Helmut Zemo is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Disney+ series The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, but where has he been since Captain America: Civil War? Zemo debuted in Captain America: Civil War with some significant changes from his comic book version, but even though his role was somewhat brief, it had a lasting impact. He's one of the few MCU villains to make it past the movie he was introduced in, but has been missing ever since
Played by Daniel Brühl, Zemo’s goal was to avenge his family’s death in Sokovia, which happened during the events in Avengers: Age of Ultron, by fracturing the Avengers team. He succeeded, and after provoking a battle between Captain America, Iron Man, and the Winter Soldier, Zemo attempted to kill himself, only to be stopped by Black Panther and taken to the authorities. A lot of major events have happened since, so what was he up to during all these years?
Zemo was imprisoned for his actions in Captain America: Civil War, and even though he didn’t take part directly in any of the events that followed, he did manage to divide and weaken the Avengers, and that was felt through Avengers: Infinity War and part of Avengers: Endgame. Zemo spent his time in a containment cell at the Joint Counter Terrorist Center, making it very difficult for him to escape – or that was the idea, at least. It's unknown if he escaped at some point or if he's still there, but it wouldn't be surprising if he found a way out.
One of the biggest questions about Zemo’s life post-Captain America: Civil War is what happened to him during Thanos’ snap. Was he blipped or did he survive that too? If he wasn't killed, it probably would have been difficult to survive in a prison all by himself – unless he was so lucky to have the people in charge of him survive as well. Or, it would have made it easier for him to escape. After all, he is a very intelligent, skilled, and calculating person.
Having being snapped could also be the reason behind his new revenge plan, this time against Falcon and Winter Soldier; knowing him, he would go after the remaining heroes to avenge those who were blipped, even if they eventually came back. With all the upcoming Disney+ series connecting directly to the MCU films, Zemo’s actions will continue to affect the narrative in the MCU, and he surely has been planning bigger things during all these years in prison after the events of Captain America: Civil War.
