‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’: The Zemo We Know from the MCU Was Only the Beginning
Superhero movies are supposed to make comic-book characters come alive. But according to fans, they failed when it comes to one popular villain. After getting to know Zemo from comic-books, viewers were shocked at his appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The character was missing some key features and had a drastically altered look. However, that will all change with the release of a new Disney+ series.
Zemo was missing his traditional mask in ‘Captain America: Civil War’
Baron Zemo, played by Daniel Brühl, was introduced to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War. The character pitted Captain America and Iron Man against each other. Although he was detained in the end, Zemo is one of the few villains to successfully tear the Avengers apart.
Fans loved seeing Zemo in the MCU, but they were surprised at his appearance. His portrayal in the movie, especially his costume, was very different from the comics. For one thing, he was missing his trademark purple mask. Instead, Zemo dressed as an average civilian.
The reason producers went with this drastic change is to focus on his backstory. In the comic books, we mostly see Zemo after he’s become a villain, but the movies focus on his development into a villain.
“… My character is from a different area than you would think,” Brühl told Business Insider about his role in Captain America: Civil War.
Along with this focus on development, MCU made a few changes to his backstory. In the comic books, he is the son of a Nazi super-villain whose upbringing made him a dangerous character. But in the MCU, Zemo is a former Sokovian general whose entire family was killed during the Avengers’ battle with Ultron in Sokovia. Because of this tragedy, he seeks to avenge their death by turning the heroes against one another.
But soon, fans will get a Zemo much closer to the one they know and love. He’s set to return in the upcoming Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And it’s been confirmed that Zemo will get his purple mask and classic bad-guy costume on the show.
Fans want to see the comic-book version of Zemo
Fans are really excited to see Zemo return to his traditional look. A recent Reddit discussion showed just how important the character’s appearance will be to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
“I really liked the Zemo we got but it’s gonna be cool to see a more comic accurate one in the TV series,” one fan wrote.
Some, who maybe weren’t so familiar with the comics, were surprised that Zemo had a villain costume. “Wait. Zemo is an actual bad guy?” One person wrote. “Like … A weapon toting bad guy? The one from the MCU who just did the psychological warfare, that’s just a stepping stone?”
Others were quick to confirm that Zemo looks very different in MCU than he does in the comics. “He’s always been a bit of both. But yeah, he’s a theatrical style bad guy in the comics,” a fan wrote.
“He’s 100% about that supervillain life…” Another person wrote.
One fan seemed really impressed with the comic book version of Zemo, as they pointed out all the differences. “He’s a total supervillain in the comics, also he’s a really skilled fighter and one hell of a strategist,” they wrote. “He’s got a weird colorful costume and everything… He likes swords, like a lot. Like he uses that sword in a lot of stuff.”
Daniel Brühl is excited about his new role and costume
Civilian clothes are probably more comfortable than a villain costume, but even the actor was excited about Zemo’s new look for the Disney+ series.
“I was very happy and enthusiastic to see the mask,” Brühl told Collider.
In fact, Bruhl was excited about the whole role. “I was incredibly thrilled to go back because I remember that I had a lot of fun being in something completely different and getting to explore the MCU and become part of that,” he said.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be a six-episode mini-series. It was scheduled to release on Disney+ in late 2020, but production had to be postponed because of (coronavirus) COVID-19 restrictions. So, the release may have to be pushed out further. Hopefully, it won’t be too long of a wait, because fans are certainly anxious to see the comic-book version of Zemo come alive on-screen.
