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Quote1 No one could ever defeat me easily! And yet, I can remember another time -- a day long past -- when I had no skill -- no power -- nothing --! Quote2
Red Skull

Appearing in "If I Fail, a World is Lost!"

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Synopsis for "If I Fail, a World is Lost!"

Quote1 I don't see Stark here! Probably in conference at the nearest cocktail lounge with some female! Hrummph! Quote2
Senator Byrd

US Senator Harrington Byrd has commissioned Stark Industries to build a new submarine, which is to be tested by Iron Man. When Happy Hogan offers to test the sub in Iron Man's place, Tony Stark declines which puts Happy down.

While testing the sub out at sea, Iron Man soon stumbles upon Attuma and his army who are building giant weapons for Attuma's latest plan to try and take over the surface world. Attacking before Attuma can implement a missile which would make it hard for humans to breath on the surface, Iron Man makes quick work of Attuma's troops and super weapons. However in a one-on-one battle with Attuma, Iron Man is quickly defeated and imprisoned by the Atlantean warlord.

Breaking free of his prison, Iron Man then uses the experimental sub to destroy Attuma's weapon, before returning to the surface. There, Iron Man doesn't tell the others of Attuma's attack, and Senator Byrd assumes that the tests failure is due to Tony Stark's apparent playboy attitude. To make matters worse, Happy Hogan had left while Iron Man was fighting Attuma.

Appearing in "The Fantastic Origin of the Red Skull!"

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  • The Red Skull  (1st Silver Age Appearance of the Real Red Skull) (Main story and flashback)

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Synopsis for "The Fantastic Origin of the Red Skull!"

Captured while attempting to sneak into Nazi Germany, Captain America is now the prisoner of his mortal enemy, the evil Red Skull. Reviving Cap, the two talk about how the man named Maxon whom Cap fought last month wasn't really the Red Skull but an impostor.

With this fact cleared up, the Red Skull decides to tell Captain America his life's story:
The young boy who would one day become the Red Skull was an orphan who lived on the streets and had to steal to survive. Finding himself in and out of jail and working as cheap labour, this young man would grow up full of hatred for others. During the rise of the Nazi party to power, the young boy was a bell hop for a hotel. One night, the young bell hop happened to have the opportunity to wait on Adolf Hitler, who was staying there. Realizing the boy's hatred and potential, Hitler took the boy under his wing and trained him to be his greatest soldier, eventually earning the costume and title of the Red Skull. A figure, that even Adolf Hitler would come to fear.

The Skulls story is interrupted when Cap tries to escape, however, the Red Skull easily knocks him down and continues his story.

From there he spoke of how during the early days of the war, he had managed to spread destruction and terror wherever he went. Slowly eliminating all who's ranks were above him until he was second only to Hitler himself.

Finishing his story, the Skull is attacked again by Cap, but suddenly a drug that was administered to him kicks in and Cap passes out. Joined by a Nazi doctor, it is revealed that Cap was given a drug that made his mind a clean slate ready for brain washing. Conditioning him to believe in the Nazi ideal, Captain America is ordered by the Red Skull to seek out and murder the supreme commander of the Allied armies.

Notes

  • This issue contains a letters page, Mails of Suspense. Letters are published from Jeryy Pritchett, Jim Poreliski, Larry Libby, and Derrill Rothermich. The letters page also contains the Mighty Marvel Checklist.

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