There are many standouts in Captain America’s rogues gallery: Baron Struker, Arnim Zola, Crossbones, and of course the Red Skull. But Doctor Faustus is especially unique, particularly in his origins.

The Austrian doctor, who had no superhuman abilities yet was able to cause Cap a great bit of grief, first appeared in Captain America #107 in 1968. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the inspiration for Doctor Faustus came from an Elizabethan-era stage play. The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, which in turn was based on the German story Faust, lends some insight into the characterization of the Captain America villain.

The story follows Faustus, who was born to lower-class parents, as he becomes a doctor and a necromancer. He uses his knowledge to summon a devil, Mephistophilis, who assists him in striking a deal with Lucifer himself. Faustus is given 24 years of life on Earth, during which he will have Mephistophilis as a servant, and at the conclusion of that time he will give his soul to Lucifer as payment.

Faustus proceeds to waste his skills and remain blind to warnings and the opportunity to save himself from damnation. In the end, his own hubris is his ultimate downfall.

The comic book Doctor Faustus finds himself at the hands of a similar fate; wasting his skills of persuasion and charisma on evil plans rather than using them for the greater good, he is unable to see his own downfall on the horizon.