The last time that fans saw Helmut Zemo, he was being imprisoned on The Raft at the end of Captain America: Civil War ... Until they saw actor Daniel Brühl wearing Zemo's iconic purple mask, as he taunted the audience during a reveal at San-Diego Comic-Con in 2019. Since then, fans have only seen Zemo briefly in the Super Bowl teaser trailer for the Disney+ shows, and haven't heard anything else.
However, Daniel Brühl was recently interviewed by Collider, where he discussed his return to the franchise, and how he is finding working with Marvel Studios again.
NEWS
Speaking with Collider's Christina Radish in an interview about Daniel Brühl's appearance in the newest season of The Alienist , the topic turned to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier . This detour began with how the upcoming Disney+ series will only be the second time that the actor has returned to reprise his role in a movie or show franchise, including The Alienist: Angel of Darkness . Brühl said:
“It was funny because Angel of Darkness was the first time I’d ever revisited something and came back to the same project again, or to go on playing that part."
While he was shooting the latest season of The Alienist , Brühl got news about Marvel Studios wanting him to return as Zemo. He said that "I remember that Kari Skogland, the director, came to Budapest and we recorded something with me being Zemo, and I was very happy and enthusiastic to see the mask," which is likely referring to the footage that fans saw of Zemo wearing the mask during last year's San Diego Comic-Con .
Brühl further reminisced about his time playing the character in Captain America: Civil War and how he had "...the fondest memories of collaborating with all of these wonderful actors and to see Sebastian Stan again, and Anthony Mackie," but also how the role felt new.
Brühl described returning to the role of Zemo in this show as "...something which, on the one hand, felt common and known, and on the other hand, being something completely new and something fresh."
However, he later mentioned how he was still meant to film more scenes before the coronavirus stopped production . Brühl is hopeful that he will be able to return to production and finish shooting "...very soon."
WHAT THIS MEANS
It's nice to hear Daniel Brühl being so respectful about returning to the role and being able to work with Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie again. However, what was most interesting about this interview was how Brühl described returning to the role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with it apparently being something completely new and fresh despite feeling common and known.
It's uncertain whether Brühl was describing the show itself or his role as Zemo, as this time around, the character will have changed quite a bit compared to his appearance in Civil War . That movie concluded with Zemo essentially winning, having separated Captain America and Iron Man. How will he react when nearly half of them are gone and with Sam Wilson attempting to become the "new" Captain America?
Brühl could also be describing his experience of working for a streaming series such as Disney+. It could be quite a different experience compared to his time with standard television and cable shows.
Whatever the case may be, seeing Brühl return as the famous Captain America villain will hopefully open up new avenues for the character to continue thriving in the Marvel Cinematic universe.
