In the dim barracks of Camp Lehigh, Dr. Abraham Erskine sits across from Steve Rogers, the bottle of Augsburg liquor resting between them. His voice carries a heavy weight as he begins, his eyes distant. “So many people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. You know, after the last war, my people struggled. They felt weak. They felt small.”

“And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags.” 

Erskine leans forward, his tone darkening. “And he hears of me. My work. And he finds me. And he says, ‘You.’ He says, ‘You will make us strong.’ Well, I am not interested.”

The scene shifts to a shadowy meeting. Johann Schmidt, sharp-featured and intense, stands before Erskine. “So, he sends the head of Hydra, his research division,” Erskine says. “A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt.”

Schmidt’s image looms: a man in a crisp uniform, his eyes burning with ambition. “Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle. And he is ambitious,” Erskine continues. “He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth.” Ancient runes and artifacts flicker across the screen, Schmidt poring over them with fervor.

Erskine’s voice grows grim. “Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by…”