He's the leader of the glossy Thunderbolts. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series had prepared his introduction, yet he wasn't even mentioned once. Jake Shreier's film surprised viewers in more ways than one. First, it was critically acclaimed for its narrative choices and direction. Second, it didn't take the route of a literal adaptation of the comics it was inspired by. The team, now called the New Avengers, is very different from the one on the glossy pages. This is especially true for its leaders, Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, who were never meant to lead the group.
Indeed, in The Incredible Hulk #449, published in 1997, Baron Zemo calls on his Masters of Evil cronies to create a superhero team similar to the Avengers. At least, that's what he wants the public to believe; in reality, all the members of Thunderbolts* are supervillains in disguise. Zemo becomes Citizen V, while Beetle, enemy of the Human Torch and Spider-Man, adopts the identity of MACH-1. The goal for the antagonist introduced in Civil War on the big screen: to retrieve sensitive information from S.H.I.E.L.D. But from the start, Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo wanted to reinvent the team. The screenwriter spoke to ScreenRant and shed light on the changes made by the film.
“They’re not villains”
Since most of the original Thunderbolts members were never invited to the big screen, Marvel had to reinvent its own mythology. And that requires a major change of approach. In the big screen, the New Avengers aren’t antagonists, but antiheroes who want to do good… but who do everything wrong.
He explained to the American media that he was more inspired by Die Hard and The Breakfast Club than the “Dirty Dozen or The Suicide Squad.” From then on, the story was about bringing the characters together and forcing them to collaborate so that they realize that they have more to offer the world together than separately. In such a context, Zemo's presence was no longer necessary. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was the ideal enemy for the misfits seeking recognition.
Who's pulling the strings?
Nevertheless, Eric Pearson confides that Daniel Brühl's character appeared here and there in several versions of the script. It could have been revealed at the end of the film that "Zemo was pulling the strings from prison. I may be making things up, but I think there was also a version where Zemo escaped and managed to switch places with someone. He seems to me to be Valentina's assistant." These ideas were quickly dismissed, however, to focus on the beating heart of the story and the link between all the members of the Thunderbolts* team. Allowing “all the characters to come together through Yelena” was a wiser choice.
Officially, Baron Zemo is not promised a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character is, according to the latest news, still locked up in the Raft, a maximum security prison that was introduced to viewers in Captain America: Civil War and which was also at the heart of the post-credits scene of Captain America: Brave New World. Still, Avengers: Doomsday promises to have a huge cast… so nothing is impossible. The New Avengers, for their part, are already guaranteed to be back to fight Doom.
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