Title: CAPTAIN AMERICA#347 by Mark Gruenwald (writer) and Kieron Dwyer (art)
Synopsis: The 1950s Communist Red Skull is broken out of prison. He gets into a helicopter and is flown off. The pilot literally shoots him out of the helicopter and declares, "Justice is Served". Shortly thereafter he calls up a mysteryman villain to tell him what happened, which causes the mysteryman to laugh in delight
Is it a key part of the overall Scourge storyline? Yes. It shows that the Scourge operation is back in business. It also begins a lengthy red herring.
Does it tie into the main story in this issue? Yes. The mysteryman, whose identity is revealed in this Scourge's next appearance, #350 (see my next review) has been behind the scenes regarding many of Captain America's problems in recent years (at the time this story takes place)
Comments: The Scourge seen here has not been seen previously. See my review of #3550 for the reason why he isn't the same person from #320