Animation
Scar
The Lion King · 1994
Fratricide, a musical number, and a lifetime of resentment
Threat index 76
Tyrant · Comics
Red Skull
The ideological opposite the shield was invented to hit
Attribute scores
Power58
Intellect88
Menace88
Fear factor78
Cultural impact80
Charisma64
Editorial estimates on a 0–100 scale, calibrated against every other character in the index. Not official canon.
Who they are
Created by two Jewish American cartoonists months before their country entered the war, the Red Skull exists to be the thing Captain America punches. He is the doctrine that says some people are worth more than others, given a face designed to be repellent. He is not complicated, and every attempt to make him complicated has been a mistake.
Defining traits
Terrorist infrastructureCosmic Cube ambitionsBody-swapping to surviveGenuine ideological fanaticismLong-term infiltration
What makes them dangerous
He runs a global terror organization that has repeatedly infiltrated the world's intelligence agencies.
And what undoes them
His ideology requires followers who believe it, and belief is fragile once the mask comes off.
Things you might not know
- The debut issue's cover, showing Captain America punching Hitler, was published nearly a year before the United States entered the war.
- He has survived death by transferring into clone bodies more than once.
- The character's continued existence is often justified in-story by suspended animation, mirroring the hero's own.
Why number 15 in Comics
Created by two Jewish cartoonists before their country entered the war. He is not complicated, and every attempt to complicate him has failed.
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