Fan-favorite villain Baron Zemo will be back on the small screen for Marvel Studios in the next show from the MCU's Phase 6 slate. While Zemo may not have superpowers, he still stands as one of the most impressive villains the MCU has ever put to screen after his introduction in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
Marvel Studios confirmed Baron Helmut Zemo's inclusion in two episodes of the upcoming Marvel Zombies series on Disney+. Marvel Zombies is a new What If...? Season 1 spin-off that will show the world's surviving Avengers fighting off an infestation of the undead, including a group of zombified heroes from MCU history. This will feature a comeback for Zemo, who will throw even more chaos into the fray.
Previously portrayed by Golden Globe nominee Daniel Brühl in live-action, voice actor Rama Vallury will play the fan-favorite villain in Marvel Zombies. According to Marvel's press release announcing the character's casting, he will appear in Episodes 2 and 3.
This will be Vallury's second time portraying Baron Zemo in a Marvel Animation project. He previously played the antagonist in Episode 8 of 2024's X-Men '97 Season 1, which also included Marvel Studios' first animated depiction of Doctor Doom.
Marvel Zombies will be Marvel Studios' first streaming release in the MCU's Phase 6 slate. It will show a universe overrun by zombies as the Avengers hope to save as many people as they can. Along with Vallury's Baron Zemo, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi, Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, and more are thrown into the mix. All four episodes of Marvel Zombies will stream on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 24.
Baron Zemo's MCU Future After Phase 6
For all the praise and adulation Zemo has gotten over the years as a beloved MCU antagonist, the character still does not have much screen time to his name. Outside of his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Brùhl's only other appearance as this character came in five episodes of 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. There, he offered assistance to Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, even returning to his cell at The Raft after their wild mission together.
As of writing, Zemo is still a prisoner at The Raft, serving out the rest of his expectedly long sentence alongside other notable prisoners like President Ross and Samuel Sterns/The Leader. However, considering his limited role in the greater MCU to date, fans are anxious to see whether he could return in future movies or TV shows.
Many thought Zemo would be an easy inclusion in 2025's Thunderbolts*, but he was never seen in plans for that story when it closed out the MCU's Phase 5 slate. However, Brühl made it clear during promotion for Thunderbolts* that Zemo is still alive and open to continuing the character's story.
Along with massive new heroes like the X-Men, Phase 7 of the MCU and beyond is sure to return to more ground-level stories similar to those fans have seen in the Captain America franchise. Sam Wilson himself is not expected to go anywhere anytime soon, which could easily set up a future reunion with Zemo.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
