Why Hugo Weaving's Red Skull face was a practical effect despite taking almost 4 hours to apply? MCU detail explained

Captain America: The First Avenger, released in 2011, is the second-to-last movie in the MCU's Phase-1. The film introduced the world to Steve Rogers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's boy scout. Unlike the narcissistic and egotistical Tony Stark from Iron Man, Rogers wears his heart on his sleeve. Opposing him in his first entry is his arch nemesis from the comics, the Fascistic Red Skull.

Johann Schmidt/Red Skull is the German HYDRA commander who has grand schemes to take over the world including overthrowing his Nazi bosses in Germany. He makes his presence felt especially when we see what the real Red Skull looks like. His red-coloured skull looks smooth and shiny, adding physicality to the character. Though, it looks like CGI, the character's look was practical makeup.

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Why is Hugo Weaving's Red Skull makeup practical in MCU?

Even though the MCU Red Skull's makeup took almost four hours to apply, everyone involved felt that the material worked very well. Even after a decade, Hugo Weaving's Red Skull has a sheen and glow that makes it stand the test of time. Viewers must note that the makers filmed Hugo Weaving with a full facial prosthetic piece.

In an interview with ShockYa, David White spoke about using silicone prosthetics for Hugo Weaving's Red Skull. He was asked about the facial application for Hugo Weaving's MCU supervillain. He said:

"The Red Skull prosthetic was broken down into a total of seven pieces. This was to make the application process as clean as possible; it’s easier to glue down, and helps with the movement. The thinner the prosthetic, the more difficult it is to apply. Hugo’s makeup was very, very thin in areas."

White was asked about the impact of silicone prosthetics on Hugo Weaving's skin. White replied:

"Silicone prosthetics are great for low-maintenance work. Sometimes the makeup would look as good when it was applied as 12 hours before. We also made sure Hugo’s skin was well looked after at the end of a shooting day."

The makers used a few tracking markers and Weaving's nose was painted black so that the Red Skull's nose could look like a cavity in the MCU movie. Red Skull's final look was achieved by VFX companies Lola and Framestore through compositing and 3D techniques. Jonathan Fawkner, a Framestore VFX supervisor said this in an interview:

“Part of the development we’ve been doing in the last few years is to hone our ability to rig any creature based on a number of standard defaults. We were able to roll out our human being and fit him to Hugo Weaving in his cast. It’s still a lot of bespoke tuning, but it gets you off to a good start.”

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Who is the Red Skull in the MCU?

Hugo Weaving's Red Skull in the MCU is introduced as the Head of HYDRA, the science division of the Nazis. However, in the comics and as established in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA is a cult that was formed centuries before the Nazis. Red Skull seeks a mystical power and hopes to weaponize it so that HYDRA can take over the world, including Nazi Germany.

However, during the final act of Captain America: The First Avenger he vanishes after picking up the Tesseract, the same mystical power he was seeking. Schmidt was believed to be dead, however, Avengers: Infinity War revealed him to be alive. He is no longer a power-hungry megalomaniac. Rather, he is cursed to serve as the stone keeper of the soul stone at Vormir, the dominion of death.

It is to be noted that Weaving did not return in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame despite Red Skull's appearance in those MCU movies. Ross Marquand plays the stone keeper Red Skull instead.

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Did you like Hugo Weaving's Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger? If yes, would you like him to reprise this role from The First Avenger? Tell us in the comments below.