Russo Brothers Hint at Red Skull’s Future in the MCU

One of the best and most surprising twists in Avengers: Infinity War was the return of Captain America’s oldest foe, Red Skull.

Red Skull has been guarding the soul stone in Vormir ever since being teleported there by the tesseract at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger. Once Thanos collects the stone, we don’t see Red Skull for the rest of the film.

Many fans have speculated that the former Hydra leader was freed from his duties once Thanos obtained the soul stone. It turns out that they were completely right. During a viewing party for Avengers: Infinity War, the Russo Brothers (who directed Infinity War and the upcoming Avengers 4) discussed Red Skull’s Future:

Red Skull is free to leave Vormir, and he is also free to pursue his desire for an Infinity Stone. – Russo Brothers #InfinityWar #VuduViewingParty https://t.co/BoQCFbYPUv

— The Avengers (@Avengers) August 4, 2018

This may actually give us a clue regarding the direction of Avengers 4. As we know, Thanos wins and accomplishes his goal to erase 50% of the entire population. He’s done with the stones for now and the Russo brothers said that the Mad Titan sustained permanent damage during the events of Infinity War. With the Infinity Stones as a plot device likely reaching its end in Avengers 4, Red Skull may have a major role to play in the highly anticipated sequel.

Ross Marquand, best known for his role as Aaron on The Walking Dead, played the iconic Cap villain in Infinity War, taking over for Hugo Weaving. Marquand spoke with Entertainment Weekly (via radio show) back in May and discussed if he would return in a future MCU film:

“I don’t know. I can’t speak to that, and I think that I would obviously love to play that role again anytime.”

Marquand later went on to talk about where Red Skull is mentally in Infinity War:

“But he’s a changed man, and I don’t even know if he is a man anymore. He’s almost like this ghostlike deity, and he’s at the service of the Soul Stone now, and his sole purpose is to essentially guide people to this, but you have to wonder: Is there still a part of him that does have ambition? I don’t know. It would be really cool to see where that character goes. But that’s really a question for all the folks at Marvel and the Russo brothers and the writers. I certainly couldn’t speak to that.”

Are you excited to see Red Skull return in a future MCU movie? Let us know in the comments and be sure to follow us here at The Nerd Stash for all of your nerdy news and needs!