‘Captain America: The First Avenger’: Unused Red Skull Portrait Revealed

Red Skull just might be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s most formidable foes, but it sounds like his introduction almost included something pretty unique.

Ryan Meinerding, who serves as Marvel Studios Head of Visual Development, recently shared a Red Skull-themed piece he did that was meant to be in Captain America: The First Avenger. As Meinerding explains in the caption, the piece was initially meant to be used in a scene where Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving) is getting his portrait officially painted, but the sequence was ultimately cut from the film.

The portrait is pretty striking, and showcases just how terrifying the Nazi villain really can be. It’s also pretty interesting to see the portrait now, considering the context in which Red Skull recently returned to the MCU.

As fans know, Red Skull made a surprising return in this year’s Avengers: Infinity War, as the “Stonekeeper” who guarded the Soul Stone on Vormir. While there were some hints about the cameo, it largely took audiences by surprise, something that the film’s directors intended on.

“Somebody had to be the gatekeeper to the Soul Stone.” co-director Joe Russo explained earlier this year. “And somebody had to distribute the rules to Thanos and Gamora.”

“In a way that was credible and believable.” added Anthony Russo.

“Who felt credible to the audience.” Joe Russo continued. “And a character who has been trapped – the Red Skull has been turned into this wraith who now guards the Soul Stone and distributes the rules to whoever shows up their trying to obtain it. It felt like there was more credibility than just a random character.”

“Somebody who has a history with the stones may seem like they have a little more authority in terms of their experience.” Anthony Russo explained. “Especially a tragic experience.”

And while it’s unknown if Red Skull could continue to play a role in Avengers 4, it sounds like Ross Marquand (who took over the role from Weaving) would love to continue to play the character.

“He’s a changed man, and I don’t even know if he is a man anymore.” Marquand said in a recent interview. “He’s almost like this ghostlike deity, and he’s at the service of the Soul Stone now, and his sole purpose is to essentially guide people to this, but you have to wonder: Is there still a part of him that does have ambition? I don’t know. It would be really cool to see where that character goes. But that’s really a question for all the folks at Marvel and the Russo brothers and the writers. I certainly couldn’t speak to that.”

What do you think of this Red Skull portrait? And would you like to see the character return to the MCU once more? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now. Avengers 4 will land in theaters on May 3, 2019.