Tadzio de Santis

"*Let us see if this heart of yours is stronger than my hate!*"
―Tadzio de Santis
**Tadzio de Santis** is a prominent leader of HYDRA. Abducted by Italian stormtroopers as a boy, he was subjected to brutal experiments and subsequently brainwashed to create a fascist super soldier under the supervision of Benito Mussolini. Disfigured by the process, de Santis was repeatedly mistaken by the allied forces during World War II for Johann Schmidt, leading to him being erroneously referred to as the **Red Skull**.

As the war came to an end, de Santis went into hiding and was subsequently recruited into HYDRA. Imbued with extended longevity due to the experiments performed on him, de Santis survived into the 21st century, rising to become one of the most prominent and influential figures of HYDRA.

## Biography

### Early Life

"*The Boy...We want him for his superior intelligence.*"
―Benito Mussolini
Tadzio de Santis was an Italian boy genius, born in the town of Porto Venere. Because of his intellect, he was kidnapped from his family by the Italian army stormtroopers in 1936, in a raid lead by Mussolini in person. The boy was forced to watch as his parents were killed before him, then he was taken in Fortezza Lorenzo, a secret base of fascist experiments.

### Vaselli's Experiments

"*The same rat, transformed by a secret process is now twice as strong and twice as intelligent.*"
―Benito Mussolini
There he was used for experimentation to make the ultimate fascist super soldier, based on the research of unwilling scientist Maria Vaselli on the early work of Abraham Erskine. The experiments were a success, doubling de Santis' strength and intelligence but also permanently disfiguring him in a fashion similar to what would later occur to Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull.

### Clashing Against Captain America

"*Good, an American. Just when I am needing help of my English lessons.*"
―Tadzio de Santis
Several years later, de Santis, with his memory erased and brainwashed to be completely loyal to the Axis powers, was put in charge of a plan to destroy the White House with a missile. During the mission, he encountered Captain America and the Howling Commandos, who confused him for the Red Skull. During the fight, de Santis utterly overpowered Rogers, and tied him up to the missile. Moments before the missile took flight, Captain America grabbed de Santis' right hand, trying to bring him to die with him, but de Santis cut his hand off, surviving the encounter but allowing the Howling Commandos to stop the missile, free Rogers and then escape.

### Joining HYDRA

"*After the war, my life was in ruins. You gentlemen gave me assistance so now how may I help you?*"
―Tadzio de Santis
Following the end of World War II, de Santis was recruited into HYDRA and, thanks to Vaselli's formula, survived into the modern day. He continued living in his native Italy, however he had been ruined due to Italy's defeat in the Second World War. Although the current Italian government was now pro-US and working to atone for its Fascist past, it had yet to uncover all Mussolini's secrets, one being Fortressa Lorenzo. Because of this, de Santis was able to use Fortressa Lorenzo as his base of operations. Building his own secret criminal organization, de Santis gained a lot of power in Italy. At some point in his life he married, but as his wife was not seen it is assumed she died prior to the 1990s. That marriage produced one daughter, a woman named Valentina who also became his faithful lieutenant. De Santis also underwent extensive plastic surgery. While the surgery succeeded at covering up his unnatural red skin, it had given him the appearance of deep cracks on his face. Nevertheless, de Santis now had a somewhat human appearance and was not as publically visible as he had been when he was the Red Skull. Tadzio continued to build his criminal empire, soon gaining political and financial influence throughout Italy. His empire had so successful it branched out to Italy's neighbors, even gaining influence in western Europe and North America.

Eventually he gained a foothold in his old sworn enemy, the United States. De Santis convinced the American Mafia and the military-industrial complex join his organization. Orchestrating the deaths of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King, de Santis quickly rose to become one of HYDRA's most prominent members. However, those assassinations had unexpected aftershocks for HYDRA. While they succeeded at removing the men from office, American civilians vowed to posthumously honor them by working to continue their ideals. De Santis also remarked somewhat jokingly that he also orchestrated the death of Elvis Presley, yet people still refuse to believe that assassination.

### A Puppet in the White House

"*Assassination isn't worth the trouble. It took me two years to find Sirhan. Three to find Oswald. The King job alone cost me over twenty million dollars. What do we get for our pains? Saints. Martyrs to the cause.*"
―Tadzio de Santis
In 1993, Thomas Kimball, who had once been a Vietnam veteran and prior to that, a little boy who photographed Red Skull and Captain America being blasted away to Alaska, was inaugurated as President of the United States. President Kimbal began a new policy for global peace and ecology, the American branch of HYDRA wanted him gone. De Santis agreed, but overruled their demands for assassination. In order to avoid creating another martyr, he resolved to insert a revolutionary brain implant into President Kimball, whom afterwards would only make decisions favorable to HYDRA.

### Abducting President Ellis

*"How stupid do you think we are? My people will find this place in a lot less than 24 hours."*
*"Oh no... a hidden transmitter. Does it look something like eh, this?"*
―Matthew Ellis and Tadzio de Santis
De Santis managed to kidnap the President whilst he was in Rome for a summit, attracting the attention of Captain America. He proceeded to prepare Ellis' body for the transplant but the process took longer than foreseen allowing Ellis to break free from his prison.

### Attack on Fortezza Lorenzo

"*We are both tragedies... And now I send our tortured souls to rest!*"
―Tadzio de Santis to Captain America
In his effort to ruin de Santis' plans, Ellis tried to jump from the top of the fortress but was rescued by the timely intervention of Captain America. De Santis and Captain America engaged one another but in the midst of their battle, de Santis pulled out a remote trigger for a nuclear bomb. In order to distract him, Rogers used a recording of the murder of de Santis' family years earlier and whilst he was momentarily lost in thought, Captain America threw his shield at de Santis, sending him flying over the parapet and plummeting into the ocean below.

## Personality

Before going through Mussolini's brainwashing, Tadzio de Santis was a boy akin to most others, albeit one with great intelligence. He appeared to be a well-rounded, gifted child, playing the piano for his entire family who appreiciated his talent and remarking that he may grow up to be a musical prodigy. This was not to be due to Mussolini's personal attack on the De Santis residence and forced removal to Tadzio to Fortressa Lorenzo, where he was transformed into the Red Skull and brainwashed into being a loyal fascist. With his personality changed, he became a sadistic terrorist, an agent of chaos, seeking for war and absolute domination. The only person he's affectionate toward is his daughter. Due to a ploy of Captain America playing an old recording; it caused to remember his childhood and mourn his parents and siblings who were massacred by Mussolini.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

"*The Americans have made a poor choice for their champion. Pity him! He is like a child.*"
―Tadzio de Santis
**Artificially Enhanced Physiology**: As a result of the formula developed by Maria Vaselli, de Santis was horribly disfigured, but also obtained incredible attributes, such as an enormous strength, speed, stamina, reflexes and intelligence. Like Captain America, de Santis' physiology has been enhanced beyond the peak of human potential, pushing into the early levels of superhuman condition.

* **Enhanced Intelligence**: De Santis' intelligence is enhanced to peak performance. He managed to amass a large criminal empire and even orchestrate the deaths of several prominent figures for years without revealing his identity to the public. He's also shown himself to be a formidable researcher and scientist.
* **Enhanced Strength**: De Santis' strength was enhanced to an early level of superhuman potential. His punches were shown to be capable of hurting Captain America, despite his similar super soldier enhanced body.
* **Enhanced Durability**: While fighting Captain America, de Santis was shown to be able to quickly recover from blows received from his opponent.
* **Enhanced Speed**: Vaselli's formula gave de Santis enhanced speed, allowing him to land punches on the also enhanced Captain America before his reflexes could respond.
* **Enhanced Agility**: De Santis' was shown to be an agile hand-to-hand combatant while engaged in a one on one battle with Captain America.
* **Enhanced Stamina**: De Santis is more resilient to fatigue and exhaustion, allowing him to fight and exert himself for long periods without strain or weakness.
* **Enhanced Reflexes**: De Santis' reflexes are superior to those of the finest human athletes. He was shown to be able to catch Captain America's shield mid-flight.
* **Regenerative Healing Factor**: De Santis' advanced metabolism increases his resilience, as well as increasing his recovery and healing speed.
* **Longevity**: De Santis' accelerated rate of healing provides him with an extended lifespan by slowing the effects of the ageing process; Despite his advanced age, de Santis retained the health, appearance and physical vitality of a man in the physical prime of his life.

### Abilities

"*We don't know where he is or who he is. We know he's using the name he used before the war. He's had extensive plastic surgery but we know he is a kingpin in a powerful international cartel.*"
―Sam Kolawetz
* **Master Tactician:** De Santis is a criminal genius and a highly skilled planner and organiser. As well being a prominent member of HYDRA, he managed to developed his own criminal empire and orchestrate the assassinations of several prominent figures such as John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
* **Master Combatant:** De Santis was very proficient in unarmed combat. He was able to go toe-to-toe with Captain America and, on more than one occasion, proved to be more apt in combat than Roger's himself.
* **Expert Scientist:** Although by his own accounts he merely "dabbles in science", de Santis has proven an accomplished scientist, able to develop a revolutionary brain implant capable of controlling others.
* **Multilingualism**: De Santis is fluent in English, Italian, and German.
* **Musician:** During his youth, de Santis was shown to be a gifted pianist.

## Equipment

### Weapons

* **Heckler & Koch MP5A3:** A Heckler & Koch MP5A3 with a slimline hand-guard was used by the de Santis during Captain America's assault on Fortezza Lorenzo.

### Other Equipment

* **Remote** **Detonator:** Concealed in his piano, the detonator controlled a hidden nuclear bomb powerful enough to destroy southern Europe.

### Vehicles

* **Rolls Royce:** De Santis was chauffeured around in a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow when he was in Rome to abduct President Ellis.

## Facilities

* **Secret Missile Base:** De Santis was put in command of a secret Nazi missile base during World War II. The facility housed an experimental missile that targeted the White House. The plan was foiled, however, by Captain America and the Howling Commandos, who redirected the missile to crash harmlessly in Alaska.
* **Fortezza Lorenzo:** Originally a secret base for fascist experiments to create a super-soldier during World War II. After the war, de Santis took it over and turned it into his main headquarters. After abducting President Ellis, he held him in the fortress' dungeon. The fortress was infiltrated by Steve Rogers, who managed to rescue the president and United States Armed Forces then stormed the facility.

## Relationships

### Family

* Unnamed Mother †
* Unnamed Father †
* Valentina de Santis/Valentina Allegra de Fontaine - Daughter, Subordinate

### Allies

* National Fascist Party - Former Allies
	+ Benito Mussolini † - Former Abductor turned Superior

* Third Reich - Former Allies
* HYDRA

### Enemies

* Steve Rogers/Captain America
* Howling Commandos
	+ Dum Dum Dugan
	+ Gabe Jones
	+ Jim Morita †
	+ James Montgomery Falsworth †
	+ Jacques Dernier
* Matthew Ellis - Attempted Victim
* Sam Kolawetz † - Victim

## Gallery

Tadzio as a boyTadzio during World War II
## External Links

* https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Tadzio\_de\_Santis\_(Earth-697064)