, and it plays into why he's a poor combatant who relies on mind-controlled mooks to do his dirty work.
  Dr. Faustus: I understand more about the human mind and its workings than anyone on this planet, boy. Do you truly think I care if you call me fat?
• Herr Doktor: He's an Evil German (well, Austrian) Doctor — of Psychiatry rather than Medicine, but it still counts.
• Mind Rape: His specialty is using a combination of his Compelling Voice and his psychiatric training to brainwash and manipulate people into doing whatever he commands, usually serving his villainous goals in some way
• Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: A professional psychiatrist... who misuses his psychiatric training to turn people into his criminal lackeys or just rob them.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His codename is shared with a famous Elizbethan play's portrayal of Dr. Faust, a German scholar who made a Deal with the Devil for unlimited knowledge.
• Pet the Dog: His release and mind wipe of Sharon Carter, which helped bring down the Red Skull's organisation, and moved her past her trauma. He also plays a major role in helping Bucky when he's on trial (using his brainwashing powers to compel the DA to beat the shit out of the bailiff, which puts the DA in the position of either denying mind control exists and hurting his own career or acknowledging it and giving Bucky a major advantage.)
• Psycho Psychologist: Even if he's not an ardent believer, he's still a psychiatrist with Nazi sympathies... plus, the whole mind-controlling supervillain thing.
• The Starscream: Was more willing to defy the Red Skull then anyone else in his organization.
• Those Wacky Nazis: Not as committed as Zola or The Skull, but still prone to these sentiments.

Flag-Smasher

Flag-Smasher

Flag-Smasher explains his politics

Alter Ego: Karl Morgenthau

First Appearance: Captain America #312 (December, 1985)

"My mission is to stamp out the outmoded concept of patriotism!"

The son of a Swiss diplomat who was murdered by xenophobic Latverians. He becomes an anarchist who hates the idea of nations, believing that they cause hatred and violence. He has since died and been succeeded by a second Flag-Smasher, who has clashed with Spider-Man and Nomad among others.

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• Anarchy Is Chaos: Subverted. While he is a terrorist that wants to abolish national borders, he's more of an anarcho-syndicalist.
• Badass Normal: A capable athlete, and master of shotokan karate-do. Though when compared to some of Cap's other enemies, he seems a bit lacking in this department. (And he does cheat a little since his suit can drain the energy out of people.)
• The Cowl: Comes with cowl and cape.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Stopped one of his own plans when he discovered it was being funded by the Red Skull.
• Irrational Hatred: He really hates Cap down to the bones. And not just because Steve stands for everything he hates, but also because Steve's all heroic and noble and selfless and makes what he does look so easy.
• Meaningful Name
• Omniglot: Speaks English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Esperanto. The French, German, and Italian might be justified by growing up in Switzerland.
• Patriotic Fervor: Inverted. Flag-Smasher is an anti-nationalist who hates patriotism and wants to bring about an end to the era of nations.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: Categorically refused Cap's offer of redemption, determined to stay the course until the end.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Steve once went to extreme lengths to save his life when they were both stuck in a tundra. Not only was he not grateful, he actually rants that this has just made him hate Steve more.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: Thinks that a world without nations or divisions will be a perfect place to live, and will do anything to make that dream a reality.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He wants to abolish nations and bring peace to the world, but he would kill anyone for the cause.
• Western Terrorists: Operates as the leader of terrorist group ULTIMATUM, striking out at symbols of nationalism.
• Worthy Opponent: While he does despise Steve to a depth un-measurable by science, he at least knows Steve is a man of his word, and will only accept him as a negotiator.

Grand Director

Grand Director (William Burnside; legally changed to Steven "Steve" Rogers)

Alter Ego: Steven Rogers (legally changed from William Burnside)

Notable Aliases: Captain America of the 1950's, Steve, Prof. Rogers, Grand Director, "Captain Un-America" (by Barnes only), The Flag, "Commie Smasher"

First Appearance: Young Men #24 (December, 1953) ^note Historic; Captain America #153 (September, 1972) ^note As Captain America; Captain America #231 (March, 1979) ^note As the Grand Director

"I am cleansing the weaknesses which threaten to destroy America... Eliminating discordant elements... Purifying her essence... and all that stuff!"

Dr. William Burnside was a history professor and Ascended Fanboy of Captain America. After voluntarily exposing himself to a flawed replica of the original Super Soldier Serum, Dr. Burnside legally changed his name to Steve Rogers, and underwent plastic surgery to resemble Rogers. Serving as the Captain America of The '50s, he battled Soviet supervillains such as the Russian Red Skull. Tragically, the flawed serum he took eventually drove him mad, turning him into a paranoid Knight Templar who saw enemies of his idealized vision of America everywhere he looked. Placed in suspended animation until the technology to cure him became available, Burnside was freed by Dr. Faustus, who easily exploited his "future shock" to brainwash him into becoming the Grand Director of National Force, a domestic terrorist organization opposed by (the original) Captain America and Daredevil.

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See Captain America: Title Character for more info.

Machinesmith

Machinesmith

Alter Ego: Samuel "Starr" Saxon

Notable Aliases: Mister Fear, Starr Saxon, Sam Saxxon, Metal-Head, Machine-Mutt, Machinesmitty

First Appearance: Daredevil #49 (February, 1969) ^note As Starr Saxon; Daredevil #54 (July, 1969) ^note As Mister Fear; Marvel Two-In-One #47 (January, 1979) ^note As Machinesmith

"Call me a born again visionary, but I'm just so happy to be a robot! Machine life is so much more beautiful and full of possibilities than human life."

Dr. Samuel Saxon became fascinated with robotics since found an inert Doombot in the subway at the age of 14. He eventually earned a doctorate in robotics, but certain eccentricities made technology firms reluctant to hire him. He did, however, get the attention of the Tinkerer, who hired him as an informal apprentice. Together they created an android assassin named Plastoid, who was deployed against Daredevil. Saxon later challenged Daredevil as the second Mister Fear, but after sustaining life threatening injuries in battle, he was turned into a cyborg. Initially horrified by his new existence, Saxon eventually embraced it, becoming the transhuman supervillain Machinesmith.

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• Alliterative Name: Samuel "Starr" Saxon
• Bald of Evil: Completely bald.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Which remain even after becoming more machine than man.
• Camp Gay: The guy sure is flamboyant and confirmed to be gay.
• Cyborg
• Emergency Transformation: Back when he fought Daredevil, Saxon accidentally fell from a great height, and was only saved by his robots, who program-recorded his brain into a computer. Saxon wasn't happy about this development, going so far as to work around his self-preservation protocols through Suicide by Cop at the hands of Captain America.
• Enemy Mine: Teamed up with the Iron Man family during Iron Man 2020, helping Tony fight Arno.
• Evil Mentor: The Tinkerer was one for him early in his criminal career.
• Gadgeteer Genius
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: He became Tony Stark's assistant for a while, but returned to his villainous ways shortly after The Crossing.
• I Cannot Self-Terminate: At one point, Machinesmith wanted to end his cybernetic existence, but found that he'd installed safeguards against it. So he devised an elaborate Suicide by Cop plan to have Captain America do it instead. It didn't stick.
• Robot Hair: He had Big Ol' Eyebrows and mutton chops that both basically are spikes on his robotic body.
• Robot Master: Robots are his specialty, especially Ridiculously Human ones that resemble other characters. They're advanced enough to copy his brain into a computer on their own accord.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant: As Mister Fear, he was an enemy of Daredevil, but after turning into Machinesmith, he became mostly a Captain America foe.
  • As tensions increase between humans and synthezoids, Machinesmith becomes something of a Magneto-like foil for Machine Man and Jocasta.
• Virtual Ghost: As a living program, Machinesmith is able to transmit himself along an infrared laser beam into virtually any electronics system at will, allowing him to transfer from one robotic body to another.
• We Can Rebuild Him

Madame Hydra I / Viper

Madame Hydra / Viper

Alter Ego: Ophelia Sarkkissian

Notable Aliases: Warrior White Princess, Meriem Drew, Leona Hiss, Mrs. Smith, Madame Hydra, Madame Viper

First Appearance: Captain America #110 (February, 1969)

"I fight for nihilism — and shall continue to do so until I, in turn, am cut down!"

One of the leading figures in the terrorist organization HYDRA and a notorious international terrorist, Madame Hydra, alias Viper, is an Ax-Crazy psychopath and a nihilistic lunatic who frequently engages in attempted mass murder schemes that have no obvious benefit. She is associated with the Serpent Squad.

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See Hydra

M.O.D.O.K.

M.O.D.O.K.

Alter Ego: George Tarleton

Notable Aliases: Big Head, Chairman, Damocles Rivas, Gerlach, M.O.D.O.C. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing), M.O.D.O.F. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Fun), M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), Mister Potato Head, Moddy, The Saint, Scientist Supreme

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #93 (September, 1967)

"I have nothing to fear — for none is as powerful as I."

M.O.D.O.K. is an acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. He has a plethora of psychic powers, which he used to take control of A.I.M.

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See A.I.M.

Red Skull

The Red Skull

"When it comes to bad, the Red Skull is in a class all by himself."

Alter Ego: Johann Shmidt

Notable Aliases: Captain America, Supreme One, Rote Schädel, Dell Rusk, Mickey Flynn, Aleksander Lukin

First Appearance: Captain America Comics #7 (October, 1941)

"Freedom is only for the one who rules! All others must be slaves!"

Captain America's original Evil Counterpart and his Arch-Enemy during the Golden Age. Originally a feared Nazi spymaster who wore a mask to conceal his identity and instill fear in the ranks of his enemies, the Red Skull managed to follow Cap to the modern era, reclaiming the title of Cap's arch-enemy while also becoming a persistent foe of the Avengers, SHIELD, and the free world in general.

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See his own page for more information

Red Skull II

Red Skull II

The Body Double

Alter Ego: George John Maxon

Notable Aliases: John Maxon

First Appearance: Captain America Comics #1 (December, 1940)

"This time I'll startle their feeble brains with my greatest discovery — the touch of death!"

Maxon is an American businessman and Nazi agent who leads a ring of spies and saboteurs and serves as an agent of Johann Schmidt (the true Red Skull). He faces Captain America during two of the latter's first missions. Maxon is thought killed during the second encounter, though he would reappear for one last encounter with Captain America.

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Red Skull III

Red Skull III

The Imposter

Alter Ego: Albert Malik

Notable Aliases: Senator Joseph McRooter

First Appearance: Young Men #24 (December, 1953)

"There's not a prison in the world that can hold me. I am just too cunning, too ingenious, too well-prepared for the likes of my opposition!"

A Communist agent who took on the identity of the Red Skull in order to form his own spy ring in the fifties, Albert Malik was the nemesis of William Burnside, the then-current Captain America. He ordered the deaths of Spider-Man's parents. He was eventually killed by the real Red Skull when the latter reclaimed the title.

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• Archenemy: He was the William Burnside Captain America's archenemy during the 1950s.
• Back for the Dead: After an appearance in Solo Avengers, he reappeared in the main Cap title, getting busted out of prison... so one of the Red Skull's agents could kill him.
• Commie Nazis: Prior to the retcon that established him as an impostor, he was intended to be the real Red Skull, who had survived World War II and joined up with the Soviets to carry on the Nazis' battle against international capitalism and globalism.
• Dirty Communists: Was a Soviet agent rather than a Nazi.
• Killed Off for Real: Hasn't been seen since his death at the hands of the real Red Skull.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He's truly convinced he's a far more dangerous threat than the original Red Skull ever was or has been. He's not.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He found out there were two C.I.A. agents in his organization. So he order Karl Fiers/The Finisher to sabotage their airplane, killing them and orphaning their son, as well as framing them as traitors to the U.S.A.. The C.I.A. agents were Richard Parker and his wife Mary Parker, and their son is Peter Parker aka Spider-Man.
• Villainous Friendship: After the retcon, the Malik character was established to have one with Stalin, similar to the original Skull's relationship with Hitler (although not nearly as close, given Stalin's more distrustful personality). Unfortunately for him, this also meant that he was purged together with other close Stalin supporters after the dictator's death, and had to go underground in exile.

Sin / Red Skull IV

Sin

Alter Ego: Sinthea Schmidt

Notable Aliases: Erica Holstein, Mother Superior, Red Skull, Sister Sin, Skadi

First Appearance: Captain America #290 (February, 1984)

"The Red Skull's failure will be his daughter's triumph... and I will reshape this world."

The daughter of the Red Skull and a washerwoman who died in childbirth, who follows in her father's footsteps. Synthia Schmidt was raised by the Skull himself and one of his loyal henchmen, Susan Scarbo (AKA Mother Night, his occasional lover), and trained and educated to be his aide and successor; the old-fashioned Skull had desired a male heir, and was originally very disappointed with his daughter, but she has since proved herself enough to earn his grudging respect. She is just as demented as her dad, if not indeed even more so, typically running the Serpent Squad on his behalf, and has been romantically involved with Crossbones. During Ed Brubaker's run she was disfigured, and took over her father's role as The Red Skull for a while before his return and later her disfiguring undone by Kobik.

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• Abusive Parents: As Sin says herself, the only parental thing the Red Skull did for her was give her a name. Though to some extent, this varies with the writing, as does the degree of her resentment against him.
• Affirmative-Action Legacy: Took up her father's identity after he died.
• Arch-Enemy: To Sharon Carter. They both have very good reasons to hate each other, though most readers will agree that Sin "started" it.
• Ascended Extra: The character who would become Sin was originally an incredibly forgettable generic straw villain from the early Comics Dark Age, with a completely different name, costume, power set, and indeed, personality and appearance. She was reused once, in a goofy plotline that involved Captain America de-aging into a teenager, then never again for some time. But Ed Brubaker wrote her into his plots (and substantially rewrote the character while at it), and from then on she's been a somewhat major villain.
• Ax-Crazy: Dear God. Like father, like daughter, if the random cross-country massacre with her equally Ax-Crazy boyfriend didn't clue you in that she is very mentally unwell.
• Badass Normal: Naturally, In the Blood for a child of the Red Skull.
• Bald of Evil: After Captain America: Reborn, she has a face like Red Skull, complete with a total lack of hair.
• Big Damn Kiss: With Crossbones, when she went with the team that rescued him out of S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Made villainous by the fact that her team had shot their way through a small army of S.H.I.E.L.D. Red Shirts on the way, and she literally still had their blood on her hands.
• Brainwashing for the Greater Good: Was brainwashed by S.H.I.E.L.D. into forgetting who she really was.
• Costume Copycat: As Mother Superior, she wore a copy of Mother Night's outfit.
• Daddy's Little Villain: Though sometimes she's more interested in showing the old man up.
• Dark Action Girl/Faux Action Girl: Sin's very good at shooting up civilians, police officers, and other red shirts. How well she handles herself when confronted with trained opponents like Captain America, the Winter Soldier, or even Sharon Carter seems to vary from issue to issue, something Winter Soldier called her out on in Brubaker's run. Deadpool managed to take her down with a single punch.
• Depending on the Artist: She's been drawn as everything from a dark-haired, vaguely Asian-looking waif to a Celtic-appearing Fiery Redhead (as illustrated here). The latter model stuck through the Brubaker run, and seems to be the "canon" one for the time being.
• Dragon Ascendant: Following her father's apparent death, she took on the Red Skull identity.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Crossbones, of course. Also her father, though this is not demonstrated with the same consistency.
• Evil Red Head: Bright red hair, totally insane.
• Female Misogynist: She thinks Sharon Carter, of all people, is despicably weak and feminine. Her thoughts when Sharon is grieving over her fiancé's death:
  Sin feels no empathy at all for Carter's anguish and loss. She despises her as a weakling who sucks up sympathy from gullible men. She is glad to be the agent of even more pain for her.
• Freudian Excuse: Growing up with Red Skull for a dad would leave just about anyone with some serious issues and that's on top of having been born with some serious issues to start with.
• Friendship Moment: With the Red Skull, when his mind was trapped in one of Arnim Zola's armatures. He's horrified that she should even see him like this, but she soothes him and gives him a new red skull mask to put on over the robot body's "face." She and Crossbones promise him that they'll fix it all and get him a real human body again.
• Guns Akimbo: Typically charges into battle with two pistols.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Sin will explode at the drop of a hat, which typically results in a lot of civilian casualties.
• Hellbent For Leather: Her outfits tend to be made of leather.
• Hero Killer: It looked like she killed Bucky in Fear Itself. Turns out she almost did, but Cap faked his death.
• Hidden Depths: Brubaker flip-flops on it. The original character created way back in the 1980s was just a raving lunatic; Brubaker's version seemed to have more depth when introduced, but was then mostly written as a generic Stupid Evil villain who eventually got captured by H.A.M.M.E.R. and Gitmo'd. However, when she cuts a deal with Osborn and is released in the Captain America Reborn miniseries, she's much smarter and less randomly angry/violent and has more personality again.
• Hot-Blooded: She often has no impulse control whatsoever.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The tiny girl to Crossbones' huge guy.
• Idiot Ball: Very often in the Death of Captain America arc. Less often in at least some subsequent appearances.
• Inconsistent Spelling:
  • Precisely how weirdly spelled her name is has varied over the years; "Sinthea" has appeared in some older ancillary material, but "Synthia" seems to be the version used nowadays.
  • Also, her German-American last name. The correct spelling is "Schmidt," but it's sometimes misspelled "Shmidt" in official materials.
• Kick the Dog: Her brutalization of Sharon Carter was definitely this, as was her and Crossbones' crosscountry murder spree prior to it. The way she enjoys watching the possessed Captain America beating up Sharon is far subtler, but certainly also qualifies.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Specialises in this.
• Lack of Empathy: Subverted, in that she does show some empathy, but only for her friends and family. For anyone else, she might as well be playing the trope totally straight.
• Legacy Character: Took up her father's identity as the Red Skull.
• Master of Disguise: Not to the extent her father does it, but good enough by most standards.
• Lethally Stupid: Throughout the Brubaker Captain America run. Almost everything that goes wrong with the Skull's plans in this period is due to her gleefully juggling the Villain Ball and the Idiot Ball, and she causes a lot of unrelated havoc besides. This arc justifies everything bad he's been saying about her.
• The Mentally Disturbed: Sin's a psychopathic madwoman with borderline suicidal urges and a hell of a father complex. She's been institutionalised on at least one occasion because of this.
• Mood-Swinger: To a bipolar degree, switching between manic joy, rage, and depression.
• Moral Myopia: It's probable that she isn't a complete psychopath, since she does seem to genuinely care about at least some people (notably, her father and Crossbones). However, her moral in-group would appear quite small; she doesn't give much of a damn about the sheeple, and even less about anyone who actively tries to get in her friends' way.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Sin" encapsulates everything about her pretty well.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: One possible interpretation. Sin can act pretty random, but depending on the story, it often turns out that her "stupid" villainy serves some useful purpose. For example, the "pointless" killing spree with Crossbones mentioned previously? It turned out to be part of a ploy to lure out and capture the SHIELD case officer they needed to interrogate for vital information. Her idea, and it worked.
• One-Man Army: Man-and-Girl army with Crossbones in some stories. She easily defeats hordes of Mooks, but seems to have much more trouble with named characters.
• Parental Substitute: Mother Night was a maternal example to Sin (we never see her biological mother). Though considering how the Skull treated her, Mother Night was her only parental figure.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Like her father, she's fairly slightly built, but much stronger than she looks.
  What is she, ninety pounds? She's a little girl, Agent...
• Psycho for Hire: When Sin isn't working for herself, she's usually shooting people to pieces on behalf of her father.
• Psychopathic Womanchild: Type B, Sin comes off like a sadistic teenager, which she pretty much is.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: She's a redhead and just like her father, she tends to dress in red and black.
• Sadist: Even moreso than her father or Crossbones. For Sin hurting people is her raison d'etre.
• Skull for a Head: Lost her face after the events of Captain America: Reborn until recently restored by Kobik.
• Smug Snake: Due to her taunting of the helpless Sharon Carter. She also tends to assume she is more formidable then she actually is.
• The Sociopath: Gives the impression of a low-functioning one, with little to no empathy, no impulse control, violent mood swings, and an inability to plan ahead.
• Split-Personality Takeover: A nightmarish example in Captain America (Vol 5) #15. S.H.I.E.L.D. had brainwashed Sin into believing she was the innocent Nice Girl Erica Holstein, who then got kidnapped by Crossbones and forcibly deprogrammed. You could argue it was wrong to "change" Sin that way, that "Erica" was a lie and that she should be given back "her own" life, and her friends and family were certainly glad to have her back, but it's absolutely horrible to read from "Erica's" POV how she's first tortured and abused by a maniac, and then slowly begins to realize that she is, for all intents and purposes, dying, and soon she'll be another person, with a monster wearing her face.
• Symbol Swearing: She isn't the only one who does it in Brubaker's stories, but she seems to get a disproportionate amount of it.
• Teens Are Monsters: Mentally Sin's still the teenager she was aged past.
• Thicker Than Water: In Captain America Reborn she's shown to respect and care about her father, even though they haven't always agreed on everything in previous stories. Red Skull is nicer to her than in the previous storyline, too.
• Those Wacky Nazis: Depending on the Writer. Sometimes Sin shares her father's vision for the world. Other times she seems more interested in causing general chaos and anarchy.
• Took a Level in Badass: Her Faux Action Girl days seem to be behind her since she became Red Skull IV.
• The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Played with. The Skull is memetically ugly, because he usually wears a grotesque mask; under it, he is in fact quite handsome, and Sin actually resembles him somewhat closely. She's still more attractive than he is, though, for the obvious reasons.
• Underestimating Badassery: Her enemies tend to dismiss Sin as a shallow Stupid Evil girl who's maybe an above-average fighter and little else. Sometimes they're right, but there's surprisingly much method to her madness, with apparently random For the Evulz villainy often actually serving a non-obvious but completely rational purpose. There are some signs that she might even be playing up her "psychotic girl" act on purpose in order to keep invoking this.
• Unholy Matrimony: A common-law example, with Crossbones.
• "Well Done, Daughter!" Girl: Towards her father.
• Younger Than They Look: She was aged to adulthood when she was a girl, which also gave her psychic powers. She was aged further to an old woman, then de-aged again to a young adult, losing her powers in the process. Her hormones being so out of whack probably helps explain why she’s so crazy.

Taskmaster

Taskmaster

Alter Ego: Tony Masters

Notable Aliases: Barney Toastmaster, Captain America, Chief Warrant Officer T. McWilliams/Ground Crew Chief McWilliams, Tasky

First Appearance: Avengers #195 (May, 1980)

"I can counter anything you throw at me. I can mimic and adapt to any move you make. I can anticipate any blow."

Taskmaster possesses the ability to absorb knowledge and instantly replicate the combat skills of anyone he observes. He has used these skills as a teacher to many super villains, henchmen, and even some heroes. In order to clean his record, he started working for the U.S. government as a combat instructor. Due to a set of events, he was ultimately put in as sheriff of the criminal island known as Bagalia. He currently serves as Madame Hydra's personal bodyguard.

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See Marvel Comics: Taskmaster

Tinkerer

Tinkerer

Alter Ego: Phineas Mason

Notable Aliases: Dr. Walker, Hophni Mason, Mr. Fixit, The Terrible Tinkerer, Tink

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May, 1963)

"Someday my boy, your overconfidence will be the death of you."

Phineas Mason is a brilliant inventor and engineer skilled in robotics. Bored with his mundane existence running a machine repair shop, Mason reinvented himself as gadget themed supervillain the Tinkerer. After battling Spider-Man and barely escaping with his life, the Tinkerer decided to stick behind the scenes and avoid any unnecessary physical risk to himself. While he occasionally deploys robotic creations to do the dirty work in his own criminal schemes, he primarily works as an armorer and mechanic for the greater supervillain community, repairing and upgrading their equipment for a nominal fee.

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See Spider-Man: Central Rogues Gallery for more information.

Winter Soldier

Winter Solder

Alter Ego: James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes

Notable Aliases: Bucky, Winter Soldier, Captain America

First Appearance: Captain America Comics #1 (March, 1941) ^note As Bucky; Captain America #1 (January, 2005) ^note As Winter Soldier; Captain America #34 (January, 2008) ^note As Captain America

"If you knew who I really was... what I've done... I'm a monster."

Sgt. James "Bucky" Barnes was originally the protege for Captain America in World War II, serving alongside Cap, Sub-Mariner, and the original Human Torch in the Invaders. Thought to have been killed in the same accident that placed Cap in suspended animation, Bucky's body was recovered by Department X and repurposed as the cyborg assassin Winter Soldier. Resurfacing in the modern era as the shadowy enforcer of General Aleksander Lukin, Cap is determined to redeem his old friend and restore him to sanity.

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See Bucky Barnes for more info.

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