Baron Zemo Was Originally In Thunderbolts* - MCU Writer Reveals Why The Marvel Character Wasn't In The Movie

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.Writer Eric Pearson reveals Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo was Thunderbolts*‘ villain at some point in development, replacing Lewis Pullman’s Sentry. Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* introduces one of the MCU’s most powerful characters in Robert Reynolds, whose Void alter ego makes him a nearly invincible villain as much as his Sentry powers make him a nearly invincible hero. Fortunately for the Earth, the Thunderbolts manage to stop the Void in Thunderbolts*‘ ending, and Bob becomes an honorary member of the New Avengers by Thunderbolts*‘ post-credits scene, which takes place during the events of Avengers: Doomsday.

In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, Thunderbolts* writer Eric Pearson reveals a draft of the movie included Baron Zemo, who would have been revealed to be pulling the strings in secret. Pearson also mentions that Zemo would have “swapped places with someone,” possibly Val’s ᴀssistant Mel, with the help of a Widow’s Veil. Pearson explains that Zemo didn’t suit Thunderbolts*‘ premise and themes despite the villain’s link to the team in the source material. As a result, Zemo was cut and Thunderbolts* shifted focus to Yelena, Sentry, Val, and the rest of the cast. Read Pearson’s full comments below:

ScreenRant: We do see Baron Zemo a little bit in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and I know he’s an important part of the team in the comics. Was there ever a version that included Baron Zemo, or did you quickly steer away from including him right off the get-go?

Eric Pearson: “To be fair, there was a version where we stopped at a kid’s house who had just thrown a high school party, so I think Zemo was there at one point.

I think there was a version of a tag written a long time ago, kind of revealing who’s behind it all. It was revealed that Baron Zemo was pulling some strings from prison or whatever. I might be just inventing things now, but I feel like there might’ve been a version where a tag where Zemo had broken out and swapped places with someone – maybe Valentina’s ᴀssistant – and he was working with a Widow mask under.

But I think those ideas lived for one iteration and then died. Sometimes people think that we’re zagging on purpose, and it’s like, ‘No, we know that Zemo is very integral to a different story version of them.’ He’s part of putting them together, and we negated the need for that with our very premise.

But we always think back to the comics. There’s always the discussion of, ‘Well, if there’s a way to cleverly include Baron Zemo in this, he absolutely should be there.’ But in this story that we wanted to tell and that we fell in love with, Yelena was central, and all of these people find their way through Yelena. And then we were introducing Bob as well, so he just didn’t fit. We didn’t want to just have a feathered fish.”

What The Thunderbolts* Writer’s Baron Zemo Comments Mean

Baron Zemo Would Have Been A Great Addition To Thunderbolts*, If The Movie Followed A Different Story

Blended image of the Thunderbolts MCU Yelena Belova, Winter Soldier, Baron Zemo

Baron Zemo is the Thunderbolts’ original creator in Marvel Comics, and he has been a recurring member in various iterations of the team throughout the years. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revealed Zemo is calling hits from inside the Raft comfortably, which suggests he can easily bring together a team if he so desires. In theory, a Thunderbolts movie provided the perfect opportunity to introduce a faithful adaptation of the team, with Zemo and his allies posing as heroes in order to flip their public image, but the MCU’s Thunderbolts* tackled a very different story.

Thunderbolts* is an intimate movie about a group of anti-heroes who redeem themselves despite their lack of power and influence, meaning that the power-hungry Zemo didn’t fit. Instead of posing as heroes before realizing they actually like heroism, the MCU’s Thunderbolts oppose Val’s plans to create the ultimate superhero, and they end up healing their emotional wounds alongside Sentry. Zemo could still create his own version of the Thunderbolts in a potential Thunderbolts* sequel, but he would have little connection to Yelena’s team.

Our Take On The Thunderbolts* Writer’s Baron Zemo Comments

Baron Zemo’s Comic-Accurate Thunderbolts* Can Still Happen In The MCU

Following the Thunderbolts’ rebranding as the New Avengers, the future of the “Thunderbolts” name is up in the air in the MCU. This is actually not a rare occurrence in the comics, as Marvel has presented many different versions of the team, each with its own line-up, its own motivations, and its own allegiances. In the MCU, Baron Zemo could create and lead the franchise’s second iteration of the Thunderbolts. The fact that Zemo is imprisoned right next to Samuel Sterns, Thaddeus Ross, Willis Styker, and Trish Walker means that his Thunderbolts team may already have its founding members.