Despite both being major villains in the Marvel Universe, Red Skull, Captain America's nemesis, and Magneto have never seen eye to eye. Even when the villains have united to try and take over the world, Magneto's hatred of the Red Skull and everything he stands for has led to that alliance falling apart. But when the pair come to blows, who has the advantage?
Now, CBR is taking a closer look at these two villains, time why they hate each other and who managed to win their battles when they came to blows.
WHO IS THE RED SKULL?
Born Johann Schmidt in pre-World War II Germany, the future Red Skull was an orphaned at a young age. Briefly taken in by a Jewish family, he tried to force himself onto their teenage daughter. Rejected, he killed her in a rage. Schmidt fled, and found work as a bellhop. A chance encounter with Hitler led to Schmidt coming under the dictator's wing. After Schmidt was transformed into into a full-fledged member of the Nazi Party with a hatred for any kind of people he deems "unworthy," he was presented him with a terrifying mask and a new identity: the Red Skull.
Red Skull became the arch-nemesis of Captain America. The two battled frequently across World War II. Accidentally put into suspended animation after a battle with the American superhero, Red Skull was revived in the modern day by AIM. He soon resumed his battles with Captain America. Red Skull has died multiple times but is always revealed to have backup plans to restore himself to life. Oftentimes, this involves taking over the body of another person. While he typically has no supernatural powers, Red Skull is a tactical genius with a flair for creative weaponry. He even has "Dust of Death", which he can use to murder someone by surprise. He even briefly stole Charles Xavier's telepathic abilities, although these were since removed when Beast performed brain surgery on him.
WHO IS MAGNETO?
Max Eisenhardt was born in the same era as Johann Schmidt, in much the same place. He was raised by his Jewish family and was a consistently impressive athlete and student. However, Max's family was wiped out by German soldiers. Max only survived thanks to his burgeoning control over all things metal. He was taken to a concentration camp, where he barely survived alongside his future wife, Magda.
Eventually, he would face human hatred again - this time for being a mutant. When an angry mob attacked his family and killed his first daughter, he slew the attackers in a rage. Deciding to protect his fellow mutants from the same persecution he once faced, Max renamed himself Magneto and became a villain fighting for mutant supremacy. He has consistently been one of the most complex villains at Marvel, with his love/hate relationship with Charles Xavier fueling many stories over the years. He's even become a hero on occasion, only to always have his attempts at peace turned back towards villainy. Regardless of which side he's on, Magneto consistently ranks among Marvel's most powerful mutants, which his magnetic abilities giving him a wide range of powers.
Who Would Win?
Magneto and Red Skull have come to blows on two major occasions. The first came during the Marvel crossover "Acts of Vengeance" in Mark Gruenwald and Kieron Dwyer's Captain America #367. The story saw multiple villains swapping targets to try and catch the heroes by surprise, but this villainous alliance fell apart from within, spurned on by Magneto deciding to attack Red Skull for being an unrepentant Nazi. Despite all his attempts to get the drop on Magneto, there was nothing Red Skull could do to stop him. Eventually, Magneto caught him and treated him with bitter mercy. He didn't kill the Red Skull, but instead trapped him an abandoned bomb shelter with just enough water to last a few weeks.
Their second major battle, in the lead-up and heart of the crossover Axis, was much more even. By this point, Red Skull, who then had access to Xavier's powers was attempting to purge mutantkind all around the world. Red Skull was attacked by the assorted heroes of the Marvel Universe. Magneto even seemed to kill him during the battle, but this just allowed Red Skull to become the vastly more powerful Red Onslaught. When the Avengers and X-Men weren't enough to stop this new threat, Magneto even recruited an army of villains, who were temporarily good guys, to fight by his side and bring down the Nazi. Eventually, the heroes were triumphant, and Red Skull was defeated.
Although the Red Skull came perilously close to defeating Magneto for good, the Master of Magnetism has generally had the upper-hand during their battles, and has even found a way to win when he hasn't. However, as long as Schmidt remains active in the Marvel Universe, it's only a matter of time before he and Magneto cross paths again.