When he first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Helmut Zemo achieved the great feat of causing an internal conflict and tearing the Avengers apart in 'Captain America: Civil War'. Now, the villainous Baron Zemo is back to cause trouble for 'Falcon and the Winter Soldier', a new Disney+ series that premieres this Friday (19).
We still don't know what his plans are this time around, but the comics have several decades worth of Baron Zemo stories for the Marvel Universe to draw from. The villain was once an agent of the Hydra organization, a Master of Terror, a thunderbolt and even a hero. Tactical genius and relentless adversary of Captain America, find out more below about who the character is to prepare for the 'Falcon and the Winter Soldier' series:
Origin and first appearance
It is important to note that we had more than one version of Baron Zemo. The title has been passed down from father to son since the 4th century and the first great holder of the mantle was Heinrich Zemo, who was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and had his debut in the pages of 'Avengers # XNUMX'.
In the comics, the “first Zemo” fought alongside the Hydra and was one of the greatest scientists of the Nazi Party during World War II. Intelligent and sadistic, the villain was responsible for creating many weapons of mass destruction for Adolf Hitler's army and faced Captain America several times, being responsible for “killing” Bucky Barnes and for freezing Steve Rogers for decades. It was up to the Avengers to find and revive him, twenty years out of their own time.
Heinrich Zemo: the mask and the fall
Heinrich Zemo was a noble descended from a wealthy Germanic family and was bestowed the title of 12th Baron Zemo. In addition to the great participation behind the scenes of World War II and the alliance with Hydra and Adolf Hitler, in addition to the partner-rival relationship Red Skull, the villain had a wife and son: Hilda and Helmut.
In one of Captain America's confrontations, the hero threw his shield into a glass tank that contained "X rank" - a scientific weapon so strong that no medical procedure at the time could remove, dissolve or cure it.
Zemo was standing next to the object, and when the shield slammed into the tank, the contents spilled out and spread all over Heinrich's head and face, permanently attaching the mask to the villain's skin. Although he retained his senses and the ability to breathe, he could no longer function normally and had to be fed intravenously. What happened drove the Nazi scientist crazy, something that affected his family relationship.
After believing that he had killed Steve Rogers, Zemo abandons his wife and son for years of exile in South America. Upon discovering that the hero has revived from the freeze, his hatred has been renewed for a final battle.
During the confrontation, Captain America blinded Baron Zemo, who at this point possessed the power to shoot solar rays through his eyes. The villain dies in a battle and, out of respect, is buried by the “Sentinel of Liberty” himself.
Helmut Zemo and the passage of mantle
The family's 13th baron, Helmut Zemo learned of his father's death and devised a plan to exact revenge on Captain America. Initially adopting the code name "Phoenix", he blamed Steve Rogers for Heinrich's death and confronted him in a fight. In the end, Heinrich's son ended up falling into an incandescent vat at "post X", which ended up leaving him disfigured just like his father.
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Years later, Helmut has taken up his family's legacy and adopts the alter-ego Baron Zemo. Allied with other enemies of Steve Rogers, the villain had several clashes with the hero and his companions, such as the various versions of the Avengers team and, of course, the 'Falcon and the Winter Soldier'.
'Masters of Terror' and 'Thunderbolts'
Helmut Baron Zemo was responsible for creating two iconic Marvel comic book villain teams: the Thunderbolts and the Masters of Terror.
Seeing that he would not be able to stop Captain America with the Avengers, the villain had the idea of assembling his own team of superhumans dedicated to beating the heroes. For this, he sought names the Black Knight, Blackout, Tiger Shark and Gray Gargoyle.
United, the supervillains almost defeated the heroes in the 'Under Attack' story arc and in other opportunities. The Masters of Terror, like the Avengers and other teams from the comics, had several versions of several other members.
After the 'Marvel Massacre' saga, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were presumed dead. So Baron Zemo saw another way to rise above the chaos left in the world of heroes. So, the Masters of Terror became the Thunderbolts. The team's new premise was simple: new identities not to be discovered by the media, villains posing as heroes, replacing "Earth's Mightiest Heroes".
During the saga, Helmut himself left out the costumes and code name Baron Zemo, adopting the title of "Citizen V", in honor of an American hero that his father, Heinrich, had killed in World War II.
Although the group of villains has achieved fans' love and hate, the Thunderbolts have subsequently evolved into a real team of heroes, fighting for justice.
Powers and abilities
Both versions of Baron Zemo have very similar powers and abilities. Both father and son do not have superhuman powers or special attention-grabbing abilities, but they think by training in armed and unarmed combat, as well as above average intelligence.
Due to the "rank X", Zemo has a very slow aging due to the effects of the substance, which also guarantee him vigor and vitality equivalent to his apparent ages.
In addition to being a scientist, Heinrich was a master scout, a skill inherited by Helmut, who in addition to being trained in swordplay and gunfighting, is a well-known master of disguise.
Marvel Universe, 'Civil War' and 'Hawk and the Winter Soldier'
Baron Zemo made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016, in the film 'Captain America: Civil War'. In the production, actor Daniel Brühl ('Inglourious Bastards', 'The Alienist') played Helmut Zemo and was responsible for a macabre and ingenious plan to crack the Avengers team.
And this Friday (19), Brühl will return to the character in 'Hawk and the Winter Soldier', Marvel Studios' second series on the Disney + streaming service. The plot will show Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) after the events of 'Avengers: Endgame'.
In addition to the films and the series, Baron Zemo has already been present in several Marvel animations over time, the 'Ultimate Spider-Man' and 'Avengers Assemble'. In the world of games, the villain appeared little, but he has already appeared in 'Man/XO Manowar in Heavy Metal' and in the mobile game 'Marvel's Avengers Academy'.
Source: Marvel. and Marvel Fandom
