Captain America Annual #13
Heritage of Hatred
The Present
The Red Skull has been caught breaking into an office by Captain America. The former Nazi luckily has come with a group of minions decked out in strength augmenting armor. They quickly subdue the Captain, allowing the Red Skull the opportunity to gloat over his schemes. Using an electronic device to break into a hidden safe, the Red Skull reveals what he has been looking for a book that allegedly hold the secret of “Der Tag”. The Skull tells Cap that this was more than just the date in which surviving Nazi operatives revived hidden Sleeper robots, but also the revelation of Adolf Hitler’s ultimate triumph over his enemies.[1] The Red Skull then escapes in a helicopter and when Captain America tries to follow, the Skull tosses out the pilot, forcing Cap to let go in order to save his life.
As he flees the area, the Red Skull looks down at the journal that he has stolen and thinks back to how it all began…
April, 1945
It is the final days of World War II and Germany is collapsing under the combined might of the Allied Forces. With defeat in sight, Adolf Hitler has summoned the Red Skull for an important task. The Fuehrer seeks to ensure that if he should perish his final revenge against the world will survive. Aside from the five Sleeper robots they have prepared to be revived decades later in the event the Nazis lose the war, Hitler has one other thing for the Skull to safeguard. It is a lockbox, which Hitler tells the Skull contains his greatest achievements.[2] Although by this point the Red Skull had come to view his master a senile old fool on the brink of defeat, he agreed to carry out his orders one last time has he intended to survive the fall of Berlin so he can use Hitler’s ideas for his own world domination schemes.
As Hitler retreated to bunker, the Red Skull went to hide out in his own. On that same day, the allied forces dispatched Captain America, the Spirit of ‘76, and the Patriot to try and capture the Red Skull and recover Hitler’s strongbox.[3][4] When they land on the ground, they are joined by the Red Guardian, the Russian operative selected to join them on this mission.[5] The Spirit and Patriot don’t fully trust the Red Guardian due to the fact that he is a communist, but Captain America insists that they need to work together in order to accomplish their shared goals. Infiltrating the bunker, the others clash with Nazi soldiers while Captain America goes deeper into the bunker to confront the Red Skull. In the ensuing clash, Cap uses his shield to deflect a grenade, causing part of the tunnel to collapse on the Skull himself. Boasting that this will not stop “Der Tag”, Cap demands answers as to what the Skull means. Unfortunately, he was forced to retreat as allied bombs began carpeting the area with explosives. Cap fled, leaving the Red Skull to be buried alive. However, thanks to experimental gases that leaked into the collapsed tunnel, the Red Skull was put into a state of suspended animation until he was revived in the present day.[6]
The Present
As the Red Skull reflects on Captain America’s own wartime disappearance and their mutual revival in the present day, he arrives at his new hideout. There he goes over the diary, which was penned by Albert Malik, the communist operative that usurped the Red Skull’s identity in the 1950s….
1945
After the fall of Germany, the Red Guardian returned to Russia to report back to his leader, Joseph Stalin to report his inability to recover Hitler’s lock box. Stalin continued investigating the whereabouts of the lock box….
1953
After the death of Stalin, his successors — Georgi Malenkov and Nikita Khruschev — continued the search for the long lost lockbox. To this end, they tapped the head of the NKVD to recruit an operative to carry out this important mission. They selected Algerian spy Albert Malik and had him take over the role of the Red Skull, taking the image of the feared Nazi to further the communist cause.[7] Having learned that the lockbox had been recovered and was being kept in the United Nations building in New York City, the Skull attacked the assembly in order to try and steal it. What he didn’t expect was that there was a new Captain America and Bucky around to stop him. They quickly foiled the Skull’s scheme and had him arrested.[8]
Malik later broke out of prison and with a new operative named Electro, made another attempt for the lockbox. He failed a second time, with Electro seemingly killed in the battle.[9] However, Electro wasn’t really dead and the Red Skull later revived his body in the morgue. While Captain America and Bucky were busy on another mission, the attacked the UN again. This time, the Red Skull was able to steal what he was looking for and fled before Cap and Bucky arrive and defeated Electro once more.
However, this wasn’t the real lockbox but a replica. As it turned out, the man who recovered the genuine article was trying to sell the original to the United Nations but they would not give into his demands. Over the following decades, Malik spent considerable money and resources to try and locate it.
The Present
The final page of Malik’s diary states that when he finally tracked down the location of the true lockbox and hid it in an abandoned castle in Germany, he was arrested an incarcerated. The original Red Skull finds this fortuitous as he sent his Scourge operative to eliminate Malik shortly thereafter.[10]
Suspecting that the castle might be boobytrapped, the Red Skull sends out a challenge to Captain America. Cap takes the bait and goes to the castle in Germany where he fights his way through the automated defenses. As the hero suspected, he was lured to get through the traps giving the Red Skull clear access to the vault containing Hitler’s lockbox. Getting the drop on his mortal enemy, the Skull then opens the safe using Malik’s diary as it is literally the key to opening it.
However, once the Red Skull grabs the lockbox, Captain America attacks him. In the ensuing clash, the structural integrity of the castle is compromised. This causes the roof to cave in, forcing Cap to protect himself while the Red Skull makes his escape. He then steals Cap’s Quinjet and tries to make his escape. Impatiently, he opens the lock box to see what is inside and is mortified to see that all it contains is some of Hitler’s artwork, a manuscript of Mein Kampf, and a number of Anti-Semitic tracts that inspired him. That’s when the Skull becomes aware that Captain America managed to leap onto the Quinjet during take off. Smashing the windscreen, Cap yanks the Red Skull out of the cockpit. Holding on to the jet for dear life, the Red Skull reaches out to take Captain America’s hand. Ironically, the high winds lift up Hitler’s lockbox and causes it to strike the Red Skull in the face. The Skull is knocked loose and seemingly falls to his demise. Cap circles the area for any trace of his old foe and finds none. However, the Red Skull survived and is already plotting he next revenge scheme against his hated enemy.
Recurring Characters
Captain America (Rogers), Patriot, Spirit of ‘76, Red Guardian, Bucky (Barnes), Red Skull (Schmidt), Red Skull (Malik), Captain America (Burnside), Bucky (Monroe), Electro (Kronov), Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khruschev
Continuity Notes
This story reminds readers that Captain America previously stopped the activation of the first three Sleeper robots in Tales of Suspense #72-74. There were two more since then, the Fourth Sleeper revived in Captain America #101 and the Fifth Sleeper which was revived and destroyed in Captain America #148.
Here the Skull is reminded that he was a lowly bellboy before Hitler discovered him and molded him into the most feared Nazi in the Third Reich. This origin story was originally told in Tales of Suspense #66 and expanded upon in Red Skull #1-5.
In his narration of events, the Red Skull muses about how the two men joining Captain America on his mission would later take over the role of Captain America in later years. The details:
Famously, Steve Rogers went missing in action while trying to stop one of Baron Zemo’s bomber drones from attacking England in 1945. Caught in the explosion, Cap fell into the ocean and entered a state of suspended animation until he was revived in the present day. See Avengers #4.
It’s later revealed in What If? #4, that the President of the United States decided to hide this by having another take on the role of Captain America. The first was William Nasland, aka Spirit of ‘76. He was later killed during the All-Winners Squad’s battle with Adam II. Jeff Mace, aka the Patriot, took over after Nasland’s death.
It’s stated here that the Human Torch and Toro have been dispatched to attack Hitler’s bunker. This was famously chronicled in Young Men #24, wherein the Torch was seen immolating Hitler.
Here, readers are reminded that the wartime Red Guardian first appeared in Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #1. Chronologically, that story (taking place during the Postda Conference) happens after this one.
The Red Skull’s final defeat in World War II and his revival in the present day were chronicled in Tales of Suspense #72.
Malik was the Red Skull of the 1950s, however this was not differentiated until Solo Avengers #6.
This story was originally chronicled in Young Men #24 as well. In his narrative, the original Red Skull mentions that this was the fourth man to take over the original Captain America and the second person to take on the identity of Bucky.
It is stated here that the original Bucky died in 1945 in the same incident that put Steve Rogers in suspended animation. What nobody suspects is that Bucky lived and was transformed into the Winter Soldier, a Russian Assassin. Cap will learn the truth of this in Captain America (vol. 5) #14.
The second Bucky was Fred Davis, Jr. who started off as Nasland’s sidekick and later worked with Mace when he took over the role, as per What If? #4.
As later revealed in Captain America: Patriot #1-4, both Mace and Davis retired from the roles of Captain America and Bucky in the early 1950s.
Later, as revealed in Captain America #155, a man named William Burnside rediscovered the Super-Soldier Serum and used it to become the new Captain America, despite not having government clearance. He injected himself and his new partner — Jack Monroe — with this serum but it was imperfect and eventually drove them insane and the government was forced to put them on ice until they were revived in the present day as well. Jack’s real name was revealed in Captain America #281, while Burnside’s true identity is not revealed until issue #602.
The Russian operative named Electro (no relation to the Spider-Man villain) was previously seen in Captain America Comics #78.
Malik was hunted down and apprehended by Silver Sable and Hawkeye in Solo Avengers #6. The true Red Skull then sent Scourge to kill Albert in Captain America #347.
It’s never really explained how the Red Skull survives here. However, if there is any doubt that he didn’t survive, he’ll turn up again in Captain America #437.
Topical References
This story takes place in multiple different time periods. The passage of time between the events from the 40s and 50s to the Modern Age should be considered topical. Due to the Sliding Timescale, the length of time between any date from the 20th century and the Modern Age will continue to grow over time. For an example of how this works, click here.
The final page of Malik’s diary states that the lockbox was hidden away in an abandoned castle in West Germany. After World War II, Germany was split up into two distinct nations — the communist East Germany, and the democratic West Germany — the two Germanys reunified in 1990. As Malik wrote this final entry during the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe, this reference should be considered topical.
Symbols
Steve Rogers has come to a cemetery to pay his respects to a friend he knew back during World War II, an African-American soldier named Clarence Duckett. Shortly after his arrival, three locals show up to deface Duckett’s grave because up until his Clarence’s death, the cemetery exclusively white.
Steve stops them and decides to tell them the kind of man Clarence Duckett was. Steve tells about how Clarence was one of the best baseball players of the era. However, he the colour divide in baseball ensured that Duckett would remain in the Negro League. When World War II began, Clarence Duckett signed up for the military because he was proud of his country, even though its segregationist society meant he couldn’t do more than do the laundry and other janitorial work around the barracks.
Despite this, Duckett was proud to serve and did his duty with a smile on his face. He tells them how one day — when returning laundered clothing to the others — he stumbled upon a secret about one of his bunk mates that was top secret and vital for national security. This discovery was that Steve Rogers was secretly Captain America, however Steve doesn’t tell that to these men. Duckett swore to Steve that he would keep his secret and he kept his word even when he was kidnapped by Nazi spies who tried to beat the secret out of him. He was later rescued by Captain America.
Concluding his story, Steve says that while Beckett didn’t win any medals or became eligible for a state funeral, he was a hero that deserves everyone’s respect. Steve is also willing to defend Beckett’s honor and begins rolling up his sleeves for a fight. The three men take one look at his muscles and suddenly turn chicken and run. Steve then turns back to Clarence’s grave to say goodbye and solutes his friend one last time.
Recurring Characters
Captain America
Topical References
In this story, Steve Rogers is depicted attending Clarence Duckett’s burial, suggesting that he died in the Modern Age. Due to the Sliding Timescale it will become increasingly impossible for Duckett to have lived during World War II and still be alive in the Modern Age. Marvel has yet to explain this eventual discrepancy. Usually, characters who have survived into the Modern Age will have had their life extended by artificial means. It seems that this would be an unlikely cased for Duckett who is characterized as a low ranking military officer who only did manual labor during the war. Modern readers could assume that rather than attending Duckett’s burial, Steve is there to pay his respects as Clarence has been dead for years. The racists coming to deface Duckett’s grave don’t really need an extenuating explanation for their presence in this story since bigots going to bigot one way or the other.
Supplementary Material
This story features pin-ups of the following characters:
A two page spread of Captain America, Bantam, Falcon, Diamondback, and the Black Panther
Pin-up of Captain America with an American flag in the background.
Another pin-up of Captain America with Steve Rogers in the background.