Project Vanish was a top-secret weapons project formed by the Allies of the European Theater of Operations during World War II. It was basically a two-handed disintegration ray. Nazi leader The Red Skull coveted this device, so he arranged for a German soldier to be taken as a P.O.W. so he could steal the weapon. The spy manipulated events so that he could insure his placement on a United States Army transport vehicle. He was placed under the supervision of Steve Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes. The spy managed to escape and steal the Project Vanish prototype. Like a child with a new toy, he indiscriminately began disintegrating military vehicles and weapons. Steve Rogers changed into Captain America and fought with the spy. Capt tricked the spy by warning him not to adjust the weapon to its full power setting. Taking the bait, the spy did just that, but when he fired the device, it overloaded and exploded, killing him. (Tales of Suspense 68)