Red Skull (2011 series) #5

Munich, 1934: Johann Shmidt encounters his old commander from the Brownshirts who once beat him up as a troublemaker (issue #4). The Commander is drinking heavily because his dreams of Ernst Rohm seizing power have come to naught, as Rohm has become Hitler’s servant. He confides that Hitler is coming tomorrow, likely to fire Rohm. Shmidt takes this all in then stabs the man to death for the beating he gave him. Shmidt and Dieter go to Rohm’s hotel and make their plans. Dieter will act as a bellboy and see where Hitler is sitting at the meeting and then Shmidt will go in and kill him and they will escape by boat….

The Nazis arrive, Rohm and his aide Edmund Heines are arrested on Hitler’s orders and Heines and another aide are summarily executed in the courtyard. Shmidt pushes Dieter into standing up, insisting on killing Hitler. So Shmidt dons the bellhop’s uniform and they take Hitler’s meal order upstairs. They enter the room and Dieter draws his gun. Shmidt recalls all of the people in his life who have shown kindness then he overpowers Dieter and shoots him in the head with his own gun. Hitler’s guards seize Shmidt but Hitler orders him released. As Hitler consolidates his power, Johann Shmidt is one of his most faithful aides….