Sin

Sin - Art By: Stephanie Hans

**Sinthea Schmidt**, also known as the **Red Skull** and **Sin** for short, is a Head of HYDRA and the daughter of Johann Schmidt, the original Red Skull. She is the product of a decades old plan to create the Red Skull’s heir and the perfect leader for HYDRA. Sin inherited her father’s abilities and his physical deformities. Trained by HYDRA loyalists to be a worthy heir to her father’s name, Sin took on the position of the Head of HYDRA after the organization was nearly destroyed by the Avengers and SHIELD following the demise of many of its leaders, operating as the new Red Skull.

## Biography

### Heir of the Red Skull

#### Creating a HYDRA Leader

During WWII, the Red Skull sought an heir to inherit his legacy after he passed, and so sought to impregnate a woman with his child. Numerous genetic samples were used in an attempt to create a child, unfortunately because of the imperfect Super Soldier Serum in his DNA, the woman and the child died before it could fully develop. After several failures during the course of the war, the Red Skull stored samples of his genetic material in a secret facility in the hopes that one day he could successfully create an heir. Putting aside his plans of a successor, the Red Skull focused his efforts on combating the SSR, though HYDRA was defeated in 1945 and the Red Skull was presumed deceased. Arnim Zola resumed the Red Skull’s plan of creating the perfect leader for the organization while rebuilding HYDRA from the shadows. Even after his physical death, Arnim continued the project, and in 1983 he succeeded, creating an offspring and heir of the Red Skull.

#### Childhood and Education

The mother died in childbirth, and the child was born a female with the same physical deformities, however, she also inherited all his enhanced abilities. Some in HYDRA felt that the child was unfit to be their future leader and planned to kill her. To protect the girl and ensure the Red Skull’s legacy live on, Arnim arranged for her to be hidden away until the day that she was ready to lead. The child was given the name **Sinthea Schmidt**, or **Sin** for short, and was raised by a religious sisterhood loyal to the ideals of HYDRA. As she grew up, Sin was taught the history and philosophy of HYDRA alongside other orphan girls, as well as the views of the Red Skull. When Sin was eighteen, she was placed in the Department of Occult Armaments, or DOA for short, an occult section of HYDRA that investigated and studied supernatural, mystical, or magical phenomena. Sin moved up the ranks of the DOA, eventually becoming the leader of the division.

### Head of HYDRA

Sin used the alias **Erica Holstein** to conceal her true identity from anyone who might be a threat, and covered her deformities using prosthetic skin. Her true identity was kept hidden from HYDRA, because she knew that the leaders might try to kill her to stay in power. There were few in HYDRA that knew of Sin’s true identity, and the ones that did were Red Skull loyalists who wanted Sin to take her rightful place and rise to power. Others in HYDRA planned to create their own Red Skull offspring as the future leader of the organization, one example being Ruby Hale. After HYDRA was defeated by SHIELD and the Avengers and believed to be destroyed, Sin decided to step out of the shadows and claim her rightful place as the Head of HYDRA. Working alongside Arnim Zola and other HYDRA loyalists, Sin began to rebuild the organization under their leadership. Sin used her deformities and her true identity as the rightful heir as a symbol to recruit others to her cause.

## Powers and Abilities

As a result of the combinations of the formula developed by Abraham Erskine and the Infinity formula, Sinthea obtained incredible attributes, such as an enormous strength, speed, stamina and reflexes, and got even her youth extended living 80 years while retaining the appearance of a 30 year old.

* **Enhanced Strength**: Due to the Super Soldier Serum prototype from her father.
* **Enhanced Speed**: Due to the Super Soldier Serum prototype from her father.
* **Enhanced Agility**: Due to the Super Soldier Serum prototype from her father.
* **Enhanced Durability**: Due to the Super Soldier Serum prototype from her father.
* **Enhanced Stamina**: Due to the Super Soldier Serum prototype from her father.
* **Enhanced Longevity:** Due to the Infinity Formula.
* **Regenerative Healing Factor**: Due to the Super Soldier Serum prototype from her father.