As we’ve seen in WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel is using their Disney+ series to delve deeper into the Avengers. Both series give ample time to characters like Wanda, Vision, Sam, and Bucky, who have often been given short shrift in the MCU.
But it’s also shading in some villains, chiefly Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), the Sokovian Colonel turned terrorist who divided the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. In TFATWS, Bucky springs Zemo out of his high security prison, hoping that Zemo will lead them to the super soldier serum. In addition, Zemo’s wealth allows the trio to travel in style and sneak into the action-filled city of Madripoor.
So far, the series has shown Zemo to be an able fighter but also somewhat loyal to Sam and Bucky, choosing to rescue them when he could have escaped. Of course, Zemo is still the terrorist who killed Wakanda’s King T’Chaka, and who killed all the cryogenically frozen super soldiers to avenge his family’s death. And chances are he’s likely going to betray Sam and Bucky for his own ends. But as things stand right now, the character is in an interesting place.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Brühl, who is Spanish-German, discussed the evolution of his character, what TFATWS has in store for Zemo.
“After reading the scripts, I thought, ‘Oh! This is a whole new game.’ It gives me the opportunity to discover so much more [about the character] and to show different sides of Baron Zemo that, actually, I always had in mind knowing the comic books,” Brühl said. He added, “In Civil War, as much as I enjoyed playing the part, I thought, ‘Give me that mask at least for a second, for one scene! What about Zemo’s aristocratic background? Why is he called Baron?’ That all was added here in the show, and it was so much fun to play around with it. And the sense of humor. I’m always a fan when this is part of the performance, no matter how serious the circumstances are.”
He also discussed his much-memed dance break in last week’s episode, saying “It’s so hysterical. [That moment] was improvised when I saw the crowd dancing, going loco. I felt the beat and was like, Zemo has been sitting in a dodgy German prison cell for years. So, he needs to let off some steam and show his moves. Let’s go for it! I enjoyed so much the reaction of Anthony and Sebastian looking at me. Still, I was 100 percent sure that they would cut it out [of the show]. I was really surprised and happy that they kept it. It was a long dance. There’s more to it, but they cut this little moment.”
Ultimately, Brühl remained tight-lipped on the future of his character, saying, “There will be interesting twists and turns and surprises, I can assure you. Keeping up that cinematic level until the very end really impressed me because it’s like six movies.”
I’m interested in seeing how Zemo will interact with Karli Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers. Will he betray Sam and Bucky, or will he find a way to redeem himself? Is he even worth redeeming? With only 3 episodes left in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, we’re excited to find out.
(via EW, featured image: Marvel Studios)
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