Heinz Kruger (Earth-11584)

History
"'I'm the first of many. Cut off one head...two more shall grow in its place. Hail Hydra!'"Heinz Kruger was a German soldier who served as an undercover agent and personal assassin for the Nazi Deep Science Division known as HYDRA. He was personally chosen by HYDRA leader Johann Schmidt to carry out highly sensitive operations and take out important targets. It is unknown how many kills he had for HYDRA, though Allied information classified after the war indicates that his efforts as a spy were far more successful.

Before the war broke out, Kruger accompanied Schmidt's men in an attempt to capture or kill German scientist Abraham Erskine, in order to prevent the secret of his Super Soldier Serum from being given to potential enemies of the Reich. Kruger caught up to Erskine and his family in France and, though he failed to kill the doctor, he presumably killed most of the doctor's family in their attempt to escape. Despite his failure, Kruger was assigned another highly classified mission by Schmidt, to infiltrate the United States State Department as diplomat Fred Samson.

As a spy, Kruger reported on troop movements and the Lend-Lease Act between the United States and Germany. He also tried to steer US foreign policy away from entering the war in the first place (though Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor would render these efforts moot). In 1942 Kruger was contacted by Schmidt again: they had found Erskine working with a branch of the military called the SSR. Kruger was to infiltrate the demonstration of Project Rebirth, kill the doctor and, if he could, steal a sample of the Serum. Kruger, as Samson, hitched a ride to the demonstration in the personal vehicle of Senator Bob Stern (a fact that Stern would steadfastly try to deny later.) After witnessing the transformation of Steve Rogers into what would become Captain America, Kruger detonated a bomb in the laboratory as a distraction and then killed Erskine just as the doctor recognized him. Stealing the final sample of the Serum, Kruger took off, killing SSR agents along the way. He engaged in a foot race and car chase through the streets of Brooklyn with the newly transformed Steve Rogers. Kruger attempts to fight off Rogers and escape in a HYDRA one-man submarine, but Rogers intercepts him and throws him back to shore, destroying the Serum in the process. Before he could be captured alive, Kruger bit down on a cyanide capsule and killed himself, declaring with his last words Hail Hydra.

Powers & Abilities

 * Assassin: Kruger was one of the top assassins for HYDRA, and thus can be assumed to be highly skilled in explosives, weaponry and unarmed combat. He was also a match for the newly transformed Steve Rogers physically, briefly, though that was likely due to Rogers not knowing his own strength and new center of gravity at the time.
 * Master Spy: With little effort Kruger was able to infiltrate the highest levels of the US State Department and give information to the Nazis and HYDRA.

Weaknesses
Kruger had no special abilities or powers to grant him protection from normal circumstances. He died via suicide with a cyanide capsule.

Film Details
Kruger appears in the following films in the Earth-11584 continuity. In all cases he is portrayed by actor Richard Armitage.
 * Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)