Actor Daniel Brühl, who played Helmut Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, shared a first look at his masked Baron Zemo that will feature in the upcoming Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Most comic book fans were impressed with Daniel Brühl’s performance in Captain America: Civil War as Helmut Zemo. However, there was a little disappointment that he wasn’t quite the Helmut Zemo from the comics, as he was missing that iconic purple mask.
Following an announcement at San Diego Comic-Con that revealed Brühl would reprise his role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the actor took to Instagram to give us a tease at what Helmut Zemo will look like in the upcoming TV series.
Take a look.
There’s a reason I say, “Kinda.” The first look isn’t much. It’s blurry and hard to really tell exactly what it looks like. The screen capture looks to be a snap from his flip phone as he reviewed some film edits off a VHS recording. It’s UFO footage from 1993 bad. It’s Big Foot sightings in the Northwest printed in an issue of Weekly World News.
In other words, it was bad. And we’re looking for some clearer footage.
Does He Need the Mask?
The effect of Zemo in Civil War was felt throughout Infinity War and through the first parts of Endgame. His intention was to sow discord among the Avengers, and his mission was successful. He was able to successfully split up Captain America and Iron Man using Winter Soldier’s brainwashed history.
And he did this all without the purple mask. Comic book fans being particular about their preferences of their villains and accuracy to the printed source may have furrowed their brows over Brühl’s portrayal of Helmut Zemo. However, the rest of us were watching a brilliant performance of a villain behind the scenes, putting puzzle pieces together to make the heroes fight among themselves.
The purple mask will only serve to make his character more of a logo of what the villain is. Like Spider-Man. Or Wolverine. Or Batman. Something you can place on a pin or other merchandise and attach it to yourself.
Not Really a Villain IMHO
One of the greatest achievements in Captain America: Civil War was not only Brühl’s portrayal of Zemo, but how the character’s arc was written. He wasn’t a villain for villainy’s sake. He doesn’t want to rule over people or destroy for the sake of being a baddie. He’s heartbroken because of the loss of his family. A family he lost in Sokovia, after Ultron razed it and it came tumbling down. A loss he blames on the Avengers and more specifically Tony Stark because he sees Ultron as a creation of Tony Stark.
I’m glad to see Brühl reprising his role of Zemo for the The Falcon and The Winter Soldier series. His role as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler in The Alienest contributed to the series getting nominated for several Emmy categories as well as a well-deserved second season. And seeing his ability to take on a role for a regular show, he certainly has the chops to carry a character through an episodic series. I’m also looking forward to the plans he has for the two heroes.
What do you think of Daniel Brühl reprising his role as Zemo and returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Phase 4 and Disney+? Do you think the writing will utilize his character to orchestrate discord and chaos as he did in Civil War? Sound off in the comments below, or let’s talk about it on social media!