In the story the Red Skull and his henchmen are revived after decades in suspended animation by the bee-hive like scientific cabal A.I.M., Advanced Idea Mechanics.
Supplied with brain-washing technology, the Red Skull resumes antagonism on Captain America. With assistance from the super-spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division), Marvel's answer to U.N.C.L.E., Cap is able to resist A.I.M.'s mesmerizing weaponry.
Captain America's costume is of course very blatantly symbolic of America. Indeed, this Jack Kirby creation was so well-realized that Captain America is nearly as recognizable an allegorical figure of the United States as Uncle Sam, and probably more commonly known then Columbia. While the source for Cap's costuming is clear I can not help but note the prominent pentagrams on Captain America's chest and in the middle of his bull's eye motif shield. The "A" on Captain America's cowl, located in the position of the third eye, is graphically similar to eye in the pyramid shape from the Great Seal of the United States. It also brings to mind the form of the Freemasonic compass and square, an effect highlighted, I believe, in the image above where the hidden circuitry underneath the letter is revealed. The capital A has other connotations as well.
Meanwhile, A.I.M. scientists have developed the ultimate weapon in their battle against S.H.I.E.L.D.
Learning of this incredible device, the Red Skull betrays A.I.M. and steals the Cosmic Cube. Luckily Captain America happens to hear what his old foe is up to and rushes to intervene. However his efforts do not stop the Red Skull from retrieving his prize.
With descriptions like "-can convert thought waves into material action!', the occult symbolism of the object is barely veiled, but I will return to that in a moment. The Red Skull muses over what he will do with the ultimate power of the Cube, setting himself as Emperor of the world with complete control over mankind, and beyond to the cosmos.
I find this image to be strikingly similar to that of The Emperor trump from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck.
Later, during the inevitable slug-fest with Captain America, the Red Skull uses the Cube to clothe himself as a new King Arthur.
King Arthur is an interesting symbolic node which occurs with great frequency in super hero comic books. The Skull states he is going to create a new Round Table. The Round Table with its twelve knights has astronomical connotations with the ring of the Zodiac with King Arthur taking the position of the sun, like so many other solar deities. That the Skull clothes himself in golden armor reinforces the solar symbolism of King Arthur. It also very clearly evokes the deep well of symbolism associated with the practice of alchemy. In this light the Cosmic Cube is synonymous with the fabled Philosopher's Stone.
As stated, the basic geometric solid the cube has numerous symbolic meanings. In Freemasonry the cube denotes the "hewn stone" that is a member of the fraternity as compared to the unfashioned stone of the initiate. In the Book of Revelation "heavenly Jerusalem" is described as a perfect cube. The holiest site of Islam is the cuboid Kaaba.
In The Secret Teachings of All Ages Manly P. Hall describes the Pythagorean philosophical conception of the cube as:
"The 3 (spirit, mind, and soul) descend into the 4 (the world), the sum being the 7, or the mystic nature of man, consisting of a threefold spiritual body and a fourfold material form. These are symbolized by the cube, which has six surfaces and a mysterious seventh point within. The six surfaces are the directions: north, east, south, west, up, and down; or, front, back, right, left, above, and below; or again, earth, fire, air, water, spirit, and matter. In the midst of these stands the 1, which is the upright figure of man, from whose center in the cube radiate six pyramids. From this comes the great occult axiom: "The center is the father of the directions, the dimensions, and the distances."
In the 1596 "Mysterium Cosmographicum" (The Cosmographic Mystery), Johannes Kepler, created a hypothetical model that related the orbits of the planets of our solar system to the five Platonic solids.
Saturn he found associated with the form of the cube. The connection between Saturn, the planet associated with the Titan who ruled over the Golden Age is of high significance. This brings us into the astronomical symbolism of an all-powerful Cosmic Cube or Cube of Space.
The above drawing is a tesseract published in the 1928 "Theosophy and the Fourth Dimension" by Alexander Horne. A tesseract, or hyper-cube, is an eight-celled cube, or a cube in four dimensions. In the book "The Mysteries of the Great Cross of Hendaye: Alchemy and the End of Time", authors Jay Weidner and Vincent Bridges explore the writings of the enigmatic Fulcanelli, coming to the conclusion that hidden symbolism in gothic cathedrals such as Notre Dame and other structures such as the Hendaye Cross, relate to a point in history when a cosmological alignment of planets and constellations forms, as seen from the vantage point of the Earth, a cube of space, and that this occurrence acts as a marker between Astrological Ages. If we keep in mind that allegory and symbolism are at play we can avoid concern that we are dealing with antiquated mysticisms and understand this as time-keeping on a very grand scale. The following image is a Rosicrucian/Qabbalistic diagram from Hall's "The Secret Teachings Of All Ages", depicting New Jerusalem as a cube. Along the twelve lines composing the cube are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Weidner and Bridges, and others such as Giorgio De Santillana and Hertha Von Dechend, authors of the eye-opening Hamet's Mill would contend that the twelve tribes are representative of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac, much like the twelve knights of the Round Table.
And that's just the tip of the pyramid. Other Marvel characters who became associated with the Cosmic Cube include Thanos, Jim Starlin's Mad Titan who was in love with the incarnate form of Death, and the god-like The Beyonder, the being responsible for the first two Secret Wars mini-series, both of whom are wonderlands of hidden symbolism in their own right.
art by Jim Starlin
art by Mike Zeck
Note: Obviously this was first written prior to the use of the Cosmic Cube in any of the Marvel movies. A revisitation to the subject feels necessary.
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