Baron Zemo was one of the best things about Captain America: Civil War. Now it looks as if the villain is returning to the MCU, based on the exciting first trailer for The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Zemo's role in the new series is unclear, but based on his long history in Marvel Comics, he's certainly up to no good.
Zemo had a large role in the outcome of Civil War, but his actual presence in the movie was fairly small. Now, he has a chance to become more of the comic book villain that he has been for decades and a greater threat than ever before.
Not The First Baron Zemo
Some fans might have thought the MCU wasted one of Captain America's best villains since he had a long history in the comics. That history is very complicated. Helmut Zemo isn't even the first Baron Zemo in the comics. He's actually the 13th.
He comes from a long line of German aristocrats, who embody some of the worst aspects of classism and racism. Helmut's father, Henrich, died at the hands of Captain America in World War II, and he vowed revenge against Steve Rogers.
The Phoenix
Baron Zemo first appeared in Captain America #168 back in December 1973. He was created by writer Roy Thomas and artists Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema. He appeared very different from the iconic look most comic fans are familiar with today.
In his first incarnation, he was The Phoenix. He wore a red and yellow costume, with flame accents, which had nothing to do with his predecessors' but would end up becoming familiar to fans of the X-Men. Jean Grey would become the Phoenix a few years later in the comics, and inspire the Dark Phoenix saga (and ultimately, a divisive movie).
Adhesive X
One of the quirks of Zemo's background is a strange substance called Adhesive X. His father Henrich, created by comic book legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby The Avengers #4 in March 1964, developed this special adhesive which couldn't be dissolved by any process known to man.
In Helmut's bid to destroy Captain America, he accidentally falls into a boiling vat of the compound. He isn't wearing his purple mask at the time, which leaves him scarred and severely burned.
Masters Of Evil
Baron Zemo eventually forms a team of supervillains called the Masters of Evil. These rivals to the Avengers could certainly show up in the MCU, and the Masters of Evil could be comprised of many different characters. In the comics, there were numerous iterations of the team.
Henrich's team first appeared with him. Helmut Zemo's first team included over a dozen villains, including the Absorbing Man, Blackout, Black Mamba, the Fixer, Goliath, the Grey Gargoyle, Mister Hyde, and many, many, more.
Moonstones
Zemo did not originally have any superpowers of his own, but would eventually obtain them through one of his cohorts, Moonstone. Moonstone's powers derive from a Kree gravity stone which was bonded to her nervous system.
Zemo eventually coopted the stone and gained a cosmic assortment of superhuman powers, such as energy/gravity/light manipulation, strength, durability, and flight.
Destroyed Avengers Mansion
There are a lot of impressive buildings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For comic book fans, it's a bit odd that the Avengers Mansion isn't among them. One reason for that is that Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil destroyed the mansion in Avengers: Under Siege from the late 80s, by writer Roger Stern and artist John Buscema.
The Masters of Evil lead an all-out assault on the mansion, razing it, and leading to the Avengers eventually relocating to a new tower after another mansion was also destroyed.
Thunderbolts
There were a lot of shocking moments in Marvel Comics in 2020, but none matched the shocking twist at the end of Thunderbolts #1 in 1997. This new superhero team, created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Mark Bagley, was revealed at the end of the first issue to actually be the Masters of Evil in disguise, in one of the best twists in modern comics.
The villains, led by Zemo in the guise of Citizen V, took advantage of the Avengers and Fantastic Four disappearing to an alternate universe. In fact, there is some evidence that the Thunderbolts could make an appearance in the MCU in Phase 4.
Scourge Of The Underworld
Baron Zemo appeared to die many times in the comics, including falling into a volcano at one point after trying to reanimate the corpse of his father. When the truth about the Thunderbolts was exposed, Helmut went into hiding.
He was killed by The Scourge of the Underworld, a vigilante who preyed on supercriminals. Zemo survived by transferring his mind into the comatose body of John Watkins III, the true Citizen V, and Zemo continued to masquerade as the hero for some time.
Leader of HYDRA
Baron Zemo eventually regained his original body and continued his campaign of evil in the Marvel Universe. In more recent years, he found himself the head of HYDRA, something that is possible in the MCU. It would be ironic if Zemo took over the organization that cost him so dearly in the movies.
In the comics, he faced off against the Sam Wilson Captain America. Zemo tried to infect the entire world with a deadly virus and provide a cure only for a very small number of select people.