American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

237. Red Skull’s Aces.

The door slowly opened, and under the guidance of a squad of Hydra soldiers, a group of oddly dressed individuals walked in.

"Long time no see, my aces."

Without turning around, Red Skull already knew the identities of these people. Since the end of the Old World War, those who could continue working under him were without exception his most loyal subordinates. Aside from the Winter Soldier and Bullseye, they were Hydra's strongest warriors.

"Thank you for the honor, my Führer. Upon receiving your message, I rushed back immediately. I must say, the news about superheroes from another world is truly thrilling."

The first to speak was Taskmaster, wearing a skull mask. He was still dressed in his somewhat worn battle suit, with a shield and sword strapped to his back, both still as sharp as ever, though they hadn't been used in quite some time.

To Taskmaster's left stood a man wrapped like a mummy, remaining silent. If Pietro were here, he would likely mistake him for a broken version of Moon Knight, and he'd be nearly correct. This man was Randall, the brother of Moon Knight.

However, unlike his heroic brother, Randall had always lived in his brother's shadow, which had deeply affected him. From a young age, he started imitating Moon Knight and aimed to surpass him in every way.

Later, Randall witnessed his brother's resurrection in the Temple of Khonshu, where he became the new Moon Knight. This enraged Randall, as he believed he should have been the one to assume the role. Thus, he sabotaged Marc's relationship with Khonshu, even stealing part of the moon god's power for himself. Randall then took on the mantle of Shadow Knight, frequently opposing his brother.

It could be said that in the current post-apocalyptic world, aside from a few elusive godly powers, Randall was one of the few individuals who still possessed and could freely wield divine abilities.

Shadow Knight not only had all of Moon Knight's abilities, but he could also shoot divine lightning from his eyes. However, in this era of fading divine power, his strength was no longer what it once was.

To Taskmaster's right stood an elderly man in a yellow and purple suit. In his younger days, he was known as the 'Leaper.' His real name was Batroc, a master of hand-to-hand combat who possessed an extraordinary jumping ability and formidable fighting prowess.

Before the fall of the Old World, Batroc had fought many heroes, including Captain America, but he had never once emerged victorious.

In the past, while working as a mercenary, he often served under Kingpin. But after being recruited by Hydra, he had become one of Red Skull's most obedient dogs over the years.

Besides him, there was another individual who had been taken in by Red Skull—Sandman, also known as Flint Marko. As one of Spider-Man's classic foes, Sandman's powers were formidable.

He could control sand with his mind and turn his body into sand to avoid harm. It was this incredible ability that made him a prime candidate for Red Skull's recruitment.

Among the group, the last two were a Hydra loyalist and a Super-Skrull.

The Hydra loyalist was named Grant, one of Hydra's finest agents, and he had been personally chosen by Red Skull to become the second Vulture. After that battle years ago, when many superheroes perished, some villains' gear was left behind.

These items were all confiscated by Red Skull, becoming part of Hydra's arsenal in their bid for global domination. Vulture's suit now belonged to Grant, who willingly took on the name and became one of Red Skull's most notorious henchmen.

As for the Super-Skrull, he had been a Hydra prisoner after supervillains had turned on each other. This Super-Skrull had acquired the abilities of the Fantastic Four, allowing him to use their powers at will. His strength was among the greatest in Hydra.

For the safety of his family and people, he had willingly undergone Hydra's brainwashing. Now, he could no longer be considered a sentient being. With his mind wiped, he had become a blank slate.

Under Red Skull's influence, that blank slate had been thoroughly marked with Hydra's insignia. It could be said that, after the fall of the Winter Soldier and Bullseye's defection, these six super soldiers before Red Skull were his greatest aces.

"Taskmaster, I remember you failed to retrieve those super-soldier serums," Red Skull slowly turned, his gaze suddenly cold as he looked at Taskmaster.

Taskmaster felt as if he'd fallen into an ice pit the moment Red Skull's eyes fixed on him.

He knew exactly what Red Skull was referring to. After Bullseye's defection, Taskmaster had been appointed to track down Hawkeye, but during the mission, Taskmaster had been slacking off, showing no interest in completing the task.

In fact, after his first joint surgery, Taskmaster had been contemplating retirement. He knew his body was no longer capable of combat. His aging frame couldn't perform as it once did, making it harder to mimic others' abilities.

Thus, when he learned that the old Hawkeye had almost wiped out the Thunderbolts team, Taskmaster, valuing his life, had no desire to engage an Avenger. He dragged his feet, waiting for the dust to settle before showing up to clean up.

On the surface, it seemed like Taskmaster wanted to eliminate Hawkeye to win Red Skull's favor. But in reality, he had no interest in chasing down someone else's nemesis. To him, staying alive was the most important thing.

In his heart, he truly hoped Hawkeye would be smart enough to stop after killing Zemo and the Thunderbolts. That way, he'd never have to deal with him.

Sensing the hidden anger in Red Skull, Taskmaster shuddered and awkwardly explained, "In fact, Baron Zemo's base was in ruins. Digging for serum in such an environment was extremely difficult."

"And what about that Avenger… Hawkeye? I can't allow a 'superhero' to stir up trouble and encourage others to defy me. Even if he's just an old relic, we can't afford any slip-ups with the execution day approaching."

"Like I said, my Führer, no one survived. I'm guessing they all perished in the ruins. Besides, there hasn't been any word about that old blind man lately, has there?" Taskmaster shrugged.

"Mm…" Red Skull's expression remained unreadable, but he didn't linger on the issue.

"Fine, it seems you've got the situation under control. Congratulations, you've become one of my trusted officers. You'll also be the executioner for this event—the executioner personally chosen by me, Red Skull."

.........

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238. The Origin of Black Canary.
239. The Transmission Ray.
240. Apokolips War.
241. Before the War.
242. Execution Time!

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