Red Skull Returns
For years, fans have been wondering if and when Red Skull would make a return to the MCU. At the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, Hugo Weaving’s HYDRA leader vanished when he held the Space Stone (or Tesseract, as we knew it then). Given its power set, though, it was theorized that Red Skull didn’t die but was merely transported across the galaxy.
In Infinity War, this long-held theory has finally been confirmed. When Thanos and Gamora travel to Volmir in search of the Soul Stone, they meet a mysterious cloaked figure. It turns out to be Johann Schmidt, who reveals that he was transported here after he attempted to harness the power of the Tesseract. He believes that he was cursed into service of a greater power that he was doomed never to wield.
It’s worth mentioning that Red Skull’s initial cloaked appearance is reminiscent of the Grim Reaper, too. In the comics, Thanos is obsessively infatuated with the personification of Death. In fact, his love for Lady Death is his motivation for getting hold of the Infinity Gems and proving what he can do with a snap of his fingers.