Heinz Kruger

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA!"
: ―Heinz Kruger to Steve Rogers[src]
Heinz Kruger was a HYDRA agent who infiltrated the United States Department of State during World War II, posing as Fred Clemson. In June 1943, he was tasked by Red Skull to acquire a vial of the Super Soldier Serum and assassinate Abraham Erskine, exposing his cover in the process. After being caught by Steve Rogers, Kruger committed suicide with a cyanide pill to avoid interrogation.
== Biography ==
=== HYDRA Agent ===
==== Undercover in the U.S. ====
: "Why don't we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?"
: ―Chester Phillips to Brandt[src]
Heinz Kruger was a HYDRA agent under the command of Johann Schmidt. Kruger left Nazi Germany and relocated to the United States of America, living as Fred Clemson and infiltrating the United States Department of State as a HYDRA spy. When Schmidt heard that Abraham Erskine had perfectly synthesized the Super Soldier Serum and was to test it on an Allied recipient, Schmidt dispatched Kruger, who would be able to attend the event as Clemson, to assassinate Erskine and retrieve any remaining serum vials.
==== Assassination of Abraham Erskine ====
: "If this project of yours comes through, we'd like to see it used for something other than headlines."
: ―Heinz Kruger to Chester Phillips[src]
On June 22, 1943, Kruger, as Fred Clemson of the United States Department of State, was driven in Brandt's car to the Strategic Scientific Reserve's Brooklyn facility to witness the culmination of Project Rebirth. Once he arrived, he was introduced to Chester Phillips and sat with the many government officials and generals to watch the experiment.
After Steve Rogers was successfully transformed into America's first super soldier, Kruger used a concealed bomb to destroy the research; in the chaos, Kruger stole the last remaining drops of the Super Soldier Serum and shot Erskine twice in the chest, killing him. Peggy Carter managed to shoot him in the arm; nonetheless, he made his escape through the building, killing several soldiers as he went.
==== Attempted Escape ====
: "Who the hell are you?""The first of many."
: ―Steve Rogers and Heinz Kruger[src]
However, Kruger was incapable of stopping Steve Rogers and was forced to retreat from the man who would become Captain America. On his way out, he hijacked two taxis, the first of which was stopped when Peggy Carter shot through the windshield and killed the driver, the second was pursued on foot by Rogers.
Eventually, Rogers forced Kruger into a footrace, which Kruger took advantage of by kidnapping a small child from the street, taking him to the docks with the gun to his head. When Rogers pursued, Kruger attempted to shoot him but discovered he was out of ammunition in his clip, causing him to throw the child into the water below as a distraction. When Rogers checked on the kid, he said he was okay because he could swim, and encouraged him to get Kruger.
With his mission mostly complete, Kruger boarded an advanced submarine, the Fieser Dorsch. It was already submerged and swimming back to Germany, when Steve Rogers appeared outside the cockpit, shattered it and ripped Kruger out, dragging him back out of the water and throwing him onto the docks above. When Rogers attempted to interrogate him, Kruger claimed that he was simply the first of many and that when you cut off one head, two more grow in its place. Before Rogers could ask more detailed questions, Kruger bit down on a concealed cyanide pill in his mouth, killing himself for his cause, saying "Hail HYDRA!"
== Abilities ==
* Master Spy: Kruger managed to infiltrate the first Project Rebirth test posing as a United States State Department official by the name of Fred Clemson, mimicking a perfect American accent to match, and making nobody suspicious of him. He even knew the secret password to get in and gained the trust of Colonel Chester Phillips. It wasn't until he gave up his position to get the serum when his cover was finally blown.
* Expert Marksman: Being a spy, Kruger was a good marksman. He was able to shoot and kill a few guards while sitting in the back of a moving car.
* Bilingualism: Kruger was fluent in his native German, as well as English, with a perfect American accent.
== Equipment ==
=== Weapons ===
* Walther P38: Kruger was armed with the standard Walther P38 pistol which he used to assassinate Abraham Erskine.
* Thompson M1921: Kruger obtained a Thompson submachine gun from the antique store owner that guarded the facility where Project Rebirth was developed, and used it until it ran out of ammo.
=== Other Equipment ===
* Cyanide Pills: Like every other HYDRA operative during World War II, Kruger had a cyanide pill concealed inside a fake tooth to commit suicide in case he was captured by the enemy. He used his pill when Steve Rogers managed to prevent him from escaping New York City.
=== Vehicles ===
* Fieser Dorsch: Following his assassination of Erskine, Kruger attempted to escape from Steve Rogers in a miniature submarine. However, the newly enhanced Rogers intercepted him underwater and broke through the glass, taking him out.
== Relationships ==
=== Allies ===
* HYDRA
** Johann Schmidt/Red Skull - Superior	
=== Enemies ===
* United States Army
** Chester Phillips †
** Steve Rogers †
* Strategic Scientific Reserve
** Abraham Erskine † - Victim
** Peggy Carter †
** Antique Store Owner † - Attempted Killer and Victim
* Brandt
== Trivia ==
* In the comics, Heinz Kruger is a Gestapo agent working for the Nazi party instead of an agent of HYDRA, who was killed after accidentally grabbing a live wire during a confrontation against Captain America.
== Behind the Scenes ==
* Lee Millham was a stunt double for Richard Armitage in the role of Heinz Kruger.
* In Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely's first draft of Captain America: The First Avenger script, the flashbacks would have revealed that Kruger was present when Johann Schmidt injected himself with the Super Soldier Serum in 1938 in Berlin.
== References ==
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Heinz Kruger.
# ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Captain America: The First Avenger
# ↑ Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely's first draft of the Captain America: The First Avenger script
== External Links ==
* Heinz Kruger on Marvel Database