Seven years after his apparent death in Captain America: The First Avenger, Red Skull made a surprise return in Avengers: Infinity War and then again in Avengers: Endgame. In these pair of cameos, we learned that the former HYDRA leader had been enslaved into guarding over the Soul Stone on Vormir. However, with the gem claimed by Thanos/Hawkeye, Johann Schmidt has now been released from his servitude and is free to roam the Marvel universe.
So, will we see him again in the MCU? Actor Ross Marquand, who took over the role from Hugo Weaving, certainly hopes so. While speaking to ComicBook.com, the Walking Dead star was asked if he thinks Red Skull could turn up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. “Oh, I have no idea. I really can’t speak to that, because I don’t know,” Marquand responded. “I hope he comes back.” He then went on to work through his thoughts on what Schmidt would do post-Endgame.Â
“He could probably get back to Earth if he had a vendetta still, a bone to pick with Captain America. Or he could want to do something else entirely,” the actor continued. “He might just want to venture around the cosmos. But there is a version of him that is flying around, he’s totally free of the Soul Stone. So I mean, there’s all these different multiverses that exist now, right? I think it would be really fascinating to explore what’s happening with all these different characters now that the stones have been returned.”
In particular, Marquand would love to see how it went down when Steve Rogers returned the Soul Stone to Vormir in 2014, which would no doubt have brought him face to face with his former foe.
“[When] he jumps into the time machine at the end of Endgame, he’s gone for a second and then comes back as an old man,” Marquand said. “But I think it would be really interesting to see what happens each time he returns those stones. And that would be a fascinating movie in and of itself, I think. I hope [Red Skull] does [return].”
So, how would that reunion between Cap and Red Skull have gone? Well, the actor thinks it might not have been full of animosity, as the older Schmidt is much changed from his wartime self.
“I don’t know if they have any bad blood anymore,” he concluded. “Cap probably does, but I think Red Skull is cursed with infinite knowledge, so he might not care about revenge at all. I hope he comes back, we’ll see. Fingers crossed.”
Red Skull is such a major figure in Marvel lore that it would be a bit of a waste if he didn’t come back again later down the line. Even to face off against Sam Wilson’s Captain America. With any luck, we won’t have to wait another seven years for his next return.
