When Marvel Studios first revealed Thunderbolts*, it was clear that the movie wouldn't have too much in common with the comics. Bucky Barnes was the only character with a strong connection to the source material, having led a team of his own on the page, but that's really it.
In the Marvel Universe, the Thunderbolts started as a team of villains masquerading as heroes, with Baron Zemo serving as their leader. Years later, Luke Cage led a team of prisoners, Suicide Squad-style, though neither concept will be used in the MCU.
Talking to Dexerto, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier acknowledged that many fans are unhappy with Zemo's absence, but confirmed that the Captain America: Civil War villain was never included in any versions of the script he saw.
"There was no version that I was presented with where that was ever true, from the first draft that I read," the filmmaker said. "There are like a few character shifts since then, but not so much, and Baron Zemo was not in there."
"I know some corners of the internet are not so happy about that," Schreier added.
We last saw Daniel Brühl's Zemo in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier; he worked alongside a reluctant Sam Wilson and Bucky, but was put back behind bars when the series ended. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine could have freed him, but she doesn't assemble the Thunderbolts in the MCU, so that makes very little sense.
Schreier also addressed taking the team down a different route from their comic book counterparts. "It’s funny because I know there’s other corners of the internet that wish that this was more that first run of Thunderbolts where it’s, you know, villains masquerading as heroes," he explained.
"And I think our movie is meant, in some ways, to kind of honor that idea, but coming at it from a different angle."
It's impossible to say when or where Zemo's story will continue or whether he even has a future in the MCU. In some ways, it feels like his story has ended, especially as the moment for him to lead a team of "heroes" has now passed.
In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes - Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?
The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.