Here’s Why Red Skull Was Brought Back In Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War might have had a lot of interesting surprises but fans really weren't expecting the Red Skull to pop up in the middle of the film. After all, Johan Schmidt, the former leader of HYDRA during the Second World War, disappeared from the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Speaking in the audio commentary made available in Infinity War's digital HD release (via CBR), screenwriter Christopher Markus explains why it made sense to the film's creative team to bring back the Red Skull in the first installment of Marvel's two-part Avengers movie.

"He's the first one obsessed with these Infinity Stones in the MCU and he certainly did not die," Markus said in the commentary. "The idea of where he might have gone is so tantalizing and much like being able to fill roles that would be there anywhere with William Hurt or Benicio del Toro, he fit this moment perfectly…Sometimes, you can dig a body up and put him in a scene."

The Red Skull might have been the leader of HYDRA in the first few films of the MCU, but in Infinity War, Schmidt was turned into the Stonekeeper, the guardian of the Soul Stone in the planet of Vormir. Punished for his crimes, the Red Skull was forced to protect the Soul Stone and forbidden to take the Soul Stone for himself. Infinity War might be the last fans get to see the Red Skull in the MCU, though the character could return now that the Soul Stone is in the hands of the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin).

Avengers: Infinity War is currently available on digital HD.

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