Could Red Skull Be Alive and Working with Thanos?

Johann Schmidt (a.k.a Red Skull) gave us a shock in Captain America: The First Avenger when he pulled off his synthetic face and revealed the reason he got the name 'Red Skull.' He introduced us to the first Infinity Stone in MCU, the Tesseract, but he did not live long enough to savor its power since he died after a brief encounter with Captain America.

But is he really dead? Was his reign really that brief? On the contrary, I think he is alive and is currently working with Thanos. Let's see why this is plausible.

Did Red Skull actually die?

In the brief encounter with Captain America aboard the Valkyrie, Red Skull grabbed the Tesseract in panic when the container (the Tesseract Cradle) was broken by Cap's shield. His flesh started burning and moments later he was sucked into the portal to the Multiverse far away from Earth. We immediately assumed that it was the last we would ever see of Johann Schmidt — but it's probably not.

We didn't actually get to see him die, only vanish through the portal. So, its highly plausible that he is still alive.

How could he survive this long?

You might first wonder how Red Skull could have survived this long since we last saw him. Well, how did Cap survive this long and manage to stay young and strong? I think there's the answer: the Super Soldier Serum.

Schmidt injected himself with the unstable version of the serum made by Dr. Abraham Erskine, and this gave him his powers and his deformed face. He wore a synthetic mask to hide his deformity and retain his former look, but later, he decided to embrace his deformity when he finally removed his mask to reveal his face.

How did Thanos know The Tesseract was on Earth?

New York was saved from grave danger when the Avengers fought the Chitauri army brought by Loki in the Avengers movie. The Army was lent to Loki by Thanos in return for the Tesseract, but how did #Thanos know that the Tesseract was on Earth? It seems extremely unlikely that he would have this information unless someone had informed him.

I think Red Skull was the one who informed Thanos about the Tesseract's presence on Earth. He clearly has knowledge of the stone already, and revealing such information would have made Thanos his ally (and who wouldn't want Thanos as an ally?).

Is Cap's rumored death just a coincidence?

Rumors are already afloat that Cap is gonna meet his death in Avengers: Infinity War. Is it really a coincidence that Red Skull's staunch enemy could be killed at the hands of Thanos? What would make sense is if #RedSkull convinced Thanos that Captain America is the leader of the Avengers and killing him would disorganize the heroes, thus making Thanos' work easier. This is also how Red Skull could finally manage to take revenge on Cap and help his ally simultaneously.

Understanding this framework, it seems highly plausible that Red Skull is alive and currently working with Thanos. Although, the last we have seen or heard of him was in Captain America: Winter Soldier, it's possible that he might pop up in Avengers: Infinity War with a dramatic entrance. I hope to see him again when #AvengersInfinityWar hits the theaters on May 4, 2018.