Marvel Just Reinvented Captain America’s Greatest Villain as A Terrifying New Monster

Captain America has faced the Red Skull countless times, but he’s never seen his enemy like this before. For as long as Steve Rogers has wielded the shield, he’s had to deal with some of the most ruthless and power-hungry madmen the Marvel Universe has ever seen. And that includes the one man who stands head and shoulders above the rest of Captain America’s rogues’ gallery. Red Skull is the embodiment of everything that Rogers opposes, which is why Johann Schmidt is willing to go as far as he must to eliminate his most bitter enemy.

Case in point, Alien vs. Captain America, though non-canon to the main universe, details one of the wildest plans Red Skull has ever utilized in his quest for world domination. Hydra has discovered the Alien franchise’s Xenomorphs and is weaponizing them to eliminate their enemies. Captain America and the Howling Commandos are fighting for their lives and have only been able to survive thanks to the assistance of Captain Marvel and the Kree forces. But they have no idea of the horrors waiting for them or the lengths Red Skull has gone to see his insane vision through.

Red Skull Merges with the Alien Queen in Horrifying New Fusion

In Alien vs. Captain America #3 by Frank Tieri, Stefano Raffaele, Neeraj Menon, and Clayton Cowles, Captain Marvel details what he knows about the Xenomorphs. During the Kree/Skrull war, a Kree patrol found a seemingly abandoned Skrull warship, only to discover the Skrull onboard had been attacked by Xenomorphs in the Facehugger stage. The resulting Xenomorphs eliminated the Kree unlucky enough to cross their paths. And due to the Skrull’s shape-shifting powers, allowing them to disguise themselves as Kree and ravage the Kree homeworld. Marvel led a campaign to eliminate every Xenomorph from the universe, eventually bringing Marvel to Earth.

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After burying the dead Howling Commandos, Captain America, Bucky, and Nick Fury discuss a way forward with Marvel and the rest of the Kree forces. As it turns out, the Kree have a way of tracking the Xenomorphs. Unfortunately, the Xenomorphs are closer than they think, and the heroes prepare for battle. Hydra is unleashing a swath of Xenomorphs directly on Allied forces, but thankfully, Rogers and his comrades arrive in the nick of time. Baron Strucker watches from a distance, but the Hydra figure is apprehended by Fury and Yon-Rogg and interrogated about the organization’s plans with the Xenomorphs.

The battle clears, and Captain America’s side has won, though Marvel can’t help but feel something is off with how in sync the Xenomorphs were acting. As it turns out, there’s a reason for that. Fury reveals that this attack was a distraction for Red Skull’s true plan: Operation Red King. Red Skull is preparing to attack Normandy with an army of Xenomorphs. But the reason the aliens are acting much more obediently is that Red Skull has fused with the Alien Queen, transforming him into a nightmarish monster with all the powers of the top-tier Xenomorph.

Red Skull Has Never Been More Dangerous Than Now

Despite the clear physical advantage Captain America has, Red Skull has always been a threat to him. Schmidt is a brilliant tactician and planner and has been able to form armies in the name of hate since the heyday of World War II. And sure, there’s been plenty of times when Skull had the cosmic cube at his disposal. But no matter what Red Skull had on his side, it’s never been enough to overcome Captain America’s might. But that was before Schmidt went ahead and fused himself with one of the most powerful monsters in the Alien franchise.

Aside from the living body horror that Schmidt is now, this is serious. Queens are far more powerful than your standard Xenomorph. They’re far denser than lower castes of Xenomorphs and can withstand gunfire and even intense heat. They’re also way faster and stronger than non-Queens, not to mention they produce the same corrosive acid other Xenomorphs do. Combine all those physical traits with the sinister mind and heart of the Red Skull, and you’ve got a weapon that could turn the tide of history in favor of Hydra.

Alien vs. Captain America is a non-canon story, after all, and while I doubt this is going to end with the slaughter of Steve and the rest of the protagonists, I’m not counting on everyone surviving. If Red Skull is still the same person in that monstrous new form, then Cap, Bucky, and the rest are in for a serious rough go. Queens can be taken out, but Schmidt is not a mindless animal. He’s a cold, calculating villain who has traded his humanity for firepower, and Captain America had best look out as he heads into his final battle.

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