Marvel Studios is continuing quite the successful run with its exclusive properties on Disney+ as fans wait for the MCU's theatrical releases to make their grand return. Stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are currently leading the way in this endeavor as the MCU reaches the halfway mark with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier .
"Episode 3" brought more plot action than either of its predecessors, introducing the classic X-Men-based country of Madripoor as Sam and Bucky connected with Daniel Brühl's Helmut Zemo and Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter . The story brought a new take on Zemo in particular after Sam and Bucky broke him out of prison, showing his lighter side and bringing plenty of entertainment the whole way through.
Fans are still talking about Brühl's unexpected dance moves , already making #ReleaseTheZemoCut one of the most popular Marvel movements in existence for the time being.
On top of that, the actor himself just revealed a smaller moment in the story that was completely his own idea.
THE ZEMO CHIN STROKE
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , Helmut Zemo star Daniel Brühl talked about a moment from "Episode 3" of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that he improvised during shooting.
The actor spoke on how he came up with the moment when he stroked Bucky Barnes' chin as he spoke with Selby in the Madripoor club, even laughing about how there were "a couple of takes where (Stan) couldn’t deal with it:"
"That was improvised. And I knew how much Sebastian was suffering. There were a couple of takes where he couldn’t deal with it."
Additionally, he revisited his world-famous two-second dance scene from earlier in the episode, mentioning that he was "very happy they kept...the dance" in the final cut. Unsure initially if it would appear on Disney+, he was pleased that this fun side of Zemo is officially part of the story:
"Another thing that I’m very happy they kept was the dance. There are some moments where you’re not sure if they’ll really keep it in the final cut, but they did."
Talking broadly about his time with Marvel Studios, Brühl praised the team for creating an "atmosphere of looseness, fearlessness and joy," which he loves feeling on a project with "so much pressure."
Even though the MCU's shows and movies are major endeavors, Brühl is continually amazed by "how light, warm and welcoming the tone and vibe is on set" as he brings this interesting character to life:
"And that’s something I enjoy so much about working with Marvel in general. They create this atmosphere of looseness, fearlessness and joy. That’s the way it should be. Anyway, on endeavors like these, I’m sometimes really impressed because there’s so much pressure — and there must be. It’s such a gigantic project, and you’re almost surprised by how light, warm and welcoming the tone and vibe is on set. And that allows you to try things and not be restrained. So you go for some funky choices like dancing or the chin. ( Laughs. ) So it’s nice that this is accepted and embraced."
IMPROVISATION ENCOURAGED IN THE MCU
Many fans saw Daniel Brühl as the MVP of this series' third episode considering he brought a new dynamic to Baron Zemo's MCU story, one which mirrored his comic counterpart in a few ways.
Much of this had to do with the actor taking some of his character into his own hands, bringing plenty of chuckles as he laid his fingers softly on Sebastian Stan's chin. Bucky Barnes clearly couldn't do anything to stop this as he revisited his Winter Soldier persona, but it's certainly a moment fans already want to see more takes of with how little Stan was holding it together at times.
The jury is still out on Zemo's true motives through the second half of this series, but he's already made his presence felt both in and out of his comic-accurate purple facemask. His journey will be something to pay close attention to in the coming weeks, especially with an unexpected Wakandan presence in play , and fans are hooked onto every second of Brühl's upcoming screen time .
"Episode 4" of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere on Friday, April 9. The first three episodes are available to stream on Disney+.
