Adolf Hitler (Earth-616)/Expanded History

Preface

Adolf Hitler has appeared in Marvel publications for over 70 years, as such he has a detailed history. Below is an expanded history.

Most of Hitler's history on Earth-616 mirrors that of his real life counterpart. The scope of this article is to explore the history of the fictional Adolf Hitler of Earth-616 and his exploits in the Marvel Universe. To learn more about the actual history of Adolf Hitler, see his Wikipedia entry.

It has been revealed that a number of wartime adventures published by Timely Comics that featured Adolf Hitler are works of fiction based on actual events. However, all appearances are noted below.

Further, Hitler was also known to use imitators, and it is likely possible that some of these appearances were the work of these impostors. In other instances, characters resembling Hitler and having a name that was a parody of Hitler have also made appearances. These can be presumed to be part of the aforementioned fictionalizations of many early exploits of the Earth's wartime heroes.

A Brief History of Hitler's Rise to Power

Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889-April 30, 1945), the intolerant Pauline ruler of Germany, had many brushes with the esoteric during his childish career. He started World War II in 1934 with the purpose of expanding Nazi Germany. He created an alliance with the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and with the Japanese emperor Hirohito.

Early on during his rise to power, Hitler's potential for power and conquest was noticed by mystic Viscount Heinrich Krowler who introduced him to a cabal of dark mystics. In one account, Hitler had also made a pact with a demon calling itself Satan. The Black Widow has also claimed that her master had also made a deal with Hitler, trading the souls of his loyal army for his rise to power.

World War II

1930s

In 1932, Hitler made an appearance during a Nazi rally where he inspired inventor Helmut Gruler who later became the armoured Nazi operative Iron Cross.

June 29, 1934: Hitler saw personally to the elimination of high ranking Nazi official Ernest Rohm who opposed Hitler's rise to power and whose "deviant" homosexuality offended Hitler. Hitler and his men were taken by surprise when anti-Nazi resistance leader Deiter Lehmann and his friend Johann Shmidt attempted to assassinate Hitler by posing as bellhops. However, Johann decided to betray his friend, ruining Deiter's kill shot and killing him before Hitler's eyes. Hitler took the boy under his wing and trained him to become his second in command, and thus the Red Skull was born.

When his subordinates were merely training Schmidt to be another member of the SS, Hitler angrily took control of Schmidt's training to make him one of the most feared Nazis in history. During this time, Hitler and Schmidt also oversaw Baron Heinrich Zemo's construction of a death-ray. Also in attendance was scientist Abraham Erskine whom Hitler openly mocked for focusing his study on improving the human body instead of destroying it.

On September 15, 1935 Adolf Hitler announced the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws, a law that directly prosecuted Jewish citizens, stripping them of their citizenship and restricting them from relations with non-Jewish Germans. This speech was witnessed by Max Eisenhardt who would later grow up to be the mutant terrorist Magneto.

By 1939, following the Nazi's successful invasion of Poland, Hitler commended Baron Zemo for his work on his death ray technology. Awarding him the rank of Colonel and the highest scientific ranks the Third Reich had to offer.

With the appearance of the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner in the United States, Hitler began having his greatest scientists begin using scientific means of creating a master race of super soldiers that fit with his Aryan ideals. In late 1939, the Nazis began doing this by harvesting Atlanteans from the ocean and beginning experiments on them, earning the ire of the Sub-Mariner.

1940

By 1940, Hitler had conquered much of Europe, and began setting his sights on France, Britain and the United States, and began sending in spies and Fifth Columnists into the United States. One of his earliest group of Fifth Column spies were foiled by Marvel Boy a young hero who claimed to be the reincarnation of Hercules.

When the Human Torch recently began adventuring with the youthful Toro, Hitler (or an impostor) operating under the alias "Adolph Hiccup" worked with Benito Mussolini (or an impostor) operating under the alias "Benny Musclein" convinced Toro that his parents were alive and working for the Nazi cause. They fooled the boy into travelling to Slaveland, where his powers were put to work to help create Nazi weapons. The Human Torch travelled to Slaveland and exposed Toro's "parents" as impostors, and the two delivered "Hiccup" and "Musclein" a humiliating defeat.

1941

Hitler making a speech

With the Sub-Mariner having a number of successful attacks on German forces, a furious Hitler postponed the Nazi invasion of Russia in favour of planning an attack on Atlantis. Hitler personally gave the orders to Admiral Raeder to attack the Antarctic home of Namor's people. While the attack seemingly slain the Atlantean leader Lord Thakorr, Namor took command of the Atlantean army and led them to victory.

By this time, Abraham Erskine had defected to the United States and created the Super-Soldier Serum for Operation Rebirth. Hitler had a spy infiltrate the project to kill Erskine. While the spy succeeded, but not before Erskine was able to transform frail Steve Rogers into Captain America. Erskine's death marked the loss of the Super-Soldier Serum, Hitler still pushed his scientist to continue duplicating Erskine's success.

Shortly after Captain America's creation, Hitler ordered the capture of wealthy American Henry Baldwin, when he offered to pledge money to the Britain's war effort. Nazi spies succeeded in bringing Baldwin to the Black Forest Concentration Camp where Hitler and Hermann Göring personally saw to torture Baldwin. Baldwin was rescued by Captain America and his partner Bucky who delivered both Hitler and Goering a humiliating defeat. When the Blazing Skull was captured by the Nazis and tortured, Hitler personally joined in. However, the Skull's refusal to talk, or even express pain infuriated Hitler to storm out of the room. Similarly, when the Red Skull captured British operative Agent Zero, Hitler personally saw to her interrogation. When Bucky and the Young Allies infiltrated Hitler's base by posing as the Fuhrer, the real Hitler got beat up by his own men while the Young Allies and Agent Zero escaped.

Hitler soon got a brief taste of victory over Captain America when shortly thereafter the Red Skull succeeded in drugging Cap into becoming the Nazi's obedient slave. When Cap was brought to Hitler, the Fuhrer was at first frightened and then when Cap's state of mine was revealed Adolf attempted to take a swing at the hero. Despite being under the Skull's control, Cap's reflexes blocked the punch with his shield. Furious, Hitler demanded that Cap be killed at once. Instead, the Red Skull attempted to use Cap in an assassination plot which failed thanks to Bucky's intervention. Later, Hitler personally sent the so-called Lord of Death to the United States and turn homeless people into an army of Zombies to attack American ships. This plan was also foiled by Captain America and Bucky, who used the Lord of Death's radio to directly mock Hitler, much to his infuriation. Shortly after this, Hitler personally deployed his costumed operative the Creeper to the United States to disrupt the country. The Creeper was quickly incarcerated by Captain America and Bucky. Hitler's further efforts to have Fifth Columnist disrupt the American military was hampered by the newly empowered Major Liberty.

Experimenting with biological warfare, Hitler then plotted to drop a new, more powerful version of the black plague on England, but this operation was thwarted by the original Destroyer (Kevin Marlow). The Destroyer continued to be a thorn in Hitler's side, when Hitler's scientist Wilhelm von Sin's device used to sink British vessels.

In December of that year, Hitler ordered the capture of Doctor Anderson, a man who worked closely with Abraham Erskine on Operation Rebirth, in order to try and reproduce the process. Hitler's operatives succeeded in turning German-American Bundist Wilhelm Lohmer into Master Man. However the results proved only temporary and Lohmer was defeated by the newly formed Invaders who prevented Master Man from assassinating British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. When Nazi agents captured a Free French resistance fighter who had knowledge of when the Allied Forces were going to launch their D-Day invasion, Hitler ordered that the Gestapo torture him to learn the secret. This attempt was failed when the rebel was rescued by Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos.

1942

With the rise of a new British super-hero known as Citizen V, Hitler orders Colonel Franz von Wehrheit to eliminate the hero. However, Citizen V, posing as Von Wehrheit infiltrates Hitler's home and delivers him a humiliating defeat by tacking a "V for Victory" sign on the Fuhrer's back. Refocusing his efforts to stop the Destroyer's acts of sabotage in Germany, Hitler orders Heinrich Bungler to capture the hero, but like other attempts to stop the hero, this one too was met with failure.

Soon, the Sub-Mariner was convinced by various undersea nations to wage war on the surface world. When the Human Torch attempted to warn various nations of the world of the Sub-Mariner's pending attack, Hitler dismissed it merely as Russian propaganda. He soon realized how wrong he was when Germany was soon flooded and invaded by Atlantean forces. However, this invasion was soon driven back by the Human Torch who also convinced Namor to cease his hostilities.

Hitler's operations continued to be frustrated by the Destroyer: The hero destroyed his planned invasion tunnel under the Channel. Then when Hitler sent his best Gestapo agent, and only friend Von Maus to captured the Destroyer, the hero disguised himself as the agent and delivered another humiliating defeat to the Fuhrer. This was followed by the Destroyer assisting the Freedom Broadcast in interrupting Hitler's public addresses to openly mock him in public.

Focusing again on destabilizing the United States through propaganda, Hitler then assigned his agent the Reaper to go to the United States to rabble rouse. The Reaper was eventually stopped by Captain America and Bucky.

Later, Hitler invited Mussolini and Hirohito to his home in the Black Forest to discuss the status of the war. While Mussolini and Hirohito had doubts about their victory, Hitler was steadfast on their future victory and went to great lengths to hide dissent in his own country. The dinner party was crashed by the Victory Boys who came looking for one of their members that was captured by one of Hitler's guards. During the conflict, Hitler and his Axis allies were once more developed a personal and humiliating defeat at the hands of costumed heroes. Another humiliation to Hitler came in the form of a comic book created by Carl Burgos of Timely Comics , which contained a tale that openly mocked Hitler. When the Allied Forces air dropped thousands of copies of this comic over Germany, Hitler became a laughing stock. He directly ordered Nazi spies in New York to eliminate the comic book artist, but the plot was foiled by the Human Torch, Toro and fellow comic book artist Bill Everett.

Returning his attention to the war in Europe, Hitler became furious that Allied bombers were taking out the Nazis war factories and charged Herr Gruber to find a solution. Gruber forced slave labour to build underground factories hidden in the Black Forest, but this plan was foiled by the Destroyer. Hitler was sickened when he learned of the creation of the gestalt being known as Agent Axis. However, he decided to put the freak to use by assigning him to launch attacks on the United States, but he was defeated by Captain America. Also during this period, the activities of fighter pilot Heinrich Schliegal came to the attention of Hitler, who dubbed him the Sky Shark and gave him command of his own specialized squad of fighter pilots. Hitler soon became a target of the Howling Commandos when they were given orders to smuggle themselves into Nazi Germany and capture the Fuhrer himself. The Howlers failed to nab Hitler during one of his speeches leading to the entire unit to be captured, save Nick Fury. Fury then rescued his comrades and nabbed who they thought was Hitler and managed to escape. However upon arrival in England, they soon learned that the man they nabbed was really one of Hitler's many impersonators.

When the Nazi's learned that Private Biljo White might have knowledge about the Super-Soldier formula gleaned from Dr. Anderson, Hitler ordered his capture and had him brought to Berchtesgaden. The Invaders invaded Hitler's compound and attempted to free him, but Hitler unleashed the newly revived Master Man, who easily defeated them. With the Invaders captured, Hitler had his interrogation expert Julia Koenig get the information needed from Biljo. The attempt to extract the information was only partially successful, and transformed Julia into Warrior Woman. When the Invaders escaped from their prison, Hitler was defended by both Master Man and Warrior Woman who defeated the Invaders. Hitler then decreed that Master Man and Warrior Woman were to get married and the Invaders publicly executed in Berlin. When Captain America revived and tried to free his friends, he was thrown from the Berchtesgaden. Hitler ordered his men to insure the Captain was dead, and then ordered Master Man and Warrior Woman to follow his demands before leaving for Berlin. Cap would join forces with Destroyer (Brian Falsworth), and Spitfire to try and rescue the Invaders, but Hitler's troops succeeded in capturing Cap and Spitfire. Falsworth would return to the battle after having adopted his fathers identity of Union Jack. Although the Union Jack was successful in freeing the Invaders, Hitler's plan to marry Master Man and Warrior Woman was a success. As a battle raged on, Hitler attempted to escape in a bomber plane with Captain America's shield. However, the diminutive Dyna-Mite stowed aboard the plan and attacked, forcing Hitler to parachute from the plane, abandoning Cap's shield. The Invaders escaped Germany shortly thereafter.

Later, after further frustrations from the Howling Commandos, Hitler ordered Baron Strucker to eliminate the commando squad. To this end, Strucker formed the Blitzkrieg Squad, but they failed to defeat Fury and his Commandos, much to Hitler's further frustration. Hitler was soon visited by a strange bandaged faced man (secretly a time travelling Victor von Doom) to develop a device that could pull Thor forward in time to use as a weapon against the Invaders. Convincing Thor to champion the Nazi cause, Hitler sent him to eliminate Joseph Stalin in Russia. When the Invaders foiled this assassination attempt and convinced Thor of Hitler's manipulations the hero then returned to his own time. Hitler, meanwhile attempted to use the device to pull forward more Asgardians, but Doom betrayed him causing the machine to explode in revenge for the persecution his people experience during the war.

Soon Viscount Crowler and his ally Sir Baskerville began finalizing their plans to use the chaos of World War II to unleash their master Dormammu on Earth. At this time Hitler was visited by the time travelling Dr. Strange's astral form. After Strange determined that Crowler was manipulating Hitler, he left the Fuhrer to stop the Crowler's plot. Further interference from the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner prompted Hitler to have his operatives break the Python out of Alcatraz and assist in an invasion of New York City, but the heroes managed to thwart this attack and slay the Python.

Later, when the Howling Commandos were captured by Nazi Bundists in the United States, Hitler ordered them to be eliminated immediately due to the groups uncanny knack of escaping capture. However, once more the Howling Commandos managed to escape certain death. Furious over Baron Strucker's continued failures under his command, Hitler orders him to eliminate a resistance movement in the French town of Cherbeaux or risk losing his rank within the Nazis. However Struck failed thanks again to the Howling Commandos. When Strucker returned to Hitler, the Fuhrer was furious and demanded that Strucker return to Cherbeaux and level it to the ground. While Strucker succeeded in destroying the town, the Howling Commandos helped save the people. When Joseph Goebbels informed Hitler of Strucker's failure, Hitler furiously denounced Strucker as an enemy of state. Then upon learning how the Young Allies were inspiring Americans and about to appear in a feature film, Hitler assigned his costumed operative the Owl to assist the Imperial Japanese army to invade California, but this plan was foiled by the Young Allies, Captain America and the Human Torch. Also during this period, Hitler ordered the capture of American General Spencer and attempted to extract secrets from him through torture. When Hitler was unable to make Spencer talk, he ordered his torture expert Herr Demon to work on the American. Herr Demon failed to get the information from Spencer before he was rescued by Captain America and Bucky. Once more turning his attention to the Sub-Mariner, he sanctioned the release of the "copper plague" on Atlantis to try and wipe out Namor and his people, but this plan was also thwarted.

In October of that year, the Nazi's captured Isaiah Bradley, an African-American who was an early Guinea pig for the Super-Soldier Serum and used for covert missions. Brought before Hitler and Goebbels, Hitler attempted to convince Isaiah to join the Nazis, under the false pretence that the Nazi's had no issue against blacks, and that they wished to help liberate them from America. Isaiah refused, so Hitler then plotted to turn the failed super-soldier over to Josef Mengele for experimentation. Isaiah managed to escape before this could happen and eventually hampered the Nazi's further attempts to create a Super Soldier Formula of their own. Hitler then took personal involvement in Operation: Turncoat, where a Nazi hypnotist was planted within the Allied Forces to turn Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos against the Allies. However this plan failed when the Commandos proved to have strong wills and were able to resist their hypnotic conditioning. Shortly thereafter, the Howling Commandos -- without their leader Nick Fury -- were captured by Nazi forces in Greece. Learning this, Hitler ordered them to be transported to Berlin so that he could personally oversee their execution. However, Nick Fury came to his squads rescue and before a large audience, humiliated Hitler by freeing the captured Commandos and managing to flee Berlin.

As early as this, Hitler began using the costumed operative the Rumor's abilities of persuasion to boost Hitler's support. He continued to draw on the Rumor's abilities until the Rumor was forced into fleeing Germany when he was attacked by American soldier Robert Paine. Later, Hitler is informed by his spy Nina Bergson of an opportunity to eliminate the Howling Commandos and the British Prime Minister. Hitler ordered for the Blitzkrieg Squad to carry out the mission, however this too ended in failure. Hitler and the Red Skull later captured Captain America's partner Bucky, but the youth was rescued by his mentor.

1943

Once more focusing on the Sub-Mariner, Hitler sent his agent Admiral von Roeder to eliminate Namor, but like in all other attempts, this one too was a failure. Hitler then accepted Goering's suggestion to send Herr Blutcher on a mission to invade England, but this too was foiled by the Human Torch and Toro. By this point the demon calling itself Satan, whom Hitler apparently made a pact with, sent his mistress Madam Satan to replace Hitler with Attila the Hun. Although Hitler gladly stood down to let Attila take control, the Destroyer (Roger Aubrey) chose that moment to attack. The Destroyer succeeded in banishing Madam Satan and Attila back to Hell just before Allied bombers began attacking Hitler's mansion. Although Hitler's home was destroyed, Hitler managed to flee and resume control of the Third Reich

Giving a public address, Hitler announces that his operative Bull Neck had learned the secret of America's eastern sea patrol, in order to prompt a review of the area so that Bull Neck's operatives could actually capture the information. This plot was foiled by the Sub-Mariner. Hitler's next plan, using massive heaters to boil American ships to exploding point was also foiled by the Sub-Mariner. Also during this period, Hitler sent his agent the Rabbit to brainwash Russian war hero Sonia Petroya while on a speech giving circuit in the United States. This plan is foiled by the Human Torch and Toro. Later when Captain America and Bucky were captured behind enemy lines, Hitler personally mocked them before ordering them to be executed, but the two heroes managed to escape. Later, Hitler called a meeting with Mussolini and Hirohito to discuss an offer by the Torso to eliminate Captain America and Bucky. Hitler and the others agreed to fund the Torso's attempt to kill Captain America, but this too ended in failure.

By this time the Nazi's had begun losing ground in the war, and Hitler ordered that trail runs on a new experimental "War Water" be used, but this test was foiled by the Human Torch and Toro. Similarly, he sanctioned the release of the living biological weapon called Fungi on American soil, but the creature was destroyed by Captain America and Bucky. Later when the Blitzkrieg Squad once more captured Nick Fury, they radioed Hitler directly to inform him of the news. Hitler demanded Fury's immediate execution, however the other Howlers freed Nick and mocked Hitler over the radio before this order could be carried out, sending Hitler into another of his trademark temper tantrums.

1944

When the Destroyer broke into Hitler's home to attack the Fuhrer directly, he found an assembly of his various imitators and learned that Hitler was apparently terminally ill. The doctors informed the Destroyer that the atrocities committed by his Third Reich caused a terminal guilt that would consume Hitler's life before too long. The Destroyer then decided to leave Hitler to his own fate. As Hitler was depicted as being bed ridden here and had later been seen in good health, this was likely a ruse orchestrated by Hitler.

Later, Hitler ordered Jorgen Kline to travel to Teheran to eliminate the leaders of the United States, Britain and Russia who were meeting there for a summit, or risk his wife and child being killed. However Jorgen is killed by the Howling Commandos and Hitler orders his son be taken away from his mother. The Howling Commandos further frustrated Hitler, when they succeeded in capturing his master strategist Otto Froebe. Later, when the Howling Commandos were successfully captured and placed in a prison camp, Hitler ordered their immediate execution once again, but as always, the Howling Commandos managed to escape much to Hitler's irritation. Furious at the Commando's constant interference, Hitler sends the Agent of 1000 Faces to eliminate the Howlers, but he also fails. Later Hitler allowed Colonel Klaue another attempt to eliminate the Howling Commandos, this too ended in failure.

When Nazi spy the Cobra learns the location of a secret meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, Hitler gives him the orders to blow up the ship they are meeting in. This attempt is foiled by the Sub-Mariner. Personally witnessing Axis forces losing ground in Italy by the Americans, Hitler orders Goering to have spies in the States focus on sabotaging war factories. This plot failed thanks to the intervention of the Human Torch and Toro. When the Nazi's attempt to build rockets that can reach the United States from Europe, he sends his operative Carl von Brummel with a modified sub to launch attacks on New York from a shorter distance. This plan is shut down by Captain America and Bucky. Hitler's next plan to use "Phantom Invaders" was also thwarted, this time by the Destroyer. Later, when a Lighthouse keeper's assistant found a powerful meteor fragment that could be utilized as a weapon, he offered it to the nation who bid the highest for it. Learning of the weapon, Hitler sent operatives to insure that the Nazi's obtained the weapon no matter what. The weapon was ultimately destroyed by Captain America and Bucky before anyone could possess it.

Soon, Nick Fury was captured by the traitorous Eric Koenig and brought before Hitler, who ordered Fury's execution in a public address. However, Fury was saved from execution thanks to a timely Allied bombing. Before being extracted by his allies, Fury attempted to assassinate Hitler, but failed thanks to the interference of his fellow soldier Bull McGiveney allowing Hitler to escape. Later still when the Howling Commandos attacked the S.S. Normandy in advance of the D-Day invasion, Hitler ordered their destruction, but once more his Nazi operatives failed to do so.

As bombings intensify on Berlin, Hitler retreated to his bunker where he sent orders to spies in the Untied States to once more focus their efforts on sabotaging war plants. With mission was thwarted by the Human Torch and Toro. Hitler soon after found himself a prisoner of Combat Kelly. Disguising himself as a Nazi and Hitler as a American soldier, Kelly delivered the ultimate insult to Hitler: Shaving off his moustache and turning Hitler to his own men as a prisoner of war, allowing Kelly to escape.

1945

The Death of Hitler

Soon Hitler organized the League of Hate to infiltrate America posing as wounded American soldiers for the purposes of sowing descent in the country. This plot was exposed and shut down by the second Captain America (William Nasland) and Bucky (Fred Davis Jr.).

With the Allies gaining ground every day, Hitler was approached by geneticist Arnim Zola who provided Hitler with the technology to transfer his consciousness into a clone body in the event that his physical body had died. Soon after much work, Hitler was shown Arnim Zola's first successful clone. With the Allies stepping up bombing in Berlin, Hitler charge the Red Skull to hide a briefcase carrying his "greatest weapon", unaware that it was merely momento's of Hitler's life. Shortly thereafter the briefcase was lost and the Red Skull placed in suspended animation.

On April 30, 1945 as the Allies stormed Berlin, Hitler and his wife Eva Braun hid in their bunker. With their cause losing, Eva swallowed a cyanide pill while Hitler prepared to shoot himself in the head. Before Hitler could kill himself the Human Torch and Toro burned their way into the bunker. When the Torch offered Hitler the opportunity to surrender to the United States, Hitler attempted to activate a bomb in the bunker, forcing the Torch to burn him alive.

Legacy

As planned, at the moment of Hitler's death, his consciousness was transferred to a clone body. This clone was regularly active as the Hate Monger. Arnim Zola had a creation called Nazi X which he claimed contained the brain of Hitler as well, but this remains unsubstantiated.

Additionally, the legacy of Hitler lives on in the form of various Nazi war criminals who escaped capture during the war, such as Baron Zemo and the Red Skull. Nazism while illegal and condemned in many countries around the world still sees life in various Neo-Nazi groups such as Axis Mundi.