During World War II, Hitler himself was so sick of Fury and his Howling Commandos innumerable victories over his forces that he ordered one of his finest henchman - Baron Wolfgang von Strucker - to actively seek out and humiliate Fury in a manner that would result in Fury's and the Howling Commandos' reputations becoming sullied and worthless. Strucker decided to challenge Fury to personal combat on the island of Norsehaven in the English Channel. Naturally, being a bad-ass, Fury accepted the offer and the two combatants met for the first of what would be many battles between them. The villain offered a toast before the combat began and Fury accepted. As a result, Fury found himself drugged by a very potent sleeping pill that Strucker had placed in his drink. Strucker soundly defeated the American hero, took photos of the beaten man, and had them widely circulated amongst the Third Reich, which scored a tremendous propaganda victory for the bad guys. Strucker would go on to become a long-time nemesis of Fury's, having also received treatment that massively slowed down his ageing process.
