While Daniel Brühl didn't suit up as Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, he still played the part exceptionally well, and actually succeeded in tearing apart the Avengers by creating a schism that had lasting consequences for years to come, ultimately culminating in the defeat of Earth's Mightiest Heroes at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
We may not get to see Brühl ever square off against Chris Evans' Captain America, but we will soon get to see him don his purple mask to cause all sorts of trouble in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where he'll be up against the combined forces of Steve Rogers' two best mates, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
While speaking with head writer Malcolm Spellman, he shared some of what to expect when the dynamic duo cross paths with Zemo again, and it sounds like during these past five years, he's become more dangerous than ever before.
"It’s a blast. First of all, all of these characters get special treatment in this series because there’s space to do it and so, Daniel Brühl just starts to play. When he showed up to do these scenes, he just plays with them like it’s like a concert pianist to see how the different angles and the different levels of humor and psychology he could bring to him.
Baron Zemo himself is basically, he sees himself as a hero, which is the most dangerous kind of villain. What we wanted to do with all of the villains in this thing was give them legitimate arguments for why they’re doing what they’re doing, so much so that even the other heroes start to, at times, agree with them. So, Daniel Brühl is dealing with the fact that his country and his family were destroyed by people like this and that the world’s in chaos and it takes someone like him to help set it right."
As for Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), the other returning face from Civil War, it sounds like she's been through a lot since we last saw her, which does make sense considering early marketing material has seemingly already revealed that she will still be on the run when Sam and Bucky catch up with her.
However, while her time away has surely not been easy, it sounds like flying solo without any government agency to back her up will have toughened her up quite a bit.
"Sharon is a blast because once you dig into, ‘Wait a minute, when’s the last time we saw her, when she was in Civil War, what happened?’ and we got to write an entire backstory that the audience won’t even see, but bring it to life once you meet her and realize what all she must’ve been through. Even though she has the baby face and looks innocent, she’s got a lot more edge now."
Check out our full video interview (which includes mild SPOILERS) with head writer Malcolm Spellman below, and please don't forget to like and subscribe!
Marvel Studios’ “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. The pair, who came together in the final moments of “Avengers: Endgame,” team up on a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience. Directed by Kari Skogland with Malcolm Spellman serving as head writer, the series also stars Daniel Brühl as Zemo, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker.