Editing Red Skull (section)

===Golden age===
The Skull made limited appearances in the Golden Age of Captain America. His first story in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 follows the Red Skull as he takes out military personnel in attempts to sabotage United States military industry.  In the issue, his identity is revealed as George Maxon of Maxon Aircraft, and dies at the end of the issue by rolling onto his own hypodermic needle in apparent suicide.

The Skull returns again in issue #3 of Captain America Comics having survived his own needle.  He commandeers bank robberies in an effort to raise money to overthrow the US government, declaring, "Of course you realize the main item in overthrowing the government is money!"  The Skull again assumedly dies at the end of the issue when Captain America returns a thrown bomb.

The Red Skull once again thwarts death by returning and planning crimes around music in Captain America Comics #7 (October 1941).  Stories published decades later claimed this was the Nazi Johann Shmidt, and that the Red Skull appearing before that point was his pawn George Maxon.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hall|first=Richard A.|title=The American Superhero: Encyclopedia of Caped Crusaders in History|pages=221–222|date=2019|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781440861246|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpuDDwAAQBAJ&q=%22George+Maxon%22+red+skull+%237&pg=PA221|access-date=June 22, 2020}}</ref>  Marvel has since revealed Johann Shmidt's first appearance was also in Captain America Comics #1, and the two skulls worked together in the Golden Age.<ref name="Christiansen 2009 71">{{cite book|last=Christiansen|first=Jeff|title=Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe| volume= 9 | publisher= Marvel| year= 2009| page= 71}}</ref>

The Red Skull made sporadic appearances in other Timely comic books in the forties.  He appeared in ''[[Young Allies (Marvel Comics)|Young Allies]]'' #1 and #4.  appearing maskless in both issues, including when getting up from bed in issue #1 and while in a fighter jet with one other ally in #4.  He was also to appear in All-Select Comics #2 (December 1943), Captain America Comics #37 (February 1944) and ''[[All Winners Comics]]'' #12 (April 1944) in various plots to overthrow the United States.

In the last issue of Captain America Comics in the forties, which had since been retitled Captain America's Weird Tales, Red Skull appears in a dream of Captain America, and they both battle in Hell for the damnation of each other's soul.  This story was notable for including horror aspects in Captain America stories, as horror comics books became popular during this time period.  Timely would end the run of Captain America after this issue to focus on mystery, humor, and horror.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/captain-america-comics-horror-comic/|title=When Captain America Became a Horror Comic!|website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]|last=Cronin|first=Brian|date=January 11, 2019|access-date=August 24, 2023}}</ref>

After an absence from comics for five years, both Captain America and the Red Skull were brought back in 1954 in ''Young Men Comics'' #24, in a story entitled "Back From The Dead". Here the Red Skull, thinking Captain America was dead, has left politics and started a big criminal enterprise in the United States. In his next appearance, in issue #27, the Red Skull is once again left for dead from a truck crash.