Daniel Bruhl Cast as Baron Zemo: Who Is That?

Shortly after Marvel revealed the official title for Captain America 3 – Captain America: Civil War – they also announced that Daniel Bruhl would be playing a villain in the upcoming film. Apparently, he’ll have a small role in Civil War, and it’s rumored he will return as the main antagonist in Doctor Strange, due out in 2016.

The role that Bruhl was rumored to play, coupled with the fact that he’ll appear in Doctor Strange, left many fans scratching their heads – me included. You see, Bruhl is playing Baron Zemo, and that has since been confirmed by the actor himself. The strange part is, Baron Helmut Zemo doesn’t tie in with Strange in the Marvel comics. That means this is going to lead to something new, something fresh.

During an interview, Bruhl mentioned his role in Civil War.

“I think I can tell you that without being thrown into Marvel prison… For the first few days I’ll walk around like a little boy, just amazed by the megalomania of it. It’s such a huge project. We could do 20 films with the budget.”

Zemo won’t be the only villain Cap and crew square off against in Civil War. He’ll be joined by Crossbones, played once again by Frank Grillo.

Who is Baron Zemo?

Baron Zemo was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the comics.

In the books, Helmut Zemo begins to cause trouble when he discovers that Captain America is still alive in present day.

Although, it’s his father, Baron Heinrich Zemo that appears first. During WWII Heinrich Zemo fights alongside the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving in Captain America: The First Avenger) against our beloved Cap.

Heinrich Zemo is a Nazi scientist and weapon maker, like Skull, yet looks different thanks to a unique hood that is glued to his face during a battle with Cap. He’s well known for a weapon he calls Adhesive X, a strange glue-like substance that cannot be dissolved or removed. It is this adhesive, that eventually causes his hood to be permanently attached to his face.

Wait, So Then Who is Baron Helmut Zero?

Since the Civil War timeline is going to take place in present day, it’s more likely that Bruhl will play Zemo’s son, Baron Helmut Zemo.

Helmut Zero actually crops up using the alias of the Phoenix. During this time, he kidnaps Cap, intent on getting revenge for his father. No doubt, his father will be used to tie the whole storyline to Cap’s past, and eventually to Zemo’s rise to villainy.

It’s a pretty ingenious way to return to Cap’s roots, and explore the Red Skull and Hydra further.

Of course, this information isn’t particularly difficult to piece together especially for longtime Marvel fans. The real question is, what role will Baron Helmut Zemo play in Doctor Strange?

What Role Will Baron Helmut Zero Play in Doctor Strange?

As mentioned above, it’s rumored that Zemo will appear in Doctor Strange. Keep in mind, there hasn’t been an official confirmation of this news and the rumor itself is pretty weird.

IMDB lists the synopsis for 2016’s Doctor Strange as the following:

After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under his wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.

My guess is that Strange’s mentor Ancient One and Strange will forge an alliance to take on their enemies. There may even be more baddies involved, we’ll have to wait and see.

Pairing that with the rumor that Zemo is the antagonist of the film, it means we might see him go up against Strange and his allies.

Whatever the case may be, Doctor Strange is sure to be interesting when it launches on November 4 2016. First, we’ll meet Zemo in Captain America: Civil War when it hits theaters on May 6 2016.

Update: A previous version of the article suggested that Baron Zemo would coach Doctor Strange, but that means he would have to replace Ancient One which was just silly on my part. Plus, he’s rumored to play the antagonist not protagonist.