Of the many surprises in Avengers: Infinity Warfew were quite as big as the reveal of the Red Skull. Having been MIA since Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, the head of Hydra shows up on Vormir to aid Thanos and Gamora in their efforts to acquire the long-lost Soul Stone. For the writers of the film, bringing the Red Skull in at that moment just made sense.

"He's the first one obsessed with these Infinity Stones in the MCU and he certainly did not die," co-writer Christopher Markus said during the film's commentary included on the digital release. "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 Benecio del Toro, he fit this moment perfectly...Sometimes, you can dig a body up and put him in a scene."

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Known as the Soulkeeper in Infinity War, the role for Red Skull was recast, with Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead) replacing Hugo Weaving from The First Avenger. This may be the last we see of the Red Skull in the MCU, but Marquand has said he'd like to continue to be part of the cinematic universe, throwing out the desire to portray Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight.

(via ComicBook.com)