‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Directors Tease the Red Skull’s Future in the MCU

One of the biggest surprises in Avengers: Infinity War was the appearance of a certain villain who hadn’t been seen since Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the Red Skull made a huge impact in just one scene.

After guiding Thanos in his quest to obtain the Soul Stone — and subsequently murdering his daughter Gamora — the Red Skull is free to terrorize his foes once again. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo said Johann Schmidt is now free from his curse of being a guide to the Soul Stone during the Vudu Viewing Party for Avengers: Infinity War.

“Red Skull is free to leave Vormir, and he is also free to pursue his desire for an Infinity Stone,” the Russo Brothers said.

This is a pretty major reveal about the Red Skull, considering his fate after this scene was so vague.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, the Red Skull’s quest for the Tesseract saw him zapped across the cosmos where he ended up on the planet Vormir. In Avengers: Infinity War, he says he is cursed to guide people to the Soul Stone and that he himself was unable to attain it. But now that Thanos has taken it, his curse has been lifted.

The writers of Avengers: Infinity War revealed why they brought the Red Skull back on the commentary track from the home video release.

“Cinematically, he’s the first one to be obsessed with these Infinity Stones in the MCU and he clearly did not die at the end of First Avenger,” said co-writer Christopher Markus. “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.”

“The MCU is a unique experiment and the fact that we’ve been there for all the phases is a privilege but we know where all the bodies are buried,” added co-writer Stephen McFeely. “Sometimes, you can dig a body up and put him in a scene.”

Though Hugo Weaving did not reprise his role from Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel Studios seems to have found the perfect replacement in Ross Marquand. Hopefully they keep Red Skull around and he can continue to have a major impact on the MCU in the future.

Avengers: Infinity War is now available on digital HD, and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 14th.