I REALLY should apologize for any potential disorganization for today's coming post. Whatever bug I have in my system has made me feel really mentally scattered. (Or maybe it was trying to read that first Todd McFarlane artwork issue of "Infinity Inc.". Ugh... TERRIBLE layouts...) So if this doesn't come as cohesive as previous efforts, please bear in mind I'm still fighting off an illness, and I didn't want to leave a weekend gap in my posting routine. So, hang tough, true believers!
Let's face it; if you need an easy fix for comic villainy, you can scarcely fail in basing your creation in the concept of Nazism. There's a reason why World War Two is often deemed the "good war"... as good as any conflict that causes massive losses of lives CAN be... and it's due to the sheer fanaticism and brutality of the Nazi Party in Germany. In fact, the conflict against Fascism was often the basis of comic books published DURING WW2! And with Marvel Comics gearing up for... sigh... YET ANOTHER event called "Axis, detailing the melding on one of the most infamous Nazi villains in comics melding with just a VERY infamous for the comics' industry villains of the 1990's, it's due time to look at a select group of villains that only just ADDED to their villainy by affiliating themselves with a political movement that almost DEFINED a new meaning of evil for generations. (And I PROMISE you all this will be as potentially "political" my thoughts will be for the blog. The first person to suggest I review the DC event, "DC Decisions", I'll just pleasantly block my eyes and ears to such a suggestion. I'm talking about comics, here; not deeper world issues. Heh!)
The Red Skull: You don't get more iconic for comic book Nazi Party cheerleaders than Johann Schmidt, who while first appearing in a separate identity in "Captain America Comics #1" in 1941, made his PROPER Germanic debut in "Captain America Comics #7". If anything, the Red Skull is most closely identified as Captain America's pre-eminent arch-nemesis. And it makes PERFECT sense! Captain America represents freedom not just for his own nation, but also for all nations... and this is set against a figure that represents totalitarian beliefs, along with fascism and terrorism. But discounting the "deeper element" of their comic, the Red Skull is one of the few foes that can time-after-time stand toe-to-toe against Steve Rogers. This was achieved by many means, such as a superior intellect, a cloned body of Captain America, mastery of the Cosmic Cube, machines known as "Sleepers", and even costumed mercenaries like Crossbones! Heck, Johann was SO evil, he managed to pass such dishonorable traits to his very daughters, Mother Superior and Sin. And like any great arch-nemesis, no matter WHAT reworking or reboot Captain America faces, the Red Skull will NEVER be far behind to crush both Cap, and the American spirit, beneath his boot heels!
Baron Zemo: The Heinrich Zemo clan had a claim to being second-place in terms of hatred towards Captain America! (But then again, Helmut the First was SO despised, even his fellow German countrymen wanted his head in the midst of WW2!) For years, Baron Zemo had at least one LONG-ALLEGED victory over Red Skull for his achievements; it was due to a flying bomb he attempted to launch to the United States shores that claimed Bucky Barnes' "life" in an act of "noble sacrifice". (And as we ALL know, Bucky will NEVER RETURN IN COMICS. EVER. ... Think about it.) But I guess having your head soaked in Adhesive X, causing your identity-disguising mask to become stuck to your face, gets you AND your latter generational son mighty upset when thinking about the Star-Spangled Avenger. First appearing in "Avengers #5", it wasn't enough that Zemo ruled over a small South American tribe, it was also that he introduced the Masters of Evil concept. (Remember a certain post about THAT group a few weeks back?) Heinrich actually dies in "Avengers #9", but Helmut Zemo... his bouncing baby boy... carried on the legacy of darkness behind a velvet mask... which apparently is wrapped by a rather nifty tiara at times!
Master Man: Now we begin touching upon lesser-known examples of Marvel Nazi threats. First seeing light in "Giant Sized Invaders #1", the concept of the German Master Man saw life. I use the term "concept", because the character survived into THREE generations of existence! The concept of Master Man involves a lesser German strain of the Super Soldier serum Professor Erskine developed for the American government... with HUGE success... in Steve Rogers. But don't mistake this "Mr. Pibb" approach to the serum fool you about Master Man's abilities; a lesser super soldier can STILL stand toe-to-toe against the primary super soldier, along with his allies in Namor, the Human Torch, Toro, and Bucky... who will NEVER LIVE AGAIN AFTER THAT HEROIC SACRIFICE. When I mention three generations, I refer to the first Master Man being William Lohmer, a second being an altered Nazi scientist known as Axl Nacht, and FINALLY William's future nephew, Max Lohmer. Now, if only we can get a Master Man cameo in a Cap movie... Or maybe even my last Marvel Nazi nod...
U-Man: If you're a fan of professional wrestling, you're well familiar with the concept of a "heel turn". It can either happen with an established "baby face" hero, or a character you didn't pay much attention to, turning towards the "dark side" for more power and influence. Case in point to Merrano, an Atlantean defector who sided with the Nazi Party as THEIR own "Sub-Mariner", debuting in "Invaders #3". Merrano apparently had a life-long enmity towards Namor... maybe it's because Subby got his grubby mitts on Lady Dorma... and this caused him to side with the Third Reich, who even Namor... who HATED humanity in general... despised! Aside from his already astonishing Atlantean strengths and abilities, he received further enhancement from Nazi experimentation. I remember a story I read featuring the character involved in an ocean-bound kidnap attempt of Winston Churchill. I don't even think Johann Schmidt did much of ANYTHING to the British Isle side of the conflict, so U-Man scores some wickedness points for thinking outside of the box!
Captain Nazi: Now we have sort of an in-between case of comic company Nazi villainy! Y'see, Captain Nazi FIRST debuted in "Master Comics #21", published by Fawcett Comics. But, like ALL elements of the Fawcett universe, in the aftermath of a LONG legal battle between DC and Fawcett over the concepts of Superman and Captain Marvel, Fawcett folded, and the characters were eventually transplanted into the DC Universe, where Captain Nazi FIRST showed his Aryan flat-top in "Shazam! #34". So while Albrecht Krieger found himself torn between two universes' custodies, one thing that did NOT change was the fact that he was a result of Nazi super-science... in the comics world, the Nazis could practically make ANYONE a potential "perfect soldier"... placing him on equal physical footing with Captain Marvel. But what makes Captain Nazi additionally unique was that he inadvertently CREATED another foe of his. During a battle against Captain Marvel, Captain Nazi is found temporarily knocked out in a lake by Jacob Freeman, and his nephew, Freddy Freeman. Captain Nazi thanked them for his revival by killing Jacob, and crippling Freddy Freeman. But Captain Marvel ends up imparting part of the power of the wizard Shazam into Freddy, creating Captain Marvel Jr.! Cappy Nazi... not one of the great master planners...
Doctor Poison: I thought it would be interesting to lead into the DC side of Nazi villainy examples with a unique one for the company. If my assumptions are correct, DC's first Nazi super-villain proper not ONLY debuted against the company's first super-heroine, Wonder Woman, but it was also a WOMAN! Princess Maru was a Nazi spy ring leader who disguised her appearance to a sexually ambiguous persona known as Doctor Poison. (Think of "Saturday Night Live's" character, Pat, only with access to Zyklon-B.) And this first conflict occurred in "Sensation Comics #2". What also makes the original Doctor Poison... because the latter incarnation had NO Nazi affiliations... was that her debut heralded a group of Wonder Woman sidekicks known as the "Holiday Girls". And she was also a founding member of the FIRST all-female villain team, Villains Inc.!
Baron Blitzkrieg: So maybe the Baron favored citric colors for his costuming. There's STILL no denying that this powerhouse of the Reich was VASTLY underused in the DC Universe! Debuting in "World's Finest Comics #246", the Baron would not have his origin revealed until an issue of "All Star Squadron". Baron Blitzkrieg participated in a unique brand of wickedness during the prime of World War Two; he was a key general and warden of a concentration camp. So cruel and monstrous was his treatment of the camp's prisoners, they one day revolted in an equally brutal retaliation; a bottle of acid BROKEN against his face. (Harvey Dent thought he had it bad with acid just SPLASHED against his face! Imagine that with broken glass grinding into your skin! Eek!) But thanks to that EVER-MIRACULOUS Nazi super-science, Baron Blitzkrieg had the blindness that resulted from this attack erased, restoring his eyesight. (But also it provided an Achilles Heel, in that the Baron would go into COMPLETE shock when faced with any situation that involved vision loss.) And with a little bit of tinkering, the scientists granted the Baron with super strength, flight... and HEAT VISION! So, again, a pretty cool concept! But it just feels like the company that created him never used the character to his full potential. But alas, we end this entry with a character that DID deserve his brief wet-squib existence. (And he ONLY got the nod, because I actually read his first appearances during my summer of general unemployment.)
Red Panzer: While "Wonder Woman #228" helped modernize the adventures of Diana Prince, and also further separated her from the adventures of her Earth Two counterpart, this issue ALSO featured the introduction of the menace of Helmut Streicher, AKA the Red Panzer. No real awesome origin story... because he HAD none! He did come awfully close during his introduction storyline to launching an atomic bomb over Washington DC... and he would've gotten away with it too, if it were for those pesky Wonder Women! I'd say for this 2-3 issue story arc, the most INTERESTING part of it involved the conflict between, and latter resolution, the two Earths Wonder Women. Because all we get out of Red Panzer is that he has armor, and an arm cannon. (Does this mean he is part Shogun Warrior?!?) But from what I read during my INTENSIVE RESEARCH... on Wikipedia... is that the Red Panzer armored concept DID carry on to three latter incarnations. But let's be honest; the Red Panzer wasn't going to set the world ablaze like his similar-hued Skull companion in ANY person's incarnation!
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